Re: diesels and speed

["Paul Misencik" <paul@domain.elided>]

A diesel-powered BMW X5 took a stage win in the 2003 Dakar rally this week.
While they were congratulating the winning driver on taking the first
diesel-powered stage win in Dakar's 25 year history, they were talking about
how a diesel-engined BMW also recently won the 24 hours of Nurburgring
outright...

In these days of direct-injection, exotic engine managment systms and new
types of forced-induction applications, the diesel is a perfectly viable
performance option.  Unfortunately, it will be almost impossible for diesel
engines to meet the increasingly strict SLEV emissions standards, so they
are still ultimately doomed in the United States.

It's a shame.  My turbocharged Mercedes-Benz diesel has the fattest,
broadest and most wonderful spread of torque of any car I've ever driven...

Paul Misencik
P. Roman Media
Huntersville, NC  28078
email: paul@domain.elided
www.paoloroman.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Williams" <alfanut@domain.elided>
To: <alfa@domain.elided>
Sent: Friday, January 17, 2003 1:39 AM
Subject: Re: diesels and importing


> Spent three days with a 146 diesel and I didn't think it was too bad. Not
a sportscar by any stretch but then when diesel is $3/gallon and gas is
$4/gallon it makes people do funny things! Like voting with their
pocketbooks. So they get most of the package.... just not the engine. I'll
take the diesel over the auto in a car like that any day. At least you can
work to get power out of the car in creative ways. Remined me a bit of the
whippings I gave my old Fiat 850 every time I drove it.
>
> Autoweek had a very good article on modern diesel technology recently ...
how they are able to get the soot down with low-sulfur fuels (n/a in NA) and
all but eliminate the clatter with common rail direct injection. This
injection method also helps with the already healthy torque inherent in
diesels. Mercedes is coming out with a diesel AMG so I think the technology
is here for performance cars... it will take a while for us to handle it
mentally though. A highly recommended article all the same.
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