Results 1 to 10 of 14
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October 12th, 2006 06:16 PM #1
Interesting write up on the future of diesel powered cars... The Axis of Diesel
Here are some exerpts:
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(Fortune magazine) -- As night fell over the 24 Hours of LeMans this summer, spectators at France's prestigious endurance race detected a pattern. While competitors entered the pits to refuel, a sleek pair of Audi R10s kept stealing laps around the 13.7-kilometer track. Already the fastest cars on the course, and eerily quiet thanks to a unique emissions filter, the Audis were also proving the most fuel-efficient. When the checkered flag flew, the Audi had made history as the first diesel car to win a major international race.
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at least six automakers - starting with Mercedes on Oct. 16, Jeep in early 2007, and eventually even hybrid pioneer Honda - will be launching a fleet of New Age diesels.
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How big is the market? J.D. Power estimates that diesel sales will triple to 9% of the U.S. market by 2013, compared with a projected hybrid share of 5%.
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October 13th, 2006 12:26 AM #3
Haha... don't get me started on the Audi R10s. Yes, they're terrific cars, but part of the reason for their winning streak is that the LeMans rules makers underestimated the power of the diesels, and gave them less restrictions than their gasoline counterparts.
That's always the case with alternative engines in racing. People find something that works better because the rules are kind to them (diesel, rotary, powerful turbos in F1) then in a year or two, the race-governing body changes the rules to make it fair, or sometimes, they change the rules so much that the oddball team then has no chance of winning.
Hopefully they get the rules right next year, so that we can see an even mix of powerful diesels and gasoline cars in the next LeMans.
One problem with Diesels in the US is the insane restrictions California puts on diesel emissions. Hope they can work this out without making diesels too expensive...
Ang pagbalik ng comeback...
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October 13th, 2006 07:25 AM #4
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October 13th, 2006 07:29 AM #5
Paano magkaka-2nd coming? Diesels never left!
Sa U.S. siguro pwede pa.
http://docotep.multiply.com/
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October 13th, 2006 07:35 AM #6
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October 13th, 2006 11:37 AM #7
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October 13th, 2006 11:55 AM #8
Actually, Audi & VW has been selling diesel-powered vehicles for quite sometime now in the USA.
Pickup trucks there also has an option to be fitted with diesel engines.
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Tsikoteer
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October 13th, 2006 11:59 AM #9Wag na kayong magdesiel... mag chip fat na lang kayo! (see Fifth Gear season 10, ep 2. Merc running on used cooking oil)
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October 13th, 2006 01:37 PM #10
The rules kasi, are based on the panel's experience and preconceptions of gas and diesel engines. The R10 has bigger restrictors (more air can get in), a bigger engine, variable geometry turbos (which are banned on gas cars) and it's heavier, but the standard weight for LMPs was increased for this season so the lighter gasoline cars are now the same weight as the R10. (conspiracy theorists think it was a VAG plot).
The rules were made so that the playing field would be level, but they didn't take into account how good modern diesels are, so it made the R10 the most powerful car in the field. And consider that Audi was already the winningest team in LeMans in the first place.
But it's great technical achievement, anyway, extracting 650 hp from a diesel and making it last that long? Bad trip naman ang Audi, they're making an R8 roadcar, why not a 550hp R10 diesel supercar for the road?Last edited by niky; October 13th, 2006 at 01:45 PM.
Ang pagbalik ng comeback...
pag ngilay ngilayin. to ruminate over or to meditate on. and no boisterous noise or music,...
Traffic!