Subscribe to PostsModern diesel engines are worlds apart from those smelly noisy diesels of times passed. Today there is quite a stigma attached to the diesel engine and as aresult many dismiss them. The diesel engines are now very refined with notable offerings from Peugeot, BMW, Audi and jaguar and these offer petrol matching levels of performance with great fuel economy.
The way a diesel engine works, by detonating the fuel air mix by compressing it. Pressure equals heat and heat equals combustion when it reaches a specific threshold. This causes the fuel to be efficiently burned, much more so than with a conventional petrol engine which is why disels are so economical. As a consequence of this method of combustion diesel burns much more slowly than petrol which is why you do not see the same high rpm ranges. This gives diesels their characteristic flat near linear torque curve.
Sadly particulate filters are a necessary evil and help to reduce the emissions in the exhaust. With modern high pressue fuel injection systems a very precise charge of fuel can be delivered directly into the cylinder which helps to keep the power high and emissions low. There are also many other innovations in modern diesel engines such as fuel warming and extreme high pressure injection rails ensuring that diesel is to be taken seriously. So what diesel tuning options are there?
