Diesel vs gas......................
OK folks, there have been a few to many diesel vs gas threads that have shall we say gone to "Hell and a hand basket"! So if all of you would put in you BEST, no flaming reasons for going gas vs diese...
Forum Discussion
hutchman wrote:
It's really pretty simple....
HP = Torque X engine rpm/5252
It doesn't matter whether it's a diesel or a gasser.
Diesels make lots of torque at low engine rpm and therefore more low end HP than a gasser does. Gassers don't make as much low end torque and rely on engine rpm for producing HP. However, 1 HP = 550 ft-lbs/sec......
You might want to ask yourself where peak HP is generated in your diesel if rpm doesn't mean much?
I'm sure the discussion will never cease...
Nope, it wont cease but that's good because it is a fun distraction at times and is pretty well kept in this monster thread.
You bring up a good point. Alot of the diesel fanatics claim that since they are able to pull their heavy rigs at highway speeds around 2,000 rpm easily, they therefore have power to spare. Well, that may not be true. A high torque number means that you are putting out your engine's max horsepower at lower rpms. Depending on your power curve, you may not really have all that much left.
Another interesing thing is the current push for horsepower in modern diesel engines. I think this is great as it truley makes the modern diesel engine all around better power wise for towing. Who really needs more than ~400 horespower for towing a RV? The interesting thing however is that Fuel Efficency is dropping. This is part due to emmissions crippling "features" but also because (except for increases in engine efficiency) more power takes more fuel.
