One thing that needs to be understood to understand how the whole shebang works is that all modern vehicles have computers that take input from sensors and calculate how much fuel to add to the mixture. Most of the time these are closed systems, where the computer constantly monitors the oxygen sensor signal to provide an optimal air/fuel mixture. The closed system doesn't care what's in the fuel; it adjusts the mixture to get the best feedback. Some of these are made specifically for "flex fuel" applications, where the amount of ethanol can range from 10% (normal gasoline) to 85% (E85). The computer can handle any mixture at or between these limits in both closed and open loop modes.
Yes, it's really quite amazing how "green" Diesel was, and so far ahead of his time!
Yes, the spatial power density of Diesel fuel is tops. This is especially valuable for tiny economy cars with limited fuel capacity. And I've seen some clever ways of dealing with the cold.
When it comes to driving pleasure, I'll still stick with the wide power bands supplied by the faster burning fuels used by my Otto motors, though!
Mr. Ferrari said that to justify his use of 12 cylinder motors, which were exotic when that quote was made, and still are. As you know, the more power pulses per crankshaft revolution, the more torque. I agree completely, which is why I only buy cars with a minimum of 8 cylinders.
You say that as if it's a good thing.No gas motor in existence can come close to the torque curves and levels of a diesel motor!
Yes, it's quite interesting why they switched to Diesel power. Obviously in a race like that, fuel mileage is important. But it was actually a rules change, particularly one that mandated heavier cars, and thus making the heavier Diesel engine possible. (Restrictions like this are typically done when the most powerful cars are going too fast and crashing too often.) So the ballast and turbo penalty rules now favor the turbo-Diesel.
There are local EPA laws that mandate using less volatile gasoline mixtures in the summertime to help reduce smog. When I lived in the Chicago area, the IEPA had much stricter rules for everything automotive within large metropolitan areas, including Chicago. There are no such rules here in Madison, WI. No annual emissions tests, which is nice.
When I travel to the Chicago area to visit my mom and friends, I buy my gas out of the regulated zones, and save 10-50
There are local EPA laws that mandate using less volatile gasoline mixtures in the summertime to help reduce smog. When I lived in the Chicago area, the IEPA had much stricter rules for everything automotive within large metropolitan areas, including Chicago. There are no such rules here in Madison, WI. No annual emissions tests, which is nice.
My grandfather and uncles who were Phillips Pertoleum retailers in Texas and Arkansas would be the first to say "absolutely not", even though they were loyal to their brand. OTOH IME as a former retailer of Standard Oil of Indiana (at the time, "AMOCO") products I know that different brands do contain proprietary additive packages that do have some scientific research (albeit dubious) to back up their claims of being value-adding. Although I'm not privy to what's in any of them, I doubt that additive packages would offer enough real-world benefits to justify spending even a penny per gallon more for them.
