diesel tacos

This is true. Diesel engines tend to come at a premium, but so do hybrids.

 

If they put a diesel engine in a Tacoma, I'll buy one.

They've never been "popular" in the US. Sales peaked in 1981 after the oil scare in 1978 and that was only a little over 500K vehicles. Diesel sales typically pick up when oil prices go up, such as now. Look at Europe, for example. They buy more than double the diesel vehicles we do and their gas/diesel prices are astronomical compared to ours.

There is no reason in the world why we shouldn't be using more diesel's here. More sales = lower purchase price. The efficiency and monetary savings have already been demonstrated by 007Tacoma.

Here's an article from just last month on the growth of diesel: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080116/law008.html?.v=101

 

"If gasoline this morning cost me $2.98 @ 20 gallons that is $59.60. That will last me through 400 miles of city commuting in my Tacoma."

Stop bitchin'...I wish I was paying $2.98/USgallon(128 ounce), I am currently paying $1.13/litre thats $4.52/CDNgallon(160 ounce)

Your price based on a CDN gallon which is 20% larger is still only about $3.58US.

The other side of the coin we are all paying to damn much for gas......right??

 

I'm not complaining about gas prices. They are what they are. I am complaining that the rest of the world can get a 2.5L or 3.0L D4D (turbo diesel) Toyota Hilux, and North America is stuck with the Tacoma (same frame) with only two gas engines - all because the Toyota thinks we won't accept diesels (on a mass basis).

 

If you want to see Toyota offer North America some diesel engine options, please take a look at this petition...

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/toyota-trucks-suvs/3963-diesel-petition-toyota.html

If you want to see some more discussions about diesel engine that are upcoming or on a wish list, check these links out...

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/5591-diesel-tundra-confirmed.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/4389-4-5l-toyota-turbo-diesel.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/3871-honda-accord-diesel-confirmed-2009-a.html

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/2907-diesel-tundra-prototype-texas.html

 

Me bad...as I wasn't taking the entire U.S. into consideration. A few years back - within the offroad community...peeps looking to buy a tow rig would've went with a diesel instead of gas (tow rigs with similar tow ratings) due to the cheaper diesel prices. However - now I'm not so sure that's true anymore. Obviously, if you want big towing power - you go with a diesel.

If I had a choice between a diesel tacoma and a gas tacoma.... I'd have do some soul searching to convince myself to go with a diesel. The unfamiliarity plus I'd wanna make damn sure it's just as reliable and a good quality truck as the gassers. Obviously, diesel toyota's are da bomb (I love that one video by Top Gear)...but when the United States regulations gets their hands on 'em - are they really ever gonna be as good as the diesel toyota's over seas?
I'm not so certain....

 

Yeah, I know what you mean by the US regulations and US quality standards. I am really curious to see if a diesel engine made here will be as quality as ones made in Europe, Asia, and South America. I am hoping that US manufacturers have finally pulled their heads from their rears.

As far as a tow rig, I am disappointed with US V8/I6 diesel engines. They are all geared and engineered for power. I wish they would dual map/gear them for power and fuel economy. You should have the option of switching between the two depending on the driving situation. IMHO

I just want a fuel efficient diesel that I can use for real work and make my own fuel for. I am tired of feeling the pinch of OPEC.

 

I'v agreed with everything you've said so far!

Your last bit above is want bugs me about the whole mess! Look at a Toyota Prius. Ugly as hell, and the size of a Corolla, yet it costs around $6 more (comparing base models of both). I bought my 98 Corolla used for around 9k so it's less than HALF the cost of the prius (at 21k, base). Meanwhile I hear people say their Prius gets 40mpg or LESS on average. My 1.8L all gas Corolla gets 40mpg on the highway with good all season tires driving 65-75mph. Well it used to when I lived in SC and most of the roads were flat. The hills here in NY drop it down to around 37mpg (that, snow tires, and winter gas probably).

So tell me why I'd pay twice as much for a car the same size as mine that gets the same average mpg, AND has a very expensive battery to replace?!

Give me a hybrid that gets 100mpg or even 80 and I'd be willing to look at it. (On a side note Future Cars had a car on this week racing for 29 hours I think averaging 140mph and 113mpg!!! I think it was a 1.3L turbo diesel race car.)


I'm trying to figure out how to make biodiesel myself to heat my house with if nothing else! If I could get to where I'm producing more than enough for our furnace then I'd be looking at a diesel vehicle to replace the Corolla. As it is, I'm still considering it just because I know I'd have that option later. Unlike the Tacoma where I can't even run ethanol if that ends up being available for less.

 

What I'd like to see is more things like this:

The 350 horsepower hydraulic-assisted, hot-looking Tonka Truck | Popular Science

It's a Ford, but I think they have a good idea compressing hydraulic fluid while braking to store energy for accelerating. Wouldn't require any new fuel source, engine, battery, etc. More or less self contained and maintenance free if I understand it correctly. Unlike batteries that weaken over time, or hydrogen/ethanol fuels where you'd have to find the right service station to fill up.

NICE!!

Edit:
One more thing.... That came out in 2002.... 6 YEARS AGO!!!! Where the hell is it now? Wonder how much it would help our trucks... If that beast could get 16-18mpg, we could be looking at 30!

 

All I know is, Banks and other manufacturers make some great "toys" for diesels. I'd love to get my hands on a diesel for that reason alone.

I told my wife today about this discussion and she said "A DIESEL? I don't want to ride in a tractor-trailer." I think that represents the philosophy of most of our population here in that they don't understand how far the technology has come and how much better than gasoline they can be in many ways. Too many people still associate diesel passenger vehicles with the old Mercedes and VW diesels of years ago and their loud noise and smelly exhaust. So, it would be an uphill battle but like anything else it starts with education.

 

^that's another thing! I can't count the number of times I've seen a truck on Trucks or the Power Block where they plug in a Banks or other controller in and get 300 MORE hp out of a diesel!! Even if their numbers aren't true I'd love to jack my truck up to 400+HP while towing, and drop it back down for day-to-day mpg.

 

I couldn't agree with you more...... it hurts! That's one of the reasons why I traded in my Dodge Ram for the Tacoma. Although - only a marginal improvement, it's better than no improvement at all (5mpg difference).

Unfortunately, we're all in the same boat. I'm just not ready to commit to buying any hybrids, or small econo cars.... I'll suck it up and pay for the gas to drive my baby around!

Would I ever be ready to buy a diesel? I dunno..... Gawd forbid by the time they come out with any that are proven strong & reliable... veggy oil (from fast food restaurants) will be in major demand. Hell - McDonalds, Wendy's, Burger King, and anyone else will start charging an arm/leg for their used veggie oil. Then what? It's endless......

 

Check this video out...

http://www.dieselpowermag.com/videos/58/6202245/fullscreen/index.html

 

What kind of mileage would we see with a standard diesel? Looking at what's available right now for sale in the US, the diesel cars don't get significantly more mileage than gasoline engines. Now if you have to utilize turbochargers and such to get that kind of mileage, what does that do to the overall reliability and maintenance costs of the diesel motors?

 

Interesting.... The thing I don't get is why they don't invest in biofuel. Development, market it and sell it. They already have the infrastructure (gas stations, tanker trucks, etc), market (us), and brand recognition. If they could do if for less than dino oil then that saves them money. They spend money researching for spots to drill, building the rigs, and cleaning up accidents. How much cheaper would it be to build a few biodiesel reactors on land? No need for massive tanker ships, oil spills from those, hurricanes washing the platform out to sea....

I guess I see it as the same thing as Wal-Mart adding grocery sections and quick-lube centers. It's expanding their market and getting more customers. More customers = more money.

Shit, the could've taken some of the money from those multi-million dollar bonuses Mobil gave out a year or 2 ago and paid for the whole damn thing.

 

Great video 007

 

All diesel automotive engines available in the United States after 1993 (and most available outside the US) are turbo charged. Turbos aren't for fuel economy. They are for power and quicker torque response. My 1998 Jetta TDI (Turbo Diesel Direct Injection) went well over 200,000 miles without any major maintenance. All I did was change the oil (10,000 mile interval) and the timing belt (90,000 mile interval). Older turbos did have issues, but since the mid 90's turbos have been just as reliable as the engines themselves.

What cars are you looking at? In a comparable engine/vehicle size, a turbo diesel engine gets over 30% better fuel economy. The only ones that don't see a huge difference in fuel economy are the 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks. This is usually because they put much larger diesel engines in them than gasoline engines. Fuel economy is still a bit better, but people aren't buying them for fuel economy. They are buying them for the torque so they can move mountains.

 

I'd love to see this become wide spread:
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/bown/2007/innovator_2.html

It would help solve our oil crisis AND reduce landfills!

 

I agree. No more OPEC holding us hostage, no more environmental problems destroying the supply, and the oil companies could be the pioneers of it all. Stupid, IMO.

Hell, if there were a spill, we could just throw in some lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and vinegar. Instant salad. That brings up another idea: Will we have "boutique" fuels? Say, some rich guy drives a Bentley so he'll only use biodiesel made from extra virgin olive oil.

 

lol.....then companies like Crisco, Pam and Wesson would be the new OPEC....and McDonald would charge $5 for a small order of fries.