A 2016 article in Car & Driver helps explain what torque is: "Torque is a rotating force produced by an engine's crankshaft. The more torque an engine produces, the greater its ability to perform work."
You don't need to understand the science to recognize the difference. If you've ever been to a tractor pull, you can see it is a very different experience.
I mention all this because even though diesel engines are far cleaner and quieter than they were thirty years ago, they still get a lot of bad press. Diesel owners have a target on their backs. That's why it is important to remind folks once in a while why half the vehicles in Wyoming are pickup trucks and why diesels still have a function.
The article that caught my eye is titled, 5 Reasons Why Diesel Engines Make More Torque Than Gasoline Engines. The 2018 Motor Authority story by Jeff Glucker begins, Horsepower is fun in its own way, but torque can be just as entertaining. If you want to rip stumps out of the ground, you'll want a whole lot of torque. That also means you'll likely prefer a diesel engine. Compared to their gasoline-swilling counterparts, diesel engines are the torque kings. Why is that?
Glucker then turns to Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained to get the answer.
According to Fenske these are five of the reasons diesels are Torque Monsters.
1. The compression ratio
2. The speed of combustion
3. Bore and stroke size
4. Turbocharging
5. Diesel fuel packs more energy density
Fenske explains each of these five points in language that is relatively easy to grasp. For those unfamiliar with these things it is quite eye-opening. I strongly encourage following this link. It's a relatively short article and you will learn a lot.
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1116200_5-reasons-why-diesel-engines-make-more-torque-than-gasoline-engines
For more, check out the article Torque vs. Horsepower: What's the Difference? (Car & Driver)
In a diesel engine, stroke length (2 or 4) and cylinder pressure are the main factors that increase torque. ... Their lean air-to-fuel ratio also helps diesel fuel go longer and add extra torque. Diesel fuel also has more energy per gallon than gasoline, which makes diesel fuel more efficient for combustion and torque.
ReplyDeleteDiesels have the advantage of producing most of their power and torque at relatively low revs this because they are thermodynamically more efficient than petrol engines (more efficiently convert the energy in the fuel), and because they run at much higher compression ratios which means more thrust per piston
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