Throwback Thursday: Towing Insights We All Can Use

With our editors on vacation, we're re-posting a few of our favorite stories from the previous year. This story was published this past November.

One of the primary features of diesel engines--besides the fact that they last longer--is the power they generate for towing. Open your eyes and look around. What kinds of engines are doing all the work? It's diesel. 

So, whether you're towing horses to the county fair or hauling a bulldozer to a job site, your truck is likely a diesel powered machine.  

Having the right engine isn't the only thing you need to know about towing. While checking out the Diesel Power Products website yesterday I found this article on towing that was chock full of useful information for people who tow. Having written about towing in the past, I found it to be a fairly thorough discussion of issues you need to concern yourself with. These include:

Attaching the Load

Stopping the Load

Supporting the Load

Securing the Load

Balancing the Load

and Moving the Load

Years ago I heard a story about a bulldozer that slid off the back of a flatbed and killed two people because it wasn't properly secured. This is not an experience you want to have. When I was young I saw an inexperienced driver flip her car while towing a small house trailer. I was with my uncle who was a volunteer fireman and rescue squad worker. We were first on the scene and helped avert a bigger tragedy. 

If you ever do any towing, or plan to, this helpful article on The Basics of Towing with Your Diesel is informative and worth bookmarking.  

Related Links
A Quick Guide to Diesel Power Products 
Pickups That Can Tow More Than 30,000 Pounds

Champion Blue Flame Diesel Engine Oil Recommended for Limited-Edition Shelby F-250 Super Baja Pick-Up

With our editors on vacation, we're re-posting a few of our favorite stories from the previous year. This story appeared in March.

In February the story broke about the new Shelby F-250 Super Baja Limited. It was a fun story because for many, this is what dreams are made of. The name alone is iconic, in part because of its celebrated history. It's not every day that you see a car designer featured on the silver screen. (Ford v. Ferrari) Then again, the Shelby story really does at times appear to be bigger than life.

So it with special enthusiasm that I read yesterday's news headline: 

Champion Blue Flame Diesel Engine Oil Recommended for Limited-Edition Shelby F-250 Super Baja Pick-Up 

Here's the rest of the story.

Champion Oil, a global leader in performance diesel engine oil now celebrating its 65th anniversary, announced that Shelby American is recommending Blue Flame Diesel Engine Oil  for its new Ford Shelby F-250 Super Baja, a Limited-Edition off-roading pick-up truck. 

“We deigned the Shelby F-250 Super Baja pickup to perform under extreme conditions, both on and off-road," said Gary Patterson, president of Shelby American. “With 6.7-liter V8 Power Stroke Turbo Diesel churning out 475-horsepower and 1,050 pound-feet of torque, the truck can really fly. For such an aggressive application, we recommend using Champion’s Blue Flame 15w40 CK4/SN Performance Diesel Engine Oil."  

Built for Shelby in Elkhart, Indiana, by Tuscany Motor Co., and in Las Vegas by the Shelby American team, the trucks will be sold at select Ford dealers in the U.S. Each will be documented in the official Shelby Registry. Production will be limited to only 250 vehicles.

Blue Flame Diesel Engine Oils are formulated with workhorse high-zinc performance additives, superior protection, advanced polymer technology, and high TBN, supported by a carrier blend of synthetic fluids. The Shelby F-250 Super Baja needs a total of 13 quarts of oil including the capacity of the oil filter.

In addition, Blue Flame Diesel Engine Oils deliver unmatched high temperature film strength and lubricity protection, with the muscle to combat oil shear and maximize sustained cylinder compression. They also inhibit oxidation, corrosive acids, sludge and varnish build-up. 

These robust performance oils keep diesel engines going longer by reducing soot-induced engine wear, controlling abrasive soot contamination and preventing high temperature corrosion, even while allowing for improved fuel economy and lower total cost of ownership. They are proven to increase engine horsepower and torque. https://www.championbrands.com/diesel-engine-oils/

About the company: Champion Brands, LLC, is a globally recognized industry leader in specialty lubricants for over 65 years. Champion Brands, LLC also produces and blends over 300 products including fuel, oil, engine additives, and lubricants for the racing, automotive, heavy truck, agricultural, industrial, and specialty markets. For more information about contact Champion at 660-890-6231. Champion Brands, LLC; 1001 Golden Drive, Clinton, MO  http://www.championbrands.com

Spotlight on the 1000hp Turbo Diesel Audi Quattro

With our editors are on vacation, we're re-posting a few of our favorite stories from the previous year. This story appeared in February

The name Audi is synonymous with quality. And why not? Throughout its history the company has epitomized German engineering. 

This week, Grand Tour Nation published an article by Alex Harrington about an Audi Quattro that makes over a thousand horsepower from its turbo-diesel engine. The story is accompanied by video footage that makes your mouth water. 

The Audi Quattro emerged from the road rally era. It made its first appearance at the 1980 German Motor Show in March of that year with production continuing through 1991. Right from the start the Quattro began winning rallies and races around the world, establishing itself a major force at the time. One item that contributed to its success was a rules change that allowed the use of four-wheel drive in competition racing. In part it seems to be a matter of being in the right place at the right time. 

Harrington begins his account of the car with a tip of the hat to that history.

The Audi Quattro was, and still is, a hero of the Group B Rally era. It used one of the first AWD systems to be used in anything other than off-roading, and that made it one hell of a force to be reckoned with on the stages. The thing is, this means these Quattros are extremely expensive, so many fans have resorted to buying the lower specced variants and modding them. This restomod from LCE Performance found in Markdorf, Germany, is the perfect example of this, and it’s been done very, very well.

Harrington himself comes out of a racing background, hence his interest in a the Quattro seems only natural. The story includes video, more focused on the feeling of the vehicle than words about it. You hear the whirr as the machine rips past the camera, going through the paces.

Under the hood you'll find a network of aftermarket intakes, orchestrated "to improve the amount of air that can be sucked into the turbo-charged five-cylinder engine." 

Here's a pair of sentences that speak volumes:

With 49lbs of boost, it hit 1,081 horsepower. Thankfully, it features a Quattro AWD system to maintain traction when putting those horses to the tarmac.

The power plant is a 2.5-litre turbo diesel from an Audi A6. This vehicle has more than power, though. It's got style. 

Be sure to read the full story and watch the videos here:

This Audi Quattro Restomod Makes 1,000HP From A Turbo Diesel Engine

Making a Splash in the Marine Market: Diesel Outboards Catch Our Attention

This week our editors are on vacation, so we're posting our favorite stories worth repeating from the previous year. This is a story that got a surprising amount of traction when it ran in January.

Just because half the lakes in the country are covered with ice doesn't mean we can't think about the upcoming boating season. Eric Haun, editor of Marine News, wrote an interesting article last summer in Marine Link titled "Making the Case for Diesel Outboards." In it he shares insights about transitions taking place in the marine arena.

Haun begins by pointing out how more and more professionals are switching away from inboard motors to outboards on small military craft, workboats, patrol boats another others kinds of vessels that were historically inboard engine powered. This gives the boats several advantages including easier access to maintenance, quicker replacement and the extra space available inside the boat.

At this point the discussion turns to diesel outboards, which have advantages of their own, one of the foremost being fuel safety. The author writes, Compared to gasoline, diesel is a less flammable fuel and therefore much safer to work with in all working environments. In addition, with diesel engines the combustion of fuel takes place due to the heat generated by the compression of fuel and air inside the cylinder. Compression ignition is safer than petroleum being ignited by a spark plug, or any other spark.

One of Haun's sources was OXE Marine, a Sweden-based diesel outboard manufacturer. According to Myron Mahendra, CEO of OXE Marine, “Many vessels are hindered by regulations to carry petrol onboard if fire safe containment is not provided. The use of petrol is, therefore, a challenge for any vessel with tenders.”

He also spoke with U.K.-based Cox Powertrain, which makes diesel outboards as well. Cox noted that NATO has been pushing a single fuel idea, with the aim of maximizing equipment interoperability by using a single fuel option. This is one of the drivers behind the CXO300 diesel outboard Cox Powertrain has developed.

The end result here is that rescue vessels, naval and military vessels can refuel at the mother ship without being burdened with the hazard of highly volatile gasoline.

"Another benefit associated with diesel is efficiency," writes Haun. "Both Cox and OXE point to significant fuel savings compared to gas. Cox claims its 300-horsepower CXO300 offers roughly 30% fuel savings compared to its gasoline equivalent, while Mahendra says the 300-horsepower OXE 300, due to enter production shortly, uses up to 42% less fuel than a comparable gasoline outboard."

This fuel efficiency results in greater operational range so boats can stay out on the water longer.

Diesel outboards also have the usual advantages of diesel engines, including endurance, torque and flexibility. Though the price advantage goes to gas-powered outboards, one can make up the difference by comparing the life cycle costs of each and in most applications this would be fairly even.

The full article can be found here, with more photos as well.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/making-case-diesel-outboards-479456 

Stories We Liked -- Are You Still Hearing These Common Myths About Diesel?

This week our editors are on vacation, so we're posting our favorite stories worth repeating from the previous year.

One of the things every Internet junky knows is that there is a lot of information out there in cyberspace, as well as misinformation. On this blog our theme is always Diesel, and by that we don't mean Vin. On this topic there are new stories every day. There's also a massive backlog of archived stories that are still relevant. 

Here's a 2019 story from Hot Cars that caught my eye and is still totally relevant. The article by Goran Radanovic is titled 25 Myths About Diesel Engines That Simply Aren't True.

Radanovic begins with a little history of diesel engines and their development. The significant feature of this power plant design is the manner in which it generates combustion. Ignition is caused by the elevated temperature generated in the cylinder by mechanical compression, which results in the ignition of the fuel. It's a brilliantly simple concept based on an understanding of basic scientific principles. 

Despite their proven track record of more than a century of service, a number of myths have grown up regarding diesel power. The author actually cites 25 here. I'll note a few of them and then send you directly to the source at Hot Cars.

1. Myth: Diesels are the largest cause of air pollution.

When you see that black smoke billow you do have to wonder how this isn't true. But the reality is, there have been great strides taken to clean up diesel. The industry has come a long, long way. Remember how much black smoke steel mills spewed a century ago? You don't see any of that today, and these engines now a different from olden times.What I find interesting is that there is such as thing as being too quiet. I vaguely recall reading last year that the EV cars are so quiet they are dangerous for blind people who can't hear them coming. 

2. Myth: Diesels are loud.

That, too, has changed. "Common-rail technology made diesel engines almost as quiet as gas engines," he writes. 

3. Myth: Finding diesel fuel at the pump is impossible.

Not sure why anyone would buy this myth. The infrastructure for diesel is everywhere. I will tell you what IS true. You're not going to have as easy of a time finding charging stations for your Tesla. At leas t not yet.

4. Myth: Diesel engines are only good for towing.

Towing is just one of the advantages of diesel engine technology. Reliability and longevity are additional benefits.

5. Myth: You can't tune a diesel engine. 

This seems strange. If you've ever witnessed or been part of a dyno competition you can see that it's all about tuning for maximum power. According to Radanovic, "The truth is that diesel engines have withstood better tuning than gasoline engines." 

* * *  

The author lists 20 more common myths about diesels. It's actually quite surprising how much misinformation people take for granted. You can read the who story here:

25 Myths About Diesel That Simply Aren't True
https://www.hotcars.com/myths-about-diesel-engines-that-simply-arent-true/

1950s Bread Truck Transformed Into Diesel-Powered Low-Rider

Our editors are on vacation, so we're posting some of our favorite stories from the previous year which we thought worth repeating. This story first appeared in November.

Remember the good old days when a milk man delivered your milk, a bread truck delivered fresh bread and the ice cream man drove down your street with your favorite popsicles? Ever wonder what happened to those old ice cream trucks and other delivery vehicles?

One such truck was displayed last November at SEMA360, a 1950s bread truck that has been transformed from "just another vintage truck" into a diesel-powered lowrider. Brett Foote wrote the story for Ford Authority, an online site sharing Ford-related news. 

His opening line tells the story. "To us, there's nothing cooler than an old commercial truck repurposed as a hot rod." Even more cool is that it's a diesel. And cooler than that: it's a lowrider. "There’s just something undeniably awesome about former workhorses from another era being fitted with modern suspension components, big, powerful engines, and of course, awesome visual updates." 

The team that produced this tricked out 1950 Ford Bread Truck was Pot O' Gold Kustoms  out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. When you check out their site you'll be impressed by their versatility, doing all manner of swaps, diesel conversions and even sheetmetal work. 

The truck had been on display last week at the virtual SEMA360 show, SEMA's substitution for their usual weeklong Vegas Show. Foote describes the details of the project build, which includes a Mustang II suspension. (Lee Iacocca's Mustangs were introduced at the 1964 World's Fair, weren't they?) 

Mustangs were a 1960s innovation, but L.A.'s "Lowrider Culture" began as early as the 40's, so a lowrider bread truck might not be so out of place as you'd think. At least, in L.A.

Other features of the build include massive Detroit steel wheels "wrapped in equally large rubber," disc brakes, and that Cummins 4BT four-cylinder diesel engine. You can find the rest of the details here.

* 

For what it's worth, Ford Authority is looking for more staff. A writer, an editor and a curator. They pay well, if you've got the chops.   Go to the article link above and you'll see it listed.

In addition, since they love writing about Fords, the word is out that if you have a vehicle build and would like it featured on Ford Authority, they's like to hear about it. Details here.

Related Links
30 Vintage Photos of Bread Trucks
Photos of this tricked out Pot O' Gold Bread Truck

The Biggest Reason We Love Diesels: More Torque

This week our editors are on vacation, so we're posting our favorite stories worth repeating from the previous year.

Why do we see diesel pickups competing in sled pulls and we don't see Mustangs or Ferraris doing the tug of war? Well, it has to do with torque. Hot cars can master the horsepower game, but when it comes to raw power in a pulling competition, you need to bring in the big dogs for that.

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)