Re: Petrol v Diesel in Alfa engines

John Chapman <jchapman@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> I do not wish to generate a large and unending discussion but would 
> appreciate
> confirmation of my own findings.
> 
> I have never owned a diesel car.
> 
> My 1999 Alfa 146 has 1.6 TS petrol engine and 89000 miles on the clock.
> One of the really nice things with this car is that it will pull away
> from 20 mph
>   in 5th gear so that once you are under way you can sail through 
> roundabouts
> and some junctions without changing gear.
> 
> Today I had a test drive of 1.9 Diesel GT Blackline special edition.
> Engine was a bit noisy to start with but acceleration was fine.
> However it would not pull away from 20 mph in 5th gear and I
> found myself changing gear on a familiar route much more frequently
>   than in my own Alfa.
> 
> I was always led to believe that diesel engines have masses of torque
> at low revs but my experience proved to the contrary.
> Do diesel cars need to be driven in a different way of which I am
unaware ?

Chase the torque, not the power.

In terms of the 5th gear thing, it's because diesels run significantly
longer gearing than petrols.

-- 
SteveH 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
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