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eTyres care about our customers. The
following article may be of interest.
Diesel Versus Petrol: Why a Diesel Powered
Car Might be Your Better Choice
by Tim Moore
The word "Diesel" should no longer make you picture
semi-trucks, or loud, clunky broken down cars. Diesel
over the past twenty years has changed by leaps and
bounds and has become more popular now than ever.
If you rode around in a diesel vehicle in the 80's, you
are probably screaming "petrol is better" at the top of
your lungs. This is excusable due to the fact that
twenty years ago diesels were extremely loud and
unreliable. Luckily for us, technology has come to the
rescue in the form of reliability. Diesel cars are now
commonly seen running with over 250,000 miles of use.
Though petrol engines can hang in there for quite a long
time themselves, getting to the quarter million point,
with proper maintenance, is unlikely.
Life expectancy is definitely a plus when comparing
diesel and petrol cars. What about maintenance? Well,
diesel engines don't use an ignition so you have no
tune-up costs or worries. They use glow plugs rather
than spark plugs which generally need to be changed
every two years or so plus or minus a few months
depending on the vehicle. As far as oil changes, they
work the same as petrol engines---change the oil every
3,000 miles and you'll be fine. Fuel and air filters
should be changed regularly as needed, of course.
Now, the all important numbers. If we start with upfront
costs, the diesel seems more expensive, and a comparison
of the same make and model car yields a cost difference
of about three thousand dollars between the diesel and
petrol versions. But is diesel really more expensive?
Let's examine the question.
Diesel fuel is almost always cheaper than unleaded
petrol, and how much cheaper varies of course with
rising and falling petrol prices. But The cost savings
do not stop at the pump; they continue as you drive down
the road and by this we are talking fuel economy. The
diesel is the king of this domain. With some diesels
getting over 70 mpg, this is by far the best bang for
the buck.
So the diesel wins in fuel economy and maintenance. But
are there disadvantages to diesel? Well, diesel engines
aren't perfect. They can be a little noisier than petrol
engines, though this small amount of noise usually fades
at cruising speed. They also lack a bit in acceleration
compared to petrol engines.
However, despite these small shortcomings, diesels are
certainly becoming more user friendly and more
economical and each day more and more people are
choosing to go this route. It's even quite possible that
one day the majority of our motor vehicles will be
diesel powered. However, until then you have the
information needed to consider whether or not the diesel
will be a contender for your next vehicle purchase.
About the Author
The author of this article is Tim Moore, who publishes a
website on Fibromyalgia which features a section on
Fibromyalgia and Social Security Disability |
