but there is conjuncture that minimum weight regulations were increased at the same time to make the diesel competitive...
Correct, and the same thing goes for BTCC, however you should consider that diesels have had circa 5 years of motorsport development and petrols have had 100. The weight advantage in BTCC and ETCC is very small. Le Mans was fuel related.
Interesting fact as to (possibly) why diesels are competitive at Le MAns... [i]Diesels racing at Le Mans
Audi's decision to use a diesel engine emphasizes the commercial success of Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) turbodiesel engine (and its competitors) on Europe's roads. Diesels have been successfully used in other forms of racing as well, as their broad power band and fuel economy can prove advantageous, while in turn, the higher weight and lower rotational speed of the engine requiring new power transmissions are the disadvantages. [b]The rules had to accommodate the need for a high capacity engine[/b] with a turbocharger and high boost, [b]whereas both possibilities are no longer allowed for gasoline engines[/b], as these had developed over 1,000 hp (746 kW; 1,014 PS) in several race series of the past.[/i]
So - a more economical car (meaning less fuel stops) running with a higher output than allowed for petrol variants...
Does that indicate to you that diesels only won due to that advantage? The fact that the petrol opponents were not in the same day of the week.
The real question is, does this affect whether or not a diesel is a fantastic performance drivers car? Interestingly it also mentions the power band, which contradicts one of your earlier statements.
I assume your TT is a new shape model?
Again - I don't doubt that diesel technology as come on hugely - it may become the weapon of choice for performance cars but like-for-like they do still seem to have more disadvantages than advantages.
Ahh well, really MUST get on...
Yes - mine is the new model TT
they do still seem to have more disadvantages than advantages.
Sorry (before you go), explain these to me?
Nooooooooooooooooo - read back the last 5 pages!
afternoon boys, is this thing still going!
ive missed out i feel, pesky work getting in the way, at work....
FWIW molgrips (or whoever posted the OP)
my suggestion would be:
Time, space, and money allowing (and being bothered)
why not buy a kit for a westfield, stick in a 1.6HDi, a hoofing great turbo, and remap it into mid feburary.
if i had the time, money, space and inclination, thats what I would do.
what fun, even if it never gets driven, just to build!
if it worked, you could get into enduro racing and hill climbing! 😀
Well the amount you edit your posts after publishing they may have changed by the time I get there!
😉
buy a kit for a westfield, stick in a 1.6HDi, a hoofing great turbo, and remap it into mid feburary.
That would be awesome, or an Elise with a blown engine/head gasket gone (not rare).
As soon as you start bringing a Ka into the equation you're downgrading the class of car required (no longera sports car)
I didn't! That wasn't me, I'm no lover of Fords! I've never driven a Ka. All I meant that was if a company makes a car that beats its class rivals hands down then that could be a great car - it was the definition of 'great' that I was talking about.
How much is a Westfield kit? I (as mentioned before) could really see myself putting the 1.9TD from my Passat in one, since I know exactly what I'd to do it to get 200+bhp 🙂 That's another advantage to diesel btw, it's easy to get bags more power out of it since you can up boost and fuel as much as you want without worrying about pre-ignition and whatnot. All you have to do is make sure the pistons don't melt and the head stays on 🙂
Interestingly on the fuel debate - a lot of sportscars are made by very small companies that don't have the money to invest in what is really new technology with the diesels and all. But I think it is changing - witness the R8 concept and some of those other sportscars pictured in this thread. That would never have happened 10 years ago.
I think the main advantage of diesel has to be the fuel economy. The more you increase the power the bigger the difference between the two fuels becomes I think as with diesel you are pretty much only injecting the fuel you need to move the car at cruising speed. A performance diesel could easily return double the fuel economy of a similar petrol in normal driving, but with the power when you need it. So for those who want hot hatches with practicality, or GT/roadsters etc (not a small market) diesel could be very attractive. It's certainly the reason I would be tempted.
Anyway it'll all be history when ethanol becomes widely available and they start making variable compression ratio engines like Saab are researching... tons more power than either fuel and potentially eco-friendly too.
a lot of sportscars are made by very small companies that don't have the money to invest in what is really new technology with the diesels and all
That is utter nonsense... Bugatti and Lambo are owned by VW / Audi, Ferrari, owned by Fiat, etc, etc
...and are developing diesels [url= http://jalopnik.com/5078252/lamborghini-estoque-could-get-diesel-engine-or-turbocharging ]Linky[/url]
So - a more economical car (meaning less fuel stops) running with a higher output than allowed for petrol variants...
No, I think what it means is in order to reach similar powers they were allowed to use higher capacity and a turbo. Even with that higher capacity and a turbo they are still more efficient, meaning fewer fuel stops.
I know someone who worked on a westie with a commonrail D engine, I'll see if I can chat to him at some point.
They ran a diesel in that enduro event that Top Gear entered. I seem to remember that they had to stop for fuel three times less often than similarly powered petrol teams. That's pretty damn handy in an endurance race!
Btw that was one of the few TGs I actually enjoyed - it was great seeing them be real people rather than just pr*cks for TV.
It was me that mentioned the Ka, not molgrips.
I know, I just ended up merging all of my replies as I was busy, then confusing who I was replying to. Arguing on too many fronts at once, I need to spread myself less thinly 🙂
I always fancied a 406 coupe 2.2HDi but couldn't fit 2 bikes in it so bought an estate instead.
How much is a Westfield kit? I (as mentioned before) could really see myself putting the 1.9TD from my Passat in one, since I know exactly what I'd to do it to get 200+bhp That's another advantage to diesel btw, it's easy to get bags more power out of it since you can up boost and fuel as much as you want without worrying about pre-ignition and whatnot. All you have to do is make sure the pistons don't melt and the head stays on
kits are around the £5-10k mark. but remember theres lot more to a westfield kit that just bolting a few bits together. and sticking in a VW diesel - what gearbox will you use?
as for upgrading - i'd stick to the standard power for a while, tho you may find going for a petrol engine option best in a westie - remember a westie is around half to 1/3rd the weight of your passat - jumping straight into the 400BHP/ton will be a express ticket to the exiting the road backwards very quickly!
a good starter kit would be the MX5 based westfield - with either the 1.6 or 1.8 engine - and the supercharger kits can be fitted under the hood at a later point.
if your after 45+mpg sports car - get a 1400cc K Series Caterham, yes it might only be 100bhp or so - but again in something that only weights 500kg
petrol turbos are just as easy to remap btw - a simple plug in stage 1 reprogramming of the Saab's ECU will take the stock 150bhp to 210+bhp, changing the exhaust will allow better breathing and give a bit more power - then a stage 3 reprogramming will take the oringonal 2.0 low pressure turbo to close to 300bhp.
but remember theres lot more to a westfield kit that just bolting a few bits together. and sticking in a VW diesel - what gearbox will you use?
Well I realise that it's never going to be perfectly easy taking a transverse mounted fwd engine and putting it the other way round and driving the back wheels.. but if I ever were to do something like that there'd have to be a load of research done up front... As for tuning - I turned two screws on my Passat and gained what, 20%? I think I'm at the limits of my injectors and close to the limit of my turbo now.
Anyway, building a kit car is a long way from buying a diesel sporty car isn't it... 🙂
