7 Fun Facts About Diesel Trucks
Here are some great reasons to help make your next truck purchase a diesel.
1. They Are More Efficient
A diesel truck is way more efficient than its gasoline counterpart. While a gasoline powered engine will only use about 20% of the fuel to actually make it go, the diesel truck will use twice that or more. The rest of the fuel is burned up and sent out the pipes or is lost in friction. If you are looking to make the most of our precious commodity, try trading in your gas guzzling pickup for a diesel!
2. Kings of the Mountain
If you could race a gasoline powered truck versus a diesel powered truck up to the summit of Pike's Peak, guess who is going to win if you compare mountain goats to mountain goats? That's right; the turbo charger on the diesel will suck in more of that oxygen deprived air giving much better performance than the nearly winded gasoline counterpart. A diesel truck will out perform a gasoline powered truck at high altitudes every time.
3. They Have Very Small Feet
Diesel trucks have a very small carbon footprint compared to gasoline powered trucks. They produce much less carbon dioxide and run way more efficiently, especially at lower speeds. They also will get much better miles per gallon than a comparable gasoline powered truck.
4. Kenworth Blazes the Trail
Kenworth was the first American truck manufacturer to begin selling trucks with diesel engines as standard equipment. They blazed the diesel truck path in 1933 by building the first production model for Valley Motor Express based out of California.
5. No Sparks Here
You can fill a bucket with diesel and a match won't ignite it, nor will a spark. Diesel engines, therefore, need no spark plugs. Being direct injection engines, they take in air and compress it greatly; the diesel fuel is then directly injected into the mix through the injectors at close to 1,500 miles per hour. The compressed air is heated by way of a glow plug or a warmer and ignites the fuel.
6. Now That's Fast!
In 2002, a street legal Dodge Dakota pickup truck sporting a diesel with 735 horsies under the hood set a land speed record of 222 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
7. Texans Love Them Diesels!
In the last study of its kind in 2003, there were a reported 3.1 million light diesel trucks in service on America's highway system. Guess which state boasts the most? You guessed it. Texas had a whopping amount of these trucks on the road; well north of 365,000 which is quite a feat considering how far south this state is. In a more recent evaluation, there are almost 900,000 total diesel vehicle registrations Texas!
