My Eco vs Dmax towing the same load
10-05-2012, 05:00 PM
#62
Once again, you are confused. That was not my statement, just one I used from the thread if you would read more carefully. I am not sure why you think a gas engine will implode while under pressure. That is just plain obtuse. If that was the case, we would never use gas engines that would be under any load.Any modern engine adjusts for detonation automatically and as long the engine is being cooled properly there would be no difference. A diesel may "sound" under less strain than a gas engine only because of the rpms level or acceleration as you stated earlier. That is why a diesel engine shows more torque. It is able to give that power at a lower rpm range. Whether or not it delivers it to the ground effectively over the entire rpm range is what matters. A blanket statement like saying diesels will outperform the ecoboost no matter what under heavy load is misinformed at best. If the gear ratios allow the ecoboost to take advantage of the power at 2500-4500 and the diesel is able to perform the same work at 1500-3500 rpms with similar gear ratios, the diesel will show more torque, but the same exact amount of work is being done. The trucks would pull equally. The only difference is rpms. Now. I will agree that the diesel trucks and transmissions are designed with heavy loads in mind. If that same effort was put forth in a gas engine, it could be just as successful with the same amount of power. That is why OTR trucks have so many gears. If they can put the max amount of power out at a certain rpm, they need the gear selection to match the load. That is exactly why transmissions are adding gears even in smaller vehicles. When a transmission is able to give the optimum rpm for economy and power, you have better performance. Power is power is power. Torque means nothing if you can't put it to use.
Now, the chemistry of gasoline does not lend it to be very stabil under high pressure or temperature, and the safety measures that you suggest will keep the engine from eating itself, retarded timing, additional fueling, will increase combustion temps and exhaust temps, leading to an even greater chance of detonation, until things start to overheat or melt. Now I never said, nor suggested that an EB towing within its design limits or even marginally above would eat itself, because it won't. But a FI gas engine pulling the weights of a modern diesel will have a hard time not eating parts due to the fuels chemical volatility. A diesel will run 1000-1300 degree egt, while a gas engine will run 1600-2000 degree egt in a similar load situation, the gas is a lot harder to keep cool in these sustained load situations. That's one reason why OTR trucks run Diesel engines. As a high load fuel, diesel will continue to be king due to its chemistry.