Diesel VS. Gas February 23, 2015 04:31AM
Ive noticed on a few topics that there are classes that are either going to all diesel or are trying to place different limits, usually smaller cubes, on the gas motors. Why is this? If all things are equal wouldnt the diesel do better than the gas? Most of the associations that i have seen that allow the two combinations run together the diesel usually wins. I sould understand if methenol was involved but if we are talking strictly gas i just dont get it. Maybe i am wrong maybe the gas motors can keep up and i have just yet to witness it.
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas February 24, 2015 06:21AM
USA East has a really cool run what ya brung truck class with all kinds of combinations of diesel gas alcohol even nitrous injected trucks. The cool thing is the diesels get weight and hitch over the other trucks and neither the point winner or the runner up was diesel. Go to their website and check it out for yourself.
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas February 24, 2015 06:43AM
Im a diesel guy.........But theres something to be said about a dialed in Alky tractor.
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas February 24, 2015 09:14AM
Real power doesnt make smoke.
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas February 25, 2015 01:01AM
Spark plugs are for pussys
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas February 25, 2015 01:31AM
I may be mistaken but if memory serves me right the biggest calss of tractors USS seem to all run those little porcelan sparking devices. Having said that i'm not sure which would be better in a gas diesel comparison. Both have their ups and downs in my opinion but i would hate to see what diversity in the small classes fade away.
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas March 06, 2015 07:34AM
I find this topic interesting, is the diesel populatrity due to the fact that advances in diesel tech. has now surpassed waht a gas motor can do, is it due to the longer life of a diesel motor, or is it because of the smoke. I would love to see some gas motors back in action to make shows have some more colors and options. Because as noted above it appears that the big tractors dont all run diesel so why do all the smaller classes.
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas March 06, 2015 01:50PM
Diesel is the only fuel being used in tractors. Been that way for a long time.

Diesel is also the easiest fueled engines to make power. With gas and alcohol things have to be perfect or they fall on their face or burn up. The diesel can run at any fuel to air ratio and perform. With plenty of fuel, plenty of boost and enough water they will run until they self destruct. You can not throw fuel and boost at a spark plug engine and keep making power.

That does not mean it's simple to run a diesel, but most pullers buy parts and bolt them on and go pulling. Spark plugs are a whole different ball game. It used to be common to see an unlimited with 8 dead cylinders going down the track. That's 1 complete engine worth of wasted power.
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas March 09, 2015 12:32PM
In todays automotive market diesels are being made to run cleaner and meaner, seems like gasoline engines have hit their ceiling.
Personally diesels might have a slight advantage to a novice puller due to there robust engines and there less complicated systems. I would think if alky tractors were becoming superior someone out there would r&d a diesel to stop that....... I think both fuels make for great competition. Now if someone were to get creative and try nitro........
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas March 09, 2015 02:25PM
I'm a little shocked by the responses to this thread. There is no question about it gas/ alcohol will always make more HP if all things are equal. The only reason diesel has become dominant on the hwy or in the field is due to the fact that the epa has taken all the octane out of gas. It can't handle compression and diesel fuel can. Therefore on the hwy diesel and a turbo will out preform gas but with all things being equal on compression diesel can't even compete with gas. Think about it...HP is a function of time and diesel is the slowest burning fuel available if you have any doubt about this see what happens to diesel vs gas when you throw it in a brush fire. In fact I think it would take a pretty good turbo to make a diesel even compete with an alky and no turbo if everything else were equal.
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas March 10, 2015 05:42AM
Quote
alky
I'm a little shocked by the responses to this thread. There is no question about it gas/ alcohol will always make more HP if all things are equal. The only reason diesel has become dominant on the hwy or in the field is due to the fact that the epa has taken all the octane out of gas. It can't handle compression and diesel fuel can. Therefore on the hwy diesel and a turbo will out preform gas but with all things being equal on compression diesel can't even compete with gas. Think about it...HP is a function of time and diesel is the slowest burning fuel available if you have any doubt about this see what happens to diesel vs gas when you throw it in a brush fire. In fact I think it would take a pretty good turbo to make a diesel even compete with an alky and no turbo if everything else were equal.

Why are we talking HP? HP is bogus, torque is what matters (torque = amount of force applied around an axis).

Take a highly modified lifted diesel truck (say a 5.9 Cummins common rail) and do a drag race with a Whipple twin screw supercharged corvette with a 6.2L V8 and both are giving the best they got. Lets say the diesel truck does a 10.1 second quarter mile and the corvette does a 10.2 second quarter mile. So the truck is 2.5-3 times heavier, has 0.3L less displacement, Has mud terrain tires, and is about as aerodynamic as a brick but still wins the drag and will be driven home getting twice the fuel economy as the corvette. Torque moves mass.

And there are many reason diesel is dominate in agriculture, construction, mining, trucks, etc. One being that a big displacement engine running gas would use twice as much fuel and still have less torque, especially when getting into tough spots the gas engine's RPM would pull down and stall promptly. A gas engine would also never last as long or be as reliable as diesel. Diesel fuel is also much safer.

Diesel is far superior.
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas March 10, 2015 09:04AM
Yes if those numbers are accurate. But the 5.9 is at 16:1 or more and the corvette will be lucky to be 9:1 if they are both street driven and fuel bought at the pump. And on the street/ field that cannot change as long as octane of gas is 87. However in the racing world I can buy gas/alky that will also take 16:1 and more and that's where diesel fuel can't keep up. As long as you want to move big stuff slowly, diesel is the stuff, but that's about the end of it.
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas March 10, 2015 01:22PM
That's why I use Propane
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas March 09, 2015 06:04AM
Depends on the class. In antique tractors gas and lp are king due to gas being the primary version of the tractors. Looking at the specs of the older Farmall tractors gas and lp out of the factory had higher horsepower than the diesels. But with the newer tractors (the Case 970 and 1070 come to mind) with more horsepower diesel is desired due to the fuel consumption and with pulling the thicker walls of the diesel engines allow for one to bore more out of the block and get more cubic inches and more horsepower. When looking at trucks where you cannot bore as much out of an automotive block as you can out of an ag block, the technology definitely comes into play. In the Thumb of Michigan we have to diesel performance companies with Dirty Hooker Diesel coming to mind for Duramax engines. This is where diesel trucks can perform. If there are similar performance companies for gas pickups please let me know but that is definitely the dividing line.
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas March 09, 2015 09:04AM
in natural aspiratedwich is better 4020 vs minnie or v8 deisels etc
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas March 09, 2015 02:42PM
I know a mine that put the lights out on a real good running 4320 w/turbo in 9000 class.
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Re: Diesel VS. Gas March 12, 2015 02:22AM
Superstock diesels wouldn't have their own class if it was easy to keep up with the Alky tractors.
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