Do you want diesel that stinks and is noisy or gas that costs more? This choice may seem obvious to some, but to others it can be difficult. With gas prices in the United States now exceeding diesel by 20 to 50 per gallon, the decision to go with diesel is being made by more motorists everyday.

Diesel is a more efficient fuel to burn than gasoline. It gives more energy per gallon. Some consider it less polluting. Diesel does have some inherent problems. It has a more oily texture than gas. If it is spilled, it does not evaporate away as quickly or cleanly as gasoline. Gasoline burns with much less odor than diesel. Even a clean diesel has that sooty diesel smell at times.

Diesel doesn't ignite as easily as gasoline which makes it better for storing. However, it also means that diesel engines do not start as easily as gasoline engines. A gas engine relies on spark plugs to ignite the fuel. A diesel relies on very high cylinder compression to do the job. When diesels get to be larger, a small gas motor is used to start them.

Diesels have to warm up longer to have their full power available. This is why many truckers leave their vehicles running for hours instead of shutting them off. During their warm up period, diesels are extremely inefficient fuel burners. So, much more fuel is burned to get them going at the beginning than a gasoline engine. Because of this, most car manufacturers opted for gasoline engines.

Once a diesel is at full power, it will run far longer with less maintenance than most gasoline engines. Truckers like this. It is not uncommon for a diesel to run for more than a half a million miles before major rebuilding work has to be done. This more than doubles the mileage for most gasoline engines.

Diesels frequently get better miles per gallon in similar vehicles than gasoline Coupled with the current lower price, this means an economic boon to the owner.

Diesels are much noisier engines than gasoline. Many people are put off by this characteristic. This along with the smell is enough for most people to trade for the gasoline engine. When maintenance is needed, diesels are more expensive than gasoline engines. Nearly every replacement part costs more. Labor is frequently more because you have to find someone certified to work on diesel. This usually means a dealer.

Learn more about this author, Allen Teal.
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