DieselNews TECH: Diesel LPG – An Amazing Breakthrough

A win/win story

At a glance…

• Better power
• Reduced fuel cost
• Better emissions
• Subsidised by the government!

By Julian Edgar, www.autospeed.com.au

We’ve never seen anything like it. A 25 per cent increase in power across the whole rev range, reduced fuel costs, better exhaust gas emissions – and the government will pay half the cost of the work! Read that again – the Australian government will pay half the cost of the performance modification!

So what the hell are we talking about?

Adding LPG fuelling to a diesel, that’s what. And any type of diesel!

It’s one of the most amazing modifications we’ve covered in nearly a decade.

DieselNews Tech: Diesel intercooling. There’s important differences to petrol engine turbos

By Tim White and Julian Edgar. www.autospeed.com.au

For forced aspirated cars, intercooling is one of the most vital considerations. In fact, after ensuring that you get plenty of boost over as wide an engine load range as possible, and there’s the right fuel and (in petrol engines) ignition timing, intercooling is the key to making power. That applies whether you’re talking an Impreza WRX, Falcon XR6 Turbo – or a diesel passenger car.

But in other respects, diesels are different. Simply, the intercooling approach that works on a high performance petrol engine car does not necessarily work on a diesel turbo. Let’s take a look.

Breaking the diesel land-speed record ! 563.41 Kp/h

by Jesse Crosse, pics by JCB. www.autospeed.com.au

It is mid-morning on 23rd August 2006 and Ricardo’s Matt Beasley, in common with his team of diesel engineers, feels a sense of sheer elation. Together with colleagues at Ricardo and JCB, they had successfully completed a remarkable engineering program that had transformed the existing, co-developed JCB444 engine from a sturdy construction equipment unit into the world’s highest specific power automotive diesel – the JCB444-LSR. It was with this engine that the JCB Dieselmax had just broken the Bonneville SpeedWeek record for a diesel car and set two new FIA certified international land speed records in the space of just six days.

Biodiesel for beginners: Part 1: What the hell is it?

Biodiesel is a natural and renewable domestic fuel alternative for diesel engines made from vegetable oils, mostly soy and corn. It contains no petroleum, is nontoxic and biodegradable.