Guide: How To Drive and Maintain a Diesel Car?


Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
6,206
Likes
4,220
Location
Meerut, U. P.
Having driven petrol cars for quite some time, I always needed throttle to start-off. Even when I drove diesel occassonally, I would drive like a petrol. Only now, when I own a diesel, I started exploring it. And I am amazed by the amount of torque they have.
Slight-off topic, today on my trip to Nandi hill and back, I obtained FE of 20.4 kmpl.
Ascent and descent on 2nd and 3rd gear mostly.
Speed on road, mostly 80-100 kmph.
Total distance: 110km.
Even I too drive diesels like petrols most of the time(only in mid range).

FE of 20.4,buddy I hope you are believing the figures you saw on the MID screen,in my Corolla it shows upto 60-70 kpl.
What surprised me is:-
Speed on road-80-100 kph.
And gears-2nd and 3rd.
I am really amazed,either your car is supercar or your have gone a bit too much overboard mentioning the FE.Why?Because using 2nd and 3rd gears,Manza can never give over 15-16 kpl(that also when one is extremely biased towards FE).Else you used 4th and 5th gear most of the time.

Hence proved:You are believing the MID display of FE.
 
Joined
Apr 6, 2012
Messages
930
Likes
187
Location
F Deck
Even I too drive diesels like petrols most of the time(only in mid range).

FE of 20.4,buddy I hope you are believing the figures you saw on the MID screen,in my Corolla it shows upto 60-70 kpl.
What surprised me is:-
Speed on road-80-100 kph.
And gears-2nd and 3rd.
I am really amazed,either your car is supercar or your have gone a bit too much overboard mentioning the FE.Why?Because using 2nd and 3rd gears,Manza can never give over 15-16 kpl(that also when one is extremely biased towards FE).Else you used 4th and 5th gear most of the time.

Hence proved:You are believing the MID display of FE.
Vipul, I think, I have confused you. In Manza, DIS shows Inst. FE and Avg. FE. I am talking about Avg. FE.
In Manza, inst FE display is limited to 25 only(Even if inst FE is 28, it will show 25).
In one way journey of about 55km, 15 km is hilly (I used 2nd and 3rd gear during this stretch only). During rest of the journey, I drove at speed of 80-100 kmph. I hope its clear now.
I took a snap of DIS. Here it shows 20.8. Which was reduced at traffic signals while coming back home. One more thing, I used ac in return journey only.
Yes. I drove considering the thought of achieving maximum efficiency. I am believing the display.
 

Attachments

Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
6,206
Likes
4,220
Location
Meerut, U. P.
Vipul, I think, I have confused you. In Manza, DIS shows Inst. FE and Avg. FE. I am talking about Avg. FE.
In Manza, inst FE display is limited to 25 only(Even if inst FE is 28, it will show 25).
In one way journey of about 55km, 15 km is hilly (I used 2nd and 3rd gear during this stretch only). During rest of the journey, I drove at speed of 80-100 kmph. I hope its clear now.
I took a snap of DIS. Here it shows 20.8. Which was reduced at traffic signals while coming back home. One more thing, I used ac in return journey only.
Yes. I drove considering the thought of achieving maximum efficiency. I am believing the display.
Next time use full tank to full tank method.And you will find a difference of upto +-20% in the display and real world FE.
Display FE is just a computer which calculates the gear-RPM and display a figure as per fed by company people.But in the real world the load condition,no of passengers etc etc many factors make the difference.
 
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
2,546
Likes
1,315
Location
M.P.
+1 to that. The most accurate way of measuring fuel efficiency to upto 98% accuracy and without using any fancy methods is by using tankfull-to-tankfull method.
 
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
6,206
Likes
4,220
Location
Meerut, U. P.
Sam buddy you are right,once I ended up stranded on the NH-8 in midnight only because I was believing the FE the Honda City I was driving displayed.
The fuel pump was about 43 kms away and I was doing about 80-90 kph and it was showing me 21 kpl.With less than 3 liters of fuel remaining(In Rajasthan(Bhiwadi district) there was a businessman strike(hence fuel pumps also closed) starting from same midnight)hence I had to get my tank filled in Haryana(Gurgaon).And before I entered Haryana and pump being about 9 kms away my car gave up and all the range and FE being displayed still as 20 kpl....
From the very same day I don't believe it.
 
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Messages
6,206
Likes
4,220
Location
Meerut, U. P.
Returning to the topic:-
Diesel cars are nose heavy as compared to their petrol siblings.
I have a simple question disturbing me for a long time:-

Doesn't this nose heaviness of diesel cars has any adverse effect on the suspension?Since they share same suspension with their petrol siblings too.
 
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
7,026
Likes
2,847
Location
Mumbai
Returning to the topic:-
Diesel cars are nose heavy as compared to their petrol siblings.
I have a simple question disturbing me for a long time:-

Doesn't this nose heaviness of diesel cars has any adverse effect on the suspension?Since they share same suspension with their petrol siblings too.
Nose heavy means ? Does it mean that since the engine is heavier then gasoline engine the front of the car is heavy then a petrol car ?
 
Joined
Apr 6, 2012
Messages
930
Likes
187
Location
F Deck
@ Vipul: Will try to measure FE using tankful method next time.
Regarding nose heavy engines, I never seriously thought about it. Apart from being heavier, diesel engines also have higher level of vibration. I am not sure whether same (or different) suspension is fitted to both petrol and diesel counterparts. I feel the suspension fitted on petrol and diesel cars (same model) are designed to take the maximum load of diesel engine car. In this case suspension of petrol cars should last longer. Anyone. Please throw light.
@ Raja: Yes nose heavy means heavier engine in comparison to petrol counterpart.
 
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Messages
1,151
Likes
94
Location
Kannur, Kerala
Yeah. Diesel engines certainly have a heavier engine. And for the suspension, I guess both the petrol & the diesel one has the same thing!
I felt that diesel cars are little lower with load on the streets when compared to petrol. :stupid:
 
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
2,546
Likes
1,315
Location
M.P.
Returning to the topic:-
Diesel cars are nose heavy as compared to their petrol siblings.
I have a simple question disturbing me for a long time:-

Doesn't this nose heaviness of diesel cars has any adverse effect on the suspension?Since they share same suspension with their petrol siblings too.
Yup. Diesel cars are indeed nose heavy than petrol cars. Since diesel is a compression ignition fuel (in contrast to a petrol engine which is spark-ignition) the high compression ratio (e.g. 22:1) inside a diesel engine's combustion chamber necessitate that the parts of such engine like the engine block are made stronger to be able to sustain such high pressure and the consequent high temperature. This is why a diesel engine would always be heavier than a similar petrol engine. However, almost all manufacturers beef up the front suspension of their diesel cars to deal with this extra weight vis a vis their petrol engined counterparts. Ever wondered why a Swift VDi feels more compliant than a Swift VXi? Its because the VDi has a stiffer front suspension than the VXi.

Hope that clarifies the doubt.
 
Joined
Jan 27, 2011
Messages
554
Likes
9
Location
Kannur,Kerala
Yeah. Diesel engines certainly have a heavier engine. And for the suspension, I guess both the petrol & the diesel one has the same thing!
I felt that diesel cars are little lower with load on the streets when compared to petrol. :stupid:
I think diesel ones have more stiffer suspension in case of cars having softer suspension like in case of fluidic verna which make the diesel one more surefooted than its petrol sibling.


I have one question,IS diesel car more tiring to drive than the petrol sibling,i ask in this way.I have 10 lakhs,is there any car that is tiring to drive or say less tiring to drive than any other petrol cars under 10 lakhs.
 
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
2,546
Likes
1,315
Location
M.P.
I think diesel ones have more stiffer suspension in case of cars having softer suspension like in case of fluidic verna which make the diesel one more surefooted than its petrol sibling.


I have one question,IS diesel car more tiring to drive than the petrol sibling,i ask in this way.I have 10 lakhs,is there any car that is tiring to drive or say less tiring to drive than any other petrol cars under 10 lakhs.
'Tiredness' has got very little to do with the kind of fuel that propels a car and has got much to do with the overall ergonomics and the way the engine/gearbox combination is matched. I would say that for city driving, a diesel car would be less tiring due to the lesser gershifts required because of the extra low end torque peovided by its engine. One ma y say that the clutch on a diesel car is heavier than the clutch on a petrol car but now a days almost all diesel cars in the market have a reasonably light clutch action. Also, since the advent of electric power steering, the steering effort required on any car (petrol or diesel) is almost zero.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
2,546
Likes
1,315
Location
M.P.
I think diesel ones have more stiffer suspension in case of cars having softer suspension like in case of fluidic verna which make the diesel one more surefooted than its petrol sibling.


I have one question,IS diesel car more tiring to drive than the petrol sibling,i ask in this way.I have 10 lakhs,is there any car that is tiring to drive or say less tiring to drive than any other petrol cars under 10 lakhs.
'Tiredness' has got very little to do with the kind of fuel that propels a car and has got much to do with the overall ergonomics and the way the engine/gearbox combination is matched. I would say that for city driving, a diesel car would be less tiring due to the lesser gearshifts required because of the extra low end torque provided by its engine. One may say that the clutch on a diesel car is heavier than the clutch on a petrol car but now a days almost all diesel cars in the market have a reasonably light clutch action. Also, since the advent of electric power steering, the steering effort required on any car (petrol or diesel) is almost zero.
 
Last edited:

Top Bottom