Friday 19 December 2008

Best Gas Mileage - The Diesel Fuel

People are looking for the cheapest fuel available because of increasing prices at the pumps. One of the best choices for cheap fuel is diesel, which costs less than unleaded and premium fuel. Because of this, more and more people are buying cars with diesel engines. In countries where fuel consumption is high, diesel fuel is a popular choice. People buying new cars nowadays have to consider fuel costs. They ask for cars that run on diesel when they enter the showroom. In addition, because of higher fuel costs, people are turning to the use of motorcycles and scooters, which usually run on diesel fuel. Countries like China, which has millions of motorcycles and scooters on its streets, continue to produce and consume more diesel fuel.

What is diesel? Diesel is a fractional distillate of fuel oil, usually petroleum, which is used to power engines. It is a mixture of hydrocarbons that are obtained from the distillation of crude oil at temperatures of 200 to 350 degrees Celsius. Diesel produced from petroleum is sometimes called petrodiesel to distinguish it from other diesels that are derived from other sources.

The main reason why people are increasingly turning to diesel is its price and efficiency. Diesel fuel has a density of 850 grams per liter, which is higher than the 720 grams per liter of gasoline. It also releases 40.9 mega joules per liter when burnt, compared to the 34.8 mega joules of gasoline. Another advantage it has over gasoline is that it costs less to refine diesel fuel. This means that not only does diesel get you further on one tank, but it also costs less per liter.

However, using diesel also has its disadvantages. The problem with diesel is that when it burns, it gives off more pollutants, like sulphur, compared to gasoline. This has led countries like the United States and some European nations to impose higher emissions standards for diesel-engine vehicles. Because of this, diesel costs higher than gasoline in some areas because of the added costs of complying with the standards.

Despite this drawback though, diesel is still a popular choice for fuel. And with the skyrocketing fuel prices, it doesn't look like this will change anytime soon.

I get more mileage for my money on diesel fuel.

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