[emersonbiggins]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ClubOfRomeII', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('emersonbiggins', 'A')nd, as a result, my 06 Jetta TDI has yet to drop off appreciably on its blue book value, even with 13k miles.

[Ebyss]

I was wondering if someone could answer a question for me :

Given the higher demand for petrol over diesel, is it possible/probable that as petrol becomes scarcer due to refinery problems, diesel will be manufactured in lesser quantities in order to put the majority of the shitty crude we're getting into petrol production? Or will it not matter either way? Is diesel likely to get more expensive than petrol given the high demand for petrol (and thus the likelihood of refineries wanting to focus on this over diesel).....

Come to think of it, what is the difference between refining for diesel and petrol? I haven't a clue :blush:

[whereagles]

I must add there are some chemical tricks to transform gasoline into diesel. That's important in Europe because most vehicles here are diesels.

[TommyJefferson]

> in Europe because most vehicles here are diesels.

Really?

[Kingcoal]

All of the distillates are equally in demand, nothing is wasted. Switching from gasoline to diesel doesn't make much sense outside of efficiency improvement because when you refine oil, you get both along with a lot of other products. I believe that distillates in the diesel "family" account for the biggest demand. You've got trucks, trains, ships, aircraft, home heating oil, etc.

[Olle]

They will simply produce the stuff they believe will get them most money, It's that simple...

[Ebyss]

Thank you all very much, that is exactly what I needed to know.

[highlander]

Diesel is a mix of longer chain hydrocarbons. You can "crack" these to make lighter distillates (eg gasoline) Sweet crude has a higher percentage of the lighter distillates than the heavy crudes (and less sulfur), so you get more gasoline and diesel without resorting to more complicated processing.

From Wikipedia

The bulk of a typical gasoline consists of hydrocarbons with between 5 and 12 carbon atoms per molecule.

The average chemical formula for common diesel fuel is C12H26, ranging from approx. C10H22 to C15H32

[whereagles]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TommyJefferson', '&')gt; in Europe because most vehicles here are diesels.

Really?

[MrBill]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('whereagles', 'I') must add there are some chemical tricks to transform gasoline into diesel. That's important in Europe because most vehicles here are diesels.

[Blacksmith]

For those of you living in Eastern Canada (spit, spit, spit) you can use heating oil in you desiel car or truck and avoid paying road tax. Oh I forgot you don't like to cheat the government (Quebecers excluded).

[Dukat_Reloaded]

If it's light sweet oil, it probably could run straight in a diesel engine although the engine wouldn't last long.

[Blacksmith]

#2 heating oil is diesel

[NTBKtrader]

need your thoughts. I have two vehicles one is gasoline and the other runs on diesel. All else being equal which vehicle would i want during post peak?

[strider3700]

I'd go with the diesel. It's possible to grow your own oil producing crop which you could then turn into biodiesel to run on. It will be far from easy but it's not impossible given a large enough farm and some relatively simple equipment.

Refining Gasoline is close to impossible on a backyard scale.

Of course if you don't have a farm to grow your own crop to turn into fuel then both come down to availability issues. I expect there will be more diesel around but non critical use access may be really limited.

If you ignore the availability of fuel issue then on a pure life expectancy level I'd also go diesel.

[canis_lupus]

Diesels last longer.

Also, Strider is correct. In a world without fuel, you'd need some acreage for corn and an oilseed press.

Can you recarburate your gasser for ethanol?

I make my own bd and you never realize how much fuel you use when you put the time and effort into making your own. Depending on where you live, there may be a coop. Join the coop and see if it is something you can/would like to do.

[joeltrout]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('NTBKtrader', 'n')eed your thoughts. I have two vehicles one is gasoline and the other runs on diesel. All else being equal which vehicle would i want during post peak?

[wisconsin_cur]

A gasoline engine WITH A CARB can be modified to run on ethanol, which is easier to make then bio-diesel. Of course that puts you into 1982 or earlier... A Geo Metro would be a good choice, depending on what you want to use the vehicle for.

I must confess, I understand the theory but have not been able to attack this project yet so I have no real life experience. I'm guessing you would want to keep a few extra carbs on hand.

[skiptamali]

Diesel engine advancements may increase efficiency of currently existing systems, especially when coupled with the use of low-sulfur diesel or biodiesel.
According to this article from Matter Network, new diesel engines are quieter and get better fuel economy- some up to 50 mpg!
This article from AutoBlogGreen highlights the winners of Challenge X- Mississippi State University powered a Chevrolet Equinox to a win by coupling a hybrid electric system and a diesel engine (which ran on biodiesel). With a 38% efficiency gain, they demonstrated that this match may just be one worth looking into.

[JPL]

Diesels are traditionally very complicated to fix and modern ones are much further along the curve. Also if you are looking at a future of variable grade fuel expect the modern stuff to get gummed up very quickly.

Having said which, you can also run them on domestic heating oil; which gives anyone who has a diesel car & an oil heating tank the option to hoard a lot of motor fuel very quickly (grin).

Personally my ideal PO car would be a 1972 VW Beetle, a serious tool-kit, a large bottle of lead additive, some jerry cans & if all else fails, spare copper sheeting so you can quickly shim out the head gaskets & run a lower compression ratio & a petrol/diesel mix (or anything you can find to put in the tank, basically).

JP