I drove a normal car yesterday

[PDQ Mobile]

Measures used to meet emissions targets actively militate against good mpg in the case of diesels.

I have heard this before.
It's a strange one.

Is it simply a case of reducing NO2?
Exhaust gas recycling etc.
One would have thought more fuel per charge would increase particulate levels.

Certainly my old bus will also, like peetee's, give good mpg and it's smoke opacity value is good at MOT time.

[thirdcrank]

It was the reason for Vorsprung durch betrug

[Bonefishblues]

Measures used to meet emissions targets actively militate against good mpg in the case of diesels.

I have heard this before.
It's a strange one.

Is it simply a case of reducing NO2?
Exhaust gas recycling etc.
One would have thought more fuel per charge would increase particulate levels.

Certainly my old bus will also, like peetee's, give good mpg and it's smoke opacity value is good at MOT time.

As an example I know well, on a like for like basis the Volvo Euro 4 engine posts, 10-15% poorer mpg than its predecessor which is sans dpf and swirl flaps, but which is otherwise quite similar in its architecture.

[reohn2]

I don't know the technicalities,I do know that the MOT examiner has said each time he's passed it,three times in total since I've owned it,my 2009 2ltr diesel Cmax has very clean emissions,I wonder if that's because of it's mainly motorway mileage?

[Mick F]

I wish the diesel cars round here would go on a motorway then!

Smelly awful terrible machines here.
Smelly smelly smelly.

They should all be banned.

[Bonefishblues]

I don't know the technicalities,I do know that the MOT examiner has said each time he's passed it,three times in total since I've owned it,my 2009 2ltr diesel Cmax has very clean emissions,I wonder if that's because of it's mainly motorway mileage?

That certainly helps. Diesels coke up in stop-start motoring. My wife drives the family bus on mainly short journeys, and it needs a healthy dose of right foot from time to time to clear it out, whereupon it produces a good deal of smoke on the first couple of occasions, and then nothing.

[Mick F]

I don't know the technicalities,I do know that the MOT examiner has said each time he's passed it,three times in total since I've owned it,my 2009 2ltr diesel Cmax has very clean emissions,I wonder if that's because of it's mainly motorway mileage?

That certainly helps. Diesels coke up in stop-start motoring. My wife drives the family bus on mainly short journeys, and it needs a healthy dose of right foot from time to time to clear it out, whereupon it produces a good deal of smoke on the first couple of occasions, and then nothing.

That is the main issue.

Said it before (endlessly) on this forum, that diesel car drivers put their foot to the floor to overtake cyclists.
Black smelly muck comes out of the back as they do it. Awful in the extreme.

Seriously thinking of giving up cycling because of them.

[thirdcrank]

Anybody feeling virtuous about their own internal combustion engined car need only run a pipe from the exhaust into the car to confirm that they are all poisonous

[Mick F]

Yes, TC, you are correct indeed.

My issue isn't poison, but smelly smoky yuk that gets to the back of my throat and into my lungs.
I can smell and taste it now, just thinking about it.

Modern diesel cars are worse. Could be something to do with the particulate filters (or whatever they are) than burn off the muck and chuck it out the back when the driver puts his foot down.

In the old days, diesel cars were generally a bit smelly all the time, but they didn't store the muck up and burn it off later into a cloud of muck. Modern diesels are far the worst and BMWs stand out as the main culprits.

Maybe the emissions controls are designed to keep towns cleaner, but that doesn't help people who live in the villages with narrow lanes and steep hills.

[reohn2]

I don't know the technicalities,I do know that the MOT examiner has said each time he's passed it,three times in total since I've owned it,my 2009 2ltr diesel Cmax has very clean emissions,I wonder if that's because of it's mainly motorway mileage?

That certainly helps. Diesels coke up in stop-start motoring. My wife drives the family bus on mainly short journeys, and it needs a healthy dose of right foot from time to time to clear it out, whereupon it produces a good deal of smoke on the first couple of occasions, and then nothing.

That is the main issue.

Said it before (endlessly) on this forum, that diesel car drivers put their foot to the floor to overtake cyclists.
Black smelly muck comes out of the back as they do it. Awful in the extreme.

Seriously thinking of giving up cycling because of them.

If diesels are pumping out black smelly smoke they're either very old high mileage vehicles or there's something wrong with them(injector off or similar),I occasionally have such a vehicle pass me on the bike or I get behind one in the car but they're a rarity around these parts.
What concerns me more around here is downright idiots behind the wheel,40mile ride yesterday,less than 10 of which were on the road and I had three very close 30cm passes,two of which had clear road to there right
I've stood behind our car on the drive,with 1.8m gates directly behind it,1.8m fence one isde and the house on the other,a confined space of 3m square,with Mrs R2 giving the motor a bit of welly,no smoke,no smell.
I'm not so daft as to think there's no noxious geses being pumped out though .

[Mick F]

If diesels are pumping out black smelly smoke they're either very old high mileage vehicles or there's something wrong with them(injector off or similar),I occasionally have such a vehicle pass me on the bike or I get behind one in the car but they're a rarity around these parts.
I've stood behind our car on the drive,with 1.8m gates directly behind it,1.8m fence one isde and the house on the other,a confined space of 3m square,with Mrs R2 giving the motor a bit of welly,no smoke,no smell.
I'm not so daft as to think there's no noxious geses being pumped out though .

Diesel cars are clean burners these days.
I am in no doubt about this.

The trouble is, the muck and smell comes out when the throttle is fully opened under load going uphill when overtaking.
Brand new cars as well. Some cars are worse than others, and BMWs stand out as the worst.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

I wish the diesel cars round here would go on a motorway then!

Smelly awful terrible machines here.
Smelly smelly smelly.

They should all be banned.

Ha ha, that' ole chestnut, so you like to collect all your food and other supplies that you buying at the moment that you need from the local depot couple of hundred miles away.
Banning diesels means banning freight too.
So it's back to a horse and cart

[peetee]

There is clearly a great deal of confusion over the cleanliness or otherwise of diesel cars old and new but one thing is very clear in my mind and that is that emissions in the real world that we live in day to day, our streets and lanes, can be reduced significantly with a healthy dose of the right attitude. Don't be lazy, use your cars only when there is no non-motorised alternative and hold back on the heavy right foot.

[reohn2]

There is clearly a great deal of confusion over the cleanliness or otherwise of diesel cars old and new but one thing is very clear in my mind and that is that emissions in the real world that we live in day to day, our streets and lanes, can be reduced significantly with a healthy dose of the right attitude. Don't be lazy, use your cars only when there is no non-motorised alternative and hold back on the heavy right foot.

Spot on!

[Mick F]

Hi,

I wish the diesel cars round here would go on a motorway then!

Smelly awful terrible machines here.
Smelly smelly smelly.

They should all be banned.

Ha ha, that' ole chestnut, so you like to collect all your food and other supplies that you buying at the moment that you need from the local depot couple of hundred miles away.
Banning diesels means banning freight too.
So it's back to a horse and cart

Cars.
Vans and lorries are fine.

Cars chuck out the muck.