irony (was:RE: [thechat] Car Buffs ..)

Bruce Heerssen bheerssen at visualbridge.tv
Wed Jun 6 14:20:57 CDT 2001


> A lesson from boating - diesel weighs less than gasoline, which is one
> of the reasons diesels are used so extensively in marine applications.
> Less weight in fuel means less hull in water, which means better
> economy. The same could be said for automotive applications (though
> we're talking about  20 gallons of fuel versus 200-500 in a bigish
> boat - sometimes more.)

Diesel weighs about 7 pounds per gallon, and gasoline weighs about 6 pounds
per gallon. For comparison, fresh water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon
while seawater (not just saltwater) weighs about 9 pounds per gallon.

So your argument is backwards. The real reasons are:

1. less volatile than gasoline
2. more fuel efficient
3. more reliable (less prone to breakdowns)
4. less complex, therefore easier to maintain - an important consideration
when one is hundreds or possibly thousands of miles from decent maintenance
facilities.

-Bruce





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