Diesel has gotten a bad rap mostly due to the filthy smoke the engines belched back in the 1970s and '80s. But all that has changed thanks to tighter emissions regulations and improved technology. Today, diesel creates more power, is cleaner and more fuel efficient than ever before. Contrary to popular belief, diesel trucks don't have to spew black smoke into the atmosphere to create more power.
Light diesel trucks currently outpace their gasoline counterparts in sales as consumers become increasingly aware of their benefits. In a sign that diesel may become the short-term fuel solution over the next decade, several automakers plan to launch diesel-powered automobiles in the U.S. According to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), demand for diesel engines and their aftermarket components is predicted to increase 3.8 percent annually through 2011 to $20 billion.
State of the Diesel Market
Sales of light diesel trucks (1/2-, 3/4-, and 1-ton) are steady, and units cost between $5,000 and $8,000 more than their gasoline counterparts because of engine choice, according to Mark Craig, president, Diesel Performance Parts based in Nashville, Tenn. "The long-term outlook for diesel is nothing but bright sunshine despite the media's pessimistic perception of the economy," he says.
Just like in Europe, Craig predicts in 15 years 60 to 80 percent of all vehicles in the U.S. will be diesel powered because of their higher efficiency and lower repair costs.
"Not that gasoline performance is going to die, because it's not. I don't think you'll ever see a Mustang GT with a diesel, but if you've got a Chrysler minivan with a 3.0-liter diesel that gets you 32 mpg on the interstate at 70 mph loaded, I think people will be all over that when it becomes available."
GM is about to launch its V6 version of the Duramax 1/2-ton truck. Dodge is doing the same. When diesel first became an option in Big 3 trucks, the market exploded. There's more 1/2-ton business out there than there is 3/4- and 1-ton. Plus, in the next five to 10 years, many European and Japanese manufacturers will bring diesel to their sedans, including Audi, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.
The upcoming launch of diesel 1/2-ton trucks will provide more potential for the diesel marketplace, according to Gale Banks, president of Gale Banks Engineering, in Azusa, Calif. In addition to the Big 3, Toyota and Nissan are also entering into the diesel market, which should increase aftermarket opportunities.
Gains in horsepower, torque, towing capability and fuel economy are all attributed to increased diesel sales among ordinary consumers and off-road and drag racing enthusiasts, according to Mike DeFord, marketing manager, Bully Dog, based in American Falls, Idaho.
"We see a 50 percent growth rate every year and this will gain momentum over the next 18 to 24 months as more diesel vehicles are released in the U.S.," he says.
Though Ford has dominated the diesel truck market with its 7.3-liter diesel PowerStroke in the past, capturing 85 percent market share, Parley Valora, vice president, Premier Performance, based in Rexburg, Idaho, says their sales have declined because GM and Dodge have both increased their market share.
"With the troubles Ford had with the 6.0-liter, they probably have seen a decline in serious enthusiasts," he says. "It varies by region; Ford's market share was huge out East — and still is — when GM didn't even offer a diesel in its truck. But as other manufacturers come out with diesel trucks it's only going to negatively impact Ford's market share in the industry."
Fuel of the Future
Banks became keenly interested in fuel economy in 1974. Before that time, gas was fairly cheap. He participated in a study in 1975 to establish the future of engine technology, which was when Banks began advocating for diesel because it was a technology that could go forward and the infrastructure was already in place: It just needed to be refined. In the early '80s over a period of six weeks, Banks developed the first diesel pickup power product ever — the Sidewinder turbo system for 1982 GM 6.2-liter pickups. The first turbocharged GM diesel trucks available were Banks-charged, effectively giving birth to the diesel pickup aftermarket. The market continued to grow as years went by, and engines advanced from mechanically controlled fuel injection to electronic. The popularity of diesel pickups will continue, and the new 1/2-ton trucks and SUVs are going to be even more fuel efficient.
In addition to better fuel economy, diesel has a better resale value than gas as a percentage of its initial cost because diesels are more popular in the used-truck market.
Smoke-Free Diesel
Banks has gone out of his way to help boost new diesel truck sales and raise awareness regarding the myth that black smoke means power.
"Starting in 2002, we set a speed record with the Dakota, which was the beginning of smoke-free diesel performance in terms of racing," he states. "When you reduce smoke you're making better fuel economy and power by burning fuel in the engine. If it goes out the tailpipe in the form of smoke, that's fuel energy you didn't use in the engine but paid for at the pump. Making smoke with a diesel is a very stupid thing to do. Some guys think it's macho, I just think it's dumb. Smoke is the negative legacy of diesel, and every time somebody sees it they become anti-diesel. I'm out there preaching we've got to stop the smoke. I've got the world's fastest diesel pickup, which I've held since 2002 and there's no smoke."
Some aftermarket companies offer defeat devices and advise consumers to remove the particulate trap and catalytic converter, according to Banks.
The device deceives the system so it doesn't send a trouble code and is against federal law.
"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) have laws in place that could shut our industry down instantly," he says. "They've already caught one company that sells a defeat device and I know of other companies that do it. While I don't want to rat them out, I'm calling on them to stop it."
Banks advises consumers to talk directly to manufacturers to ensure they've properly tested their product by towing a fully loaded trailer and documenting they're not putting excessive smoke load into the particulate traps. Another concern is excessive exhaust heat. When the particulate trap regenerates, it has a built-in program that causes exhaust to heat the particulate trap and burn off the soot. This results in extremely hot exhaust temperatures, oftentimes well over 1,000 degrees. Manufacturers have created built-in systems to blend outside air with the exhaust to reduce the temperature so it doesn't burn someone who happens to pass by the tailpipe.
"If the exhaust temperature is so hot it can burn skin, you've got a huge liability problem, and the first person to be slapped with a lawsuit is the dealer who installed the product, so dealers have to watch what they're buying and be absolutely certain that whoever they're buying from knows how to test it," Banks suggests.
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Valora argues the newer diesel emission controls have slightly decreased power and efficiency so the benefits aren't as obvious as they used to be.
He adds that diesel is better for the environment, and many car manufacturers are going that direction, because hybrids are so expensive.
"The emissions technology will improve to where we can get back to stronger benefits like we experienced in the past," Valora says. "The sad thing with these emissions requirements is that it's almost like one step forward and two steps back. The additional emissions requirements are great because when you actually test the emissions coming out of the tailpipe they are better than the air going into the intake. The system does an excellent job of cleaning up the particulates, but now we're burning a lot more fuel to get there. Some vehicles require you to drive at highway speeds for a period of time to clean out your diesel particulate filter, so some people are required to drive their truck when they normally wouldn't."
Changing Public Perception
Direct demonstration should help to change the negative public perception of diesel.
"We put together seminars and demonstrations and let legislatures drive clean diesel vehicles, which has helped a great deal to get recognition that diesel is viable," Banks says. "Part of the perception is diesel is slow and sluggish, and I've helped erase that through racing demonstrations. Put the news out there; we're clean, we're green and we're mean."
It's a whole new ballgame for those who have shied away from the market even as little as five years ago, as diesel technology has improved dramatically. Ford's new engine is EPA compliant through 2010 and Cummins through 2012. In addition, stock horsepower is up considerably—most new trucks are 350-plus hp and 600-plus foot-pounds of torque.
"A lot of guys in diesel performance like black smoke. To them, black smoke means power. They're evolving with the industry to recognize there are ways to get power without the smoke," Valora says.
To change the skeptic's perception of diesels, Craig suggests they get out and explore. Compare the diesel's performance and fuel economy to the same gas engine. "Time will change the perception more than anything. Diesels are a moving target at all times."
ATS utilizes mainstream Internet, TV, and radio so people who normally don't have contact with diesels can see what the trucks are able to accomplish cleanly. More diesel vehicles are being launched that people are used to seeing only in gas form, so they'll realize diesel has the efficiency, power, and green factor.
It will be interesting to see clean diesel's fate as the cost of fuel continues to rise.
Chad Simon is a freelance writer and previous managing editor of Styling and Performance, the specialty parts sister publication of Motor Age.
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