Posts Tagged ‘Diesel’

Peugeot to End Endurance Programme

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

It has just today been announced that Peugeot is to pull the plug on its Le Mans programme with immediate effect. This is a big surprise to all in the endurance racing field, particularly as Peugeot has achieved such great success as one of the front-running manufacturers.

They had been Audi’s main rival for many years now, and they had embarked upon running a series of variants of its diesel powered 908 prototypes in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the related sports car series since 2007. This of course was a fantastic way to develop certain diesel technologies, including diesel particulate filters.

The greatest achievement for Peugeot in the endurance programme was winning the momentous Le Mans 24 Hours race in 2009. Further success came last year when they won the inaugural Intercontinental Le Mans Cup title before the series then transformed into the World Endurance Championship this year.

In a statement from the French manufacturer, Peugeot have said: “This decision has been taken in the context of a difficult economic environment in Europe. Peugeot has chosen to concentrate resources on its sales performance in 2012.”

Peugeot’s decision to pull the plug is perhaps a rather justified one when considering the fact that car sales for the company have been plummeting.

Peugeot’s of old were never the prettiest cars it must be said, however, recently they have turned a corner with their design and development. The Peugeot RCZ, and the new 508, both look great and it indeed makes me wonder whether such developments have come from the great work Peugeot have been carrying out at Le Mans and within the sports car series.

However, having said that, with Peugeot now concentrating solely on their road vehicles, and with these great cars already there as a base to build upon, we can hopefully expect to see even better things fly off Peugeot’s design board and onto our roads. Hopefully this will also, therefore, lead to an increase in sales for the company, and maybe one day they will be able to make a very welcome and valiant return to sports car racing.

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Petrol and Diesel Price Gap Grows

Friday, November 18th, 2011

If you, like me, are a petrol head, then I doubt you will have missed the recent talks in the news regarding fuel prices and whether or not the government will decide to increase, or decrease tax on fuel. Of course, we are all hoping the latter; however it has been revealed that there has been a steadily growing gap between the price of petrol and the price of diesel.

Figures from the AA show that petrol prices throughout October and November have slightly dropped, with the average now standing at 133.7p a litre, whilst in the same time, the average price for diesel has risen to 140.95p a litre. The gap between the two fuels has only ever been wider during the significant price hikes in 2008. If you live in Scotland, the gap is even wider with petrol 8.2p a litre cheaper than diesel on average.

Unsurprisingly the most expensive area in the country is London, averaging 134.8p a litre, whilst diesel is dearest in Northern Ireland at 141.8p a litre. If you live in Yorkshire and Humberside, then you will find that you will pay the least, on average, for fuel with petrol averaging 132.8p a litre and diesel at 140.3p a litre.

Edmund King, the President of AA, has spoken out about fuel prices: “The fall in the price of oil due to the Eurozone crisis had brought some hope of respite for drivers but the opposite has happened for diesel car owners. The petrol price may have been falling overall, but it’s dropped faster for some than others, and that adds to the frustration.”

He added: “Tuesday’s House of Commons debate on high fuel prices offered little hope of a freeze in fuel duty, and diesel woes, if they continue, will intensify pressure on the Treasury.”

It is therefore an expensive time for motorists across the UK! With the cost of living seemingly on the increase, those running diesel cars in particular may find that they begin to cut corners where their car is concerned in a bid to save money.

However, it would be wrong to neglect your vehicle as, in the long run, you will only be causing it pain and damage, which will inevitably cost you more. Services can be expensive but they are an absolute necessity, and, with diesels, you will find that diesel particulate filters will need to be cleaned otherwise they will end up costing you more in terms of fuel as your car will become less economical due to your DPF becoming clogged up with pollutants from the engine.

Keeping a car on the road is an extremely expensive ordeal, but it is one that we petrol heads will strive to do for as long as we possibly can. The simple pleasure of stringing a few country-road-bends together is something that we just cannot quite explain – no matter what car we are in!

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Posted in Diesel Particulate Filters | No Comments »

Diesel Particulate Filters

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

A diesel particulate filter (DPF) pretty much does what it says. Particles and matter disposed of by the diesel engine in your vehicle will be filtered out through the device. This will result in a reduction of a sooty matter being expelled through the exhaust gases of the vehicle. However, diesel particulate filters can significantly increase fuel consumption, and they also need to be cleaned, or replaced, regularly which can be a very expensive ordeal. The reason why fuel consumption is increased by a DPF is because the ash, which is the sooty matter referred to previously, builds up on the surface of the filter and will eventually block the pores. This will increase the pressure drop over the filter, and when the pressure reaches 55kPa or higher, it will cause a significant increase in nitrogen oxide emissions, and also as a consequence, fuel consumption.

A DPF will also require the vehicles ECU to be programmed into a periodical regeneration cycle. This will increase the exhaust temperature through delayed fuel injection. This can also increase fuel consumption. If DPF’s are not properly managed and maintained, for example if the regeneration cycle is not run soon enough, then they can also result in premature engine damage, and thus reduce the life of your vehicle.

At Longlife we offer the service of permanently removing the DPF. This is a much more cost effective solution, and it will also mean you will not have to constantly worry about having to have your DPF replaced over and over again in the future. Longlife will also remap your vehicle so that the DPF regeneration sequence is removed from the vehicle’s ECU. The DPF will also be replaced by a Stainless Steel Exhaust pipe which will guarantee better performance, and will last a lifetime. This is a much more professional solution than just having an old filter casing emptied which can lead to uncertain gas flow and consequently poor performance.

Therefore, through removing a DPF, your vehicle will perform considerably better, and the fuel efficiency will be greatly improved. You will also never have to worry about having the DPF replaced again. If, however, you do indeed wish to keep your DPF, we at Longlife also offer a supply and fit service. The expertise we have with DPF’s and their installation will ensure that the job is done properly first time!

So, no matter if you are looking to have your DPF removed for good, or you would rather keep it on your vehicle, then we at Longlife have the answers!

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Posted in Diesel Particulate Filters, Exhausts, Stainless Steel Exhausts | 2 Comments »