Diesel vs gas engines: what's the difference?
They burn different types of fuel, but that's just the beginning. Here's what you need to know when comparing diesel... This is the story of diesel versus gas engines : diesel engines burn diesel, petrol engines burn petrol. Different ways of igniting fuel: Apart from the fuel differences, the most significant difference between diesel and gas engines is the way in which each ignites the fuel. A diesel engine compresses the air in the combustion chamber until it is hot enough to ignite the fuel, which is injected into the chamber through an injector. A petrol engine, on the other hand, uses spark plugs to ignite the mixture of fuel and air at the correct time. In engineering circles we describe the ignition methods as compression ignition and spark ignition. Diesel = more durable construction Diesel engines are low revving, high torque engines that typically last longer than petrol engines. Engineers often use larger, heavier and more robust components because diesels are prima