Where are the LIGHT DUTY DIESEL Pickups and SUV's?

[tod evans]

Have you seen the harley powered [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Ellipse? [/FONT]http://www.planetltd.com/

I'd still prefer a yanmar diesel in it.

Cool! (It's running an S&S motor too)

There's no reason a fellow couldn't put a veggie-stroker on that...Hook a trailer to it and insta-work vehicle..

 

[acptulsa]

I know it's not a diesel, but am I the only one who finds the S&S powered Morgan extremely cool?

Are you kidding? Or merely accusing me of lacking taste?

The original Morgans are one reason why I want to produce a cyclecar so much, aside from I sense a developing market for them. They're not only pretty, they handle really well. I think the boattailed speedster is a far better body style for three wheelers than for four wheelers.

 

[The Northbreather]

I've wanted a light duty diesel for a long time, would love to have a diesel in my FJ and all the LD trucks I've own in the past.

I have a 79 toyota land crusier bj40 (toyota diesel engine) that gets awesome milage ..... its warming up in the driveway as we speak

 

[tod evans]

I really like that it's running an American made motor, not one that's just assembled here...

Are you kidding? Or merely accusing me of lacking taste?

The original Morgans are one reason why I want to produce a cyclecar so much, aside from I sense a developing market for them. They're not only pretty, they handle really well. I think the boattailed speedster is a far better body style for three wheelers than for four wheelers.

 

[presence]

The original Morgans are one reason why I want to produce a cyclecar so much, aside from I sense a developing market for them..

Have you seen the KMX Viper EV? They're on ebay for about $3500

http://kmxus.com/models/viper/

+

http://www.electricrider.com/crystalyte/


There are youtubes out there with people on custom tadpole EV's smoking tires and dropping 0-60 in under 5.

I wonder if one of those 2.5cc model air plane diesel engines would keep it charged?

 

[acptulsa]

Have you seen the KMX Viper EV?

No, I hadn't. That's nice. Shows the advantages of a low center of gravity in making a three wheeler handle well. But I was thinking a little weather protection would be nice...

 

[presence]

greenspeed, ice sprint, and catrike are other brands of tadpoles

some people are attaching 125cc dirtbike engines and aerodynamic shells... 100 mpg on petro 60 mph; legality issues in some states; you need 250 cc minimum on interstate?

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...t-aerodynamic-custom-tadpole-trike-10992.html

But I was thinking a little weather protection would be nice...

<br>[video=youtube;NjnFPauxStw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=fvwp&v=NjnFPauxStw[/video]

 

[tod evans]

But I was thinking a little weather protection would be nice...

Rain-n-bugs;

Snow-n-ice;

 

[Anti Federalist]

I know it's not a diesel, but am I the only one who finds the S&S powered Morgan extremely cool?

The drool shorted out my keyboard.

 

[Madison320]

At least I'm not the only one who wants a high mpg pickup! I've been wanting one for years. I have a 2003 nissan frontier but it is still classified as a mid size and only gets about 23 mpg. Have you ever seen a "small" late model pickup next to an older model? The older models (70s and 80s) were MUCH smaller.

My dream truck would be to start with a frontier or tacoma with a king cab, scale it down a little, make it more aero and make it a diesel or a hybrid so it gets 35 mpg.

 

[presence]

Check out this 95 mpg diesel:

HDT M1030-M2 670cc JP8

http://motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/HDT/hdt_m1030m2_670.htm

​

Now there's a motor for your diesel/EV hybrid.

 

[opal]

No love for Dodge in this thread?
Ram diesel anyone?

















*still clinging to 45 year old wagons as the best vehicle ever

 

[gerryb1]

I also believe I could produce a prototype of an appealing, attractive, basic, efficient diesel-electric hybrid mini-truck, legal for street duty in (last I heard) 37 states and capable of being cheaply redeveloped as a passenger car, for less than fifty thousand dollars. Can this forum, which once produced million dollar moneybomb days, call me on that and see if it's a bluff?

indiegogo.com

 

[acptulsa]

No love for Dodge in this thread?
Ram diesel anyone?

Sure. The consensus was it's a beast that looks better in a Class Six Truck.

*still clinging to 45 year old wagons as the best vehicle ever

That was a very good year. About the worst federal regulation up to that point was the sealed beam headlamp.

 

[presence]

No love for Dodge in this thread?
Ram diesel anyone?

2500 Cummins pulls my 7.5 ton Dynahoe with no problems on 5th wheel; no real change in the 20 mpg you get driving empty. It has its purpose and adapts to wvo very well. Generally too wide for the trail and too heavy to tote tools on the cheap. Great for hauling stone, cattle, lumber, vehicles, etc. Totally different category than a 4 door 45mpg Hilux. Great truck, purpose built, but not a light duty truck by any means.

 

[AFPVet]

Oh, and check out this Audi turbodiesel race car:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_R10_TDI

Specs:

Audi R10 TDI at the Neckarsulm AudiForum
Category Sports car racing -
Le Mans Prototype LMP1
Constructor Audi AG (with Dallara)
Predecessor Audi R8 (race car)
Successor Audi R15 TDI
Technical specifications
Chassis Carbon fibre monocoque
Suspension (front) Double wishbone, torsion bar with separate damper, anti-roll bar
Suspension (rear) Double wishbone, torsion bar with separate damper, anti-roll bar
Length 4650 mm
Width 2000 mm
Height 1030 mm
Wheelbase 2,980 mm (117.3 in)
Engine Audi 5.5 litre V12 TDI DPF twin-turbo, mid-engined, longitudinally mounted
Transmission 5-speed S-tronic[1]
Fuel Shell V-Power Diesel
Tyres Michelin

 

[The Northbreather]

No love for Dodge in this thread?
Ram diesel anyone?



*still clinging to 45 year old wagons as the best vehicle ever

Nope

'04Ford F250 Diesel 4x4
'79 Toyota 4cylinder Diesel 4x4
'87 Toyota 4runner 4x4
'86 Toyota 4runner 4x4

 

[cjm]

$2.1 Billion in unnecessary fuel expense just by adding another years worth of these SUV's to the market without the available-everywhere-else diesel.

@ 13c on the dollar: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-consumption/gas-price1.htm

=$282M

Catch that? Over the life of the vehicle, .gov gets $282 million in additional fuel tax revenue by disallowing diesel engines on one model year of one SUV.

+rep.

 

[madengr]

Electrics honestly don't need much but a rheostat and a reversing relay. And turning the motors into generators for regenerative braking isn't really any more complex. Just another relay. Compared to oxygen sensors and knock sensors, ignition timing controls and fuel injector controls, electric drive stuff is child's play and sixty years proven or more.

There is more to it than that. It one thing making a motor turn, and another to do it smoothly and efficiently. Solid state motor drives, and the motors, can get pretty complex, and research is on-going.

 

[AFPVet]

It looks like Ford already thought about a LDD. http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/16/fords-light-duty-4-4l-v8-diesel-doa/

Ford's light-duty 4.4L V8 diesel DOA?

By Jeremy Korzeniewski RSS feed

Posted Oct 16th 2008 11:30AM
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Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Ford F-150

Ford's reported decision to put its long-awaited light-duty diesel truck engine on ice for the time being could well be a result of slowing truck sales and the rising cost of diesel fuel. Indeed, the Blue Oval's pickup sales are down by about 27% compared to last year and are a far cry from what they were a few short years ago. That downward trend in sales is partly blamed on the recent rise in fuel prices, and diesel fuel has outpaced gasoline in its upward spiral. So, while diesel engines are inherently more fuel efficient than those running on gasoline, that pricing difference is usually only made up when a truck is used for heavy hauling and towing – one reason the expensive oil-burners prove so popular in the largest of trucks. Ford's not so sure any longer that drivers of its non Super-Duty trucks want or need a smaller diesel engine option. So, for now, Ford's 4.4-liter diesel V8 has been shelved.

Though not in the full-size truck segment for nearly as long, Toyota's Tundra has seen sales declines much steeper than the pickups from Ford, and the Japanese automaker has also put its diesel V8 on hold. General Motors is still on track to launch its 4.5-liter oil-burner, as is Chrysler with a Cummins-built 5.0-liter turbodiesel V8. These relatively small diesels are expected to average about 25% better fuel economy than their gasoline brethren while offering a power improvement of 10-15%. Ford believes it can offer similar performance benefits with its EcoBoost series of engines, one of which is slated for the F-Series trucks in 2010, for a smaller surcharge. We'll see.

Related Gallery2009 Ford F-150

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]