Today I started my PassPlus, and the car I'm driving is a Corsa 1.3 Diesel, and I was wondering, why are Diesels are harder to stall than Petrols? I felt on the Diesel, I had more biting point to play with on the clutch, where as if I drove the Petrol Corsa similarly to the Diesel, it would probably stall. Also, is it normal for Diesel engines to start to lug at a higher speed than Petrols? i.e. I have to put the clutch in way earlier in the Diesel than in the Petrol when coming to a stop.
Diesels and Stalling
- Thread starter Mackass
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Tupac said:
It's a very easy engine to get used to. You get torque from 1500rpm, the gears are nicely spaced (on the Fiat setups at least), and it doesn't have any particular nasty habits. Everything you need for a small car really.
Soldato
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diesels torque comes at much lower RPM so you dont need as many revs to pull off 
its easier to pull off just on the clutch in a diesel
driving a diesel for the first time will be wierd, my mates punto has the biting point about an inch off the floor and its easy to stall first time, but you soon get used to the manic torque
the other day i was reversing my dads car out of a parking spot but just coasting back because it was on a hill, as i let the clutch out (no throttle) the car started to move forwards cos it was in 1st (reverse up near 1st you have to push it down), thats what you get when you've got 236 torques at about 1500RPM
this may sound daft but if you get in a petrol car, stick it in 1st, handbrake off, then dump the clutch you will notice it doesnt jerk nearly as violently as a diesel (found this out when my mate was teaching someone getting the biting point, i was being thrown around everywhere in the back)
i learnt my clutch control in a diesel and found it quite hard to adapt to petrol, especially the buzzy throttle response and the more vague and higher up the pedal travel biting point
the thing about pressing the clutch in earlier is cos at 30mph in 3rd a diesel wil be doing about 1800rpm, a petrol about 2200rpm, so when you brake you get to idling much quicker in a diesel, so need to push the clutch in
its easier to pull off just on the clutch in a dieseldriving a diesel for the first time will be wierd, my mates punto has the biting point about an inch off the floor and its easy to stall first time, but you soon get used to the manic torque
the other day i was reversing my dads car out of a parking spot but just coasting back because it was on a hill, as i let the clutch out (no throttle) the car started to move forwards cos it was in 1st (reverse up near 1st you have to push it down), thats what you get when you've got 236 torques at about 1500RPM
this may sound daft but if you get in a petrol car, stick it in 1st, handbrake off, then dump the clutch you will notice it doesnt jerk nearly as violently as a diesel (found this out when my mate was teaching someone getting the biting point, i was being thrown around everywhere in the back
)i learnt my clutch control in a diesel and found it quite hard to adapt to petrol, especially the buzzy throttle response and the more vague and higher up the pedal travel biting point
the thing about pressing the clutch in earlier is cos at 30mph in 3rd a diesel wil be doing about 1800rpm, a petrol about 2200rpm, so when you brake you get to idling much quicker in a diesel, so need to push the clutch in
Soldato
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it all become irrelevant after a while. Before long you'll be able to move from clutch pedal on the floor to exact biting point in half a second anyway, regardless of car. (practice, obviously)
Soldato
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POB said:
you will when you first drive one, but once youve got the gist of a diesels biting point you can see why they are a lot harder to stall
Ah, that explains a lot then, cheers people.
I still find Diesels much harder to stall, because the last time I actually drove a car (Petrol) was early February when I passed my driving test, and on that day, I remember I stalled it after my parallel park. Two months later and having not driven since early February, I drove the Diesel for three hours and didn't stall it once, which was a surprise because I thought I was going to be rusty.
I still find Diesels much harder to stall, because the last time I actually drove a car (Petrol) was early February when I passed my driving test, and on that day, I remember I stalled it after my parallel park. Two months later and having not driven since early February, I drove the Diesel for three hours and didn't stall it once, which was a surprise because I thought I was going to be rusty.
Smiley Man said:
Not true in my case, I can stall my own diesel on occasion, and also a laguna I drive on occasion.
Get me in any hire car or random petrol car and I never have a problem.
I think its due to the fact I try to get away with pulling away in 2nd when the cars slightly moving, works in petrol but diesel hates it.
Soldato
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i learnt in a 1.6 diesel then switched to a petrol 106, it took a bit of getting used to for the clutch etc, didnt like steep hills.
i also noticed had to keep going 2 first in diseal but with my 106 second is fine almost fine if im stationary lol
i also noticed had to keep going 2 first in diseal but with my 106 second is fine almost fine if im stationary lol
I learnt to drive in a 1.3 Corsa CDTi and knowing nothing about cars, only that diesels are harder to stall all of this didn't occur to me. So when i went to my petrol Saxo after passing i did not have a clue about any of this and have'nt hardly stalled it, its all in your heads. Only when i got comments off my parents from when they were in the car with me (both have diesels) that how well i'd adjusted. 
Mind you you've gotta love the pulling off in a diesel though, once when i was out with my dad in his 205 1.8 still learning. I pulled off from some traffic lights in third!!!
and it didnt stall or judder just took ages to get speed.
Mind you you've gotta love the pulling off in a diesel though, once when i was out with my dad in his 205 1.8 still learning. I pulled off from some traffic lights in third!!!
and it didnt stall or judder just took ages to get speed. 
Mackass said:I'm not going to pretend that I understood that Drexel, but aren't the gearing lengths different for all cars though?
Yes they are, but Diesels typically have much taller gearing than Petrols due to the fact that the engines can't rev as high.