VW diesel cars fallout

[strad]

I have often questioned the whole ball of wax. The very first pollution devices were said to have cleaned up 90% of pollutants and ever since they have been called upon to clean it up more and more.
At this point it is almost impossible to commit suicide by closing yourself in a closed garage with the engine running. Serious headache yes,,, death, not very likely.

[Gettingonabit]

I still often wonder if we had gone down the lean/clean burn rout at the time they legislated cat converters.
Some manufacturers said at the time we would be better off allowing them time to work on it. It was just about the time the electronics were becoming up to doing it but pressure won again

Funny you should mention that. I can remember reading about BMC (yes, Im that old) working on an engine where the aim was to run successfully with an afr of 21:1. As you say, this was just as the legislation on the fitting of catalitic converters was introduced. Great idea really ( ) when the result was to chuck masses of co2 into the atmosphere - the global warming gas.

[Big Tea]

I still often wonder if we had gone down the lean/clean burn rout at the time they legislated cat converters.
Some manufacturers said at the time we would be better off allowing them time to work on it. It was just about the time the electronics were becoming up to doing it but pressure won again

Funny you should mention that. I can remember reading about BMC (yes, Im that old) working on an engine where the aim was to run successfully with an afr of 21:1. As you say, this was just as the legislation on the fitting of catalitic converters was introduced. Great idea really ( ) when the result was to chuck masses of co2 into the atmosphere - the global warming gas.

I just looked back on the 'metro' review. 57.8 mpg with a 4 speed box and shaped like a brick.
And apparently thats a test, not a 'claim'

(https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-re ... road-test/)

Combined with the 1.3-litre engine, Austin Rover made bold claims about the HLE’s fuel consumption. It returned an impressive (even by today’s standards) 57.8mpg ‘at a steady 56mph’. In reality, it’ll comfortably return mid-40s MPG today, while other running costs should be very low. Classic insurance companies will cover the Metro very cheaply, while parts are often shared with other British Leyland products and easy to track down

[Tommy Cookers]

GDI particulate is better than CI's because gasoline burns readily and diesel doesn't
diesel particulate carries on its surface aldehydes from incomplete reactions - these are precursors to carcinogens
whether from diesels or modern-day cooks baking with oils they wrongly think are better than the old-style cooking 'fats'

I don't know honestly.
Correct me if I'm wrong but particles are always the result of incomplete reactions, so perhaps we will find the same aldehydes on the particles of a GDI engine.

incomplete reactions are where the fuel is very hot but not in contact with enough oxygen
ie fuel droplets don't burn but fuel vapour does
this will always be worse with diesel fuel (than gasoline) as diesel vapourises less due to its higher BP (and viscosity ?)

I was somewhat speaking in support of VW etc
do modern diesels produce less carcinogens (as notionally less particulates) ? because eg their fuel droplets are smaller
or is the particulate trapping/burnoff the mechanism for attribution as low particulate

yes urban/domestic sources of NOx (and ozone) aren't inconceivable - though I haven't found anything on this
in London they aim legally to prove one child has died of (particulate) air pollution via a fatal asthma attack
urban/domestic sources are rather particulate-free - except for the woodburning that has been brought in to save the world

the (UK) National Health Service is now telling us to avoid in our baking anything more than light browning
(as I rather unwisely was telling my mother over 50 years ago)
and literally today we're told the daily glass of red wine recommended against heart attacks is giving us cancer

[Zynerji]

We're all going to die.

[Webber2011]

We're all going to die.

No me, I'm immortal

[Big Tea]

We're all going to die.

No" me, I'm immor't'al

This T is supposed to be here

[Webber2011]

We're all going to die.

No" me, I'm immor't'al

This T is supposed to be here

Haha, well played Sir.
For a split second I thought you were calling me immoral

Back to the topic at hand.

Many years ago I took my wife on a holiday to Tasmania, as I have family there.
Supposedly one of the most pristine, non polluted places on the planet.

We stayed with my Grandfather in a suburb overlooking the entire West Tamar region and the city of Launceston.
One morning we went out on his balcony for an early morning coffee, and she commented on how lovely the fog looked rolling down the river out of town.

My Grandfather could hardly contain his laughter when he said, "That's not fog love, that's the wood smoke from all the heaters !"

Sure enough when we ventured into town that morning you could hardly breathe until around 11am.
It was a real eye opener for me, because I'd never considered just how much pollution the wood heaters in a city of less than a hundred thousand could generate !

[Big Tea]

No" me, I'm immor't'al

This T is supposed to be here

Haha, well played Sir

Back to the topic at hand.

Many years ago I took my wife on a holiday to Tasmania, as I have family there.
Supposedly one of the most pristine, non polluted places on the planet.

We stayed with my Grandfather in a suburb overlooking the entire West Tamar region and the city of Launceston.
One morning we went out on his balcony for an early morning coffee, and she commented on how lovely the fog looked rolling down the river out of town.

My Grandfather could hardly contain his laughter when he said, "That's not fog love, that's the wood smoke from all the heaters !"

Sure enough when we ventured into town that morning you could hardly breathe until around 11am.
It was a real eye opener for me, because I'd never considered just how much pollution the wood heaters in a city of less than a hundred thousand could generate !

I grew up in a coal fired area and it was the same on a damp day. From down in the valley you could not see the sky, from the top of the hills you could not see the town. I often imagined the valley full of misty water.

Must be why I am not big on anti pollution, its all relative. (No I am not pro pollution, just think it is over hyped)

[Cold Fussion]

I still often wonder if we had gone down the lean/clean burn rout at the time they legislated cat converters.
Some manufacturers said at the time we would be better off allowing them time to work on it. It was just about the time the electronics were becoming up to doing it but pressure won again

Would we have been better off mandating lean combustion + some sort exhaust treatment to lower NOX emissions?

[Big Tea]

I still often wonder if we had gone down the lean/clean burn rout at the time they legislated cat converters.
Some manufacturers said at the time we would be better off allowing them time to work on it. It was just about the time the electronics were becoming up to doing it but pressure won again

Would we have been better off mandating lean combustion + some sort exhaust treatment to lower NOX emissions?

Almost a definite yes. At the time, I had a 2ltr that was averaging a comfortable 40 mpg, and changed for same car same size engine and fitted with a cat, the same commute but 32 mpg. (Cav CDI)

[loner]

Volkswagen to cease all non-electric motorsport programmes
https://www.motorsport.com/general/news ... r/4601530/
but then again

The watchdog said that BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen met twice a year with steel makers between 2004 and 2013 to set uniform surcharges for the long steel they purchased. Unlawful prices were in place until at least 2016, it said.
The authority said that the auto companies have accepted "the facts established" and the fine. Volkswagen is expected to cough up €48.7 million ($54 million).

https://twitter.com/RT_com/status/1198032161166811137

[RZS10]

Did Volkswagen even participate in any racing series?

They dropped out of WRC two (?) years ago and afaik weren't doing anything else as "VW", so in reality it's nothing but a publicity stunt - "Hey look, hey, we won't do any more combustion engine racing" - all other brands will continue as before.

[Maritimer]

They had a TCR program. Were in the middle of developing a new car for it, too. They're going to continue manufacturing the Polo rally cars but all factory backing will cease.

[RZS10]

They still have the Seat Cupra TCR and might update that eventually with the work they already did for the Golf.