A diesel camaro.....seriously

[CamaroSpike23]

we've joked about this possibility and some have taken it seriously, tho, it would be against the whole order of things if it were to happen....

but.



I have been in the market for a pickup truck and for a while I was going to go with a 2009 Dodge Ram 2500. untill I started looking around at GM's new truck motor...

4.5L V-8 Duramax turbo diesel with 520 lb-ft of torque and 310 horsepower....

good lordy.

then I got to looking into the new duramax motor itself... its tiny.... 4.5L compared to the 6.2L, 6.5L, 6.6L, and 7.8L behemoths that are currently in the lineup.

whats great about that is that it is designed to fit in the same space as a traditional small block engine. They say the Duramax has been specifically designed for "a wide variety of vehicle applications." GM has already mentioned that they are considering putting this motor into the new CTS. the only modification (besides fuel, plumbing etc) would be that they would have to install the CTS-V hood (as it is raised) to clear the motor.

the CTS is already due to get a 2.9L V6 diesel engine in Europe. and with CAFE pushing harder and harder, i would not be suprised in the least to see this motor make its way over to the camaro. honestly if i could afford two 2010 camaros, id pull the motor out of one and drop this bad little boy in.

add to that, this motor is 50 state legal by being GM's first engine to use a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) NOx after-treatment system with a diesel particulate filter to help achieve Tier 2 Bin 5 and LEV 2 emissions


oh, and 520 lb-ft people... thats roasting the tires at every light.

and to add to all this, CAFE's regs on having 35 mpg across the fleet, this would be one hell of a way to shut them up as this motor is looking to get over 30mpg in the Silverado and Sierra pickups. actually, its rated about that much in any vehicle under 8500lbs GVW. throw that in a car that weighs half as much....

a nice point about the fuel system...

An electronically controlled, 29,000-psi (2,000 bar) common-rail fuel system is also used on the engine. It has the ability to inject fuel five times per combustion event, reducing noise and emissions while enhancing fuel economy

then to make things even more fun, the motor is lighter and composed of 70 fewer parts than comparable engines.


the only 2 problems I would see for this happening are
1. its a diesel
2. its a DOHC


but with CAFE getting stricter and stricter (trying/passing the extra 4% to the current requirement of 35mpg by 2020), a midsize car like the camaro fitted with a diesel motor like this would stick their mpg right back at them.

throw on a propane injection kit, or an aftermarket intercooler, exhaust and whatnot, and watch the power and mpg numbers soar.




seriously, this motor is freaking crazy awesome. I would welcome it with open arms into the engine bay of my camaro...



some more reading about the 4.5

http://www.thetorquereport.com/2008/...he_2010_4.html


http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10720



and it even made Jalopnik....lol
http://jalopnik.com/347346/2010-45l-...illiant-design

http://www.trucktrend.com/features/n...ine/index.html

[Camaro_Corvette]

I've actually have thought about this for years, still think it should be a consideration...

[Rekt]

I'm all about diesels.

[Inspector 17]

Wishful thinking, but given the demand for deisel cars in the US and the cheap price of gas these days, I just don't see it. Maybe in Europe, but I think the Camaro is a bit too big for the European market.

[weedwacker13]

Ive been looking on this site for the last three months or so, just reading the forums. However after reading this thread, I feel forced to finally join. A deisel camaro would be something that I would buy in a heartbeat. Unfourtunatly it is not a reality, because the American companies seem to have some kind of resistance from bringing their small deisel engines over here to the states. I come from a deisel family. My father drives an 89 jetta (55 mpg highway) an my mother drives an 04 passat station wagon (50 mpg highway doing 65 with ac on) both deisel. I personaly drive a 1990 isuzu trooper gas, but I would make the conversion to deisel in a heart beat. Believe it or not, as the mph numbers show above, the epa ratings are actually lower than real time mileage in deisels. Not to mention the loads of torque that these engines come with. Also this car probubly would not sell with a deisel, bottem line is the american consumer just isnt ready for a mainstream deisel car yet. Too bad, because I am.

[Chocolate Apocalypse]

Cool idea but I'm concerned with weight. It may be lighter than comparable diesels but they could be boat anchors, diesels aren't known for being lightweights. FWD understeer without the FWD anyone?

[The_Blur]

It looks like we have a Z28 option for GM.

[CamaroSpike23]

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think you meant MPG not MPH...lol


here's an idea for everyone to mull over..... Z28 Diesel Camaro!!!! 500+ lb-ft of torque!!! and 40mpg...

[Camaro_Corvette]

2nd that^lol 55 mph highway i hope its higher than that

[weedwacker13]

yes, believe it or not, I have done 100mph in that jetta, not bad considering the gas mileage it acheives, and its a four door sedan, with a trunk. It puts most hybrids to shame to be honest.

[Mr. Wyndham]

I like it. Hook me up! Honestly!!

My list of positives towards this:
+1: Diesel motors last...forever. Exaggeration, but 99% of people will agree.

+1: Diesel engines are (yes, I'm going to say it) CLEAN. Thanks to after-treatment, its high compression ration, super-hot burn etc, etc...they're probably cleaner than gas engines.

+1: There's enough torque to detune it and still provide whiplash-inducing performance while getting 40+ mpg. Take that f'n prius!!

+1: The fuel economy these engine produce (especially in small cars) is phenominal. There's a reason the Prius was beating in a fuel-economy test vs the BMW 520d (for diesel)

+1: In terms of alternative energy, Biodiesel seems more easily produceable than other fuels (Ethanol, green gasoline, etc, etc). So these things will be around for a while as America's workhorse (trains, trucks, and some automobiles). And diesel fuel is much more energy-rich than gasoline allowing much of what I'm "+1-ing" to happen...

+1: These things have enough torque to reach outrageous high speeds. People say horsepower is the ruler of top-speed. While that may be true, it takes 2 things to make high horsepower: rpms and torque. So if you have low rpms (deisel) compensate for it in high torque (diesel).

+1: There is an aftermarket and racing future for diesels. I believe somebody posted up videos of a turbo-guy raving about Turbo desiels as being the wave of the future, or something or other...he's not wrong. They're most effective being so brutally powerful. I believe Audi fitted a deisel to their R8 supercar? hmmmmm


-2: In order to handle the massive torque these things put out you're going to need an incredibly robust vehicle, meaning weight in reinforcements, etc. So don't look for any weight savings by going deisel. In addition, deisel engines are expensive to a comparable-hp gas engine. All that after-treatment and emmissions equipment are expensive additions to the engine itself.

I'd go for it.....seriously.


Fun tidbit for everybody -- the NOx after treatment involves urea..... Not kidding. (and I know, it's not pee...but it sounds funny)

[Superman09]

A diesel powered camaro would be awesome, a mechanic buddy of mine is in middle of trying to stick a new 24v cummins diesel into a mid 70's vette.

[BowtieGuy]

I'd hit it.

[selil]

Gas prices have fallen but it is likely that by next summer gas prices will eclipse $5 a gallon. Go to eia.doe.gov and look up the trends for gas prices. It's bad statistics but do a trend (r2) line and look where it sits in July 2009.

Some benefits for a few is that you can make diesel in your garage from a variety of materials.

I wish GM would consider it but right now they are likely in survival mode and worse for me I'm waiting on a convertible. Not likely to get a diesel ever.