i'm sure many agree that we need better fuel economy all around. i was wondering though... if anyone has made any detailed searches for bio-deisel engines that can swap out the xb's original engine?

if the swap-E isn't looking for performance power and is looking to keep about the same power as the original engine then i think a Bio-Deisel would be possible right? you could almost expect mileage ratiings to be near the toyota pruis if a bio-deisel was used inplace of the stock xB engine if i'm not mistaken. plus it's an almost 99% renewable fuel and the user wouldn't have to worry about being in huge long lines of irratated people who are trying to get normal gas when the shortage of it gets to be that low.

and STILL even though i said for those not looking for massive performance, i've seen some pretty fast bio-deisel vehicles so i wouldn't doubt the ability to turbo it up and whatnot.

has anyone found anythingd along these lines at all? i think it would be rather interesting and worth while or how about an engine that runs off HHO gas *highly doubt there is any yet but who know?*?

 

Will the 1.4 D-4D from the Yaris fit?

Scott

 

now thats what i'm talking about, maybe a better turbo on that and boost the HP up a bit, but that is quite a bit more torque then what the box has now and look at the mileage.

from what i've read, any normal deisel engine can run bio-deisel but all the rubber hoses need to be replaced with a diffrent hose made from a diffrent material, can't remember what hoses but it's more the possible.

but with that mileage, you could totaly aford to loose a few miles off of that and then maybe some tweeking to the trany to get your original top speed of the box of around 115-130mph or more if you need, ya know?

thanks for that Scott, i'll have a freind help me out on the research and find out if it fits and if not, what it will take to get it to fit. i'll also find out about turbo kit options and i'll check about the 2.0L version aswell for even higher performance options.

 

Ah my biggest gripe with the box....no diesel option, and you KNOW there are going to be more diesel options on US cars in the future.

Curious to see what you uncover

 

well the one thing i do know of right now is that the body would need some reinforcement and the axels would need to be replaced due to the amount of torque out of the deisel engines that could possibly fit. mainly the body, the axels is based on a performance standard. but as far as about an hour of research so far, it is totaly possible. i sent an email to Toyota asking about other options that maybe thier engineering team might be able to sugjest, but i doubt i'll get much of an answer back.

 

you'll get an answer back about the illegality of it as those engines were never sold in US spec vehicles thus they never passed federal government emissions testing

 

want a dope diesel? 2002 2 door golf(i'm pretty sure the golf diesel came 2door only 1 year ini the states). $480chip and it's 140hp/260lbs, 40 mpg. when my gti is paid off, i'm going to look at getting one.

 

yeah tdis def kick **** but would never fit in an xa/xb

 

and it's not a Toyota either =P, keeping the reliability of the engine is something i'm also looking into.

 

actually the tdi is about the only reliable forced induction vw/audi motor i'd go near. Ha i guess that speaks volumes about the reliablity and longevity of diesels as a whole. VW has been making 200,000mile diesels since the early 80s. I mean look at tacomas versus detroit gasser compact pickup trucks in terms of longevity, then look at the longevity of diesel full sized trucks (sans 6.0 litre powerstrokes). Diesels are pretty much bulletproof, i mean even the big 2.5 and vw can make make reliable diesels haha

 

i'd say that tdi is more reliable than the 1.5. if it's not very close. plus, tons of torque and better mileage.

i don't think you're getting a decent diesel into an xb without 20k+

 

Only swap I would consider is a larger gas engine. Diesels are for trucks.

 

diesel's are not meant for just trucks alone. gas engines havn't been around for long and before that there were only diesel engines. some xB owners complain of not enough power or "umf" out of the stock 1.5L. a diesel swap is a very good idea, you gain in power and in mileage at the same time. the only bad part is if the block used isn't made from alluminum then the suspension and body frame will REALLY need some reinforcement.

many of the heavy duty trucks that use diesel engines use it for thier torque and pulling, not pure top speed but diesel engines are more then capable of matching the performance you see from gas engines. it's not only about the engine, it's also about the gear ratios, heavy duty truck trany's have diffrent ratios meant for pulling a half of dozen tons of weight while performance vehicles have diffrent ratios for acceleration and top speed.

think of it this way, theres a handful of the formulah 1 cars that use diesel engines and are really outstanding in performance.

 

winter you made a lot of very good and valid points about diesels there, and i agree with you, however the diesel audis and renaults are in the LMP class of LeMans and the LeMans series, not Formula 1

 

Yup, Audi R10 I beleive is the name

 

yes i know, i was just trying to give an example to bB2NER

 

I realize what you mean. I'm just not into the whole diesel thing. I like high reving gas powered engines. I must be oldschool. I am impressed with the mpgs the TDI VWs get tho.

 

i like high revving gassers for my weekend car or track toy, for a daily driver though the joys of massive amounts of torque and 50+mpg is nice though. I guess i really like both It's definitely apples and oranges though. I'm still amazed at what honda gets mileage wise out of their buzzy high revving gassers. I think eventually I'll end up with a B16 powered original mini as a weekend toy car.

 

you will be once we start getting decent diesels here, europe has all the badass ones.

Heard aobut the Audi Q7 v12 diesel yet?
20mpg / 493 horsepower/ 728 pound-feet of torque and it's all available at 1800rpm
0 to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds / top speed of 155 mph(governed), o and the car weighs 5700 lbs too.

and their newer
4.2 TDI = 326 horsepower/ 561 pound-feet
0-62 mph in 6.4 seconds / top speed of 145 mph
mileage should be high 20s.

those number right there show how inferior gas is now. you can't find any gas motor out there that will do those type of numbers for 200,000+ miles. the only drawback is the price on these motors atm.

 

i figure in the long run it will pay off.