Altitude problems with Diesel Cars?
 

Heard someone mentioning that diesel powered cars struggle at altitude, does
anyone know if this is correct....seeing as im thinking of driving up to val
Thorens?

I'd say freezing temperatures are more of an issue than altitude.

But unless your car is very old you shouldn't have any problems. Just
recently I have been on the Glockner Hochalpenstrasse (max. altitude
2500m)and the engine did just fine. I have also spent quite some ski
holidays on a resort at 2000m with that car and didn't have any problem at
all.

"Abairsty" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
Heard someone mentioning that diesel powered cars struggle at altitude,
does
anyone know if this is correct....seeing as im thinking of driving up to
val
Thorens?

Yn erthygl , sgrifennodd
Carsten Muth :
But unless your car is very old you shouldn't have any problems.

I'm not sure that age matterst hat much either. A few years ago, driving
over the Passo dello Stelvio/Stilfserjoch (the highest ordinary road
pass in Europe at 2748 metres) we saw a load of vintage British cars,
which seemed to be doing just fine. That was near the top, too.

Adrian


--
Adrian Shaw ais@
Adran Cyfrifiadureg, Prifysgol Cymru, aber.
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Cymru ac.
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ais uk

Abairsty wrote:

Heard someone mentioning that diesel powered cars struggle at altitude, does
anyone know if this is correct....seeing as im thinking of driving up to val
Thorens?

Well, I drove there, and also to Courchevel, in a Citroen ZX
turbodiesel[1], some years back, No problems.

I think someone is pulling your plonker.

Now, severe *cold* nadgers diesels. Like -20 or below. The fuel starts
to solidify - "waxing" they call it.

But that is unlikely to happen in the Alps. Possible, but unlikely.

[1] Funnily enough, one of the nicest cars I've[2] owned.
[2] OK, the company.


--
Trophy 1200 (Doctored) 750SS CB400F CD200 ST70 DT50MX
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 YTC#3
BOF#30 WUSS#5 http://www.chateau.murray.dsl.pipex.com/

On 08 Oct 2004 19:17:30 GMT, (Abairsty) wrote:

Heard someone mentioning that diesel powered cars struggle at altitude, does
anyone know if this is correct....seeing as im thinking of driving up to val
Thorens?


From distance memories of designing diesels this only really a problem
when you're up in the Andes i.e. more than 10,000 feet. VT shouldn't
be a problem , maybe slightly more smokey but modern injection systems
will sort this out.

ernest

"Adrian D. Shaw" a écrit dans le message de news:
...


I'm not sure that age matterst hat much either. A few years ago, driving
over the Passo dello Stelvio/Stilfserjoch (the highest ordinary road
pass in Europe at 2748 metres)

Maybe I'm fussy, but isn't it the Iseran a few meters higher ?

JPh

C.O.Jones wrote:
On 08 Oct 2004 19:17:30 GMT, (Abairsty) wrote:


Heard someone mentioning that diesel powered cars struggle at altitude, does
anyone know if this is correct....seeing as im thinking of driving up to val
Thorens?



From distance memories of designing diesels this only really a problem
when you're up in the Andes i.e. more than 10,000 feet. VT shouldn't
be a problem , maybe slightly more smokey but modern injection systems
will sort this out.

ernest
This may be an american thing - their passes and ski resorts appear
higher than Europe and certainly from TV travel programmes where trains
(diesel) are struggling over 5000 m in Bolivia or similar. There was a
long section in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance where the
author explains why he has to re jet the carb on his bike because of the
altitude. Even on the highest passes in western europe this was never a
problem.

Judging by the number of coaches, busses, lorries and diesel cars that
go up to VT every year I do not think you will have any problems.

John

On 8 Oct 2004 21:08:00 +0100, (Adrian D. Shaw) wrote:

I'm not sure that age matterst hat much either. A few years ago, driving
over the Passo dello Stelvio/Stilfserjoch (the highest ordinary road
pass in Europe at 2748 metres)

Sorry for you, Cime de la Bonette is higher with 28xx meters (and the
highest paved road in the alps, there are others up to 3xxx). And for
the topic, there is no issue with a Diesel up there.
--

Ciao,
Holger (GUS-KOTAL, GUS#1100)

90-92 Honda CB400 10 Mm | 93-95 Yamaha TDM 850 26 Mm
95-97 KTM 620 LC4 13 Mm | seit 97 BMW R1100GS 50 Mm (Die Renndrecksau!)

cu @ http://www.issle.de

jph wrote:
"Adrian D. Shaw" a écrit dans le message de news:
...


I'm not sure that age matterst hat much either. A few years ago, driving
over the Passo dello Stelvio/Stilfserjoch (the highest ordinary road
pass in Europe at 2748 metres)


Maybe I'm fussy, but isn't it the Iseran a few meters higher ?

JPh



Dunno but the Col de la Bonette in the southern alps is 2802meters. I've
driven over this in a diesel car.

The only problem with diesel is that it can get very thick in freezing
(-20C) temperatures. I normally park my car in a heated garage in ski
resorts. You should also try to refil with diesel in the mountains as it
has additives to stop it freezing.

Abairsty wrote:
Heard someone mentioning that diesel powered cars struggle at altitude, does
anyone know if this is correct....seeing as im thinking of driving up to val
Thorens?

My girlfriend has a Seat Ibiza 1.9 TDIs which I drive round the Alpes
with no problem at all, mostly that's summer use as I use my own 4wd in
the winter. I've heard of temperature problems with the fuel but I
*thought* that the modern mixes did not suffer from that problem.