Beginning in January 2004 was the first year of the phase in of much tighter diesel emission limits which culminate in 2007. There is every reason to believe that the fall off in fuel mileage for the Cummins 600 is a direct result of the need to meet these emission limits. Many of us have been caught off guard by the performance/fuel efficiency impacts of meeting the tighter emission limits. Aren't we also in for a few more surprises as the manufacturers strive to meet the increasingly stringent limits in 2005, 2006, and 2007?

Does anyone care to speculate on what will happen to diesel engine performance, maintenance requirements, fuel efficiency, and cost between now and 2007?

What about the cost and performance of ultra low sulfur diesel fuel that is also mandated by 2007?

I'm all for cleaner diesels, I just don't like the uncertainties and lack of information about what the future holds.

 

Performance should be about the same or better. Maintenance will probably go up. Fuel economy will go down, cost will go up. The cleaner fuel will cost more, but I don't think it will cause any problems.

 

I personally don't see it as being much of a big deal on the end user/consumer end, the burden's on the manufacturers that are having to scramble to meet the deadlines. Of course the oil companies will use the upgraded fuel as an excuse to soak us for another dime.

You should subscribe to North American Diesel Progress magazine, it's free, they address this issue quite often. http://www.dieselpub.com/dp/free_sub.asp