8 Pros and Cons of Common Rail Diesel Engines
Common rail diesel engines are the modern version of diesel engines. Most diesel vehicles you see today use common rail technology. For those unfamiliar with common rail, it’s a term that defines the fuel injection system used in these engines.
Common rail uses a high-pressure rail to deliver fuel to each solenoid valve. This contrasts with traditional direct injection systems that use a low-pressure pump nozzle to deliver fuel, but produce more emissions. 5 Most Important Advantages of Common Rail Diesel Injection
Common rail diesel engines improve emissions control and reduce fuel and power consumption. In other words, common rail diesel engines can deliver more power to a vehicle while consuming less fuel and producing fewer emissions.
For these reasons, this is in line with government regulators who want to limit the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from cars. Here are 5 advantages common rail diesel has over direct injection:
1) Reduced Emissions
One of the reasons common rail diesel engines were invented by car manufacturers was because governments imposed stricter carbon emission regulations. Remember when big diesel trucks spewed loads of black smoke into the air?
You hardly ever see this today because common rail diesel engines are designed to reduce these emissions. Whether you believe in global warming or not, this is a good thing for the environment.
2) More Power
Studies have shown that vehicles with common rail diesel engines produce 25% more power than traditional diesel engines. This means that the overall performance of the diesel engine improves.
3) Less Noise
Direct injection systems have been notorious for making noise while driving. Common rail reduces much of the noise you may have heard. This makes driving more comfortable for you and your passengers.
4) Less Vibration
With traditional direct injection diesel engines, you used to feel a lot of vibration. Common rail direct injection reduces these vibrations, ensuring a more comfortable driving experience.
5) Reduced fuel economy
Because common rail diesel engines provide greater power, they use less fuel. This also reduces fuel consumption, meaning you spend less on fuel while on the road.
The 3 biggest disadvantages of common rail diesel injection
With all the advantages of common rail engines, there are also some disadvantages. Although the disadvantages are few, these may influence your decision to purchase a vehicle with a common rail diesel engine.
1) Higher vehicle costs
Vehicles with common rail diesel engines are more expensive than those with traditional direct injection engines.
If you work for a company that provides vehicles as part of a fleet, this is fine. However, if it’s your own personal car, you’ll need to consider whether the extra expense is worth it. For most people, this is definitely the case.
2) Expensive spare parts
Because common rail diesels are expensive, you can expect replacement parts to be expensive as well.
3) More maintenance
Common rail diesel engines require more maintenance than conventional diesel engines. Even if you do the maintenance yourself, it will be time-consuming, laborious, and expensive due to the high parts costs mentioned above.
Conclusion
Common rail diesel engines are certainly an advancement in diesel technology and will eventually replace conventional direct injection systems completely. Perhaps this new technology will become cheaper as it becomes more common in all diesel vehicles.
Until then, invest in an engine that offers better performance, lower fuel consumption, a better driving experience, and is more environmentally friendly.