# Steam-Powered Cars-Why Not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 26, 2002, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-powered-cars-why-not/120926 "2002-07-26T13:22:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-powered-cars-why-not/120926/181 "2003-06-18T01:14:36Z")
Not 100% on topic, but a fun page to visit. [World’s largest diesel engine](http://www.jerry-howell.com/12-Cylinder.html) with a claimed thermal efficency of over 50% ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-powered-cars-why-not/120926/182 "2003-06-18T03:37:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AndrewL \* > \*\*From what I’ve heard, Telsa “turbines” make decent centrifugal pumps, but lousy turbines when you try to actually drive a lod with them. And it seems they’d be a lot easier to manufacture - there’s no blades, just disks, right? \*\* Right. In the center of the disk is an [opening](http://my.execpc.com/~teba/images/tesla2.gif) that kind of looks like a three leaf clover. The problem with Tesla turbines is that many of the people who’ve built them since Tesla originally designed them, have followed his design exactly. Some variation in Tesla’s design doesn’t seem to have much impact on their performance (especially if it’s being used as a pump), but if certain elements are left out (the washers used between the disks), then the unit will develop almost no torque. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steam-powered-cars-why-not/120926.md?page=9)