[18Z71Minimax]

I'm new to diesel - this is my first. I know with gasoline there are several things to consider in regard to ensuring you get quality fuel such as buying from top tier stations, not fueling up when a fuel truck is refilling the station's tanks, and seeking ethanol free gasoline for high performance engines or motorcycles, boats or small engines with fuel systems not designed to handle ethanol.

What should I look for in diesel fuel to ensure I get high quality fuel?

 

[Rockcrawlerdude]

I agree with most of that, except There is no reason to not buy fuel from any modern station when it is getting a delivery. Don't waste your time with those myths

I ran multiple high volume filling stations where we were receiving four to five fuel deliveries a day, which equates to pumping over 50,000 gallons a day or $1,000,000.00 a week in fuel per location. If I missed a delivery, I would run out of fuel, period.

Fueling stations are complex setups. And the holding tanks in modern stations are very clean inside. The tanks have monitoring systems that constantly monitor volume, temp and inches of water, Not to mention 5 micron filters. In many areas, mine included, the gas stations have stage two vapor recovery which uses a coaxial hose. As you pump fuel into your car, the vapor that took up the space in your empty tank is recovered into the underground tank and picked up by the reverse process by the delivery truck. This is why some modern fueling stations do not even have a gasoline smell outside of them.

Top Tier stations are going to get high quality fuel delivery regularly and change their filters and nozzles and have their equipment certified by the state department of weights and measures on time always. A mom and pop station may only get a delivery once a month and may not keep their equipment in proper condition.

 

[18Z71Minimax]

I agree with most of that, except There is no reason to not buy fuel from any modern station when it is getting a delivery. Don't waste your time with those myths

I ran multiple high volume filling stations where we were receiving four to five fuel deliveries a day, which equates to pumping over 50,000 gallons a day or $1,000,000.00 a week in fuel per location. If I missed a delivery, I would run out of fuel, period.

Fueling stations are complex setups. And the holding tanks in modern stations are very clean inside. The tanks have monitoring systems that constantly monitor volume, temp and inches of water, Not to mention 5 micron filters. In many areas, mine included, the gas stations have stage two vapor recovery which uses a coaxial hose. As you pump fuel into your car, the vapor that took up the space in your empty tank is recovered into the underground tank and picked up by the reverse process by the delivery truck. This is why some modern fueling stations do not even have a gasoline smell outside of them.

Top Tier stations are going to get high quality fuel delivery regularly and change their filters and nozzles and have their equipment certified by the state department of weights and measures on time always. A mom and pop station may only get a delivery once a month and may not keep their equipment in proper condition.

Thanks for the feedback. There are apparently premium diesel fuel options now at some stations. Is there any reason to use premium diesel or is it the same concept as gasoline?

 

[Rockcrawlerdude]

I'm not sure about premium diesel. That is a new concept to me. if I see any I'll give it a shot.

 

[Burgess159]

I have never saw a station that carries the Premium Diesel, but I have heard of it somewhere else recently too. I did a quick Google search and this was the first thing to pop up when I asked "What is Premium Diesel Fuel?"

"A premium diesel has a higher cetane number, better lubricity and includes detergents that provide injector-cleaning capability versus standard #2 diesel. Cetane measures a fuel's ignition delay. ... Detergents keep fuel injectors clean for optimal engine performance."

As far as having higher cetane in it, you can get that from using Power Services (summer or winter formulas) or Howe's Diesel Treatment (all season formula). Both add cetane and also keep your fuel from gelling in the winter (have to get the Arctic Formula from Power Services whereas Howe's is an all year forumla). I have used both, but currently running Howe's. 1 oz per 5 gallons of fuel, and it comes in a 64 oz. bottle. I usually aim for 5 oz. per 20 gallons of fuel though as adding more is not bad for the engine. It costs me about $14.00 a bottle. So, if I'm figuring it right, and I'm not sure I am so correct me if you think I'm wrong haha, but $14/ 64 oz is about $0.22 an oz. So, if I fuel up and get 20 gallons at current price of $2.35/ gal, that is $47. I would use 5 oz of Howes at $0.22/ oz so that would be $1.10/ per fillup.

Would I then add dollars together and divide by how many gallons of fuel I put in the truck to get how much it is costing me per gallon to add Howe's to the truck? Again, not sure it's correct, but if that is true, $1.10 plus $47 = $48.10. Divide that by 20 gallons and it comes up to $2.40/ gallon. So it's costing me $0.05 per gallon to add Howe's....I think.

If my math is right, you may consider this when thinking of purchasing Premium Diesel, especially if it's a good amount more than regular diesel.

 

[Rockcrawlerdude]

@Burgess159
Are you seeing any improvement or any positive effects from running this?

 

[Burgess159]

Not that I can tell. The wife drives it mostly and she doesn't ever say anything about it.

I fell like, if I had to guess, that it might complete regens just a little quicker and maybe not do them as often? Also probably helps with an increase in fuel economy. I think a big thing is that it add lubricant to the fuel. I guess before they had ULSD fuel, diesel was almost slimey when you got it on you. And everything in the engine got a good coating and moved well. The older trucks that now run ULSD, like 7.3 Powerstrokes, they probably need a lubricant to make that engine run right and last. Ours though, they are built to run ULSD. But, adding this to it probably does help and may extend the life of things. Definitely use it here in Missouri, Howe's or PS Arctic when the temperatures drop though. Gelling is no fun I've been told.

 

[18Z71Minimax]

I'm an Amsoil dealer, so I'll likely be using Amsoil's All in One diesel fuel treatment in cold weather at least to start with this winter. 8 oz. per 20 gallons and it has a cetane booster, injector cleaner, lubricant and anti-gel. At my price it works out to just under $0.50 per gallon... so more expensive, but having the cheapest products isn't the main goal of Amsoil.

 

[Hobbes4002]

I am new to diesel too and ended up doing some research on this topic as well. Not one person said that premium diesel was worth it nor was running it. In fact from what I understand it is just a marketing thing and since diesel quality is not overly regulated like gasoline is there are wider variations of fuel quality so I am just saying, be careful with old fuel coming from low volume sellers. I run regular diesel from a high volume location that is getting checked and receives fresh diesel often. Because its cold in the midwest, I use an additive to help with winter complications... I think a lot of the concern for premium diesel comes from older Diesel engine owners whose engines were designed before ULSD was mainstream.

 

[Burgess159]

We don't have any premium diesel around here. But I do try and make a habit of buying diesel from Shell instead of Casey's (both are rather common stations here in Missouri). With this truck and my last truck, I always noticed that I got just a little better fuel economy with Shell vs. Casey's. There is a list of fuel providers with their Cetane numbers for diesel fuel that I posted somewhere in another thread on this site and Shell does have a higher ranking cetane number than Casey's. It's not the best, but it's the best that I can get in this area of the world.

I even had a person tell me that his car performs better on MFA Oil Gasoline (Missouri based company that to my knowledge only operates in Missouri) and gets better fuel economy than on Casey's gasoline. I don't fuel up with gas enough at Casey's vs. other fuel stations to see if what that guy said is true on the gasoline side, but I do believe not all fuel is of the same quality (or perhaps doesn't have the same additives) at every fuel provider.

 

[RollyPollieBenito]

I have run diesel from all stations, big and small here in the States, Canada and Mexico. Knock on wood, no issue at all.