Higher spec diesel worth it?

[Surestick]

Is there any advantage to using the more expensive diesel offered by some stations? Shell here has V-Power diesel in addition to their regular diesel (at about 9 cents more a liter), and I've seen "high speed diesel" for sale at the occasional Esso.

I've tried the Shell stuff in my '06 TDI and noticed no change in mileage or on the butt-dino. I'm wondering if there are unseen advantages like less soot through the EGR or a less frequent regen on vehicles with DPF.

 

[Linctex]

What specifications changed?

Diesel is a "simple" fuel compared to all the "stuff" that needs to be blended in to make "good" gasoline.

 

[The motor guy]

Just the correct amount of cetane and lubricity additives is all that makes good diesel, oh and of course fuel with no water in it is always a plus.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: Linctex
What specifications changed?

Diesel is a "simple" fuel compared to all the "stuff" that needs to be blended in to make "good" gasoline.

I've heard diesel is actually more complicated.

https://recombu.com/cars/article/what-is-shell-v-power-nitro-diesel-and-is-it-worth-it#

The article claims that gasoline (or petrol since it's a British publication) is fairly simple compared to diesel. What I can find is that gasoline components are hydrocarbons generally with 4 to 12 carbon atoms. Diesel is typically hydrocarbons with 8 to 21 carbon atoms. There's probably some overlap, but it would seem to allow for an exponentially larger number of possibilities - from hundreds for gasoline to hundreds of thousands for diesel.

I was thinking it was maybe diesel #1, which I've never seen before at a pump. I only read about it in the owner's manual of my dad's M-B diesel. I don't recall if there was any particular benefit in a regular climate, but in a colder climate it was supposed to prevent gelling of the fuel. The owner's manual said that an alternative in cold climates was to use diesel #2 and just mix kerosene to prevent gelling.

They do say that they use a large dose of detergent additives. I thought that Chevron Techron Concentrate was recommended for diesels, but only if it wasn't direct injection. I guess a TDI would be out.

 

[Surestick]

Anti-gelling additives would be necessary for all diesel sold here in the winter.

 

[Garak]

Of course, it's a lot of marketing talk, but what does the Shell site say about it? Does it offer any concrete benefits, without a bunch of spin? I know there are reasons to use premium gasoline (my G37, Audi 200, and Lightning all called for it, so I'm used to that). And I use a LOT of V-Power NiTRO+. If the premium diesel product were to get you better fuel economy and/or performance, it might be worth it, but that's a very big if. Might it be better in rarely used vehicles, or might it be good in our winters? Of course, there could be all kinds of goodies thrown in that really just don't matter in the grand scheme of things.

Hopefully some of the truckers on the site will chime in. I suspect that they're not going to be onside, since if there was a big market for a premium diesel and it were saving money or maintenance costs in the grand scheme of things, we'd be seeing premium diesels at all the Husky and Co-op outlets here that cater to truckers.

 

[roadrunner1]

99% of the diesel I burn is Supreme(BP) as it has a minimum cetane rating of 47, I have bulk tanks on-site for both on-road and off-road.

 

[Boomer]

Buy regular diesel and add some Power Service Diesel Kleen in the summer and Diesel Kleen White bottle in the winter.

 

[Rat407]

Most of the diesel around here is 40 cetane minimum. Have not seen anything higher. Our diesel in the US is [censored] compared to Europe from what I understand. I guess it has something to do with them having a ton more diesel vehicles on the road than us.

Not many Shells stations around here. Mostly Speedway, Marathon, BP and mom and pop stores.

 

[dustyroads]

I couldn't answer the OP's question either way. I have never felt an improvement in performance (nor do I see improved fuel economy) when using a "premium" diesel, nor with additives I put in myself. I use Howes Diesel Treat in winter and Power Service Diesel Kleen a few times over the summer in hopes of keeping the injectors at their best. I sometimes fuel at independent truck stops that advertise their fuel as premium by way of adding Schaeffer's fuel additive. Unfortunately, I don't know if it is helpful or if it's a waste of money. Certainly, the Howes is a fantastic winter fuel treatment and not a waste as far as that goes.

Detroit Diesel says a minimum 43 cetane is optimal but it's not the only thing to go by. They are more worried about the overall quality of the fuel. They include lubricity, oxidation stability, water content and much more.

They (Detroit) say that additives are an unnecessary expense in general, and that some additives create ash that is harmful. They seem to indicate that we should all get our fuel tested to ensure that it meets Detroit's specs using multiple ASTM testing standards. If the fuel isn't up to snuff, then work with your fuel supplier to correct it. That's fine for roadrunner and others with their own fuel tanks, but the rest of us are out of luck. If you are a commuter with a diesel, you could randomly grab a sample of fuel from your preferred station to send off for testing.

 

[Surestick]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Of course, it's a lot of marketing talk, but what does the Shell site say about it? Does it offer any concrete benefits, without a bunch of spin? I know there are reasons to use premium gasoline (my G37, Audi 200, and Lightning all called for it, so I'm used to that). And I use a LOT of V-Power NiTRO+. If the premium diesel product were to get you better fuel economy and/or performance, it might be worth it, but that's a very big if. Might it be better in rarely used vehicles, or might it be good in our winters? Of course, there could be all kinds of goodies thrown in that really just don't matter in the grand scheme of things.

Hopefully some of the truckers on the site will chime in. I suspect that they're not going to be onside, since if there was a big market for a premium diesel and it were saving money or maintenance costs in the grand scheme of things, we'd be seeing premium diesels at all the Husky and Co-op outlets here that cater to truckers.


Their website is full of the same marketing [censored] as they have for the V-Power gasoline. No numbers just marketing [censored] (which, in retrospect probably answers my question).

 

[Garak]

I took a look at it. The V-Power gasoline site looks positively scientific in comparison, and it has enough marketing speak.

 

[UG_Passat]

yes, it would be worth it. the TDI's have a minimum cetane rating, which regular US/Canada diesel don't meet, iirc it's 49 cetane minimum for the engine, vs around low 40's at the pump.