Diesel fuel

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I assume there is no Top Tier rating for diesel fuel? So fine to go to discount stations as long as they sell a lot and have a clean-ish look. Looking at Pride stations in MASS. They seem to be a chain with 10 stations that I know of. I also buy diesel at Cumberland Farms.
 
If you buy fresh diesel and want to additize it, add the appropriate amount of Diesel Kleen Gray Bottle in the summer or the White bottle in the winter. Gives you detergents, a cetane boost and added lubricity.
 
I try to choose busy stations, with heavy ( as in delivery, garbage, LARGE) truck traffic.
Even that is no guarantee there will be no water, microbes, asphaltanes, and whatever goo comes along with storage. Your best offense is keeping the fuel filters clean, and the separator drained.
All the diesel where I'm at is nothing special, 40-42 cetane, and there is no "top tier" that I've heard of.
I try and help it out some by adding a diesel treatment with each fill.
I have read about Propel diesel in California, called HPR. Supposed to be 50 cetane from the pump.
 
Back when we had diesels, I never had any problems with any fuel bought anywhere, but an old MB diesel would run on anything kinda like fuel.
When traveling north, we usually planned to be near empty just north of Columbus, since the Flying J at the Rt 36 exit usually had about the cheapest fuel in the state.
Do as others have recommended, which is also good advice for gasoline, and patronize high volume stations and you should be fine for fuel.
 
Personally if they would offer a better grade of diesel fuel we wouldn't have to have so much emissions on our diesels. But that makes to much sense.

Like stated above, find a station with a high turnover and you should be fine. I was told Shell offers a better grade diesel, but I have not seen any around here in eastern NC.
 
Newer Diesel vehicles are much more particular on fuel quality

Older cars and trucks ... say 25 years or older .. will run on anything, including Jet A, Jet B, Fuel Oil, Kerosene ... well, you get the idea. But with a modern Diesel vehicle it pays to choose a quality provider. If you find a good one, stick with them exclusively if you can.

Diesel is much more susceptible to bacterial growth and moisture is a bigger issue at 20:1 compression. Cleanliness is paramount, and that includes the station storage tanks and pumps. Gas and water don't mix, but Diesel and water REALLY don't mix. Your filters will plug up if there is too much water in the system. You will notice if the fuel is not fresh; ideally less than two months from wellhead to your injectors.

This time of year, depending on exactly where you live, they will be switching or have switched already from winter formula Diesel, so you don't really want to be using old winter stock if you can avoid it.
 
Water is your #1 enemy-the black sludge grows at the interface between fuel & water. Eliminate (or at least minimize) the water, you've eliminated almost all your potential fuel issues. Only buy diesel from a station that goes through a lot, & keep your tanks FULL-it's always worked for me.
 
GM trademarked Top Tier for Diesel in 2015 - being as they lead the Top Tier Coalition for Gasoline and also own the Top Tier gasoline trademarks, I'd be willing to bet that Top Tier Diesel would be coming soon.

Trademark registration

If it does, I hope it addresses detergency, cetane, lubricity, filtration and all the other concerns everyone has brought up here. Although that might hurt the bottled additive market though.

Up here in Canada we actually have a couple of companies making a "Premium Diesel". Usually its increased cetane with some detergency claims. Our mandated lubricity requirement is higher than in the USA as well.
 
There definitely is a "premium" diesel, I see it advertised at several of my local stations. Supposed to have some detergents and a higher cetane number. I don't know it there are regulations on it or if suppliers made it up?
 
"Premium" diesel usually is diesel that has had something like Schaeffer Diesel Treat additive or similar added to the fuel. It is just a retailer thing, no FTC regulatory stuff as their is no such thing as a Premium diesel like Premium gasoline.
 
In 2004 NCWM added this to their NIST Handbook

Originally Posted By: NCWM
2.2. Diesel Fuel. – shall meet the most recent version of ASTM D975, “Standard Specification for Diesel Fuel
Oils.”
2.2.1. Premium Diesel Fuel. – All diesel fuels identified on retail dispensers, bills of lading, invoices,
shipping papers, or other documentation with terms such a premium, super, supreme, plus, or premier must
conform to the following requirements:
(a) Cetane Number. – A minimum cetane number of 47.0 as determined by ASTM Standard Test
Method D613.
(b) Low Temperature Operability. – A cold flow performance measurement which meets the
ASTM D975 tenth percentile minimum ambient air temperature charts and maps by either ASTM
Standard Test Method D2500 (Cloud Point) or ASTM Standard Test Method D4539 (Low
Temperature Flow Test, LTFT). Low temperature operability is only applicable
October 1 - March 31 of each year.
(c) Thermal Stability. – A minimum reflectance measurement of 80 % as determined by ASTM
Standard Test Method D6468 (180 min, 150 °C).
(d) Lubricity. – A maximum wear scar diameter of 520 µm as determined by ASTM D6079. If an
enforcement jurisdiction’s single test of more than 560 µm is determined, a second test shall be
conducted. If the average of the two tests is more than 560 µm, the sample does not conform to the
requirements of this part.
 
The availability/marketing of Premium Diesel seems to vary state to state. I'm in OH and for years Sohio, now BP marketed diesel supreme with a minimum cetane of 47, MI had AAmaco diesel supreme with a minimum cetane of 51.

Our local distributor who is BP has delivered us diesel supreme since the early 70's, when BP sold the Lima, OH refinery in the mid 2000's, which is where the Supreme was refined they offered it for several years until it was dropped. He now delivers us Supreme Diesel, it seems as BP had trademark rights on Diesel Supreme. They additize the regular diesel to make it supreme at the bulk plant, when previously it actually was refined and shipped separately.
I still remember the commercials, "you go or Sohio pays the tow", and later "you go or BP pays the tow".
 
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