Premium Diesels

hi terra
I tried a couple of tank fulls of bp ultimate diesel in my vw golf while towing my camper trailer last year and it ran smoother and gave better results .6 of a km /p/100lt but because of the extra cost price difference was substantial at the time (cant remember off hand) but couldn't justify using it just use Caltex vortex which is our normal diesel here in wa from woolworths
cheers

Gidday

Since I have had my ipad I have also had one of those logbook apps which generates accurate fuel use and cost records for my Ranger.
I have a Coles Shell and woolworths Caltex in my area and use whichever one is more convenient on the day (they are on opposite sides of a main road so It depends which way I am heading)
Over eight months I have found fuel use has more to do with type of driving than the brand of fuel. If I have week where all I do is pretty much go to work which is a mostly freeway 50km round trip outside peak hour, fuel use can be as low as 7.5 to 8 litres per 100. Throw in a different pattern with more runs to the local shops or a different shift that includes some peak-hour crawl say and it is more likely to be 8.5l/100 or a bit higher.
Then there is the pump. I usually go to the second click (I don't like diesel on me) but do they all give the same amount? One pump might give a litre less before the shut off, another a litre more.
No doubt plenty of people will tell me I am wrong and brand A is better than B but I reckon you would need to run the test over more than just a few tankfuls and then there is the problem of matching the driving conditions and the driver.
I know people on low incomes or who drive longer distances might not agree, but sometimes saving a dollar isn't worth the hassle.
Just my 2 cents worth, and that isn't much diesel!
I
Cheers.

I have to agree with Rocco 2010 regarding if there is a difference and if there is a differance is it from the fuel or the driver or the conditions.

The hardest thing is all these tests everyone does is not done under controlled conditions and there are so many variables that can alter fuel consumption.

In most cases we are talking between .2 to .7 lts per 100k difference, these numbers are so small it would be hard to gauge how accurate it is...... we are talking 1.5 to 5 lts over 700km of travel.

Maybe it's the "placebo effect" that makes one think it's better.

As I say to many..... if it makes you feel better then keep on doing it.

There have been some extensive threads on diesel fuels on other australian forums and the results are interesting.

The so called Premium diesels, may be better than that brand old diesel formular...BUT....those brand in general do not sell a standard diesel in any servo I;ve been in recently...so if you go to a particular branded servo..ya go one choice...diesel.

That said, my hilux seems to run better on the Caltex product and decidely slugish on the shell....especially if i skip adding the two stroke to the tank

Others report that their vehicles run better or worse on other combinations of brands.

Seem seem to report little or no difference

Is it the difference in the cetain, the lubricity, the additional detergent or the " purity of the fuel".....ir is it that particular cars have been tuned on particular fuels.......well very good question.

One thing is certain different diesel engines seem to respond differently to different fuels.

Anybody who is asking questions about diesel fuel should investigate in issue off adding two stroke oil to their tank at 200:1.
There is extensive coverage on the matter on the internet and several independent scienticic tests on the matter.

If ya interested, google " two stroke in diesel" and brew a very large pot of coffee.

Two good threads to start at are the ones on ausfish and 4wdaction.....if you want to get heavy the landrover forum of some of the us sites.

It certainly makes a difference t my hilux.

cheers

BP Ultimate fuel is great stuff. The car runs better, and makes a little bit more power. (climbs hills a bit easier)
Unfortunately I can't get it here (Cairns) but prefer to use it when available.

Other than that, I only use BP fuels in my diesels.

My .02

Premium diesel doesn't claim to have a higher octane rating like premium petrol. It only claims to be cleaner in your engine, so over time it should give you better performance. So theoretically there should be no immediate difference. I was warned against it in Europe as it may not lubricate the pumps and injectors as well on some cars. I don't know if that's true but I was told it in a garage in Germany by one of the attendants.

Just found these cetane numbers on the Nulon website. Interesting numbers.

Nulon have a Cetane Booster that boosts cetane up to 8 points.


Indicative Cetane number increases

Caltex Vortex Diesel Cetane number
53.5+NBC = 61.3 (7.8 cetane number increase)

Caltex Diesel Cetane number
54.4+NBC = 62.8 (8.4 cetane number increase)

Shell Diesel Cetane number
51.3+NBC = 58.6 (7.3 cetane number increase)
(When used at the maximum recommended treat rate.)

Shell Diesel Cetane number
51.3+NBC = 58.6 (7.3 cetane number increase)
(When used at the maximum recommended treat rate.)