Downgraded Diesel Fuel?

[old-iron-habit]

I was at the local cooperative today to fill my F-350. I had three choices for road fuel, 1. premium diesel. 2. 60% #1 40% #2. Choice 3 was 100% #1. As long as I can remember in other winters there was a sign on the pump that stated that 60/40 would gell at -28 F. I never had a problem with it. There was no sign on the pump so I went and asked. When sent to the manager he informed me that they just changed it to 70/30. He said that 70/30 would jell at -10 degrees and that straight number 1 was good to -20 degrees. Anything colder and you need to add a $12.00 additive to treat 80 gallons of 3 1. Then he informed me that that had no way of knowing if the fuel would come to the distribution center via the northern or southern pipeline. Said they are two completely differently treated fuels. What in hell is our fuel turning into to? My truck has been running fine in this -20 temperatures but now he has me nervous.

 

[Welder Dave]

Sounds like he's trying to push the additive. They seasonally adjust diesel here but in the winter I just run straight #1/winter diesel. I'd guess they have a combiner pump and the #2 option would be 50/50. Can't see why they would store a mixture instead of just storing #1 and #2.

 

[old-iron-habit]

It mixes in the pump as it dispenses. That's why they could easily go to 70/30. I notice less power and less mileage both with the # 1 so I like to go blend when I can to salvage a little ecomony.

 

[farmerlund]

Seams kind of weird OIH. My local place has the 70/30 winter blend and straight #1. Not blended at the pumps. I like it that way, of course I'm a chicken when it comes to cold( 0 to -20f+ below) I go with the #1. Never know if a vehicle is going to sit a week than be needed when its super cold. I will go with the blend if its above 0 and we are hauling for a while, then top off with #1 and park it. Ya, I know it seams paranoid. but I haven't been jelled up on the road for 15 or more years. My dad was a good teacher.

 

[td25c]

That's a good point farmerlund . Big difference between a unit running daily verses a machine that will set out awhile & let the cold take it over top to bottom .

Daily unit will still have a little residual heat left in it from 10 hours ago .

 

[Edward Porter]

#1 with Howes works for me

 

[DoyleX]

grandpa noted the other week he uses a P40 blend.

 

[DPete]

What is the difference between premium and 100% #1? I thought #1 was premium, it used to be.

 

[Delmer]

#1 is more like kerosene, thinner and higher Cetane than #2. Starts and runs easier, but has lower BTU/MPG. #4-6 are heated to run in the big ship engines, or industrial boilers.

Around here, there's mostly just winterized diesel with no description of what that entails. Some truck stops will have "premium winterized" and #2 not winterized. Some farm towns with an off road pump will have #1 and #2 not winterized. If you're doing something that doesn't need to start in the cold, then #2 is cheaper by far per BTU/MPG.

 

[Truck Shop]

True #1 is stove oil like said above close to kerosene. Around here it's blended in the tank before the dispenser. Hard to buy #1 around here anymore 99% of
it is treated with additive or it's ordered cut so much each tanker load then additive added on top of that. I remember years ago #1 was at the pump island
right along side the #2 pump you just cut it right there on the spot when fueling. 50/50 will run till -25* after that I just ran 75/25 cut.

Truck Shop

 

[RZucker]

#1 is more like kerosene, thinner and higher Cetane than #2. Starts and runs easier, but has lower BTU/MPG. #4-6 are heated to run in the big ship engines, or industrial boilers.

Around here, there's mostly just winterized diesel with no description of what that entails. Some truck stops will have "premium winterized" and #2 not winterized. Some farm towns with an off road pump will have #1 and #2 not winterized. If you're doing something that doesn't need to start in the cold, then #2 is cheaper by far per BTU/MPG.

I'm not sure what the blend is here (Central Wa. state) but the CHS fuel I normally get is losing 2-3 MPG in my old '98 6.5 Chevy but it starts real good and smells a little kerosene-y.

 

[old-iron-habit]

50/50 will run till -25* after that I just ran 75/25 cut.

Truck Shop

This is what's bugging me. Our 60/40 used to be good to -28 F. Now they say 70/30 is only good to -10 F without any additional additives. The premium road diesel at $.70 a gallon more than 70/30 has a sign that says it must be used in all trucks newer than, (can't remember the year but way newer than anything I've got.) I asked about it and they recommended using blend below +10 F instead of premium. How can we be causing less pollution when we are using 30 to 40 percent more fuel to do the same work?

 

[DoyleX]

We are burning fuel and chemicals to make clean air! Think about that... And alllll the extra jobs it created and who gets to pay for it.

 

[Bls repair]

I think you are talking about low sulfur fuel

 

[DPete]

I never did care for refineries to tinker with fuel, never liked the idea of having high dollar engines and fuel systems subject to experiments for the CARB regs. We don't have extreme cold like some of you, I sympathize with those who are uncertain about the quality of diesel not knowing if it is good for your engines, I have been there. When I started in the industry #2 fuel looked like dark ice tea, if you spilled it on the floor or fuel tank it would be there for a week, todays fuel evaporates almost like gas so what is it doing to engines and fuel systems especially in older equipment.

 

[DMiller]

This all on the EPA, refiners are trying to recover lubricity and pour point for diesel where btu value also has dropped due to removing sulfur while the EPA mandates more reductions of soot or general particulate. Idiots in the EPA force this shat upon us and does NO ONE any good.