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Premium Diesel


Kevinmc
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Back on diesel after a few years of petrol. I have 1500km trip next month so thought I'd treat my engine to some premium fuel, bearing in mind how much cheaper it is compared to UK.. Curious to see if it provides any benefits.

So, do any of the supermarket chains sell premium gazole, or will I have to stick to the brands?
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My reply was intended to be mildly sarcastic. The "Premium" diesel fuel used at Le Mans is specially formulated.

I found no gain at all in using several fills of their premium petrol from BP or other suppliers, so tend not to believe there would be any advantage in their premium diesel which is commensurate with the price difference.

If you want to try it I suggest to start with a full tank of the premium fuel and carefully recording your consumption over several tanks full.

I have not seen premium fuels offered at other than major brand outlets.

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I have not seen premium diesel anywhere in France except on the motorways - which negates the price being so cheap.

Further I strongly doubt the claims made for it outside of the laboratory conditions under which it is tested. This was also the view of a large number of work colleagues when I was working for a large multinational company engaged in the production of such fuels.
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Premium diesels tend to have more cetane than regular diesels which enables them to produce slightly more power. So in theory, they should give better economy if you assume that you will get the same performance from slightly less fuel. In practice, though, few drivers seem to see much measurable difference because of inefficiencies in the way people actually drive.

More difficult to measure is the effect on longevity of the engine and other components. Although diesel engines are known to last longer than petrol engines, that has changed somewhat now that most are turbocharged. It is argued that the fuel needs to be better than regular (in particular, better than cheap supermarket regular) to cope with the more demanding conditions imposed by a turbo.

Additionally, diesels are notoriously dirty, and produce a lot more muck - some visible, some not - than petrol engines. The advocates of premium fuels argue that the additives keep the engine running cleaner, improving its life, causing less build-up of oily carbon in manifolds, EGR valves, particulate filters, etc, and make premium fuel generally more eco-friendly.

It is difficult to find reliable, truly independent test results from practical driving conditions. And you won't of course be able to test long term advantages yourself without making the long term commitment.
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My turbo was clagged up but after 300000 miles thats really no surprise, the variable vanes became sticky and the actuator sometimes wouldnt resulting in an overboost and shut down to limp home mode.

I dont panic with these things, I soon found how to overcome and live with the problem, key reboot and driving slowly in the warm up period, in fact it has taken me since 2007 to actually tackle the job, I did so by the untraditional method of an enema using Lidl oven cleaner.

Jobs a good un, she has never been so responsive and actually does even more to the gallon than before or to be exact, it goes faster at a given throttle opening, I returned at 70mph instead of my usual 60-65 and got better economy at 64mpg than I would normally see at that speed.

My vehicle has never been treated to premium diesel, once you start spoling someone they expect it always and give you grief when they dont get it, an enema with caustic soda soon puts them straight though [:D]

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I tested it a while back when it was discussed last time on here.  I did get more MPG from the posh diesel but the increased price of the super duper stuff negated it back to the cheaper one being better MPG wise because you bought more for the same money.

The test was done over a two week period when I was working at the same site and journeys were roughly the same each day and the same time of day.

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I too tried the 'Premium' stuff a while back.  The blurb at the garage said you should use several tankfuls before the full effect was noticed (Why??) Anyway, I did and it didn't.  No appreciable difference except a marginally better consumption and that might be down to the way I was driving, hoping for a big improvement. So it's back to the cooking diesel for me.
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[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]I too tried the 'Premium' stuff a while back.  The blurb at the garage said you should use several tankfuls before the full effect was noticed (Why??) [/quote]

Because that's how long it takes for the accountants to notice the increase in revenue [6]

Same with taste the difference etc, it's the accountants that can in their bonus's.  I also draw breath when I see "improved formula/recipe"  is that for the customers benefit or the bottom line profit?

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