Cetane Rating of Fuel

[J DeMaio]

Hi Folks!



I'm wondering what B. P. (British Petroleum) and Go Mart diesel fuels are rated for for cetane ratings. Is there any places where you can get higher cetane rated fuel to make an engine run better? I've also been told that some fuel conditioners will raise cetane ratings some. How much horsepower increase can you gain with better fuel?



Thanks,



John

 

[illflem]

This should answer most of your questions http://www.itow.org/fuelguide.htm

 

[J DeMaio]

Illflem:



How do you know what each station's fuel is rated for as far as cetane rating? I'd like ot have the 55 rather than the 45, how do we know what is what?



Thanks a million!



John

 

[illflem]

John, that's a tuff one because the name brand doesn't mean much. Much of the base diesel fuel offered is exactly the same and comes from the same pipelines no matter where you are in the country. The difference is in the additives that each brand manufacturer adds. In Montana the minimum cetane is posted on the pump, but I think it's just the mimimum required by law, what you get is probably different. In states where it isn't posted asking the kid at the counter will get you nowhere. Don't really have a good answer for you. It would be nice to have a cheap, simple test kit but my understanding is that testing for cetane is involved and pricey.

 

[Rman]

Bill i'm shocked, you need to dig deeper in that bottomless well of knowledge in your bathroom magazine rack!

 

[moparguy]

Something I've considered. Add a gallon of bio-diesel to a tank of dino fuel. It's been reported that a 2% bio blend offers the benefits of reduced emissions, and elevated cetane without the concerns normally associated with bio-diesel.



Any thoughts on doing this? Since it'd be easy to home brew small amounts of bio-diesel it'd be a low cost alternative to most additives with perhaps better results.



RJR

 

[J DeMaio]

Thanks guys. I had just heard of some performance diesel at a tractor pull once, something like what turbo blue or cam 2 is to gasoline. I'd say it was probably just a higher cetane rating. I just wanted to see if I could make regular fuel "peformance" by raising the cetane by adding fuel conditioner. But, I don't know the cetane rating of regular fuel (guessing ~50) or this other stuff, if there is even such thing.



Thanks again,



John

 

[LightmanE300]

John, Ohio is in a PADD region with some of the worst fuel in the country. Average is 40 cetane, just about anywhere you go.



However, there is hope Ohio is one of the few markets that has access to BP DIESEL SUPREME, which is a minimum 50 cetane, low aromatics and sulfur, and is highly dosed with additives. The stuff is awesome. I'm not sure if there's an outlet in Marietta, but I believe I heard of one somewhere near there. If you can find it, use it every time, its worth whatever it costs. I used to drive 20 mins to get it when I lived in cleveland. You can read about it at www.bpdirect.com . Call bpdirect's number, navigate through the menus till you get the diesel fuel specialists on the phone. They will be able to tell you which refinery is carrying/distributing it (supreme is not shipped through the standard pipelines, it's kept separate every step of the way). Once you get your local terminal #, you can ask them which stations near you carry supreme, and if they carry it year round. Many of the bp stations only carry supreme in the winter, usually the corporate owned ones. Some of the privately owned stations have supreme year round. It is certainly worth the 15 minutes of phone calls and leg work to find it! Once you find a station that has supreme, take a look at it just to be sure. It is crystal clear like water, no coloration whatsoever. It will also not have the same strong stench as regular #2. Good luck!

 

[J DeMaio]

OK Lightman. I'm pretty sure I've used that fuel before, actually. It's at a station right off of I-77, ~6 miles north of marietta. I used that fuel a few times and I thought i saw a little more smoke, more power, and better mileage. I always thought that the price was a touch higher though. I thought the ole 92 ran superb on it. I think the pump said "BP Super Diesel", come to think of it, the station less than a mile from my house just says diesel, so I think I've found the better fuel



Thanks



John

 

[LightmanE300]

If you saw more smoke, it wasn't supreme. If it didn't say 'bp diesel supreme' it wasn't supreme... and even then, there are plenty of mislabeled pumps. You have to call or test to verify. The quick way is to see if it's clear. Check your pm's.

 

[LightmanE300]

yes, supreme will be 10-15 cents higher and is worth every penny. I am just thrown off when you say more smoke. Most ppl experience easier starting, more power, LESS smoke, and a few more mpg's with true supreme...

 

[LightmanE300]

Supreme is offered in on and offroad varieties. Clearly any station you go to will serve the on-road stuff. However here's a spec sheet/pdf on the supreme. While the specs are slightly off (sulfur content, dye) for the off-road, the basic features are the same. Here's a little reading on bp diesel supreme.



http://www.bpdirect.com/pdfs/BP_Diesel_Supreme.pdf

 

[illflem]

Ok here are your answers with a zillion links and locations

http://www20.brinkster.com/beowulf9/tdi/PremDiesel/PremDiesel.asp?View=FULL



Wondered why I got such good mpgs in Mexico. Pemex, the only brand you can buy has an average cetane rating of 53.



Assuming you get 20 mph on regular diesel @ $1. 50/ga you would have to get 2 mpg better on premium to justify a 15¢ per gallon increase in price. Might be possible, but I bet it's cheaper to use an additive to increase the cetane.

 

[LightmanE300]

Hmm, looks like beowulf's site is down. Beware many listings on that site are not in fact premium diesel, but often just stations that someone reported for having 'fresh' fuel, or fuel they thought was good. .

 

[QRTRHRS]

Homebrew?

Originally posted by moparguy

Something I've considered. Add a gallon of bio-diesel to a tank of dino fuel. It's been reported that a 2% bio blend offers the benefits of reduced emissions, and elevated cetane without the concerns normally associated with bio-diesel.



Any thoughts on doing this? Since it'd be easy to home brew small amounts of bio-diesel it'd be a low cost alternative to most additives with perhaps better results.



RJR

Hmmm, let's see, could you just set up a "shine" still and use some for the truck and some for consumption?

 

[LightmanE300]

Originally posted by moparguy

Something I've considered. Add a gallon of bio-diesel to a tank of dino fuel. It's been reported that a 2% bio blend offers the benefits of reduced emissions, and elevated cetane without the concerns normally associated with bio-diesel.



Any thoughts on doing this? Since it'd be easy to home brew small amounts of bio-diesel it'd be a low cost alternative to most additives with perhaps better results.



RJR

I've run 20% biodiesel in my vehicles since 2001. I purchase it locally, and up until recently, it's only been around $1. 65 per gallon, so i didn't really see much point in brewing it myself. It's since jumped up to about $2/gal. The difference in idle smoothness and smoke reduction at b20 is great. It's also nice to know your dollars are supporting american farmers and the american economy, rather than middle eastern oil and our country's foreign oil dependence. Biodiesel is a great thing, and you dont have any problems at 20% or less. Just for what it's worth, I ran 100% biodiesel in my TDI for 40k miles with no problems... . as long as it's made well (the stuff I buy is ASTM certified) you will have no problems above 5F.



Homebrewing is easy, i've made a few batches just for the heck of it. My friend has run 60K miles now exclusively with no problems on his own homebrew, that he makes for a cost of . 36 cents per gallon..... nothing to laugh or roll your eyes at