[tdi jerry]

what do you guys think is the best diesel fuel?what do you think about hess diesel fuel?

 

[hannaco]

CARBonated fuel is the best, but not found outside of the New England states, and California. It is best to ask for a spec sheet on the fuel. One of the items you are looking for is the cetane rating. The higher the better. Most of what is out there is around 42. Another item is the amount of sulfur. The lower the better to keep the soot level down. Some Amaco stations have the "Gold" with a cetane of close to 50. Regardless, find a station with a lot of traffic. The fuel will be fresher.

 

[TommyK8]

What will happen when the new cleaner fuel standards go into effect? Will this fuel be better for our TDI engines, less soot in the intake and less carbon in the engine parts? Will it increase the longevity of the engine or have any other benefits for the TDI owners? Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[tdibugman]

Beyond two brands, HEss and Gulf, everyone else's station is selling the cheapest crap they can find. Hess and Gulf will both guarantee you their cetane numbers. Both are minimum 42 with 45 more frequently.

Unfortuantely, sulfur levels vary greatly, resulting in a smokey tank versus relatively none.

After 500 thousand diesel miles, I've been burned exactly once by a tank of Hess (way too much smoke) and by one too many tanls of every other brand. Hence, I use Hess whenever I can.

Most importantly: by from a station that sells a lot of diesel!

 

[tdi jerry]

hess diesel

i will try the hess.some stores in my area just change over to hess.i look on the hess web site but i could not fine any info are spects on their diesel or gas.

 

[Dorado]

Even if they guarantee 42 or 45 (which is not much because that's close to the federal minimum is anyway), that is still below what VW specifies even for the distributor pump TDI, let alone the PD TDI. Notice how VW omits the word cetane from the owner's manuals in the US. In European owners manuals for the same car, you do get the required specs which are 49-51 or so (It's been posted here before in the old forum...).

And yes, with higher cetane the performance is different: less smoke, and quicker revs.

In the US, it's best to use some cetane boost additive, or some biodiesel, or both!

 

[jpdeuce]

What will happen when the new cleaner fuel standards go into effect? Will this fuel be better for our TDI engines, less soot in the intake and less carbon in the engine parts? Will it increase the longevity of the engine or have any other benefits for the TDI owners? Thanks for your thoughts.

The fuel will be better because it will be cleaner. It should cause less issues with injections systems and what not. No more of that nasty black build up in the EGR and intake system. Actually, no more need for the EGR, so the engine can be more simple which is good. But I think I heard the newer diesels are still including it in their design.

Not sure about longevity as compared to now. It would make sense that better fuel would effect that, but who knows. Like others have said here, just make sure you are buying diesel from places that a good number of people are consistently buying diesel. The small mom and pop place that just sells a little bit at a time and stores the fuel longer could cause problems.

 

[DR.billZ]

Any fuel at any reputable place................

 

[bockegg]

Kerosene vs. diesel?

CARBonated fuel is the best, but not found outside of the New England states, and California. It is best to ask for a spec sheet on the fuel. One of the items you are looking for is the cetane rating. The higher the better. Most of what is out there is around 42. Another item is the amount of sulfur. The lower the better to keep the soot level down. Some Amaco stations have the "Gold" with a cetane of close to 50. Regardless, find a station with a lot of traffic. The fuel will be fresher.

Sounds like you know your fuel. I had a '82 Jetta diesel and I often ran it on kerosene, expecially in the winter. The Mercedes dealer tipped me off to this. Will kerosene harm the new 2006 VW TDI engine?

 

[ChristopherC]

Low quality diesel is available just about everywhere. It's really worth your while to seek out (and pay the extra money for) a high quality diesel fuel. The difference is amazing. Easier starts, less smoke, smoother running, etc.

 

[hannaco]

Diesel like kerosene is a middle distillate. The kerosene does not have the lubricating quality of diesel, so you will have to add something for lube. Otherwise the injection pump will suffer.
Kerosene has less energy than diesel, so you will get lower fuel mileage. The big use for kerosene is as a blending element to lower the gel point of fuel in extreme cold temperatures.