Quality of Diesel from different companies?

[alessio92]

I've heard loads about the quality of different companies' fuels. My housemate's told me to avoid ASDA and Tesco diesel but seems to think Sainsburys is okay.

 

Obviously Shell & BP are usually decent, but is Jet any good?

 

Any general rules as to which are good, which are crap?

[mcornall]

from my experience - car seems to run alot smoother on ASDA diesel than Tesco, there's also a BP garage on the way home which does cut price fuel 2 days a week - to the same price as ASDA, might try that next time car hits reserve and see if it feels any better and compare mileage

[VWD]

Mate at work always swore his Fiesta diesel van ran better on BP Ultimate than on normal . As for cars- like the 1.9, mine isn't highly tuned ,but I find it prefers the cheaper the better fuel . But ,TBH, I've not noticed any difference in performance between the snob brands and Asda /Tesco fuel ,other than the prices. Lately I'm using BP, mainly because it's at least 4 p/litre cheaper at a place 2 miles from home. Most likely ,I'm saving pennies, but it's my personal boycott of the local cartel .

Edited 17 April, 2015 by VWD

[sepulchrave]

Snake oil, so much rubbish talked about fuel.

 

Diesel (Derv) is almost immune to problems that affect performance, testable issues that affect long term reliability for fleet users are:

 

Entrained water. (Internal corrosion of fuel system components)

 

Microbial contamination. (Premature filter clogging)

 

Acidity. (Corrosion and seal degradation)

 

The minimum Cetane number only really becomes relevant if you have a high revving highly tuned engine.

 

Any other differences relate to the additive packs which keep the system clean.

 

You simply won't notice any difference between one tankful of fuel and another, it's nonsense and it's all in your mind.

[ajs_vrs]

Used to work in oil&gas majority comes from same refinery, stuff like vpower from shell is different actually better I've dynod tested it vs bp ultimate, ok 97 vs 99 but bp ultimate is barely 97 it was a joke the amount of advance I could get on with same day!

[Auric Goldfinger]

Think Sainsburys is BP fuel

[alessio92]

I know stuff like v-Power is better than standard if you've got a car that can make use of it but was wondering how the ordinary ones compare. Good to know it's all more or less the same!

[Auric Goldfinger]

My Vrs likes Shell super derv      :yes:

 

Now If I could get it to like Stella she'd be a monster.............

[sepulchrave]

Used to work in oil&gas majority comes from same refinery, stuff like vpower from shell is different actually better I've dynod tested it vs bp ultimate, ok 97 vs 99 but bp ultimate is barely 97 it was a joke the amount of advance I could get on with same day!

 

Well said, my remarks were only relevant to diesel, different petrols are indeed, different.

 

I only run mine on super plus, it may only be a 1.4 but the difference is night and day I can assure you.

[Dazza95]

I used to only use Shell diesel but now I just fill up at whatever station happens to be on the way to work. At the moment it's either Tesco, Esso or Shell... and I haven't noticed any difference at all between the three.

Edited 18 April, 2015 by Dazza95

[padi]

Snake oil, so much rubbish talked about fuel.

 

Diesel (Derv) is almost immune to problems that affect performance, testable issues that affect long term reliability for fleet users are:

 

Entrained water. (Internal corrosion of fuel system components)

 

Microbial contamination. (Premature filter clogging)

 

Acidity. (Corrosion and seal degradation)

 

The minimum Cetane number only really becomes relevant if you have a high revving highly tuned engine.

 

Any other differences relate to the additive packs which keep the system clean.

 

You simply won't notice any difference between one tankful of fuel and another, it's nonsense and it's all in your mind.

 

Have to agree marketing is a wonderful thing with all these wonder products in bottles and from the fuel pumps today marketing myself call in brain washing.

[KeithCheetham]

 Any standard diesel plus your own chosen additive is the only way to ensure some form of quality control. My "snake oil" is 2-EHN, which, if you read all the publicised reports, is the additive that is the active component of Millers, Diesel Rhino etc, to which they then add a bulking agent to fill the bottle, and also the product added by the major oil companies to create "super" diesel. I personally buy the 2-EHN in it raw form and add 60ml to every fill (40 litres), which gives the ratio at 1.1/2% and works out at about 90p per full tank.

 In my case, this is used in a 70 BHP TDI which spends much of the time at the extent of its performance envelope, given that I have a daily climb over the Pennine hills on my way to work.

 

http://www.veryone.com/veryone-2-ehn/veryone-how-it-works/

[coskev]

 Any standard diesel plus your own chosen additive is the only way to ensure some form of quality control. My "snake oil" is 2-EHN, which, if you read all the publicised reports, is the additive that is the active component of Millers, Diesel Rhino etc, to which they then add a bulking agent to fill the bottle, and also the product added by the major oil companies to create "super" diesel. I personally buy the 2-EHN in it raw form and add 60ml to every fill (40 litres), which gives the ratio at 1.1/2% and works out at about 90p per full tank.

 In my case, this is used in a 70 BHP TDI which spends much of the time at the extent of its performance envelope, given that I have a daily climb over the Pennine hills on my way to work.

 

http://www.veryone.com/veryone-2-ehn/veryone-how-it-works/

 

 

 

 

Sounds good that.

Will try some

I currently run mine on V-Power/Esso Super etc all the time, so shoukd be quite a good saving if it performs as well.

In mine I can definitely tell a difference between the Super diesels and normals, smoother running and less soot on the rear for sure using Supers. 

[sepulchrave]

 

 

Sounds good that.

Will try some

I currently run mine on V-Power/Esso Super etc all the time, so shoukd be quite a good saving if it performs as well.

In mine I can definitely tell a difference between the Super diesels and normals, smoother running and less soot on the rear for sure using Supers. 

 

 

Yours is tuned, it revs harder and will definitely benefit from higher Cetane fuel, with standard cars it's a waste of money because the Derv here in the UK is better than elsewhere in the world and the standard engine is designed to perform on the lowest common denominator globally.

[KeithCheetham]

 Would love to see Faboka's understanding of Veryone's statement "2-EHN decomposes in the combustion chamber to give free radicals, promoting fast oxidation and reducing ignition delay". Given his undoubted skills with mapping and understanding of the effects of injection timing and start of the "bang" on engines that do not need a spark to start the flame path, he can probably give a definitive, or at least clearer, answer.

 While a standard engine is detuned to run on low quality fuel, given the compression ignition property of diesel I would expect the "self advancing", i.e. reduced ignition delay property of 2-EHN to contribute even on a non tuned engine.

 Going back to the original question of "quality of diesel", its all down to the additives, diesel is diesel and comes out of the same cracking towers no matter whose pumps dispense it - Tesco, Asda etc do not have their own refineries - therefore I would expect very little difference in brands given there are only so many chemicals that can be used to make up an additive.

[sepulchrave]

 While a standard engine is detuned to run on low quality fuel, given the compression ignition property of diesel I would expect the "self advancing", i.e. reduced ignition delay property of 2-EHN to contribute even on a non tuned engine.

 

Why?

 

How?

 

What mechanism are you proposing for this contribution?

 

If there is already sufficient time for the mixture to combust (which there is) then making it happen that bit faster can't achieve anything.

 

I'm not suggesting that you'll do any harm with your snake oil, only that it makes no difference, because as I already stated; it's all in your mind.

[SkUG]

top tip, don't fill up when the big lorry is filling up the station! stirs all the crap up from the bottom of the tank! I found changing the fuel filter made a hell of a difference to "power"... if i can say that driving an SDI....

[alessio92]

Cheers all. I was gonna do a fuel filter swap actually but Andrew Page sold me the wrong one. Shame as they've been absolutely outstanding for everything else I've needed so far. I'll get it done soon.

Interesting to hear that Sainsburys is BP, anyone know how supplies the other supermarkets?

 

Also, what determines fuel prices in any given area? In part of my home city there are two Shell garages about a mile and a half apart - one part of a major shopping centre complex, the other just on the side of the road- but both in what is considered the same area more or less. The one at the shopping centre is usually one or two pence per litre cheaper than the other, which I don't get.