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Old 12-16-2013, 05:45 PM   #1
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Winter fuel

A friend of mine says his coach does not get the same mileage with winter diesel fuel compared to summer diesel. He says about 1 mile per gallon less. I don't run my coach much in the winter to compare. So do any of you have any experience with this?

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Old 12-16-2013, 05:51 PM   #2
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It is true. Some mix #1 with#2 fuels to prevent gelling. Less btu in #1.
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Old 12-16-2013, 06:00 PM   #3
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Old 12-16-2013, 06:13 PM   #4
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#1 is much thinner blend. Kerosene
Not sure which is better gas mileage though
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Old 12-16-2013, 06:13 PM   #5
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According to Exxon, the difference between Diesel #1 and Diesel #2 less than 5%. (Diesel #1 is almost all kerosene) A winter blend would only be a percentage of #1 added to #2, so the energy difference is more like 2~3%. Lower fuel mileage in winter is more a factor of engine cooling, wind, road conditions, etc., NOT the difference in fuel types.
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Old 12-16-2013, 09:04 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by BFlinn181 View Post
According to Exxon, the difference between Diesel #1 and Diesel #2 less than 5%. (Diesel #1 is almost all kerosene) A winter blend would only be a percentage of #1 added to #2, so the energy difference is more like 2~3%. Lower fuel mileage in winter is more a factor of engine cooling, wind, road conditions, etc., NOT the difference in fuel types.
I agree with this. I have done a lot of summer vs winter driving and the difference in mileage is not enough to measure
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Old 12-17-2013, 04:43 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by hes4all View Post
A friend of mine says his coach does not get the same mileage with winter diesel fuel compared to summer diesel. He says about 1 mile per gallon less. I don't run my coach much in the winter to compare. So do any of you have any experience with this?

Thanks
Yes, there is going to be a performance difference. Normal blend diesel fuel has problems below 20F. The fuel's wax seperates and has problems passing through fuel filters. It's termed "gelling" but it's really not gelling in the literal sense. It's simply seperating and going to plug your fuel filters. To compensate for this the manufacturers use Napthalene additives to help the fuel stay together at much lower temperatures. The side affect to this is the reduction in Cetane levels in the fuel. Cetane is to diesel as Octane is to gasoline. Usual Cetane blends in the Summer are between 40 and 45. In Winter blends this can drop to as much 25%. Therefore it takes more fuel to do the same amount of work as compared to a higher Cetane fuel. You can get back some of the mileage by using Cetane boosters/additvies, but they're expensive to treat 100+ gallons and honestly, you'd have to do a lot of driving during winter blend months to see a cost offset.
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