shell diesel economy

[lebesset]

last year when in the UK , shell were advertising new standard fuel blends which they said were more economical than the old

as a born sceptic , I normally just head for the cheapest at the supermarket , but when I was just running into london on the A5 I needed both fuel and water ; now shell always seem to be the most expensive , but on the other hand they are excellent for free air and water [ unlike supermarkets ], so when I saw a convenient shell station I bit the bullet and filled up

suffice it to say that that the economy DID seem to improve somewhat , maybe 5% would be the estimate , but in give and take driving it is impossible to be accurate ; so I thought no more about it

last month I filled up in madrid , went where the taxi drivers go , to fill diesel and water again , filled right up as a tank full JUST gets me to andorra , about 620 Km
this station only sold a premium grade diesel , which is what the taxi's were using ...the price here however was only marginally above the local price for standard diesel , so I bit the bullet again

when I got to andorra to fill up :lol-061:, I was amazed to find that instead of the usual 10 litres/100Km that I use on this sort of trip I had used only 9 ! bear in mind that this is the sort of journey that I often do , and that it is hot and high [ 30C + and up to 1200 metres ] , but I drive at 90/100 Km max

so I am beginning to wonder if my cheapo policy is best ; has anyone else made any comparisons on this ? my engine is a 2.8idTD in case that affects anything

although , in my opinion , premium diesel grades are priced too high to get any savings , perhaps a better quality basic diesel like shell claims could be an economical way to go ....they certainly CAN make more efficient blends , no difficulty in that

the question is , DO they ?

usual disclaimer

 

[Bigpeetee]

Tried to do a similar comparison, but only doing local journeys, didn't notice much difference.

But I did notice a difference if I adjusted my speed, I drive a Hitop LWB Movano during the week. I have a supplier about 7 miles away. I used to get on the A55 drive at about 55-60 in the 50 limit and 75-80 in the 70 limit (lets be honest, most of use have done that at sometime!!)

Then I change approach, drove at 50 in the 50 limit and along with the wagons at about 56 in the 70.

Drastic change in fuel consumption from about 22mpg to 26mpg and the journey only took about 1-2 minutes longer.

My nerves were better, I no longer worried about the Police speed traps and I was better off.

In the M/H I'm more chilled about getting somewhere.

Maybe on long journeys the better fuels give improved consumption.

 

[Deleted member 2636]

I think there have been quite a few posts on Wildcamping and other Forums on this subject.
The perceived wisdom seems to be that supermarket fuels may be missing some of the more expensive additives that are present in premium fuels.
I have seen it suggested that it pays to fill with premium diesel every so often
Who knows?

 

[maingate]

I have just put 250 ml of 2 stroke engine oil in the fuel tank when I topped up tonight ready for tomorrows trip. It is a 2.8 JTD engine.

A lot of people are doing this nowadays. It helps to lubricate the injector pump etc. and replaces some of what has been taken out of diesel fuel over the last 10 years or so. The engines apparently sound smoother with the oil added.

If anyone else wants to try it, about 250 to 300 ml of 2 stroke oil (not the fully synthetic) to a full tank of diesel is the right mix.

 

[lebesset]

mercedes add 2T on their test fleet diesels in countries where diesel quality is poor , but not otherwise

the recommended dose is 0.5% , not more

my local supermarket are selling diesel with this already added , but it is 3c/litre more expensive , so haven't tried it

I tried adding the 2T for a while , but am not convinced of the benefits for my idTD engine

incidentally , if you want to try this and have a particle filter make sure to buy the premium ash free 2T [ I forget the spec number ] , otherwise you soon will have a particle filter that is blocked

 

[Deleted member 207]

There was an article and test in one of the UK trucking magasines a few years ago using different diesel fuels - I think it was "Truck Magasine" but it could have been any one of them. The comparison used the same vehicle with a load over a test route, they then came up with a payload earnings factor taking into account fuel consumption. Probably a more scientific way to assess if the extra pounds on each fillup are worth it.

Personally I think that driving technique is far more important than the fuel make, I used to see anything upto 15% difference in fuel consumption between different drivers running full tanker loads. It was interesting that the fuel efficient drivers also had lower tyre wear, less breakdown maintenance and reduced trip times. We had one driver who would experiment with speeds to see what was the most efficient over different routes - time v fuel consumption.