A station near where I live in central Indiana has two kinds of diesel fuel, one they call "premium." As we all know, extra high compression and force-fed gas engines need higher octane "premium" fuel to avoid engine knock, but "premium diesel"? What gives?
TIA for any profound information on this
Just a guess but maybe a different cetane rating or something like that?
Or, perhaps it's the European "low sulpher" diesel that has been used for years overseas. Supposedly we're supposed to be getting it by '05 or '06. Which would be nice, since that would allow for cleaner, more powerful, more efficient diesels to be imported to us.
Not sure what it may mean at your station, but back in the olden days, when I first bought my 79 diesel (in 79) Union 76 stations had #1 and #2 diesel. The #1 was advertised as premium, and had a higher kerosene content. My car ran smoother, quieter, and seemed to have more power (which is a fairly useless term when discussing a 48HP engine) on #1 diesel.
I could only get it when traveling out of my area, as there were no Union 76 stations. I was later told that the #1 offers less lubrication than #2...so you win and lose with the "premium" product.
Like I said, not sure whether this info applies to your situation.
Sorry it isn't very profound. The only time anyone ever said I was profound, it was that I was profoundly stupid.
Good call...could be the case too.
But I'm sure that California will find a way to legislate away the diesels then too :-(
Usually it has to do with the additives in the fuel. A lot of truck stops offer diesel with injector cleaners and anti-gel additives, and even in unblended form they'd claim that it was good down to low outdoor temps. I'd guess your "premium" is something along those lines.
There are big variations in diesel fuel quality, some are very noticeably better than others. I think the differences are even more noticeable when you're dealing with an engine that puts out 52 HP, because even a small drop in power represents a relatively large percentage decrease. Back when I was still flogging around an '85 Jetta diesel, the best was from Shell, and the worst was from Superamerica. The best thing about the diesel was that you could use those really big, fat hoses at truck stops, and you could fill your tank in no time flat.
Not only fast, but it did not do all the foaming.
"Premium" diesel in the U.S. most assuredly is not that. At least not until 2005/2006.
Typically "Premium" means additives have been put in the fuel to bump up the cetane level (kind of like octane, but not) and, often, the lubricity of the fuel. The quality of the additives, though, and the ultimate quality of the fuel varies quite a lot. Sometimes "Premium" is little more than a marketing job.
One other thing to consider is that since Premium is more expensive than good ol' #2 diesel, some stations don't move very much of it, which means you may be adding a significant amount of water, algae, etc., to your car's fuel system by pumping the slow-moving (but-more expensive!) Premium. Make sure you buy it at a station that keeps it fresh.
sd
Yep, usually a few points higher cetane rating (cetane is essentially the inverse of octane rating, its measures the ability of the fuel to burn when injected into the cylinder under pressure) and usually has a better additive mix for pump lubrication. You could get about the same thing by adding some Stanadyne Performance Formula and 2-stroke motor oil to the tank.
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