What type of diesel fuel?

[JTaylor2005]

So guys I fancy starting a debate.

What diesel do you guys use and refuse to use? Do you bother with premium considering that dyno tests have proven benefits of running the premium stuff?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezjknhwcQXU

What about supermarket fuel? Okay or terrible? What if you buy the cheapest possible diesel and mix 2-stroke with it?



I have always tried to stick to branded fuels such as esso and shell. Sometimes going for the premium every 4 or so tanks worth etc. I have also started putting 250ml of 2-stroke in with my diesel now which to be quite honest doesn't seem to have done much to quieten the injectors but smoke seems to not be such a huge issue any more

What do you all reckon?

[pug306driver]

our 306 misbehaved after filling with tesco diesel, momentary loss of power now and again. the tank was emptied via the tank lift pump hole ( it was removed for cleaning, the pump that is ) and no water or crap found apart from a small amount in the pump filter screen. i used shell before and after and she seems fine.

you add 2t oil? the cheap red one?? smoke seems to have reduced now??? how smoky was it before???? maybe the cleaners in the 2t oil have cleaned the system a bit????? 250ml per full tank?

[MY95]

Our HDI's really aren't a fussy engine with oil used for oil changes or oil at the pumps I don't think, ran mine on Tesco 95% of the time and ive had no issues, I think with our HDI's any benefit your getting from using Shell etc is mainly in your head. They aren't a performance diesel anyway.

[JTaylor2005]

Mineral oil it has to be. Its green the stuff I use about £4 for a liter of it. Google "2-stroke oil in diesel car"

[Danny Wideboy]

I think liquid dinosaurs are all the same.

[BiG K]

I've mainly ran my HDi on Shell / BP.... purely for convenience as the Esso is too far from me. I don't really trust supermarket stuff but at the same time, I don't really trust Shell or BP either.

About 7 years ago, I filled up 10 Litres at BP in Oldham. On the way home (Manc to Leeds - 45ish Miles), my car felt really sluggish, I was on 75-80% throttle just to get it running at 60mph. Got home and the light was on again. It should have done atleast 120 miles on that fuel! Bearing in mind the car was running perfectly prior to filling up. As soon as I put some fresh diesel from a local petrol station, the car's performance picked up immediately. Too much of a coincidence. So I fired off a complaint to BP. BP replied and simply fobbed me off. So BP lost a customer as my MPG never recovered to where it was.

Anyway, fast forward nearly 100k miles, I have been having issues with the fuel system, the engine would cut out when flooring it. Either HP pump or FPR. I bought a second hand pump but as it was now winter, decided to just not floor it anywhere. I filled up with Esso Premium Diesel which apparently has twice the detergent of normal fuel.... and apparently it has worked. The engine no longer cuts out and my MPG has increased a bit as well. I'll have to wait for the summer before I can find out for definite if my issues have been resolved.

Prior to trying Esso Premium, I have tried Shell V-power, BP Ultimate and even Millers Fuel injector cleaning stuff. Best results were felt through Esso Premium!

[maxaret]

I usually stick to branded fuels,if I am doing a long fast journey I usually stick V power in just to give the engine and fuel system a treat,trouble is - up here most stations just sell basic diesel and unleaded LOL

[Toms306]

I'm just using Sainsburys now lol... I started using BP for a while (still get Nectar points ) but the price difference, free tyre air and proximity to the supermarket mean I've stuck with Sainsburys lately. Used to use Shell in the 306s and Golfs before I became poor.

I personally don't think Sainsburys burns as cleanly and produces more soot - so not ideal if you have a DPF. MPG doesn't seem to be any better on branded fuels though, it's crap on the Focus regardless. Done a lot of distance driving on the last tank, average speed over the tank was 39mph (it's usually in the 20s) yet the MPG was still only 56! A mate with an identical Focus is getting better mpg since adding a bit of two stroke, so I really should try that, just cba to get the easy fuel funnel out haha.

So yeah, I don't think diesels make much difference tbh. However, I would use premium petrols and have noticed a difference with those.

[MY95]

I'm just using Sainsburys now lol...  I started using BP for a while (still get Nectar points ) but the price difference, free tyre air and proximity to the supermarket mean I've stuck with Sainsburys lately.  Used to use Shell in the 306s and Golfs before I became poor.

I personally don't think Sainsburys burns as cleanly and produces more soot - so not ideal if you have a DPF.  MPG doesn't seem to be any better on branded fuels though, it's crap on the Focus regardless.  Done a lot of distance driving on the last tank, average speed over the tank was 39mph (it's usually in the 20s) yet the MPG was still only 56!  A mate with an identical Focus is getting better mpg since adding a bit of two stroke, so I really should try that, just cba to get the easy fuel funnel out haha.

So yeah, I don't think diesels make much difference tbh.  However, I would use premium petrols and have noticed a difference with those.

Just tip the bottle in and do it that way Tom, that's what I did when putting some 2 stroke in the 306 yesterday Unless yours has stupid safety shiz?

[bashbarnard]

I use "heavy oil"

[Magenta Sunset]

I use my local asda at the end of the village.
CBA to go swanning around for branded (dearer) fuels.
IMHO, I recon it's down to the turnover of fuel through the u/g tanks that makes the difference.

[Toms306]

Just tip the bottle in and do it that way Tom, that's what I did when putting some 2 stroke in the 306 yesterday Unless yours has stupid safety shiz?

Yes it has safety-shiz as all modern Fords do. There's no cap, it just opens when it senses the right size nozzle (can't put petrol in...I've tried ). Problem is, the bottle obviously isn't the same size as a diesel pump lol. They do give you a funnel but mine under the spare wheel, under the boot carpet, under my toolbox and stuff... Can I be arsed to move all that? Nope...

[JTaylor2005]

I have wondered how diesel changes due to sitting. Like premium stuff would never sell and be replenished as quick as regular so that would end up sitting a lot longer

[Ruan]

I seriously wouldn't use 2 stroke with a DPF... Even the low ash ones, they produce ash which the DPF won't and can't burn off..

From my experience I really cannot tell between supermarket and Shell, I don't believe there is any difference, they're all made to the same specs... There's not one big tank of 'better quality only for shell' diesel and the 'this is the shit we give to supermarkets'... It's only additives...

[Toms306]

With a what?

[Ruan]

Magical exhaust cleaning cannister filled with hopes, fairy dust and unicorn shit.

[Toms306]

Oh that thing...not sure it's gonna be an issue now.

[MY95]

Just tip the bottle in and do it that way Tom, that's what I did when putting some 2 stroke in the 306 yesterday Unless yours has stupid safety shiz?

Yes it has safety-shiz as all modern Fords do.  There's no cap, it just opens when it senses the right size nozzle (can't put petrol in...I've tried ).  Problem is, the bottle obviously isn't the same size as a diesel pump lol.  They do give you a funnel but mine under the spare wheel, under the boot carpet, under my toolbox and stuff...  Can I be arsed to move all that?  Nope...

Do yourself a favour Tom... you know you want a Y plate 306 HDI Get rid of the focus, and voila you have a few grand sitting in your bank

[Toms306]

Yeah, think I'll stick to full leathers, cruise control and air con.

[MY95]

Im sure you could fit the first two into a 306 and get the aircon working again then happy days

[Jonny81191]

I put diesel in it. I've heard petrol doesn't work as well.

[Paul_13]

Honestly find vpower is night and day difference against say supermarket fuels.

[lolsteve]

Only filled my HDi up with vpower once and that was on the way home from a FCS show when i picked up the wrong pump by accident. Car only felt quicker due to the great weight lifted from my wallet.

Used to run it on Bio+2stroke. As far as I can remember during the summer it was much the same between that and diesel except the bio was less smokey. Winter felt a little more lazy though.

[toseland]

It's not always about the fuel itself.. after all cetane is cetane is cetane.

The quality of the detergents is definately different in between there. Mine runs noticably better on shell, and even better still on vpower. I would expect this with the level of tune mine is over a standard hdi, but I am sure the difference is negligable in a standard one but still there

[Poodle]

Don't forget you developed a ton of fuel problems after running bio fuel.

Honestly, over the years i've come to the conclusion that supermarket fuel is not worth the hassle for saving £1.80 a tank. Have just seen far too many "one-off"s or "probably unrelated"s or "never had a problem before"s to dismiss. Most of the cars i've fixed fuelling problems on have been run on supermarket fuel all their lives, the only exceptions being one that had been flooded and another that was stage 3 tuned and abused.

Back when i was obsessed with mpg i did a load of back to back comparisons, shell fuelsave got the best results. Supermarket fuels all came up short compared to the branded stuff, morrisons even gave me hesitation problems. Didn't see a lot of difference with the premium fuels, but then they're generally not designed around economy.

[JTaylor2005]

Thats what I have always tried to do tbf poodle. Just stick to none supermarket stuff. Should be alright then

[Toms306]

That's interesting about your mpg findings poodle. As mine seems unchanged between shell, BP, tesco and sainsburys. And I'm fairly anal about mpg recording, got a spreadsheet and everything lol.

I would switch back to a better brand if there was likely to be an mpg increase. Don't suppose you can remember which was 2nd best for mpg as they no longer sell fuelsave?

[JTaylor2005]

I thought all of shells new diesel was fuelsave that was just the branding for the regular fuel.

And lol "got a spreadsheet and everything" cracked me up tbf

[Toms306]

Well they started selling fuelsave, then had a notice up saying no more fuelsave and the 'standard' branding was back on the pumps. It was a while ago now though so may have come back since lol.

[Poodle]

There wasn't a lot in it between the branded fuels tbf, i think i found bp was second best, which was great because i worked at a bp station at the time lol. Supermarket fuel lost between 2 and 5mpg in comparison. Can't remember much detail, sorry, was a few years ago now.