Trying to Determine BEST Cetane Booster

Blue_Thunder

Veteran Member
Joined
May 22, 2004
Location
Beetle Nation
OK, I'm trying to get to the bottom of which Cetane booster is best.

I "googled" Cetane boost review ... and one of the most interesting links was to the EPA's www site where they actually list every Cetane booster known to man.

Here is one that caught my eye:

http://www.synergynracing.com/products/20_cetaneboost.html

My questions are twofold.

Has anyone used this?

IF in fact you do not need a 20+ Cetane boost would increasing the fuel's Cetane level by twenty points beyond what it is when you pump it cause any problems to your engine? Or would it be comparable to using a high test octane in a car that doesn't need it? Won't help, but won't hurt?

Thanks gang.
 

Blue_Thunder

Veteran Member
Joined
May 22, 2004
Location
Beetle Nation
But, it would appear that the removal of sulpher from the diesel fuel has been the main concern of many diesel mechanics. Does the TDI benefit therefore from products that supply what the sulpher removal took away?

This seems to be a popular additive here:

http://www.stanadyne.com/dsg/dsg_dfa.asp

Here is what one diesel mechanic had to say.

"As you know sulfer is no longer available in diesel fuel. This was the main lubricating property of the fuel. Since then the injection pump shops have been flooded with work because of the lack of lubrication in diesel fuel. John Deere recomends using Stantadyne year round fuel conditioner with every fill up. The injection service that I use strongly recomends this treatment, or something with LUBRICATION ADDITIVE in all diesel engines. They have "fixed" many fuel systems by dosing them with this additive. I myself add it to every tank. This conditioner costs around $0.08 per gallon to use however, there is a noticable increase in horsepower and fuel economy. Also, since sulfur was removed the pour point of diesel fuel was raised about! 20 degrees F. This means that the pur point of #2 fuel 3 years ago was 20 degrees F. Today it is now 40 degrees F. This fuel conditioner lowers the pour point 40 degrees F., that goes for both #2 and #1 fuels. I am not trying to sell you guys on this specific fuel conditioner, but I feel that it is something that diesel owners should be aware of to try to lower the risk of premature injection pump and injector failure. I do not however know Cummins standpoint on this issue. But as I said the injection service that I use recommends additive for ALL injection systems."

This came from a very informative page:

http://dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/FAQ/diesel_fuel.htm
 

03_01_TDI

Banned
Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Location
Denmark
TDI
Na
Most people are very happy with good ole Power Service thats sold at the local Wal-Mart
I use 7oz of power service and 1oz of soyshield per tank.
 

BeetleGo

TDIClub Enthusiast, Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 21, 1998
Location
Cambridge, MA
TDI
5-door, 5-speed Golf GLS replaced BeetleGo.
Hi Paul,

Have you done a search on THIS website?
There have been past discussions on cetane levels, why US market diesel is consistently too low for VW specs (they want us to use nothing less than 50), how biodiesel is an effective cetane solution (typically having numbers between upper 40's and low 60's), what effect that has on your engine (much smoother, more complete combustion, easier starting, less mess in your intake), and which products people around here use, and why.

Try checking out the fuels section of this site. There is a link at the top of the page for searches that is pretty easy to use and lets you do a pretty customized search. I'd start with 'cetane' and then follow your nose from there. At almost 7 million entries on this site (or is it more than that now?!) you will be one informed puppy when you're done!

I use Power Service, 8oz's; winterizing formula in winter. B20 year round.

~Beetlego
 
S

SkyPup

Guest
Putting very large doses of cetane improver (such as 20,000 parts per million of 2EHN) into ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) could cause fuel instability and filter plugging, a research project at Cummins found.

However, "it's not an issue with normal dosing" of octane improver, as now-retired Cummins researcher Dave Stehouwer explained to us in an interview following his presentation of a paper (SAE 2003-01-3140) at Society of Automotive Engineers powertrain conference.

The main point of the SAE paper is to alert refiners, pipelines and marketers to the possibility of harmful interactions caused by certain fuel additives. Example: Dimer-acids used as pipeline corrosion inhibitors or as lubricity improver can react with certain lube additives to plug fuel filters. Fortunately, no-harm alternative lubricity improvers are available.

Tests involved ordinary 400-ppm sulfur fuel, a commercial ULSD fuel (BP's "ECD,") a research ULSD fuel (from Phillips) and a 20% blend of biodiesel in a 300-ppm sulfur non-road commercial diesel fuel. All were additized with 20,000 ppm of 2EHN to accelerate instability for the test.

~Biodiesel The "Least Stable" Among Fuels

The "least stable sample is the B20 biodiesel even [though] it contains a substantial amount of sulfur," the researchers found. "We conclude that the instability of B20 biodiesel blend with off-highway diesel fuel comes from an acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the ester components from the biodiesel."

Nor are problems likely to arise solely from the deliberate mixing of used oil with fuel, as with the Cummins "Centinel" recycling system. While that system results in about a 3,000-ppm dose of lube oil in fuel, the newer high-pressure fuel injection systems also result in about 1,000-ppm of lube in fuel, Stehouwer explains.

A separate test of cetane improver in 20% biodiesel blend (B20) found even worse instability problems, the researchers found. This is of special concern because modern high-pressure injection systems circulate a lot of fuel through hot injectors (as a heat sink) for return to storage tank.

That's why engine makers are pressing for a tough thermal stability limit in American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM) D975 diesel fuel standard, as well as similarly tough thermal stability limits for biodiesel blends.

With diesel fuel, careful fuel blending and proper additization could avoid stability problems, Stehouwer points out. Otherwise, thermally-unstable fuels could form gums that could plug filters and cause injectors to stick, resulting in costly repairs, he said.
 

GoFaster

Moderator at Large
Joined
Jun 16, 1999
Location
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI
I tried a bottle of Amsoil cetane booster once. The amount of noticeable difference was precisely 0. Zip, zero, nada. Haven't bothered since.

The sulfur issue is a non-issue. Your engine is designed to run on low sulfur fuel. As long as the fuel meets the ASTM lubricity specifications - and all purchased fuel is supposed to - it is good enough.

Some people like using lubricity additives and/or injector cleaners as insurance against possible fuel quality problems. If you're concerned about it, go to a truck stop or auto parts store and use whatever you can get at a reasonable price. Here, that's Kleen-Flo (at UAP/Napa). The PowerService stuff is very expensive.

You can add all the cleaners you want, it will not be a substitute for using good quality fuel in the first place. Use the best stuff that's available in your area.

Skypup loves pooping on biodiesel. Poor quality biodiesel can indeed cause lots of trouble. Even the good biodiesel is not as stable as standard fuel (it's biodegradable!), but the timeframe for deterioration is measured in months, not in the week or so that it takes me to go through a full tank and the week or two that the (busy) station has the fuel in their underground tank. I use canola-based B20, no worries.

Used oil in the fuel ... watch it, I betcha the Cummins that they tried that on didn't have a catalyst, and your VW does. Ashless two-stroke oil in small doses should be OK. Any oil that has solid contaminants or contains metal or other "ash" (most 4-stroke oils contain metal compounds as additives - calcium, molybdenum, etc) is surely a recipe for a clogged catalyst in the long run!
 

greenskeeper

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Location
USA
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI
I am wondering if Centane Boost is relative to Octane boost for gassers.

My thinking is that at least with Octane boosters, when they say raises octane by "5 points" that actually means going from 87 octane to 87.5

In other words the "points" is actually tenths of a whole number.

This would make sense because the Powerservice bottle says "raises Centane by up to 6 numbers."

Not trying to burst your bubble but maybe that one thats raises Centane "20 points" is actually only "2 numbers".
 
S

SkyPup

Guest
Power Service here is very cheap and the nearest retail BD outlet is over 175 miles away.
 

gdr703

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2002
Location
Vancouver, Canada
TDI
Golf 2 door 2002 Indigo
OK, I'm trying to get to the bottom of which Cetane booster is best.
My questions are twofold.

Has anyone used this?

IF in fact you do not need a 20+ Cetane boost would increasing the fuel's Cetane level by twenty points beyond what it is when you pump it cause any problems to your engine? Or would it be comparable to using a high test octane in a car that doesn't need it? Won't help, but won't hurt?

Thanks gang.
Cetane booster consists largely of a chamical EHN, but there are others. However the effectiveness of them dpends on the nature of the fuel, if its basically high in aromatics, then the effect of the cetane booster will be less, if it high in paraffinics the effect of the cetane booster will be more.
Thus the effect a dose of EHN is typically a 5 number improvement, but it could be 3, or 8.
Adding more Cetane booster yields diminishing returns, so if the first dose gave it +5 the second dose will give a further +3, or thereabouts. but, its all relative to the base fuel.
I do not think it possible to boost cetane number +20 with any additive chemical currently known, so I'd be highly suspicious of that one.

Assuming its possible to take the diesel fuel available to us and boost it to cetane 60 the effect would be that the fuel would ignite very soon after injection, the "ignition timing is advanced effect" which would likely manifest itself in reduced diesel clatter at idle, a smooth sounding engine, especially when cold, very capable at low rpm, lacking a tad of power at high rpm. It wouldnt damage your engine at all, and in some respects it would help.
hth
 

tongsli

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2000
Location
Baltimore, MD
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI, 2004, Jetta Wagon TDI PD
I've tried:

power service
diesel kleen
amsoil cetane boost
Stanadyne
Power Stroker
Soyshield

My favorites are Power Stroker and Stanadyne

I do notice a difference using it in my car. It runs quieter, but then again, I use more than 2 ounces per tankful.
 

wny_pat

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 7, 2004
Location
Western New York State
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI
I wonder if we really want a "Cetane Booster"? Seens to me that it is wishful thinking for more "power", "torque", or "horsepower". If we want that we should buy a bigger diesel.
I would think it would be better to use something to keep the fuel from growing fungi and to remove any moisture. Buying the best diesel fuel available seems to be the best idea yet. It should have those things. Problem is that it is hard to find out what we are buying. The attendants probably don't even know where the fuel comes from, let alone what quality it is. All they seem to know is that it comes in a big tank truck. If you want to know about the fuel you are purchasing, you have to go to the lab where it is refined or send a sample to another lab.
 

KB3MMX

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 7, 2009
Location
Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
TDI
98 Jetta
Interestingly enough, I dyno'd my 07' Duramax recently with a good dose of the Amsoil cetane boost in the tank. The truck made approximately 20+ more rear wheel horsepower than a couple other guys running similar setups. The truck dyno'd @ 451RWHP with a PPE stage 4 tune, full exhaust and a modded stock airbox. Several of the other trucks delivered between 380-430 RWHP with similar tuning.
Was it the cetane boost difference>?
The vehicles I've put it in have all run noticeably smoother and have better responsiveness. I have also seen a bump up in MPG running higher cetane fuel too...whether it's Biodiesel or just cetene treated #2.
One thing is for sure, we need better quality, higher cetane fuel here in the US !! We are always several years behind European automotive technology though !!
 

VWBeamer

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Location
GA
TDI
2004 Jetta Wagon
Who sells a bigger engine to fit my car?
Or who sells a car with a bigger diesel engine for the cost of a cetane booster..:confused:


I wonder if we really want a "Cetane Booster"? Seens to me that it is wishful thinking for more "power", "torque", or "horsepower". If we want that we should buy a bigger diesel.
I.
 

New TDI owner

New member
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Location
Madison,WI
TDI
2012
Most people are very happy with good ole Power Service thats sold at the local Wal-Mart
I use 7oz of power service and 1oz of soyshield per tank.
i know Ford makes a cetane booster but i am not sure if it would work good in a tdi? Dose cetane booster go bad if it sits for a long time?
 

UgoTdi

Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2017
Location
Northeast USA
TDI
jetta wagon tdi PD
Found a new made in Usa diesel additive called "Boost Plus Diesel" that has a low price of $16 for a gallon that treats up to 1000 gallons.
That amounts to 24 cents per 15 gallon tank! We can get 66 fillups out of one $16 gallon jug. That is amazing. With the increase in fuel economy, and the amount it displaces, it will more than pays for itself per fill up!
Specs seem terrific, so I had to give them a try. Just ordered some and will give a review once I hit around 500 miles of testing.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077VVDPZ4/ref=sspa_dk_detail_5?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B077VVDPZ4&pd_rd_wg=aXgul&pd_rd_r=TWW298K6J61BK9R22ST4&pd_rd_w=fKMta
 
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AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Not to be discouraging but realistic...

Unless my math is off, 128,000 fluid ounces (1,000 gallons) to 128 ounces (1 gallon) is a 1:.001 ratio. I find it difficult to imagine anything added to diesel fuel at that small of a ratio could be of any benefit to MPGs.

Back in the day, I kept meticulous records (Excel Spreadsheet) of fill-ups (topped off) tank after tank for about 300k miles (when I retired). I was driving slightly over 36k miles per year. The MPGs varied tank after tank which was mostly due to driving circumstances. I had graphs reflecting ounces per mile of consumption, MPGs, Liters per hundred miles, etc. So, even with those detailed records, I seriously doubt that I would have noticed the effects of an additive of 1:.001 ratio.

I believe your PD engine will not notice 1.9 ounces per 15 gallons.

At $2.75 per gallon, the $16.00 could buy you an extra 5.8 gallons of fuel. At 45 MPG, you could travel another 261 miles.

Results will be interesting, but do you have base data to provide a comparison?
 
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UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
This subject just came up in another thread and there's some actual data, not comprehensive, but something that one can work with. It's caught my interest (need to keep reading in to the thread to get at the meat that matches this subject).

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=485907
 

Rob Mayercik

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2001
Location
NJ, U.S.A.
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS, Baltic Green/Beige
Has there ever been any discussion in the past around here as to WHY the U.S. only requires a minimum of 40 cetane in diesel fuel?
 

UgoTdi

Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2017
Location
Northeast USA
TDI
jetta wagon tdi PD
40 Cetane requirement got done by the oil lobby, our tdi's need 45 or higher to have a better burn and correct combustion, driveability, etc.
Thus, the need for a cetane booster. It makes each fillup cost more, but we can at least get the vw designed 500,000 miles before piston overhaul. Just be sure to shop how much each additive will cost per fillup when comparing pricing.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Kind of a solution looking for a problem if you ask me. If you look at the Infineum winter fuel report the numbers are encouraging. It isn't the end all test but at least has some factual data about random testing. East and West coasts show extremely well. Midwest had some low numbers but still had a mean in the 47 to 48 range.

https://www.fuelsinstitute.org/fuel...rldwide-Winter-Diesel-Fuel-Quality-Survey.pdf

The fuel quality is improving and I really don't see a need for cetane additives unless you are consistently getting some fuel that runs badly in your car and you can't change sources.
 
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