When does winter fuel arrive in Minneapolis, MN?

belfert

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2003
Location
Minneapolis, MN
TDI
2003 Golf TDI
Anyone have any idea when they usually start serving up winter blend fuel in Minnesota?

Most clerks at gas stations can barely run the register, so I haven't bothered to ask them.

Brian Elfert
 

DeafBug

Gone but Never Forgotten: Requiescat In Pace
Joined
Sep 22, 2000
Location
Twin Cities in MN
TDI
2001 NB
According to the Koch website, Koch Artic is available from November to March. They supply majority of the stations with Artic. Wish they could do the same for summer months.
 

McBrew

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Location
Annapolis, MD
TDI
2003 Golf GLS TDI, 5 speed, Silver/Grey
Do a little research in your area and see if any of the available fuel is NOT blended. There are some premium brands that use anti-gel additives instead of blending with kerosene. Your fuel economy will be higher and the lubricity is higher (better for your injection pump).
 

belfert

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2003
Location
Minneapolis, MN
TDI
2003 Golf TDI
[ QUOTE ]
DeafBug said:
According to the Koch website, Koch Artic is available from November to March. They supply majority of the stations with Artic. Wish they could do the same for summer months.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why would you want Arctic diesel year round?

Brian Elfert
 

SpamJ

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2001
Location
Cable, MN
TDI
Jetta Wagon 2002 Silver
85 and sunny here in central Minnesota today. No glow plug needed right now. /images/graemlins/cool.gif
 

DeafBug

Gone but Never Forgotten: Requiescat In Pace
Joined
Sep 22, 2000
Location
Twin Cities in MN
TDI
2001 NB
[ QUOTE ]
belfert said:
[ QUOTE ]
DeafBug said:
According to the Koch website, Koch Artic is available from November to March. They supply majority of the stations with Artic. Wish they could do the same for summer months.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why would you want Arctic diesel year round?

Brian Elfert

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry for not being clear. But those in Twin Cities might know what I mean. Majority of the stations get Artic during the winter months. But when it comes to summer, they get crappy diesel and it is hard to find Koch Gold during the summer months. What I basically saying is that why don't the stations get Koch diesel year round. That way we still get Koch Gold. I have to drive 16 miles from home to get Gold but I drive .3 miles to get Artic. /images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
 

63Ragtop

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2001
Location
Minneapolis, MN, USA
TDI
'01 NB GLS, Auto, Red, Black Leather
Stations start to get the winter fuel in late October. You can tell because the price goes up and the mileage goes down, along with the power. If it isn't Koch Arctic, it is a #1/#2 blend. The blend ratio often goes according to a fixed calendar schedule, not necessarily reflecting the actual temps. It is rare for a station here to go with straight #2 plus additive in the winter. Tracy's did it last year with one pump. They said not to trust it below zero.

I think most stations in the area get their diesel from Koch in Pine Bend. Because its so close. But its the 40 cetane, not the Gold. Some stations add their own additive package to it, like Holiday.
 

belfert

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2003
Location
Minneapolis, MN
TDI
2003 Golf TDI
[ QUOTE ]
Spamjohnson said:
85 and sunny here in central Minnesota today. No glow plug needed right now. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Even on the coldest days last week, my TDI glow plug light was out in a second or less. My Powerstroke has the glow plug light stay on practically forever hot or cold.

Brian Elfert
 

Brock_from_WI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2002
Location
Green Bay, WI USA
TDI
2003 wagon
Over here in Green Bay, I was told Halron switches their summer/winter pumps over to winter blend at the end of Oct/early Nov so that seems pretty consistant.
 

belfert

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2003
Location
Minneapolis, MN
TDI
2003 Golf TDI
[ QUOTE ]
63Ragtop said:
Stations start to get the winter fuel in late October. You can tell because the price goes up and the mileage goes down, along with the power. If it isn't Koch Arctic, it is a

[/ QUOTE ]

I was kinda wondering if winter blend was out already, because I saw a pretty big jump in diesel prices a few days ago here in Minneapolis. Diesel prices do not normally change as much as gas prices.

Brian Elfert
 

SpamJ

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2001
Location
Cable, MN
TDI
Jetta Wagon 2002 Silver
My record for glow plug light was about 11 seconds last winter. I noticed the Jump too. More expensive then reg gas up here at Super America
 

Malcolm

Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2003
Location
Minnesota
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI
Hey Brian,

Up here in White Bear the local Holiday station had an exact delivery schedule printed right above the pump. I'll bet the one near you does too. Good luck.

Malcolm
 

mrGutWrench

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 29, 2002
Location
Carrboro, NC
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon, 5-speed, 563K Miles (July '23)
[ QUOTE ]
belfert said: Anyone have any idea when they usually start serving up winter blend fuel in Minnesota? (snip)

[/ QUOTE ]

__. Sorry, but it's impossible to restrain myself from saying "about August 4th????". We don't get "winter fuel" here in NC but, then again, we don't get winter, either.
 

BKmetz

Administrator, Member #10
Staff member
Joined
Sep 25, 1997
Location
Illinois
TDI
2015 Passat, titanium beige, 6MT
[ QUOTE ]
Anyone have any idea when they usually start serving up winter blend fuel in Minnesota? Brian Elfert

[/ QUOTE ]

The TDI FAQ has a table that shows the winter pour points state by state. For MN it looks like October is when they start blending fuel there.

ASTM winter pour point table

Brian, 97 Passat TDI
 

belfert

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2003
Location
Minneapolis, MN
TDI
2003 Golf TDI
[ QUOTE ]
crazy paul said:
Just keep track of your mpg....once it goes down by 20%...its arrived! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

When I bought my Powerstroke, it was just as they started winter fuel last fall. I didn't see a 20% improvement in mileage come spring, so I really doubt my mileage will fall 20% with the TDI.

Brian Elfert
 

crazy paul

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Location
Lac-Beauport, (near Quebec City)Canada - A
TDI
Jetta 2003 charcole
You`re right Brian...I was just being flippant. /images/graemlins/blush.gif In fact, my November to mid-March average consumption last year was 6.48li/100km, while mid-March to mid-August was 5.9li/100km. Thats near 10%. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

I figure our diesel up here in Quebec is blended pretty close to what you fellas get in MN. I'm going to try Irving fuel this winter...apparently it has a higher cetane value.
 
Top