TOP TIER™ Diesel Fuel Brands

Not surprising they can't get more sign ons. Diesel here is driven by the large over the road trucks that seem to do just fine on regular US diesel fuel. My son's FIL runs a fleet of diesel tow trucks and puts well over 300,000 miles on them with significant idle time and has almost no engine issues with normal diesel. So there really is no incentive to increase the cost of your fuel at the point of sale. I just add Diesel Kleen and make my own Top Tier fuel at each fill up. Increases the cetane rating, adds detergents for injector cleaning and helps with lubricity.

boomer1 said:

Not surprising they can't get more sign ons. Diesel here is driven by the large over the road trucks that seem to do just fine on regular US diesel fuel. My son's FIL runs a fleet of diesel tow trucks and puts well over 300,000 miles on them with significant idle time and has almost no engine issues with normal diesel. So there really is no incentive to increase the cost of your fuel at the point of sale. I just add Diesel Kleen and make my own Top Tier fuel at each fill up. Increases the cetane rating, adds detergents for injector cleaning and helps with lubricity.

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Or You could just pay 10 cents more and use ShellV-Power diesel with loads of cetane already in it. i use it every 3-4 tankfull its good stuff.

johnsTDI said:

Or You could just pay 10 cents more and use ShellV-Power diesel with loads of cetane already in it. i use it every 3-4 tankfull its good stuff.

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“Loads of Cetane” ?

Where are the specs for shell V-power diesel?

johnsTDI said:

Or You could just pay 10 cents more and use ShellV-Power diesel with loads of cetane already in it. i use it every 3-4 tankful its good stuff.

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Well if you feel loads of cetane are a necessary additive why do you only use it every 3-4 tanks? Cetane value is only of benefit to the fuel you are burning at that tank full. It has no carryover value to your other 3-4 tank fulls.

MichaelB said:

Well if you feel loads of cetane are a necessary additive why do you only use it every 3-4 tanks? Cetane value is only of benefit to the fuel you are burning at that tank full. It has no carryover value to your other 3-4 tank fulls.

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Shell V costs more !!!, that's why.

MichaelB said:

Well if you feel loads of cetane are a necessary additive why do you only use it every 3-4 tanks? Cetane value is only of benefit to the fuel you are burning at that tank full. It has no carryover value to your other 3-4 tank fulls.

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Why? Simple answer is: "not all Diesel fuel is created equal" Yes in my area i can buy cheap diesel but Quality wise it has no reputable Quality history like using my Favourite Shell fuel i ONLY use shell top tier fuell in my vehicle. and yes every 3-4th tank full i fill up on V-Power no i am not afiliated with them in any way shape or form I will say there V-Power Diesel has cleaning propertys and i notice better performance & economy on V-power wich says alot to me about what i put in when i notice a difference. in the short time of owning 2012 TDI pre-owned vehicle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezjknhwcQXU

johnsTDI said:

Why? Simple answer is: "not all Diesel fuel is created equal" Yes in my area i can buy cheap diesel but Quality wise it has no reputable Quality history like using my Favourite Shell fuel i ONLY use shell top tier fuell in my vehicle. and yes every 3-4th tank full i fill up on V-Power no i am not afiliated with them in any way shape or form I will say there V-Power Diesel has cleaning propertys and i notice better performance & economy on V-power wich says alot to me about what i put in when i notice a difference. in the short time of owning 2012 TDI pre-owned vehicle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezjknhwcQXU

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“Loads of cetane” LOL. That video is 10 years old and utter crap. I stopped watching it after they said cetane was a chemical additive.

Cetane is a measurement of the ignitability of diesel fuel. It’s not a chemical.

Shell V-Power is not top tier. The product you buy in Canada is different than what’s sold in EU and the USA. California V-Power if it’s even available will be different than what’s sold in the other 49 states.

Diesel fuel requirements vary geographically. Usually based on federal minimums which may be superseded by local or state air quality requirements for fuel quality.

Shell V-power does not advertise any specifications or guarantee any results. You’d be better of reading about diesel fuel additive technology than wasting time reading and watching bogus marketing for shell products.

CleverUserName said:

“Loads of cetane” LOL. That video is 10 years old and utter crap. I stopped watching it after they said cetane was a chemical additive.
Cetane is a measurement of the ignitability of diesel fuel. It’s not a chemical.
Shell V-Power is not top tier. The product you buy in Canada is different than what’s sold in EU and the USA. California V-Power if it’s even available will be different than what’s sold in the other 49 states.
Diesel fuel requirements vary geographically. Usually based on federal minimums which may be superseded by local or state air quality requirements for fuel quality.
Shell V-power does not advertise any specifications or guarantee any results. You’d be better of reading about diesel fuel additive technology than wasting time reading and watching bogus marketing for shell products.

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so wheres this info your reading about?

Google. They’re are a number of research papers published on different additives: cetane improvers, oxygenates, metallic smoke suppressants, etc.. I’m not going to spoon feed you the information.

Any fuel product or additive formula that doesn’t make any specific claims about how the fuel is improved based on a specific dosage is trying to hide something.

johnsTDI said:

Why? Simple answer is: "not all Diesel fuel is created equal" Yes in my area i can buy cheap diesel but Quality wise it has no reputable Quality history like using my Favourite Shell fuel i ONLY use shell top tier fuell in my vehicle. and yes every 3-4th tank full i fill up on V-Power no i am not afiliated with them in any way shape or form I will say there V-Power Diesel has cleaning propertys and i notice better performance & economy on V-power which says alot to me about what i put in when i notice a difference. in the short time of owning 2012 TDI pre-owned vehicle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezjknhwcQXU

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Can you document your better performance & economy? You state that you burn much more non V-Power branded fuel.
If you can not it is all placebo based on a ten year old youtube filmed in the UK with UK fuel and produced before your car was even built. I hope Shell sends you a coffee mug and a tee shirt for promoting their product cause that is about all you are going to get from V-Power.

Diesl said:

Somebody succeeded in getting a trademark for 'top tier'? Really? Wouldn't you have to show that the term has not been in common use before?

Update: crazy but true. Apparently a consortium of car manufacturers filed in 2015, and got the trademark earlier this year. The document below just lists GM.
Trademarks.justitia.com says they claimed first use anywhere in October 2017...

Update 2: The specs seem to follow essentially the European EN590 diesel specs, which at least for oxidation stability and lubricity are better than the US ASTM D975/D7467 standard. For example, less than 460 micrometer scar length rather than the 520 micrometer in the US standard. Link to 2017 'top tier diesel fuel's spec (PDF): https://www.toptiergas.com/document...Fuel_Performance_Standard_Rev_A_-_Feb2017.pdf

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Thank you Diesl for providing actual written recent specs for the ' TOP TIER™ ' diesel!

Unfortunately, and for practical purposes, TDI owners (and other light duty diesel vehicle owners) will have a very limited access to this superior (as compared to US ASTM D975/D7467 standard) diesel fuel. As stated here and in other threads the quality of D2 in the US is driven primarily by heavy duty diesel vehicles, meaning primarily only on upfront cost :-(

Also I agree that using diesel additives regularly and doing 'chemistry homework' is not everybody's 'cup of tea' and inconvenient/expensive for most TDI owners.

I run additive religiously for the main purpose of lubricant

Which is taken care of by even a small percentage of biodiesel, which a lot of diesel has in it. Some states don't even require labeling it, if the percentage is small enough (less than 5% maybe). Most of the diesel I buy has some small percentage. Propel HPR is already supposed to be additised for lubricity purposes.

Which one is best for 7.3Powerstroke Diesel?

i have seen mileage depending on which oil we are using in our ford. i have tried to search for best oil for 7.3 powerstroke. and found some oils like Rotella T6 Synthetic oil, Valvoline Premium, iqui Moly Synthetic oil has anyone used this oils? and got good result? i wonder which oil is best for 7.3 Powerstroke

Many, many posts here about these oils already. Take some time to read them and then come back with your questions. No use rehashing these things over and over again. Bob is the oil guy is another good source for reading up on this kind of question. Which one is best is kind of a moot question anyway as that is mostly a personal opinion based on your own criteria.

useless testimonial, lol

Earlier in the thread someone mentioned Diesel Purge...now I have really only used it as the ingredient for direct injector cleaning as I was taught by many gurus back when I first came onto this forum. I have never doubted its effectiveness because in my 98 Jetta I could actually hear and see results (less smoke and smoother) but I typically just put the leftover juice in the tank and didn't use it otherwise. I don't even use it from the can now, I just fill a new fuel filter and drive it for awhile, then I fill it again while it is attached and call it good. I also tried Stanadyne shots but could never quantify any mileage boost so I tried to tell myself it was for lubricity's sake but it was just hard for me to always remember to put the stuff in, lol.



After I had Ray kit my injector after low-sulfur came along it never had another problem. And I developed a leak in the NB's injector earlier this year and got it kitted to fix it but those are the only two issues I have had with low sulfur fuel since 2000 that I can recall and I have basically gotten fuel from the cheapest places although I try to keep up with other users of the same fuel to see how it is treating them. I do use some of the Power Service white bottles when it is very cold now and then but that is it. OTOH once in a while I DO see some new pretty bottle of diesel treatment and wonder if just maybe that could be the ONE . Does anyone still put a shot in each tank? I would think the higher injection pressures would make it pretty difficult for stuff to accumulate but I dunno. I am now going to lunch.

Circle K and Diesel #2

Does anyone have any experience with the Circle K diesel? I see on some of their signs "Diesel #2". I Googled that specifically and it appears to me that they are the same.

Thoughts or experiences?

PhxJettaTDI10 said:

Does anyone have any experience with the Circle K diesel? I see on some of their signs "Diesel #2". I Googled that specifically and it appears to me that they are the same.

Thoughts or experiences?

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I know in Colorado their diesel used to be delivered by a company called Streamline Petroleum but that still doesn't tell us if it is a Top Tier branded version (probably not) or non-branded but sold by a branded company. Just about all #2 diesel, which means on-road diesel, supposedly hits the basic requirements for fuel in this country. You can get boutique versions or farm and implement versions, innumerable variations. Actually the "Top Tier" branding version (https://www.toptiergas.com/toptier_diesel_fuel/) keeps close tabs on is fuel and brand.



I have to say when I had a modded Jetta I liked going to a small ag place downtown that sold some suweet ultra-filtered diesel that was known to be higher in cetane number and my Jetta ran peppier and smoked less and it was only about ten-15 cents higher than the rotgut at Love's...I've said too much . The Love's Country Stores around here have up to 10% biodiesel in them, has never bothered either of my cars, neither has using Valero or On-Cue or any of the others...but what I do hate and avoid are places that won't fix their leaky handles, lol...bad, boooo.

Schaeffer Manufacturing 139A- SoyShield Diesel Fuel Additive, 1 gallon
Will make your diesel fuel premium diesel?

I'm human X

Rodmiser said:

Schaeffer Manufacturing 139A- SoyShield Diesel Fuel Additive, 1 gallon
Will make your diesel fuel premium diesel?

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What is 'premium diesel' for you?

There is always variance to a certain degree of your D2 fuel quality. If you have researched the above additive for lubrication and other properties then I would say it will not damage your engine and might be helpful for your high pressure fuel injectors as a start.

Other people use additives only in certain conditions such as for cold weather or when fueling in unfamiliar stations.

What is 'premium diesel' for you?

There is always variance to a certain degree of your D2 fuel quality. If you have researched the above additive for lubrication and other properties then I would say it will not damage your engine and might be helpful for your high pressure fuel injectors as a start.

Other people use additives only in certain conditions such as for cold weather or when fueling in unfamiliar stations. Thank you

Thank You tikal

Rodmiser said:

Schaeffer Manufacturing 139A- SoyShield Diesel Fuel Additive, 1 gallon
Will make your diesel fuel premium diesel?

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I like Schaeffer products, but since they do not claim SoyShield will provide the standards for 'premium diesel' then we should assume that it does not.

Rodmiser said:

I'm human X

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That's what all the robots say.


(In case you wondered: that metallic 'X' at the end of your statement gave you away.)

What are the implications regarding fuel quality when stations such as Exxon and Shell put a label next to the diesel nozzle that states that the fuel is NOT made by Exxon and adds a disclaimer?

Nothing for the most part. It could also mean that the fuel is higher quality. The only thing you will know is it isn't made by them and is supplied by a third party distributor.

What does everyone think about the Diesel fuel available at 76 which is now R99 or R95 in which R stands for renewable?

In Canada, Ont I use shell's Top Tier Diesel sometimes there top tier V-power when price drops I like it, because I get Air miles toward money