AndyH
Registered Vendor , w/Business number
This isn't finished information. It's more of a call for experimenters and chemists.
My fuel economy has been somewhat erratic the last 18 months or so. I've attributed it to weather, switching from LSD to ULSD and back, biodiesel, sunspots, etc. Mileage hit 44 on the road one time. Most of the time it was 42 or so, and could drop to 36 with no warning.
One of the papers quoted showed differnces in performance when low 'natural cetane' fuel was treated with an over the counter cetane additive, and also when high natural cetane fuel was treated with additional additives. The charts seemed to say that in all cases, more cetane was better for high performance and/or high demand engines. But they also appeared to show that there was a performance drop when high natural cetane fuel was treated with an additive and used in lower-demand service.
I stuck with my normal driving routine and speeds and started playing with different cetane treats - none, single dose, and double dose. I ran three tanks in each condition. I'm using AMSOIL additives, so I was able to vary just the cetane treat rate while keeping the lubricity additive rate standardized.
It seems that, for my driving style in my un-chipped car, my fuel mileage can take hits up to 4mpg when I'm using either B20 or higher, or ULSD, and add any extra cetane.
I can still get a bit of a mileage boost running LSD when I add some cetane.
Since I've stuck with ULSD and no added cetane, my fuel mileage hasn't dropped below 40 and I'm seeing 44 much more frequently.
While I think the folks with chips and other performance mods may still benefit from some extra cetane, I suspect the stock vehicles might show a mileage increase with B20 or ULSD if they skip any cetane adds.
Thoughts? Chemists?
My fuel economy has been somewhat erratic the last 18 months or so. I've attributed it to weather, switching from LSD to ULSD and back, biodiesel, sunspots, etc. Mileage hit 44 on the road one time. Most of the time it was 42 or so, and could drop to 36 with no warning.
One of the papers quoted showed differnces in performance when low 'natural cetane' fuel was treated with an over the counter cetane additive, and also when high natural cetane fuel was treated with additional additives. The charts seemed to say that in all cases, more cetane was better for high performance and/or high demand engines. But they also appeared to show that there was a performance drop when high natural cetane fuel was treated with an additive and used in lower-demand service.
I stuck with my normal driving routine and speeds and started playing with different cetane treats - none, single dose, and double dose. I ran three tanks in each condition. I'm using AMSOIL additives, so I was able to vary just the cetane treat rate while keeping the lubricity additive rate standardized.
It seems that, for my driving style in my un-chipped car, my fuel mileage can take hits up to 4mpg when I'm using either B20 or higher, or ULSD, and add any extra cetane.
I can still get a bit of a mileage boost running LSD when I add some cetane.
Since I've stuck with ULSD and no added cetane, my fuel mileage hasn't dropped below 40 and I'm seeing 44 much more frequently.
While I think the folks with chips and other performance mods may still benefit from some extra cetane, I suspect the stock vehicles might show a mileage increase with B20 or ULSD if they skip any cetane adds.
Thoughts? Chemists?