BP used to stand for British Petroleum, but they've since changed it to Beyond Petroleum, at least on their ads.

It's possible you got a tank of p remier or supreme, they are only available in a few midwestern states. There are plenty of mislabeled pumps across the country, however true supreme and premier are only in about 6 midwestern states. They are 50 cetane minimum, ultra low sulfur, extremely low aromatics, etc. The real deal, no fake 'premium' diesel which is typically just 40-42 cetane garbage with some additives dumped in..

Dave, I'd suggest since you live in MI, calling bp direct's diesel technical fuel specialists and asking for the name/number of the local distributor/terminal that dispenses amoco premier. Then once you call them you can find out which stations exactly take deliveries of premier and stick with that. I did that when I lived in the Cleveland area to find BP supreme. It's worth the few phone calls. www.bpdirect.com

 

I fueled up today and it says Premium Amoco fuels on the pump,I havent seen any mileage gain to speak of but it sure runs better.

 

Dave65, if it doesn't say "amoco diesel premier' or 'bp diesel supreme' you aren't getting it. Must have been the first few tanks you got were really awful, and this bp is just serving up some fresh normal diesel. The supreme/premier costs a bit more but is worth it. You will have more power and better mpg. Where in MI are you?

 

Im in Flint unfortunately

 

I have heard that diesel in Euope has much higher cetane ratings than the US, mid 50's I believe. Also heard that Shell has better cetane ratings in their diesel here.

This is going to change soon, 2006 or 2007, EPA has called for a reduction in sulphur content in diesel sold in the US. Wonder what that will do for older trucks like my 95?

 

Guys, aside from Bp Supreme and Amoco premier, all diesel comes through the same shared pipelines to your local terminal, AT WHICH POINT it is additized(some brands) and put into separate branded trucks. There is no shell diesel or bp diesel. It's all the same. Freshness/volume, and station cleanliness are the independent factors that affect fuel quality.

Eurodiesel averages 48-52 cetane, but has much much lower sulfur ratings, much like the new ULSD that will be implemented in 2006 starting with the 80/20 rule. The ULSD will not affect your '95 in any way aside from a cleaner engine and less smoke/emissions. On a side note, the process that strips sulfur from fuel does strip some lubricity, and I personally don't rely on the terminals to additize it properly. When ULSD rolls around you can be sure I'll be putting a lubricity additive in every tank. Biodiesel is my preferred lubricity and cetane booster, although it's not as widely available as most.

 

what about additives? Is there some you you can buy to boost the cetane level?

 

That's a whole different topic, and a can of worms at that! Do a search on additives.

In short, yes there are additives that boost cetane. Whether or not they are worth the extra 3 cents per treated gallon is your call.