Okay,
Me and a Freind the last few days have been arguing about the quality differance in the different brands of diesel (i.e. Cheveron, shell, Exxon). I tell him that diesel is diesel and theres nothing different in the fuels. but he insists that there is. So i put the Question to you guys... Is there a Differance

Thanks
Marty

 

I dont think there's really a difference.. I know I will just buy whatever is cheapest.
Scott

 

There isn't supposed to be a difference.

But.

I swear mines runs better with either Chevron or Phillips.
Doesn't run as well on Sinclair.

Of course, Sinclair is cheaper since they are in the parking lot of the local grocery store,
and you save 5-20 cents per gallon depending on what you buy in the store.


phox

 

I believe there is very little difference in the base fuel.

There will probably be a larger difference in the additive package spec'ed by the different resellers though.

 

All the tankers load from the same depot so the basic fuel is the same.....some mite add a additive to the tanker drop load

 

I,ve heard that it's good to get diesel from a place that's sells alot of diesel fuel. They say with the trucks going in there more often to fill the tanks, it keeps the bottom of the tank cleaner, which in turn gives you cleaner diesel. How bout' that!

 

I agree with Phox, I swear that it gets better milage on Conoco vs. Tom Thumb. I used to only run Super America, but my milage is just terrible last winter and this spring, so I switched to Conoco. Now I think I'm running better milage, have to see on fill-up at the Conoco station.

Can diesel expire? Maybe that's why Tom Thumb diesel is so bad, because they hardly ever sell any. Does it get worse with age?

 

True except for Cenex, they have their own terminals and the fuel is usually at least 5 cetane points higher. Think they are only in agricultural states though. Locations here http://www.cenex.com/?Page=locations&Path=6

There are some few and far between stations that sell higher cetane fuel, mostly Amoco .
For a list go here http://www20.brinkster.com/beowulf9/....asp?View=FULL

Most any diesel fuel question you can think of answered here- http://www.cenex.com/default.asp?Pag...ath=0;0;6#a061

 

Well I can;t tell any differance. I use Cheveron Mainly and EXXON and safeway the rest of the time. but i really can;t tell the differance. i get the same milage on all three brands. I do have a Cenex station here in town and i will try them and really keep track the next couple of fill ups to see any differance. is there a way to see what the additives are in the different companies?

 

Cenex has the best, cleanest fuel in our region. A true "premium" diesel fuel. Always high cetane numbers.

 

I buy mine at Pilot. It's the cheapest place around, and they have good fuel.

 

Most all Cenex diesel is 2% soy bio now, excellent lubricity.
I get a consistent 2 mpg increase using their Ruby Fieldmaster.
http://www.cenex.com/?Page=005295679&Path=0;0;0#a1

 

Guys,

Cenex is an exception to the rule. As stated above, they do tend to mix their own fuel, and move a lot of it, so quality is, on average, better.

The other 99.9% of stations get their fuel from a common source. Tank farms or distribution centers bring fuel in from a refinery. All tanker trucks in a given area fill up at these centers. For example, in Duluth/Superior, all the fuel comes from 1 of 2 Murphy Oil distribution centers. 1 is in MN, and 1 is in WI next to the refinery. Fuel loaded into tankers in WI comes from the refinery across the street. Fuel loaded into tankers in MN up here comes to that particular terminal over the Williams Pipeline from a larger blender down near Minneapolis. What does this mean? All fuel you purchase in this area comes from one of two sources. It doesn't matter if it is Super America, Shell, BP, whatever. It is all the same fuel, at least originally. Most stations do not add their own additives. If the do, it is only in the winter to ensure low water content and gel-tolorance. That's it.

And my Duluth/Superior example is not a rarity. This is the same all across the country. If a Shell station is closer to a Exxon refinery, the Shell station will purchase and resell Exxon fuel. It is just cheaper to transport it a shorter distance. The same could be said for an Exxon station located close to a Shell refinery!

I had a roommate that would only buy gasoline from Spur stations. I was amazed by this, and could never convince him that it really didn't matter.

So, why do diesel folks swear the get better fuel from one station rather than another? Freshness. Diesel does not store well. You need to purchase fuel from a volume seller. Truck stops are usually a safe bet since they move a large quantity of diesel and the fuel in their storage tanks is fresher than the little station with 15 gas pumps and 1 or 2 diesel pumps. Most Super Americas I've seen only have 1 or maybe 2 diesel pumps, and I am leery of the age of their fuel. Note: The only time I have EVER had fuel gel up on me was after filling up at a Super America. Nothing agains SA in particular, but if they don't move enough fuel, the fuel is likely to have a higher water content. Add to that the fact that they probably ordered loads of diesel once a month rather than once a week, and the fuel I got was probably summer blend that was carry-over into winter. I avoid small-volume sellers for my fuel.

Go where it is cheapest, but more importantly go where it is likely to be fresh. Ask the manager how large their diesel storage tank is, and how often they have to fill it. Every time I fill up, I actually drive across the state border to get better fuel.

Brands don't mean jack. Ask the station where their fuel comes from. If the Holiday station employee says it comes from Holiday, either you are very near a Holiday distribution center, or the employee is brainless.

 

SA is owned by Pilot. Remember those fancy new Williams truck stops? And that Giant facility in NM? More victims of Pilot's massive campaign to capture what Flying J hadn't.

In my small town in Wyoming, there were five each Texaco, Conoco and Exxon stations, a Maverick, a P66 and a Sinclair. They all drew fuel from the same Billings, MT yard. I asked the Sinclair dealer what gives. He said, "we trade fuel". He was carrying fuel for all the stations. Thankfully there's no more Texaco, which were replaced with three Shell and two Cenex stations.

It was always funny, come summertime, when the tourists would bypass the local Sinclair station in favor of the Texaco, Exxon and Conoco stations because they thought they were getting the better fuel! Now the better fuel is Cenex, fresh from the Laurel, MT refinery.

On edit: Actually the connection btwn Pilot & SA is Marathon Ashland Oil Co.
http://www.marathon.com/Our_Business...erAmerica_LLC/

 

What Duluth Diesel said is, by and large, true. If you do a little investigating you can find out if there is a difference where you live.

First, you have to find someone who starts with high quality fuel.

Second, you have to be near the refinery where it's made or they have to have their own pipeline to bring it to their own distribution center where you live.

Third, they need (but don't necessarily HAVE to have) their own trucks to take it to their own stations.

That is the only way brand identity can be maintained.

Where I live, Amoco (BP) is the ONLY brand that meets all of the above conditions.