What type of diesel do you use?

Baldytyke88

Grade 1-D (Diesel #1): A lighter, more refined fuel suitable for very cold weather due to its resistance to gelling. It burns faster, offering less fuel economy but better cold starts.

Grade 2-D (Diesel #2): This is the most common, year-round diesel fuel used in most cars and trucks. It is heavier than #1, provides better fuel economy, but can gel in extreme cold.
Grade 4-D (Diesel #4): A heavy, thick fuel used for large, low-speed engines like marine vessels or industrial equipment.

I have no idea, perhaps I should find out, does it state this info at the pump?

Is there a type 3?

flaneurs_lobster

Costco.

(No, I've no idea either).

Keep_pedalling

I believe the fuel companies supply winter fuels between November and March and supply summer diesel the rest of the year. It all comes from the same pumps. 

Baldytyke88

Keep_pedalling said:

I believe the fuel companies supply winter fuels between November and March and supply summer diesel the rest of the year. It all comes from the same pumps. 

Our winters used to be colder; perhaps some companies have different winter formulas?

jimjames

I use B7 diesel. Not sure that fits the 3 types but it's what the supermarket sells

Mildly_Miffed

There are, IIRC, two refineries that supply ALL unleaded and ALL diesel to the entire UK.

They supply via pipeline to a handful of regional distribution depots, which handle all brands in that part of the country.

They add some brand-specific additives to the tankers at the point of filling, for distribution to individual filling stations.

All fuel sold in the UK conforms to minimum standards - BS EN 228 for petrol, BS EN 590 for diesel. All diesel is ~7% biofuel (B7). All petrol is ~5% bioethanol (E5), ~10% (E10) for standard 95RON. E5 has been the standard since unleaded was introduced in the '80s. E10 across various European countries since 2009 and the UK since 2021. B7 diesel has been the standard since 2009, when it replaced B5.

With petrol, there can be a tangible benefit in higher octane - better resistance to ignition, leading to reduced pre-ignition (pinking, knock, dieseling) with high boost/compression engines. Almost everything built in the last few decades is perfectly happy on 95RON, with some higher performance engines (especially turbo) capable of taking advantage of 98RON for higher performance. Other than at high revs/throttle/load/boost, there will be no difference in how they run.

With diesel, there is no tangible benefit in higher cetane. It's marketing smoke and mirrors.

Grey_Critic

The suppliers introduce a Winter Additive from November to March Many of the large haulage companies actually fit a fuel heater

QrizB

Baldytyke88 said:

Grade 1-D (Diesel #1):

(Snip) 

That's all US information, irrelevant here in the UK.

There's a single standard for diesel, EN 590.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EN_590

There are two different blends used in the UK, summer diesel and winter diesel. Which is supplied by the wholesaler depends on the time of year.

Summer diesel (mid-March to mid-November) has a CFPP of -5C and a cloud point of 3C. Winter diesel (mid-November to mid-March) has a CFPP of -15C and a cloud point of -5C.

Baldytyke88

QrizB said:

That's all US information, irrelevant here in the UK.

There's a single standard for diesel, EN 590.

They do have more extreme weather in the USA, with it being a massive country. But is that the only reason for the difference?

UK diesel fuel, meeting the EN 590 standard, has a minimum cetane rating of 51, but standard forecourt diesel often falls in the 46-51 range

Typical cetane ratings of diesel

    Regular Diesel: Around 48–50

    Biodiesel (B100): Around 55
    Premium Diesel: Often 55–60+

    

A higher cetane rating in diesel means the fuel ignites more quickly and easily, reducing ignition delay for smoother, more complete combustion, leading to easier cold starts, less noise/smoke, better fuel economy, lower emissions (like particulates), and improved overall engine performance, with modern engines typically running best with fuel in the 45-55 range, but premium fuels offering 55+ for enhanced benefits

Not sure if we should worry about this information from Google, but a minimum rating of 51, with most diesels barely reaching 51

Mildly_Miffed

Baldytyke88 said:

Not sure if we should worry about this information from Google, but a minimum rating of 51, with most diesels barely reaching 51

There are two alternative explanations for this...

1. The vast majority of diesel fuel on sale fails to meet the minimum standard.
2. Your googled (GenAI slop?) result is inaccurate...

Baldytyke88

Mildly_Miffed said:

There are two alternative explanations for this...

1. The vast majority of diesel fuel on sale fails to meet the minimum standard.
2. Your googled (GenAI slop?) result is inaccurate...

It is interesting tho.

"North America (USA & Canada): Most states follow the ASTM D975 standard, which sets a lower minimum of 40. In practice, typical on-road diesel ranges from 42 to 45. Some states like California may have slightly higher requirements for emissions purposes."