Winter Diesel Fuel vs Additives

[WingNut]

I know this has been covered to death, but I have been getting conflicting advice. Is it better to run winter diesel fuel or to put additives into summer diesel fuel ?
I live in Northern Ontario and we reguarily get -20 to -40 C weather (-5 to -40 F)
I have heard that if you run strickly winter diesel fuel which I believe has kerosen added to it, that it dosen't lubricate the engine enough, is this true ?
are you better off to just put some kind of additive in the summer diesel fuel ?
and if so what is the best additive to use ?

 

[kuboman]

I know this has been covered to death, but I have been getting conflicting advice. Is it better to run winter diesel fuel or to put additives into summer diesel fuel ?
I live in Northern Ontario and we reguarily get -20 to -40 C weather (-5 to -40 F)
I have heard that if you run strickly winter diesel fuel which I believe has kerosen added to it, that it dosen't lubricate the engine enough, is this true ?
are you better off to just put some kind of additive in the summer diesel fuel ?
and if so what is the best additive to use ?

I would not want to rely on an additive to keep me going in -40 weather. I would use winter fuel with a good fuel conditioner/ lubricant.

 

[birddogger]

I would not want to rely on an additive to keep me going in -40 weather.

Well that is the limits of the antigels I've seen anyway. <shrug>

 

[hodge]

You can get winter blend in the summer? What additives are put in the winter blend, that would benefit you during the summer? My assumption is that goodies are added to keep the fuel from gelling. I don't know about Canada, but here in my area, the winter blend has less BTU's- I can definitely feel the difference between the two. So, I wouldn't want to run winter blend, if I didn't have to.
I use Powerservice- the gray bottle in the summer, and the white bottle in the winter. We don't have cold like you do, but I have known diesel to gel here in VA, and I haven't experienced it, using Winter Powerservice.

 

[bosshogg]

#1 diesel has less parafin wax which coagulates and causes gelling. It also has less btu so you will get reduced mileage. I would run straight #1 diesel with a lubricant in anything below -10 F personally. Diesel jellying also accompanys Murphies Law and will have at the worst time and in the worst place imaginable.

 

[smog]

I live in Northern Ontario and we reguarily get -20 to -40 C weather (-5 to -40 F)

I use whatever diesel fuel sold at the pump durng winter but add up to 15% gasoline for the 3 weeks we get -30C temps.

it's a trick used in nordic trucks driving north of the arctic circle.

then again, during summer (like now), I burn used hydraulic/ATF oil and mix with diesel fuel as it get colder.

I know I just unleashed the internet trolls right now but that's what I've been doing for more than 20 years in anything from high tech, modded VW TDI engines to the most basic IDI kubota engine. And yes I opened the IP and the injectors to make sure everything is ok. VW even specified it in the canadian driver manual of diesel cars up to 1996.

Use your brain and use at your own risk. Myself, I stay away from any alcohol based anti-gelling product

 

[WingNut]

Well, that cleared that up, kidding, but I do thank everyone for there imput. This L2850 is the first diesel I've had, and I guess what worries me the most is that I read somewhere that the winter diesel fuel doesn't provide as much lubrication, or perhaps it was the fact that the kerosene that they add to it nulifies some of the lubricating quality.
So, I guess to be on the safe side I'll try to buy a good quality additive to put in when the temperature drops below -20 C.