Diesel - is it just me.......

[Tone13]

....... Or do our Challengers run far quieter, smoother and have more power when filling up with BP Diesel?

Filled up at Caltex and noticed the Challenger was noisy (far more diesel clatter) and lacking a bit in power. Maybe it was bad fuel but when I then filled up with BP, the engine seemed far quieter, smoother and had more power. Can a different brand of diesel really effect the engine so obviosly?

If so, whats different between say, BP and Caltex diesels?

[Keithyv]

This is a can of worms and depending on who you ask you’ll get a different answer.
My old car (Diesel Terracan) used to blow less smoke on BP than Caltex but in my current Pajero I can’t really tell any difference between brands to be honest.
Mind you I do put a dose of Chemtech diesel power cleaner/ treatment in every tank now with this new vehicle.

[itsamitsi]

I don't think I've noticed much between Caltex and BP but them and other diesels for sure. They are premiums and not standard diesel. I try and solely run BP in ours as it seems to be the benchmark.

[littleriver]

X2

BP ultimate diesel all the way ...

No need then to put an additive in ...

...

[stumagoo]

my 300zx runs completely different on caltex petrol to BP.... I know it is all supposed to come from the same refineries but I also know that Caltex fuel I have issues with vapor lock and it idles very low and stumbles when the engine is warm at idle.... no problems with BP - infact my wife used to complain that it would stall on her at the lights after she filled it with caltex (she uses caltex due to her shopping discount vouchers) I dont let her fill it up anymore

[KevL]

Mine runs noticeably smoother on BP Ultimate. Caltex Vortex is close behind. No noticeable difference between normal bp and normal Caltex, just nothing like ultimate or vortex.
Filled twice at Shell. Never again. Seemed down on power and fuel economy absolutely awful.
I have no idea why there’s so much difference as the actual fuel makeup is not that different.


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[itsamitsi]

Mine runs noticeably smoother on BP Ultimate. Caltex Vortex is close behind. No noticeable difference between normal bp and normal Caltex, just nothing like ultimate or vortex.
Filled twice at Shell. Never again. Seemed down on power and fuel economy absolutely awful.
I have no idea why there’s so much difference as the actual fuel makeup is not that different.


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Oh but there is a difference. Twice I used a little local servo after hours as I needed fuel urgently and it was awful. 100km less on those tank fulls and the running and performance was notably down.(It seemed very clear for diesel too) BP and Caltex no difference. Shell was lousy too, Mobil made it smoke more on hard acceleration.

[Tone13]

Thanks for the replies. Interesting to know there can be such a difference between the major brands.

I definitely filled up with Caltex as I remember it was from the 'Foodary' service station on Tullamarine Drive near Melbourne airport which is a large new Caltex joint.

The Chall' ran so poorly after that that I thought there was a problem with it. After then filling up with BP, all came good again after 30km's or so.

[greig]

Run my 200 series on a local no name servo diesel and notice no difference compared to a tank of the "premium" stuff ??

The "premium" diesel is supposed to have a cleaner added, but have never heard of proof that cetane levels are higher than other brands.

It's true that most or all diesel comes from the same place, and additives are the only difference.
But getting info on what additives are added is very hard.

[mossy338]

No detectable difference for me in performance or economy between BP ultimate, which I have switched to 'coz everyone says it's better', and other brands I was using before.

[DID Dash]

Cannot explain why, but my PB Challenger which I owned for 5 years was noticeably smoother on BP Ultimate than any other fuel I tried. I would always go out of my way to fill up at BP even though I passed by a Caltex every day. On the rare occasion (usually out bush) where I used alternate fuel, it just didn't feel as smooth.

Interestingly, in my new Pajero Sport, I did the first 3000kms of its life using only BP Ultimate. I had to fuel up at a Caltex up North over the LWE and noticed a little uneven idle on the way home. Coincidence?

[greig]

Cannot explain why, but my PB Challenger which I owned for 5 years was noticeably smoother on BP Ultimate than any other fuel I tried. I would always go out of my way to fill up at BP even though I passed by a Caltex every day. On the rare occasion (usually out bush) where I used alternate fuel, it just didn't feel as smooth.

Interestingly, in my new Pajero Sport, I did the first 3000kms of its life using only BP Ultimate. I had to fuel up at a Caltex up North over the LWE and noticed a little uneven idle on the way home. Coincidence?

Maybe in your mind ??
While BP ultimate "may" have additives for cleaning purposes, I can't see how the other diesel fuel could have ANY bad effects to the running of a engine.

[Tone13]

Maybe in your mind ??
While BP ultimate "may" have additives for cleaning purposes, I can't see how the other diesel fuel could have ANY bad effects to the running of a engine.

Nope, it's definately not in his mind. My Pb also runs far smoother and with more power on BP Ultimate. The difference is quite staggering.

I'm wondering if it's something particular to the Pb or some diesels engines in particular as others don't notice a difference.

[littleriver]

Maybe in your mind ??
While BP ultimate "may" have additives for cleaning purposes, I can't see how the other diesel fuel could have ANY bad effects to the running of a engine.

hi Greig ... how's the 200 series going ...

we too also notice the difference with running BP Ultimate compared to other fuels ... must be some special Beepee ...

...

[itsamitsi]

IIRC BPs cetane rating was the highest of all which may account for this? You will notice it most in the smaller TDs.