Supermarket diesel Good Or Bad?

first big engine i ever stripped and rebuilt was a two stroke diesel marine engine by foden.
never worked on any others .
it was in the tec at plympton collegue.
 
DuxDeluxe said:
Just wondering what equipment they used to test the fuel. A proper test involved preparation and the use of a substantial bit of kit such as an ICP or HPGLC, neither of which are terribly portable. Simpler method is to use indicative detection using the infra red spectrum (technique name evades me at the moment). It is quick but does only give an indication...... essentially it takes a fingerprint and compares with the reference fuel and a margin either side.

The testing company I think is Intertek - my previous employers got out of the race testing business altogether as the FIM/FIA pretty well wanted it done for nothing and we saw very little advertising/publicity gain for all the hassle and grief we would get. Only if a fuel fails the fingerprint is it properly tested in a lab.
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BSB is run under FIM reg's, The test rig was quite a large trailer set up, most of the tech stuff would go over my head anyway :whistle: all I can tell you is what he told me, we went back to shell V-Power/Optimax, lap times came back, In the 90s BP gave best results after lots of back to back testing, but these days I trust my Dyno/Tuner guys which fuel they get best results with, there is a huge difference between supermarket & Shell V power on a dyno, not much difference on top brand super unleaded's though but when you want that last 1-2 HP (y)
 
Enword said:
BSB is run under FIM reg's, The test rig was quite a large trailer set up, most of the tech stuff would go over my head anyway :whistle: all I can tell you is what he told me, we went back to shell V-Power/Optimax, lap times came back, In the 90s BP gave best results after lots of back to back testing, but these days I trust my Dyno/Tuner guys which fuel they get best results with, there is a huge difference between supermarket & Shell V power on a dyno, not much difference on top brand super unleaded's though but when you want that last 1-2 HP (y)
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Yes, seen pictures of it - much of it is "for show" as the fingerprint testing itself is about the size of an office desk, but they need a stable power supply etc. You can get portable GC's but for results that would stand up in a court it needs a lab.

There is a huge difference between normal Shell and VPower. The latter is mostly a synthetic fuel made from GTL (gas to liquid) technology. One reason why I like VPower..........
 
Vauxhall engines, their sensors and standard ECU map might be more sensitive to cheap fuel. When I had a V6 petrol Vectra, running it on Sainsbury's ordinary unleaded, after several tankfuls the tickover was rough and the EML warning on the dash lit up sporadically, and a couple of times it went into limp mode for a minute or so. Refills with Shell and Esso premium super unleaded fuel restored smoothness and stopped the EML warnings. I think it went quicker too, but that is subjective. MPG on runs varied between lows of 28 and highs of 42, the latter on the Super unleadeds.

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The thing about the internet is, no matter what your opinion on any matter, there will be at least one person who agrees with you and at least one who doesn't.

My engine first ran in 1987.

I change the (mineral) engine oil and filter every 5000 kms.

I use supermarket diesel.

Additives or no additives, I reckon the stuff coming out of the pumps in 2016 is at least as good quality as the stuff used in 1987.

JJ :cool:
 
@DuxDeluxe What was funny was that he never gets out of his office normally (the scroots just wave you on when past) but walked straight towards me & passenger We had never used this fuel before!
I was crapping my self thinking we would be excluded at best because the sample was dodgy or something, Never thought I'd have been revealed to be told it was shit fuel:D
 
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Between us 2 cars, the motorhome, 2 bikes and a 2 stroke scooter are only ever filled with supermarket petrol or diesel.

No issues at all ever.

Posts #5 and #7 are a definitive enough answer for me. Nothing else needs to be said.
 
Puddleduck said:
Well the tanker that filled the local supermarket tanks then went on to fill the tanks at the only other fuel station near here.

Having said that there is one supermarket where I never ever buy fuel.
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But probably different fuel,,,seven separate compartments on a tanker.Must have had very small storage capacity at that supermarket because they usually take the full load,,BUSBY.

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busby said:
But probably different fuel,,,seven separate compartments on a tanker.Must have had very small storage capacity at that supermarket because they usually take the full load,,BUSBY.
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Yep, small storage capacity due to the site (so fast turnover of the fuel). Only two choices here of where to fill up -supermarket or Jet station, unless you want to drive 12 miles each way to the next fuel station - after the 8 mile trip already done to get to that fuel station!
 
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vwalan said:
first big engine i ever stripped and rebuilt was a two stroke diesel marine engine by foden.
never worked on any others .
it was in the tec at plympton collegue.
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I remember these well Holborn Heaton charger port inlet OHV exhaust 226 BHP coupled to a Foden 12 speed box 2 gearlevers
 
Erm... so the answer is?

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Lorryman100 said:
Real life feedback on using 2 Stroke oil in diesel tank.

http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic1708.html?highlight=2+stroke+oil

http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic9189.html?highlight=2+stroke+oil&start=75
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Well that was a good deal of my life I will never get back. It was useful for a laugh if nothing else. And it is useful for nothing else...... except adding to the fuel in 2 stroke petrol engines or lightening the wallets of gullible people with modern common rail engines
 
DuxDeluxe said:
Well that was a good deal of my life I will never get back. It was useful for a laugh if nothing else. And it is useful for nothing else...... except adding to the fuel in 2 stroke petrol engines or lightening the wallets of gullible people with modern common rail engines
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Fact of life is that people believe what they want to, simples. And without going into the technical side of wear in rotary fuel pumps or injector patterns due to fuel use remembering that the forum I linked to has members from all over the world and I am guessing that the fuel quality differs from country to country from this side to the other side of the world. So if 2 SO works for them, great.

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they sell them here if you want one .
been around for years .
the importers are or were in south london .
 
To take this thread slightly off topic whilst we have fuel experts on board, diesel engined aircraft were tried and put into service pre war, how did they stop the fuel waxing at the low temperatures at altitude?

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matamoros said:
To take this thread slightly off topic whilst we have fuel experts on board, diesel engined aircraft were tried and put into service pre war, how did they stop the fuel waxing at the low temperatures at altitude?
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.......good question. Probably by adding a lot of kerosene which would lower the Cold filter plugging point. Easier just to use kerosene, really..........

I'll have a dig around and see what I can find, but a bit before my time as never heard of it before
 
The ' i have always used cheap fuel and never had an issue' argument , is like smokers who havent died yet.. at some point it gets you.

My car runs on whatever is cheapest, because i dont care, same as my van, they are both disposables, my car runs on oil that comes out of the bikes.

The MH runs on whatever happens by when i need it, but never supermarket stuff, just branded basic stuff.

Bikes get the best they can.
 
Portland said:
Think the big Zepelins had diesels.it reduced the chance of it catching fire
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Yes, couldn't find much about the wax issues, but weight was a big problem, as was lower power and reliability issues. Noted that you can retrofit a Mercedes 1.7Cdi engine into a Cessna (but would you really want to???)
 
matamoros said:
To take this thread slightly off topic whilst we have fuel experts on board, diesel engined aircraft were tried and put into service pre war, how did they stop the fuel waxing at the low temperatures at altitude?
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Diesel is coming back into fashion in light aircraft they run on jet A1 more or less kerosene (I know the fuel experts will disagree!!!) A lot of raf gliding clubs used to use jet fuel in the diesel winch engines don't know if they added a lubricant or not.

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