A friend/neighbor runs the B99 and claims he only regens once every 400-500 miles. It cost him $2.60 a gal.
I usually burn Shell or Texaco, and just tried some valero at $2.95gal. They both seem the same as far as seat of the pants performance, and regen frequency around town. I regen approximately once every 150 miles.

He has the same exact truck as me except his has 10,000 miles and mine has 6000 miles. Both trucks are new F350 srw cc Platinum's.

From a standing start, his truck takes mine by 1/2 truck length and pulls maybe another 1 to 2 lengths by the time we get on the hyway at 65-70mph. We do this almost every morning on the 2 lane entrance ramp, on the way to work. It always turns out the same. He says its the fuel.

Yes I know Ford only recommends the B20 or less.
Is it ok to run this fuel...?

 

As far as the stoplight entrance ramp racing I wouldn't lay too much creditability to it being the fuel. You could take two different Mustang GTs and do the same with the same results. Not all vehicles are even across the board, that's why some trucks go faster some slower, and why some have warranty issues and some don't.

Me personally, I'm going to follow the Ford guidelines simply due to not stepping into any warranty claim issues. While at this point if you were to tear down both trucks fuel systems they may look the same at this point, but then you two have very little miles on either truck. But, how will the fuel systems compare say at 40,000 miles.

If his truck breaks down and has to be towed to the shop and they think the problem is fuel system related. And by fuel system related that covers a whole mess of parts that get expensive real quick. And say they take a fuel sample only to find out what fuel he is running in his truck, he may have just given up his warranty to save .30 a gallon.

I'll stick with the owners manual on this one,

 

Our trucks are rated for 20 percent.
Compare Bio Diesel to Petrol Diesel
Bio diesel
128,700 per gallon
Low Sulfur diesel
138,490

So you get less energy per gallon.

The other big point is Bio diesel does collect more water from the air then LS diesel, so more water in fuel issuses. Then next issue is because are trucks do regen, Bio Diesel does not boil out of our motor because it has a much higher flash point. So this means that bio diesel will collect more over time in your motor Oil.

So in summary. Bio diesel is not the great thing its made out to be. You are better off using regular #2 diesel.

 

I've run BioDiesel for a long time in my other diesel trucks and in a 2006 diesel Jetta. From B5 - B99. I started experimenting with it in 2004. B20 is the sweet spot - even the industry tests agree, probably why Ford only recommends up to B20. Can your motor handle b99, sure, but if something grenades will Ford cover it? Doubt it - I even know a lot of 7.3s running b99 without issue. The reason up to B20 is what is recommended is probably deals with higher amounts mean higher Nox emissions. You get the best reduction in soot and Nox at that level. I've always noticed slightly less power running B99.

Because of issues with running bio in cold weather, I won't even run B5 where I live now - it is one of the things I Had to give up, when I moved up here.

Your friend is probably right on the regens because it produces a whole less soot. BUT what he hasn't told you, is that you go through more DEF (10% - 20% is what I noticed) as Bio produces more Nox.

To wrap it up, my concerns with Bio are that the CFPP is in the +40F range at B99. And if you have any sludge buildup in the fuel system it will clean it out for you. It isn't as much of a problem now since the 2007 ULSD came out, but the older stuff was so dirty a tank of Bio would plug a fuel filter up.

Another thing to note, is that you get less MPG running B99, as was already pointed out, it has less BTU per gallon than #2.

And since we regen and you get more miles per regen, it makes up for the lower MPG... In my previous vehicles they didn't have DPFs so the lower MPG was more noticeable. It wasn't enough for me to not run BIO though especially at the B20 level.

 

Well given the region of the country I live in, I have to run B5. I think this is a good thing, as Bio does re-introduce lubricity to the fuel, especially in modest amounts that makes it just as well lubricated as pure Low-Sulfur Diesel (500 ppm stuff). Once you go above 20 percent bio, you run into issues with seal compatibility, and bio is a solvent. If you've never ran bio, you will go through a period of clogging your fuel filters when it scrubs out all the gunk that accumulates in the fuel system. And as previously noted, many vendors specify more frequent oil changes when running above b5, do in part to the higher flash temperature that was previously mentioned(so it washes into the oil pan).

 

Thanks for the replies...

Seems the general consensus is not to use Bio 99, and probably a good idea to stay clear of all Bio...?

 

Personally, I think modest amounts of Bio are good. Ford (and many other engine makers) certify to B20. So B20 or less should be OK. Personally, I think B5 is perfect. Ford and Cummins don't specify any maintenance changes when running this small amount of Bio, and it helps lubricate the fueling system better than straight diesel.