Well I had to run some errands and I noticed fuel was REAL low.. For the past year I've used nothing but Valero Diesel for the simple fact its refined in Texas, it's the cheapest, and they don't mix it with Bio.. Well this wasn't the case, I didn't have enough to make it to the nearest Valero so I was forced to take my baby to a Shell Station.. Sigh.. I hope Bio mixture doesn't torment my truck LMAO

I'm expecting a massive decline in MPG, loss of 150hp and a loss of 400 torque.. LMAO Just kidding... I know I won't be going to a Shell.. place was 10 cents more then the Valero 10 miles down the road.. Didn't want to risk it tho, she was right on Red.. Wasn't paying attention DOH

 

I use Valero here in Lafayette also. If i'm in the area a place near here sells B100 about 5 to 7 cents less than diesel. I've run a few tanks and hadn't noticed any real difference.

 

Don't forget that biodiesel will make you want to change your fuel filters every 200 miles or so! You're also causing the price of tofu to increase!

 

I always had good luck with the Shell fuel EXCEPT for the one at 183 and 1431 in Cedar Park. I ALWAYS got water from them. Other than that one they usually carry "premium" diesel. FWIW--I bet you notice your injectors being a little quieter with a little bio in the tank. The truck stop @ Grand Avenue (or is it Wells Branch) and I-35 always has good fuel too.

 

You know.. I did notice that tonight... All in all its not too bad.. Grant it the price bout killed me LOL..

 

What ? Every 200 miles are you nuts ? Where did you get that info from ??

 

I'm pretty new to the diesel game and this might be a dumb question but from what I am reading Shell using some kind of biodiesel blend in their fuel. Is this true?

 

Not sure about all Shell stations but however every one in Georgetown, Round Rock and Austin TX use a certain percentage of Biodiesel mixed with regular Diesel. It's suppose to be cheaper however they still rank higher in most fuel.. For example I only buy Valero (except for this occurance), Valero is ALWAYS the cheaper fuel in the area. They are able to do that as its refined in Texas (San Antonio) and they use 100% pure Diesel, no Bio mixture.

 

Very interesting. We have valero in my area (det,mi) and its usually the same price but if they are offering better fuel then i would buy that instead. Anytime i look at the pump to see if its a bio diesel mix i never see a sticker or anything. How do you know what your getting? and what are the disadvantages of bio diesel other then the fuel filter needing to be changed more frequently??

 

Not sure.. I'm not exactly up to speed on Bio, from what I've heard the 6L isn't too fond of it.. Around here they have Bio stickers that say how much in % is mixed... As far as I know Valero refuses to use it. Therefore you should have the cleanest fuel up there.. I've been using them religiously for the last year.. I've scouted most Valero fuel stations with Diesel in the general area that I'm normally in..

 

I have done a lot of research on Biodiesel and can come up with the only negative being the cold weather gelling. For this, using additives should resolve the problem for any temperature possibility in the Southern half states.

I add 1/2 gallon of Bio every tank fill-up for fuel system lubricity. I have gone 5000 miles doing this and see no problems at all. I just changed my oil this weekend so I also drained the fuel HFCM. I did get a few rust particles (not many - maybe a dozen) and there were maybe a dozen, very small, suspended "bubbles" that may have been water. Other than that, it was very clean.

I do also use Stanadyne Performance. If the Bio is made in a large production facility with final product testing (to ensure all the oil was converted to the ester), there should be no issues. Getting the correct pH when making the Bio is critical, and so is decanting off all of the glycerin.

 

Somewhat off topic, the chick in the Valero commercial driving the yellow Jeep is a hottie!

 

I do know bio is the best thing for your engine for Lube! Which is espesically important to keep in mind when using ulsd. Where can i get my hands on pure bio, how do i refine it so i can add it to my tank as an additive? Thanks guys

 

Some retailers are selling B99 and B100. Just look at this map. http://www.biodiesel.org/buyingbiodi...ilfuelingsites Hope this may help.

 

I am amazed at the grief biodiesel gets from some. We have been using biodiesel for better than a decade in $300,000.00 farm tractors and combines. Oh and in the road trucks too! Running hard (operating speed rpms) for hours on end and we are not replacing the fuel filters every couple of hours and we expect to run thousands (7000 hours at 70 mph is nearly half a million miles) of engine hours before we have to turn a wrench on the engines. Now I know the first club to beat me is going to be that farm fuel is not ultra low sulfur. Well folk it is now and we are still running strong. And the next club to beat me to a pulp is this is not the same subject, but in reality it is, DIESEL ENGINE ARE IN ALL OF THESE PIECE OF FARM EQUIPMENT AND YOUR TRUCKS.

The key to good fuel is to buy it where they have a lot of turn over in there fuel. Not the five and dime place that only sells a couple hundred gallons a month. Go where the big rigs go for you fuel.

We did not notice any power loss or fuel economy loss either (if you can call burning 14 to 20 gallons per hour fuel economy (for 300 to 500 hp plus rated engines and I won't even mention the torque)).