How to Save on Diesel Fuel

With the price of diesel averaging almost $6 nationally earlier this year and high inflation rates impacting our cost of living, there is no better time to start thinking about how you can spend less on fuel by improving your fuel system performance and addressing the quality of diesel going into your tank.

Of course, there are some simple steps you can take to improve your fuel efficiency such as more gentle acceleration and using the air conditioner sparingly but frankly, we don’t want to take the fun out of driving and it’s hot out there. Plus, there are bigger factors at play which could be seriously affecting your vehicle’s performance on the road and could lead to more expensive maintenance bills in the future.

In order to improve your MPG while also protecting your fuel system, let’s take a look at a couple of the areas you can address to make a difference to how regularly you fill up and how much you spend on fuel every month...

1. Cetane Rating

Cetane is a set of chemical compounds which naturally occur in diesel fuel and the cetane number (CN) is essentially a measure of the ignition quality. The higher the CN, the faster the fuel ignites which produces a longer and cleaner fuel burn.

The vast majority of the country is being served with fuel carrying a CN of 40-45 and as there’s no regulation requiring the actual number to be posted at the pump, you can never be sure of the fuel quality you’re pouring into your vehicle. All you can be certain of is that it will be at least the minimum as required by the EPA for your area and in order to save costs, fuel refineries will often aim for that minimum. Saving every penny is a driving force for the supplier which ultimately means the long-term issues are passed onto you, the customer, with no other options and no way to know exactly what you’re filling your car or truck with.

The problem is your vehicle typically requires a CN between 47-50 in order to run as intended by the manufacturer and to avoid all the problems an inefficient combustion can cause over time through the soot deposits and carbon build-up which are inevitably created, clogging up the fuel system’s key components including the injectors, turbo and DPF.

Improving the cetane rating of the fuel going into your diesel vehicle at every fill-up will improve combustion efficiency and increase MPG, power and response while reducing emissions.

Archoil AR6500 Diesel Treatment is easily added to the tank and boosts cetane up to 8 points, addressing the cetane number problem at the pump and improving your fuel economy as well as reducing maintenance costs and extending the life of your fuel system. Click here to learn more about AR6500

2. Clogged Injectors

Typical fuel injectors have two parts: the nozzle and the injector body. If either of these parts gets clogged or restricted, the entire performance of your vehicle will be compromised. The injectors are responsible for spraying fuel into the combustion chamber so when this process is negatively affected, your fuel economy will decrease and the efficiency of the rest of your fuel system is also damaged.

Most diesel vehicle owners will have internal injector deposits or build-up of deposits on injector tips due to inefficient combustion but over time these build-ups become more problematic, affecting the function and spray pattern.

You might’ve noticed some of the following in your vehicle:

• Dirty emissions and heavy smoke from the exhaust
• Increased fuel consumption
• Uneven idling
• Problems starting the engine

These are some of the most common symptoms of dirty, clogged injectors. Addressing the problem will restore function and improve horsepower and fuel economy, leading to an improved driving experience and less unburnt, wasted fuel in the system.

The image above shows the impact on an injector before and after use of Archoil’s AR6500 Diesel Treatment to clean the fuel system and improve performance. AR6500 cleans, lubricates and protects the fuel system which restored the correct spray pattern in this injector and maximized fuel system performance. In testing, AR6500 increased MPG by 11.1% in a 2011 6.7L F-350.

For heavy build-up, AR6400-D Diesel Fuel System Cleaner should be used before AR6500 for a rapid, powerful restoration of the key fuel system components.