At last, after several last second forecourt-swerve, aborted attempts in recent months. Yes, forced myself to try it.. even though I could feel the extra £2.50p being extracted like a tooth.
Full tank of the `best` stuff.
You know I`m a bit of a cynic on fuels and additives and easy on the cash I `release` in that allegedly traditional, Yorkshire way.
It sounded quieter on the way home from the filling station, that direct injection rattle sounding softer. While appreciating the subjectivity, I`m sure about that as the van has no under-bonnet felt and there is a certain intimacy with the combustion sound.
Best-gas-wind-blather-no-name-no-pack-drill Derv, there are supposed to be a troop of fairies or something similar in there too, administering to the HP pump with wands and sparkle... You just know that bit is never going to be proved of course..
Objectively though, its the £2.50 extra paid for a tank of the `best` and with my Eco-crate, that`s 30 or so, miles lost. All before the premium fuel additive fairies even get out of bed to try to magic it back.....
It is quieter.. but so what?
Edited by oilrag on 03/08/2008 at 13:22
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Mr Rag,
I have just gone through a similar thought process with a pot of Millers fuel additive.
Sloshed a bit in my Focus diesel.
The car goes faster, definitely.
I'm saying no more.
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Just gone back to petrol after 12 years with diesels. That's a lot smoother and quicker !
Of course I shall be poorer as well as happier. Bit like when I changed wives I suppose.
;-)
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Sticks head above parapet....tin hat on stick some distance away...
If anyone has seen the photographs and report of tests conducted at a university after running millers through the system, could they provide a link.
Basically these showed a group of injectors and their spray pattern after so many miles, and then after running millers through the fuel system, the after photo's were very enlightening, and i'm sure i didn't dream it, but i s'pose its possible.
If you run millers you're getting virtually the same as the better diesel fuel apparently, has the same odour too.
Yes i know its all rubbish and i'm throwing me money away again, but the noise factor is very true, whether the performance is better, i don't do road tests, so i can't really say, but my engines always run well for long intervals, and i've used the stuff for years.
Whats that strange rattling from under the bonnet darling.....
Anyway OR, does this mean you will be changing over to the good stuff permanently or were you in 'devil may care' mode for a fleeting moment?
I can furnish you with details of where to buy millers by the 5 litre can cheaply, we'll have a wax-hoyle convert there yet too...;)
Sinks back below line of sight into heavily sandbagged dugout.
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I can furnish you with details of where to buy millers by the 5 litre can cheaply.>>
GB,
Just read your post - thanks for the thought.
Think I paid £8 for the standard bottle which treats about 10 tankfuls.
Info on where to get cheaper 5 litre size welcome....
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 03/08/2008 at 16:09
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Ifithelps, millers at £8 was quite cheap, was that the diesel power plus by chance, power sport 4 is normally about a tenner.
The power sport 4 is supposed to be compatible with Euro 4's, DPF's and cats etc, its all above my head.
Anyway, you'll find the 5 litre cans on this site, it was free postage when i bought mine, so hope thats still the same, as i shall be ordering another one soon.
tinyurl.com/5go5og
If you manage to find it any cheaper than that, please do tell.
By the way, i found by pouring some of the precious fluid into a bowl, that you can refill the 500ml dispenser by sucking the fluid up, not quite full, but nearly.
Don't the stuff stink mind...;)
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...millers at £8 was quite cheap....
GB,
Might have been £9, but it is Power Sport 4 - I bought it from a specialist stand at a classic car show at Ripon racecourse the other week.
Stand run by JS Classic Lubricants of York who describe themselves as Millers distributors.
Their website - www.jsoils.co.uk - comes up as 'being updated', but the page does give phone numbers.
Just checked your link, £60 for 5ltrs, still including delivery.
I will ring JS during the week and post on here if he comes up with anything significantly better.
Thanks for looking out the info.
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I was told the same thing by my mechanic in Newcastle. A diesel specialist he knew ran tests using millers , forte etc. After inspection, he found forte to do the best job. Problem is, this is word of mouth yet again.
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Humph,
Much as I like the turbo torque of the diesel, if fuel costs/consumption were about equal, I'd take a petrol every time.
Quieter, lighter, cleaner to fill up, and no diesel clatter first thing in the morning.
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The premium diesel fuels are made substantially from gas, not a cut from crude oil - they do not therefore cack up the injectors, no doubt partly due to the additives but also because there is a lot less cack in the fuel to begin with. If you have a sufficiently clever (i.e. recent) diesel engine you are also likely to see an economy improvement that will largely offset the extra cost.
Millers, plus ordinary diesel, will keep the injectors clean. The one shot treatments like Forte will clean the injectors most effectively if they are already dirty.
The above gleaned from a friend in the petrochemical industry who knows what goes into these things - I believe he currently working on a project for a gas-to-liquid (GTL) plant - there's limited capacity for GTL at the moment, as well as refining capacity for standard diesel fuel.
Based on his knowledge, and the fact that he uses it himself, I use the premium stuff.
Edited by Manatee on 03/08/2008 at 16:41
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just out of interest I use half a tank of normal & half a tank of the best which seems to give the impression of performing at its best on a diesel withan enhanced fuel consumption. I used to do this regularly when I was doing exactley the same trip mile for mile week in week out so I was able to monitor very well.
I definatley use a well branded make & have never has a problem with a TDCI & I have has 5 & covered huge milages with them without a problem!
I Doc
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Seems Millers mixed with ordinary is the same as a tank of best.
It cost Mr Oily an extra £2.50 to fill up with premium, whereas treating a tank of ordinary with Millers costs £1.
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"Anyway OR, does this mean you will be changing over to the good stuff permanently"
Only if it pays its way GB ;)
Actually the smell of it going into the tank had me concerned at first, so unlike regular derv. (unless it was really petrol)
Can`t write more just now..under orders to `settle and watch the film`
;)
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It is quieter.. but so what?
Strangely enough that is what I found with Optimax (petrol). I suppose we should be asking why it is quieter, I can't help thinking that being quiet is a good thing. I personally thought that the premium petrol made the car feel much slower and duller, but the noise probably made me think that.
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My Volvo D5 states in the manual not to use any additives but if premium derv is the same as adding millers, surely i cant use premium derv? Somebody tell me it will be ok to use millers please.
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Premium diesel fuels are a hugely subjective area as I don't think anyone has done any real, independent comparison testing -- unlike petrols, where at least some attempts have been made.
It also depends on the engine type, age, condition and so many other factors.
My old Passat PD130 was run 9 out of 10 tankfuls for over 60K miles on Shell Diesel Extra, which was launched when I got the car. So in theory, the brand-new injectors and other engine components should never have developed any significant soot deposits, as I drive positively and used a "premium" fuel from new.
Perhaps for this reason, I never measured any real benefit from any fuel additive. I tried Millers, Stanadyne and a cerium oxide catalyst that I managed to obtain = no difference to performance or economy. Nor from super-premium fuels (BP Ultimate and V-Power).
I may have felt it sounded a bit quieter etc, but I got no difference in economy or performance that couldn't be explained by the ambient temps or driving conitions.
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First indications are that there is around a 4mpg loss on a van that consistently does 61/62mpg around the City on a regular, cold start run.
Put it this way. Its out on the drive right now with 57mpg showing on the computer and in 2 years of doing this morning run its never returned a figure under 60mpg.
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