winter blend fuel and fuel milage

It also has to do with the refinery changing the composition of the fuel. Cetane is lower, temp of vaporization is changed. All kinds of things.

Along with air being more dense and more drag on the truck.

 

The fuel this winter has been awful. Doesn't seem like the refineries or the stations are treating it.

 

There is no such thing as "winter blend" anymore. 15ppm fuel has a lower gel temperature than dirty kerosene. Im speaking of on road only (some red fuel still needs to be winterized). The reason you get less BTU's from diesel in winter is because of the amount of oxygen in cold fuel Vs hot fuel. The simple explanation is that a measured volume of fuel minus the oxygen has the same measured amount of energy no matter what. In summer, the volume goes up as it gets hot, many times drivers will complain about Loves painting above ground tanks black in Arizona because putting 100 gallons of fuel that is 110 degrees then you wake up in the morning and the fuel is 85 degrees you only have 95 gallons. The fact is you get better fuel milage when its cool than when the fuel is hot so it all evens out.
You drag racers might think im wrong because you know you need to cool the AIR going into your engine (putting ice on intake manifold before a run) but diesel as you know is an oil not a gas. Packing more of that oil into a cylinder allows you to also pack more air into it because they go in separately (opposite of how a gas engine works)....

I guess I complicated that "simple" answer.

 

A little science experiment with Kero ........http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Division...als/In House Research/Bio-Diesel-kerosene.pdf

 

I find myself idling more during cold weather, I start my truck and drink one more cup of coffee in the morning in winter. I also idle while I am getting loaded for comfort. Not saying that it is responsible for the entire MPG loss but certainly a factor.

 

When I hauled fuel the winter diesel was a blend of 70% diesel and 30% kerosene, have no clue what they put in it now.

 

its called Bio Diesel thats what is in the blend and Obama has ordered even a higher % blend which helps all the more.

 

Simply less BTUs per gallon in the fuel. Up here we basically run #1 through the winter, you don't have a choice to buy #2. They absolutely do mix winter blends in the north of the states.

That being said the cold air has more to do with bad MPG than the fuel. But the fuel does make a difference.

 

Your u-joints are stiffer bearings are stiffer pretty much every moving part of the truck is cold and takes a while to warm up. Say you drive 100 miles, then its all warm and moving freely. Now you sit for an hour or two for your load.....its all cold again except your motor which you probably have had on high idle for 1 or 2 hours.
So now take that idle time into consideration + stiff fluids, bearings, and so on...your going to burn more fuel.