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Winter fuel MPG Hit

Dragonmaster13

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Anyone else now averaging 2-3mpg less with winter blend diesel? Was getting 22-24 in my Rebel ED, 80% city. Now getting 19-21 with the same mix of driving. I don’t idle it or use remote start to warm up. Hoping this is the winter blend.
 

Redfour5

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At least three... I did the same 95 mile trip same road (interstate/90 miles), roughly same conditions same speeds except temp no wind to speak of and with my 3.21 5.7, I almost hit 23 (22.8) in the summer and just got almost 19 yesterday (18.7). This was on the lyometer. I did have the wife in the truck vs last time. She's around 130 sop and wet. Speed on interstate 80 mph (Montana).
 

J-Cooz

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Yep..normal for winter blend gas/diesel.

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J-Cooz

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Do they do winter blends in TX because I never see a decrease lol. It's either me giving it more gas or remote starting it that causes it LOL
I don't think so. I think it was last year Texas had that freeze and there was a bunch of members who's truck wouldn't start because of gelled fuel.

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NorthStar

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Do they do winter blends in TX because I never see a decrease lol. It's either me giving it more gas or remote starting it that causes it LOL
No blending in Texas with the exception of Amarillo/Lubbock areas (see link below) in December, January and February. Even then, I'd strongly recommend utilizing an additive during the winter months to help prevent an issue. I've ran Stanadyne for years and never had an issue...but feel free to pick your own "tank liquor"! ;)

I wouldn't count on any station in Texas having blended fuel...if they do get it, it may be after you filled up and a cold snap will ruin your day.

 

Whoa_Ram

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I don't think so. I think it was last year Texas had that freeze and there was a bunch of members who's truck wouldn't start because of gelled fuel.

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It was the beginning of this year and never heard of anybodys gas getting gelled up 😳. I had one 5 gallon tank outside and it was still good when I used it on the generator. Man that must suck.
 

Whoa_Ram

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No blending in Texas with the exception of Amarillo/Lubbock areas (see link below) in December, January and February. Even then, I'd strongly recommend utilizing an additive during the winter months to help prevent an issue. I've ran Stanadyne for years and never had an issue...but feel free to pick your own "tank liquor"! ;)

I wouldn't count on any station in Texas having blended fuel...if they do get it, it may be after you filled up and a cold snap will ruin your day.

Thanks. I’ll keep this on hand and watch the temperature to make sure I don’t have issues.
 

NorthStar

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It was the beginning of this year and never heard of anybodys gas getting gelled up 😳. I had one 5 gallon tank outside and it was still good when I used it on the generator. Man that must suck.
Yes, we have a couple members in the DFW area who had gelling/freeze up issues when we all had the big Texas free back in February 2021. I also have two fellow employees in the Houston area who suffered the same fate. None of them were using an additive - especially the guys in Houston since we rarely see sustained temps that low. Worst case, keep a bottle of Diesel Power 911 in the garage to dump in the tank if you do suffer gelling as it may get things moving again but you're better off being proactive.
 

J-Cooz

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It was the beginning of this year and never heard of anybodys gas getting gelled up . I had one 5 gallon tank outside and it was still good when I used it on the generator. Man that must suck.
Yeah that would. In Canada we have the good stuff. I've seen -31°C and I don't use an additive and no issues. It definitely affects the MPG though.

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WXman

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Yeah, but also the cold weather causes more friction due to fluids, more warm up time, more wind drag due to air density, etc. It's not just the fuel, cold weather in general sucks.
 

J-Cooz

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Yeah, but also the cold weather causes more friction due to fluids, more warm up time, more wind drag due to air density, etc. It's not just the fuel, cold weather in general sucks.
Definitely. Snow tires don't help either.

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Idahoktm

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Yeah, but also the cold weather causes more friction due to fluids, more warm up time, more wind drag due to air density, etc. It's not just the fuel, cold weather in general sucks.
Cold weather is awesome, but it does cause a hit to mpg's because your ECU has to make the fuel/air ratio richer to compensate for the denser air.
 
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RAM Patriot

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I average about 19.5 MPG in the summer and drop to 18.5 MPG in the winter.

I found out that: "Winter-blend gas has a higher Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) because the fuel must be able to evaporate at low temperatures for the engine to operate properly. Summer-blend gas has a lower RVP to prevent excessive evaporation when outside temperatures rise."

What that means is that the refiners have to add butane to the winter gas so that it will ignite at lower temperatures making it more volatile in the winter.

This lowers the density of the BTU's meaning that summer blends have 1.7 percent more energy than winter blends.

 

c3k

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Yes, we have a couple members in the DFW area who had gelling/freeze up issues when we all had the big Texas free back in February 2021. I also have two fellow employees in the Houston area who suffered the same fate. None of them were using an additive - especially the guys in Houston since we rarely see sustained temps that low. Worst case, keep a bottle of Diesel Power 911 in the garage to dump in the tank if you do suffer gelling as it may get things moving again but you're better off being proactive.
That's great and, yes, I have some 911 I keep handy in the winter. Kerosene (look up the dilution ratio) is the old-school solution. Add it to the tank...let the boost pump mix it up, THEN try to start. (Boost pump over-fills the HPFP, and the excess goes back to the tank. That's much faster than waiting for natural dispersion to un-gel the fuel.)
 

Sascwatch

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I am also taking a hit in mileage due to winter fuel blends and remote start usage to warm up the truck before use. I’ve never experienced any gelling issues up here in Canada even down to -30 degrees.

I am pretty sure our trucks have a heater built into the fuel filter housing to prevent these issues, maybe that just isn’t enough with the straight summer blend fuels but I’m not sure. I drove from southern Ontario where I filled up well above freezing (mid 60’s) into northern Ontario where it was -30C before I filled up. No additives were used on this trip either.
 
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