When does summer diesel go back on sale?

[fjord]

My car performs terrible with winter diesel in for some reason. 32mpg in the winter compared to 44mpg in the summer...

Wikipedia suggests that winter diesel sales end, at the end of february, but there's no definate on that.

Anyone know, or if there's a way to tell when the fuel station has changed over?

[Daston]

Could it not be due to lower air temp meaning a turbo can compress more air thus more power and burning more fuel?

[TheJimi]

"winter diesel"?

That's a new one for me!

[RizzoTheRat]

TheJimi said:

"winter diesel"?

That's a new one for me!

Diesel "waxes" at low temperatures, waxy particles precipitate out and can block filters and the like. In the winter they put additives in to prevent this, which presumably reduces the calorific value slightly.

Got caught out by it once many years ago when we had our own diesel tank and had a bad cold snap in late autumn before we'd refilled it. Landover conked out completely.

[TheEnd]

I didn't think they did winter diesel in the UK.
MPG's are usually lower in cold weather.

[GroundEffect]

Your car will get lower mpg in general in winter because of the lengthened time to warm up, and engines operate more efficiently the hotter you can run them.

[RizzoTheRat]

Standard diesel with no additives will start to wax around 3-5 degrees so the additives are needed in the UK.

According to Wikipedia 16 November to 15 March for winter diesel in the UK.

[TheJimi]

Cheers Rizzo

[Captainawesome]

TheJimi said:

Cheers Rizzo

Whats going on here?????? This is PH you should be starting an argument on a completely different subject, not saying cheers.

This is the second time this week I have witnessed such courtesy and niceness.

Where will it end????



Only kidding, nice to see for a change.

[RizzoTheRat]

Captainawesome said:

Whats going on here?????? This is PH you should be starting an argument on a completely different subject, not saying cheers.

This is the second time this week I have witnessed such courtesy and niceness.

Where will it end????



Only kidding, nice to see for a change.

What's

[lbc]

In the summer

[Major Fallout]

I fell foul of summer diesel in winter once, I was using a diesel space heater in the workshop to top up because of the cold a couple of years ago.
Came to start it up on a very cold morning and the diesel had turned to a sludge type stuff.

I gave up and went home, and designed my own workshop heater from scrap parts I had in the workshop.

[aw51 121565]

"Summer" petrol is available 15 May to 30 Sept and "winter" petrol the rest of the year; from memory, diesel has 3 grades (winter, spring/autumn & summer grades) changed as one might expect as it gets lighter then darker at night each year ...

OP might like to google "degree days" and relate it to his own experience of reduced fuel consumption in Winter .

[TheCarMadDad]

Winter diesel??? I thought that was only an American thing??? Should the forecourts not be obliged to tell us which fuel type (winter/summer) they are currently running through the pumps?

[fjord]

TheCarMadDad said:

Winter diesel??? I thought that was only an American thing??? Should the forecourts not be obliged to tell us which fuel type (winter/summer) they are currently running through the pumps?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_diesel_fuel#United_Kingdom

Ask the attendant next time

[surveyor]

12 mpg is a big difference. I'd be looking carefully at the thermostat as well myself.