Diesel in the Snow

[GolfTi]

My mate's Merc was knackered last year due to frozen diesel.

This was in Germany and the temp was -20 C or so, apparently he used the 'wrong type' of diesel.

It was a company car and they tried to make him pay for a new engine, took him about 6 months to sort out.

No joke, it happened.

[p3asa]

My works colleagues car (some sort of Chrysler people carrier) has had to be warmed up with a heater every day this week before it would start. Sounds like it has been that cold the diesel has started to wax.

[Steve30]

I've had no problems starting the golf coldest has been -17

Mine fires first time but its a struggle though?  could be battery?

[Snoopy]

UK diesel is rated down to -15 before waxing starts. But it would have to be colder than that outside for the diesel to be -15. Other countries have different grades depending on there climate.

Our TDI has not had much problem in the snow. I do find first gear is a little too high and that the wide tyres on it have the same problem wide summer tyres on anything has.

A small turbo'ed petrol car has large torques too, so are similar to a TDI.

[flc1962]

Front wheel diesel cars should handle a little better as there is more weight on the front tyres (heavy engine). Turn off the traction control if you hit a hill and are having a problem getting up, honestly it works turn it back on again on level ground.

Want to get around easy get some wheels/tyres with no profile they scoot around in the snow (less surface area)

As for waxing/freezing when I was in the Air Force our tanker drivers would top up with Aviation fuel as it contained anti waxing addatives FSII as fighter jets don't have fuel heaters on board.   Petrol and Diesel are by products these days of aviation fuels, I did a tour of an oil refinery many moons ago and at the time 99.9% of a barrel of oil was used from. Aviation fuel to pertrol, thats where coke (not the nose snorting kind) and tar also come from.

OOps that was long

[Steve30]

Front wheel diesel cars should handle a little better as there is more weight on the front tyres (heavy engine). Turn off the traction control if you hit a hill and are having a problem getting up, honestly it works turn it back on again on level ground.

Want to get around easy get some wheels/tyres with no profile they scoot around in the snow (less surface area)

As for waxing/freezing when I was in the Air Force our tanker drivers would top up with Aviation fuel as it contained anti waxing addatives FSII as fighter jets don't have fuel heaters on board.   Petrol and Diesel are by products these days of aviation fuels, I did a tour of an oil refinery many moons ago and at the time 99.9% of a barrel of oil was used from. Aviation fuel to pertrol, thats where coke (not the nose snorting kind) and tar also come from.

OOps that was long

Intreasting post 

[Agreeable Slick]

FYI - Barrel of Crude breakdown.

[flc1962]

FYI - Barrel of Crude breakdown.

No internet back in the day, just a guy with facts n figures. This was 1992 production was all about Jet Fuel at Immingham near Hull. I was in the RAF lol

Another interesting point is, where does your local petrol station get its fuel ?.    Ours comes from Grangemouth where every supermarket and petrol station get's its fuel, could they all just be the same.........

[Agreeable Slick]

Indeed. It's all about cracking processes over time though, they have been constantly refining and re-defining the methods they use to get everything that they can from a barrel.

Unfortunately now public use fuel is more important (read easily taxable) supply, thus the cracking processes concentrate on that first now.

In terms of fuel quality, there are hundreds of different blends and types available a study was conducted a couple of years back in to it, and the various stations that sell it to the public had differeing types then. Various additives and particles were found in differing samples.

[flc1962]

I remember doing a fuels course many moons ago, finding out flashpoints, specific gravity, water content (yep all fuel has some) seeing how much FSII was in the fuel. It was interesting at the time as I could say yes/no as to wether we accepted the fuel or not, I expect they have a bit of kit now that does it all in seconds.

Diesel will wax, avoid Morrisons in the winter as their pumps are prone to jam/not cut out. Espically at the Fort nr Glasgow as I found out to my cost, stinking all day after a little blow back.