The most I have ever paid for a gallon of diesel fuel is $4.55. That’s too much, but I fear this summer I could be writing about how to survive $5.00 diesel. Let’s pray that doesn’t happen, and in the meantime let’s offset our fuel costs by taking advantage of diesel’s other power- fuel economy.
The first thing that’s got to go is black smoke. I don’t care where you stand on the debate over whether a diesel needs to smoke to make peak power, we’re talking fuel economy here. Black smoke is unburned fuel, and when diesel cost $5.00 a gallon I can’t afford to not be burning every drop of fuel I’m buying. Until fuel prices come back down I’ll be looking for performance products that increase my diesel’s injection pressure and advance the injection timing, but I’ll be reluctant to add any fuel to the combustion chamber that the engine isn’t going to burn completely.
Fuel Prices
I’ll answer your question right now; Yes, diesel fuel should cost less than gasoline. They tell me there are many reasons why diesel costs more now, but believe me when I say the root of the price hike is diesel’s gain in popularity.
Oh sure, industry experts will say that it’s because U.S. refineries are optimized to make gasoline instead of diesel, that the price of converting to ultra low sulfur fuel added enormous infrastructure costs, and that emerging markets in China and India have increased demand in the global marketplace. Some of that may in fact be true, but I’ve learned over the years that as long as there has been an oil industry there have been reasons and excuses for why fuel prices are high. That’s just the way the energy business operates.
The best way you can fight high prices is not to buy diesel fuel. A decrease in demand equals an increase in supply and drives the price down. I know that’s not an option for any of us, but there are alternatives to paying top dollar for diesel. The easiest method is to shop around for the best deal. I’ve seen fuel prices vary up to $0.50 a gallon in some areas. Many times you can save big money if you fill up at truck stops or fuel stations near major highways. The key here is to have a large enough tank, or even an auxiliary tank, that allows you to stock up on cheap fuel. I’ve even heard of guys that go out of state to buy their diesel now, and I live in California where that’s a long haul.
Biodiesel
I say if you can make your own fuel for less money in a way that’s safe for you, your engine, and the environment- go for it! Pure biodiesel (B100) isn’t for everyone, or every engine. Its quality, consistency, and purity are the things that scare diesel fuel injection companies like Bosch and Siemens away. It’s not that the manufactures are in cahoots with oil companies. In fact I know they’re all working right now to be more biodiesel compatible.
At this point the best any of them will authorize is B20. With a 20 percent organic-based concentration they feel that the other 80 percent of the fuel that’s petroleum-based will offset any issues that would cause poor performance or equipment failure. I’ve run a few tanks of B100 biodiesel in our 7.3L Power Stroke without any issues so far. The stuff I bought actually cost more than conventional diesel though, so biodiesel doesn’t always mean a financial savings.
If I were financing a $50,000 6.4L-powered ’08 Super Duty I wouldn’t take the risk though. Nor can I tell you to. Well, at least until the warranty runs out. Then maybe I would experiment with biodiesel. My advice for people who want to run more than B20 is to use an older diesel vehicle with mechanical injection that is out of warranty. Find a co-op that makes big batches of biodiesel and sign up. Look for a group where the owners drive vehicles like yours. That way you’ll all require the same quality fuel, and you’ll all have a vested interest in getting good low-priced biodiesel.
Poor Fuel Economy
Face it, for the last 8 years we haven’t cared about fuel economy. We didn’t have to. Fuel was cheap and power was easy to make. As a results our cars and trucks got heavier, and maybe in some cases a little tubby. I have no doubt that the manufactures are looking for ways to cut excess weight out of vehicles in the future, but that could take years for the auto industry. In the meantime you and I should ditch any extra weight we don’t need to carry around in our vehicles today. In some cases that means just making sure we’re not carrying around a pickup bed full of junk we haven’t gotten around to unloading.
In my case that means driving a 3.0L diesel-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee instead of our 7.3L-powered F-250 everyday. If fuel prices were still low, I’d probably be looking for a way to put the 7.3L in the Cherokee and make it a ¾-ton. But that’s just the nature of fuel prices. Thankfully Diesel Power can exist in times of horsepower and fuel economy and we’ll continue to write about both no matter how high or low fuel prices get.