Diesel and petrol will start to degrade the moment they leave the refinery until it is pumped into holding tanks or gas stations. it will continue to degrade until it is pumped into your vehicle. Fuel will start to oxidize, which means the oxygen in the air will start to react with the molecules in the fuel and change the structure of the fuel. Fuel additives can help dealing with this issue.
Petrol and diesel have a shelf life. If you keep petrol at room temperature in a closed container it can last up to 6 months, when you increase the temperature to 30 degrees Celsius it will only last 3 months. Diesel has a slightly longer shelf life of between 6 months and a year stored at room temperature in a closed container. The chemical structure of these fuels will change, and the fuel will start to lose energy over time making your car less economical, and old fuel can be detrimental to your car engine. this could all have bee prevented by adding fuel additives.
Cetane and octane
Diesel has a cetane number and reflects the quality of the fuel. It normally comes in regular which has a cetane number of between 40 and 42 whereas premium has a cetane number of between 47 and 52. The higher the number the more efficient and evenly the fuel will burn inside the engine.
With petrol, it works the same, but they have an octane number depicting the quality of the fuel. The higher the octane level the more stable the fuel will be. Octane rating is a measure of how heat resistant the fuel is, the higher the octane rating the more resistant it will be to igniting too early. Certain fuel additives to petrol will serve as a octane booster and enhance the octane number and will be discussed below. Premium unleaded petrol has an octane number of 95 and 98 while standard petrol is anything below that.
So to be clear, with petrol a high octane level makes the engine ignite less quickly while with diesel a high cetane number makes it ignite more quickly.
Why should I consider using fuel additives?
The longer fuel sits still the more it will oxidize, and the quality will drop. It can have a reduced octane or cetane number after storing it for months. There are quite a few types of fuel additives on the market to choose from depending on what you want to achieve from them. Some are multi-purpose additives, and some have a specific purpose. By using additives it can extend the shelf life of the fuel. Diesel can also damage the engine of seldomly driven vehicles when sitting too long because it is so dense and it will lose lubricity over time. Old, expired petrol can also damage engine parts during ignition and reduce your vehicle’s efficiency and performance.
What do fuel additives do?
Fuel Stabilizer are petrol or diesel fuel additives that help to maintain their cetane or octane number and extend shelf life. It will battle oxidation and improve the thermal stability of diesel or petrol. Fuel stabilizer can be used with seldomly used vehicles or equipment.
Octane boosters are an additive to petrol and will result in a higher quality fuel. It will increase the compression ratio which means there is more air in the engine’s cylinders resulting in a more powerful ignition. Sports cars can greatly benefit from a higher octane number.
Cetane booster is an diesel fuel additive and will cause quicker ignition and better fuel economy. A Short delay in the fuel injection and ignition is a sign of fuel with high cetane levels. A Long delay will mean that it has a low cetane number. This can lead to incomplete combustion, more noise, and emissions.
Alcohol-free additives protect fuel systems against water contamination and help against emulsions and also protect the metal against rust.
Fuel Injector Cleaner are cleaning additives that will clean dirty injectors, Fuel injectors spray fuel into the engine creating the right mixture of air and fuel for optimal combustion. When the injector gets clogged, your engine may begin to misfire, stutter or even stall. Some fuel injector cleaner are for preventive maintenance and others are stronger and can remove dirty deposits from the injectors. They can also reduce carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbon emissions. Adding fuel injector cleaner will restore horsepower and improve acceleration and enhance performance. Cleaning additives will reduce friction and improve flow.
Lubricating additives will help the engine parts to move more efficiently with less friction reducing wear and tear on engine parts.
Anti-freezing additives will prevent fuel from freezing in sub-zero climates. In very cold weather condensation will build up in the fuel tank freezing up the fuel line. It is especially beneficial when temperatures change between freezing and thawing. If this cycle occurs regularly, anti-freezing additives will keep the fuel lines from frost. Anti-freezing additives are especially important when you are driving a vehicle with a diesel engine and are a must for extreme cold weather.
Anti-Gel diesel additives; during cold weather paraffin wax particles may crystallize in the fuel and clog filters and fuel lines. This will impact performance or in the worst-case scenario prevent the engine from starting at all or damage engine parts. Anti-Gel additives will bring down the fuel’s freezing point. They work best when added before the cold temperatures hit.
Conclusion
Not all fuel additives do the same for your engine and they must be used to address the correct issues with compatible vehicles. Using a octane booster on modern cars may push the octane level higher than necessary and you would not gain anything from it. The same can be said for using a stabilizer on a car that is driven every day, it would only be beneficial if you don’t drive it for more than a month.
Use it for the correct purpose, when using fuel stabilizer for example to keep your fuel from freezing in the winter or using it for deposit removal from your injectors would be a waste because it has a different purpose.
Fuel additives may need to be applied every time you fill up, although some may have longer-lasting effects. Also, you need to add the additive before you fill up for proper mixing with the fuel. If you accidentally add the wrong additive the chances are good that it won’t hurt your engine because these additives are designed to address certain problems without causing new ones.
Petrol fuel additives work better with older high-mileage cars that have been neglected or that haven’t been serviced regularly. It can enhance performance and fuel economy and also reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
