Posted by Keith in Washington [108.162.246.92] on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at 19:17:39 :
In Reply to: Full Disclosure: I'm the Biodiesel Guy posted by Don in Missouri [172.68.38.43] on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at 16:10:47 :
It was real clear to me when I traveled back to Ohio in 2015. I put B20 in my truck with an empty tank and headed down the road not even giving it any thought. By the time the tank was empty again I had noticed that the truck was not running as well and fuel mileage was down 2+ mpg. The next tank was diesel that was not labeled B20. That tank of fuel gave me normal performance and fuel mileage. Both tanks were bought in Nebraska and Iowa. As the trip continued and I bought diesel or B20 it became clear that the B20 was the cause. With diesel I was getting close to12 mpg and B20 was just under 10. I had no prior experience with B20 at all and had no preconceived ideas. I was really pissed when I had to stop for fuel in very western Minnesota and discovered that you can't get diesel. By then the cause was obvious.
The truck was a 2013 Ford F-350 dually with a camper on it. It was pushing 12,500lbs and it is a billboard going down the freeway with the frontal square footage. Obviously, it was fairly flat terrain on that trip.
Normally with that truck configuration I get just under 11 to 12 mpg out west where I live. Depending on terrain and if the diesel is summer or winter blend. I drove to Alaska last summer and saw 11.8 mpg for that trip. When I put my PW or carryall on a trailer behind the truck and camper mpg will drop to just under 10 mpg but I am pushing 23000 lbs so that is not bad at all. I have no idea what my trucks fuel mileage is unloaded as I never really drive it without the camper on it.
I suspect that the truck being loaded like It was it really showed the energy difference between diesel and B20. I suspect you may not see as significant differences with an unloaded truck.
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