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      07-06-2014, 02:41 PM   #1
skalberti
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X5D what brand diesel do you run and what's your mpg

I searched on this subject and founds lots of info on MPG in the X5D. I've also found a lot of info on cetane ratings proportional to performance. However, I haven't been able to find a correlation of information with which brand diesel is used along with the mpg of that said brand. In my area, we have 1 conocco station, a ton of Shell and Valero. As far as the highest cetane ratings here's what I've found



BP- 53

Chevron - 49-51

Conocco/ Phillips - 47-53

Shell - 46

Valero- 40





So which brand do you run and what's your avg city/mix/hwy mpg.



I think this would be interesting to see. Theoretically the higher cetane should have higher mpg, but things don't always work in real life as they do on paper.



Also include if you've had any motor problems or performance problems. If you're running a tune please include that info as well.



My dealer said a lot of people are putting water in their DEF reservoirs. Has anyone ever heard of this?



Thanks for your help and input. I think this will help a lot of diesel owners out there.
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      07-06-2014, 03:31 PM   #2
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Cetane has nothing to do with economy - just like octane in gas has nothing to do with economy. Cetane, like octane, is the fuel's ability to burn predictably and controlled, rather than explode. For your info, the US has one of the lowest cetane ratings in the world and continental Europe has some of the highest (40's vs 50's respectively). Higher cetane really helps with lower temps and the first start of the day.

Our biggest problem is contamination - water - in the fuel. The direct injectors used in these engines require: 1. lubricity, until a couple of years ago was solved using high sulfur content, and 2. highly filtered fuel. Current fuels replaced sulfur with other lubricating chemicals that newer injectors can use well. Older motors with older technology injectors have a little more problem using the newer fuel and seem to fail sooner (usually around 75,000 miles which is fairly low for a diesel). Today's injectors should last 150,000 easy. Water will kill an injector because it has no lubricity and you'll start to see the pintle of the injector stick.

As for where to buy, I always buy a name brand and where there is high volume in terms of sales. You do not want to buy fuel that sits for weeks in a tank due moisture accumulation.

You can buy additives that really work for Diesels, but I am not sure if they are approved for use in BMW's motors. Anyway, the good additives boost cetane and add lubricity to the fuel. For my Ford Powerstroke diesel, I add 2 cycle oil (1 qt per 22 gal) for lubricity. At +$250 per injector, this is cheap insurance for me.

DEF is not water and the price of DEF is not worth the problems the substitution could bring. Don't even consider it, especially in a +$60,000 vehicle. If you can't afford DEF refill every 10,000 miles or so, you have bigger problems.

I wouldn't stress over fuel like gasser people do. Buy from a name brand and make sure you see lots of people buying diesel there. FYI - I buy mine from the local Kroger because they buy theirs from the same place that sells to Valero, Marathon and Texaco, and you always have to wait in line, regardless of the time of day.

PS - I am averaging 28-ish in comfort around town and 31-ish on the highway. I don't use Eco-whatever...
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      07-06-2014, 03:43 PM   #3
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Great info 42pilot! Thanks for your reply.
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      07-06-2014, 03:49 PM   #4
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I use SHELL Diesel. I do have the Race Chips tune on E/2. I run Comfort in the city and get 26 MPG with regular spirited acceleration from a stop light. On the highway with the cruise set @ 75 MPH I easily knock down an average of 34+ in Eco Pro. My commute is 100 miles R/T. Toward the office, in the afternoon I get 31-33 MPG (it gets really windy here). On the way home in the evenings I average around 38-41 MPG. A little more downhill (coasting) and the temps are in the 60's instead of 90+ in the afternoon. I'm @ 1,350 miles. Had the F15 since June 17th.
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      07-06-2014, 03:52 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EIGHTLUG
I use SHELL Diesel. I do have the Race Chips tune on E/2. I run Comfort in the city and get 26 MPG with regular spirited acceleration from a stop light. On the highway with the cruise set @ 75 MPH I easily knock down an average of 34+ in Eco Pro. My commute is 100 miles R/T. Toward the office, in the afternoon I get 31-33 MPG (it gets really windy here). On the way home in the evenings I average around 38-41 MPG. A little more downhill (coasting) and the temps are in the 60's instead of 90+ in the afternoon. I'm @ 1,350 miles. Had the F15 since June 17th.
Those are some awesome numbers. Why did you go with race chip over burger tune?
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      07-07-2014, 01:35 PM   #6
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Awesome post 42Pilot. Good to have people like you on the boards.
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      07-07-2014, 01:43 PM   #7
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Usually Shell, their V-Power Diesel (premium grade), not sure if you guys have it in the US or not. Lifetime average on the 35d is 8.8 l/100 or 26.7 mpg, on a solid mix of highway and city driving.
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      07-21-2014, 10:13 AM   #8
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I can get 37 mpg highway on Eco Pro and keep at around 60 mph. But normally I wouldn't drive like this so real life average is probably at around 32 mpg highway. Sounds to me that the numbers advertised are actually pretty accurate.
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