Fuel additives/Dipetane efficiency?

Raiser

Well I did search on this stuff before posting and there was nothing too recent and when it did crop up on a few much older threads there was disappointingly no real consensus either way.....

I picked up a bottle last week, €10 for 1 Litre which they say will treat 200 Litres of fuel, although I just blindly followed the Sellers instructions and tipped half a bottle into my 65 Litre tank without actually reading it, making it 1:130 rather than the suggested 1:200 ratio!

Half a tank later I'm definitely very interested as I do seem to have significantly better economy since of about 15% in the right direction - Bearing in mind that I was conscious of having relatively poor economy beforehand.

So perhaps if you do have economy or emissions trouble then its worth looking into and if you have no particular issues it might well just seem to be another gimmick?

- I have to mention that I've noticed an occasional exhaust type smell in the car that seemed to start at about the same time in case anyone has noticed similar? Logic tells me they are unrelated -but said I'd throw it in there....

So what do ye folk think? Snake oil or magic potion ???

Voodoomelon

I used it over the last few weeks with a full tank of fuel (lasts me 2 weeks).
My computer normally reads around 19.5MPG after 2 weeks driving. It read 22.3MPG after 2 weeks of using Dipetane. Not sure how accurate a test that is though, I did roughly the same driving.

Hellrazer

Never used it to decrease fuel consumption but I have used it to get cars through the NCT.Most recently a Fiesta that failed 3 times on emissions.

Bottle of that stuff in the tank and it flew through.

zilog_jones

Raiser wrote: »

Well I did search on this stuff before posting and there was nothing too recent and when it did crop up on a few much older threads there was disappointingly no real consensus either way.....

I see it mentioned here quite regularly, but people often spell it wrong e.g. "diptaine", "diptane", etc., so it may be hard to search for it

daveharnett

Raiser wrote: »

Well I did search on this stuff before posting and there was nothing too recent and when it did crop up on a few much older threads there was disappointingly no real consensus either way.....

I'm afraid that you're not going to find a consensus now either.

First of all, at €5 per tank of fuel, it certainly isn't going to create great cost savings!

Second, customer experience isn't going to be useful - thinking about fuel economy causes you to drive more economically - ideomotor and placebo effects. The only way to really check it would be a large scale long term (preferably blind) independent test. The ones on dipetane.com aren't really the most convincing.

Third, big oil invests an awful lot in researching and manufacturing fuel additives to achieve all of the effects dipetane advertises. If it really was better than shell or texaco's own additives, they would have written the dipetane people a blank cheque for the rights a long time ago.

Given the number of dodgy 'increase your fuel economy' products out there, the default position has to be that any such product is snake oil. I see no particular evidence to suggest that dipetane is not.

Muckie

Have used it to help pass the NCT, won't have used it to
help save on fuel, think the only thing that really works is
your cars overall engine condition and good tyre pressure
all round.

Matt Simis

daveharnett wrote: »

I'm afraid that you're not going to find a consensus now either.

First of all, at €5 per tank of fuel, it certainly isn't going to create great cost savings!

Second, customer experience isn't going to be useful - thinking about fuel economy causes you to drive more economically - ideomotor and placebo effects. The only way to really check it would be a large scale long term (preferably blind) independent test. The ones on dipetane.com aren't really the most convincing.

Third, big oil invests an awful lot in researching and manufacturing fuel additives to achieve all of the effects dipetane advertises. If it really was better than shell or texaco's own additives, they would have written the dipetane people a blank cheque for the rights a long time ago.

Given the number of dodgy 'increase your fuel economy' products out there, the default position has to be that any such product is snake oil. I see no particular evidence to suggest that dipetane is not.

Firstly it costs approx EUR1.50 - 2.00 per tank (pending tank size) if you buy the 5litre version and put the correct amount in the tank.
Secondly, why bother posting a bunch of theories when you can just go purchase and test it, easily and cheaply?


To the OP: Ive found it cleaned up smokely emissions on Diesels and slightly increased Fuel Economy (maybe 5%) on said diesels, but didnt do anything noticable for boosted Petrols. I should retest it with my NA Petrol now...

Voodoomelon

Indeed, even the 1 litre bottle does most cars for four fills.

unkel

Matt Simis wrote: »

why bother posting a bunch of theories when you can just go purchase and test it, easily and cheaply?

Indeed. It seems to save fuel for most people. No harm in trying for yourself.

But unless you buy in bulk at good rates, I doubt if it works out cheaper overall for anyone. And that's not even taking into account the effort and risk of buying the stuff, measuring it and putting it into your tank...

Matt Simis

unkel wrote: »

And that's not even taking into account the effort and risk of buying the stuff, measuring it and putting it into your tank...

You can buy it in many Motor Factors. Regarding measuring it, simple, I just used an old water bottle;

90Litre Tank is 450ml, so most of a 500ml bottle
60litre tank is 300ml, so the same as a small water bottle or can of coke.

You put it in the tank the same way you put fuel in.. :P


To be cost effective (a net gain of EURO per litre) it would need to improve MPG by more than 3-5% on average over the life of the 5litres.
At +5% thats +1mpg on 20mpg, +1.75mpg on a 35mpg car.

Im not saying it does or doesnt achieve that, but from my quick calcs thats what anyone testing should be aiming for.

2qk4u

Ive used it a couple of times in my Hiace and find it makes the engine slightly more responsive and no black clouds out the back..

245

I've tried it and found no benefit economywise (in my last turbo diesel - my current one has an ash-sensitive particulate filter so I'm not risking it). I've tried it in normally aspirated petrols too with no economy benefit. It does seem to help reduce the diesel emissions for the NCT.

My main problem with the product is that their published test data is solely on naturally-aspirated pre-chamber diesels which are by their nature more inefficient.

I'd like to see them publish certified data on common rail diesels - why not move into the modern age?

Raiser

Matt Simis wrote: »

Firstly it costs approx EUR1.50 - 2.00 per tank (pending tank size) if you buy the 5litre version and put the correct amount in the tank.
Secondly, why bother posting a bunch of theories when you can just go purchase and test it, easily and cheaply?


To the OP: Ive found it cleaned up smokely emissions on Diesels and slightly increased Fuel Economy (maybe 5%) on said diesels, but didnt do anything noticable for boosted Petrols. I should retest it with my NA Petrol now...

Hey Matt - Assumptions aside re. guessing on your tank size - what a good retail price for 5 litres of this stuff? Any source for buying in bulk (multiple 5 litres discounted or larger volume containers!)

- I was getting ~280 miles for every 50 litres and sick of the sight of the pumps; I'll stockpile this stuff going by my current marked improvement.

Finally I've limited trust in this Companies own marketing hyper-blurb; Have gotten an impression that this additive may not remove carbon deposits as sometimes claimed?

So is this improvement in economy and emissions only gotten while its in your tank? ie. once you have your first non-dipetane refill are you back to where you started?

Matt Simis

Ive seen the 5litre container for EUR30 to 35, when I used to buy it I was getting it in the Motor Factors in Dunboyne. You could always ask them for a bulk discount, cash business after all. I think 5litre is the largest retail version.

Otherwise the Dipetane website has a list of stockists, Im sure somewhere on their site they have large disti's listed too.

stevenmu

There's a number of fuel additives out there that claim to increase mpg by cleaning out carbon deposits. It makes perfect sense that buildup in the cylinder and deposits on the injectors would interfere with nominal fuel combustion, so it also makes perfect sense that removing this would improve combustion and therefore improve mpg.

Most of these products seem to be just something you run through every now and then, but people seem to be considering running this constantly? While I can see that it would give an mpg boost by cleaning out the carbon, I can't help wondering what happens if you stop using it? I'm guessing that the mpg won't suddenly decrease again, but that over time as carbon builds up again it'll slowly go down again.

So to decide if it's worth using, I think you have to compare using it constantly, to using it only for a little while, and then comparing it to products that are meant to only be used once in a while.

peasant

I'm through my first liter bottle of the stuff.
The jury is still out as to fuel savings (fuel use always goes up during winter) but my pre-historic pre-chamber diesel definitely runs smoother, quieter and less smoky with it.

My engine was designed when diesel still was "dirty" and had very good lubricating properties ...running it on modern, squeeky clean diesel has it sounding very rough and harsh (for want of a scientific explanation) ...with dipetane in the tank it sounds much happier.

I used to use two stroke oil for the same purpose (greasing the injectors) previously, but dipetane is cheaper and most likely cleaner as well.

Matt Simis

Im also testing it on my 1993 5.6l 850CSi, a big old NA petrol. Very initial results do suggest better fuel economy, but will let it go through a full tank to reserve judgment.

I time my trips to work (built in timer on the BMW), so I will know if Im subconsciously driving slower.

Raiser

I was only getting a miserable ~280 miles for 50 litres (65 litre tank 15 in reserve once light goes on) until I tipped in half a bottle of this stuff a week or 10 days ago.....

Am currently heading for 340 miles and light is still off, its about a 21% improvement.

- Am planning to buy a few 5 litre containers, while keeping original bottle with long spout and graduations on the side for easy measuring and refills.

Anyone else using this could you please let me know if you get an exhaust smell in your car on using this?

JHMEG

Raiser wrote: »

I was getting ~280 miles for every 50 litres and sick of the sight of the pumps; I'll stockpile this stuff going by my current marked improvement.

You could also try dilute your tank with E85 instead. At 97.9c a litre I occasionally dilute my tank up to about a third (ie a third E85 to two thirds petrol). I honestly can say that at that level I get about the same economy.

Altho a 21% improvement is excellent. Price wise how much cheaper does it work out?

zilog_jones

Raiser wrote: »

... ~280 miles for 50 litres (65 litre tank 15 in reserve once light goes on)...
...currently heading for 340 miles and light is still off...

You can work out real fuel economy easily using www.fuelly.com or http://www.spritmonitor.de/en/ (just remember to set them to work on imperial gallons as opposed to US if you don't to do it in euros)

Matt Simis

JHMEG wrote: »

You could also try dilute your tank with E85 instead. At 97.9c a litre I occasionally dilute my tank up to about a third (ie a third E85 to two thirds petrol). I honestly can say that at that level I get about the same economy.

That reminds me!
On my older BMW even E5 is showing a 4% drop in Range to tank vs regular fuel and no appreciable performance difference.

When I tried 30% E85 (just the one tank, some other car changes since then) I was down to 15mpg instead of 19!

daveharnett

Matt Simis wrote: »

Firstly it costs approx EUR1.50 - 2.00 per tank

Fair enough, it's only twice as expensive as the diesel/petrol it displaces.

Matt Simis wrote: »

Secondly, why bother posting a bunch of theories when you can just go purchase and test it, easily and cheaply?

I have tested it, and my conclusion is that I can't make any useful conclusions.

My fuel efficiency per tank already varies by as much 15% depending on the mix of driving i'm doing, the weather, what music I happen to be listening to that week etc.

Unless the stuff is miraculous (it's not), a sample set of one is way too small and too noisy to come up with any useful conclusions on something with as many variables as mpg. When I see a large scale independent test which publishes it's methodology and results, I'll take some notice. Until then, I'll remain a skeptic.

Merch

affects on catalytic converters/ particulate filters?

unkel

daveharnett wrote: »

Unless the stuff is miraculous (it's not), a sample set of one is way too small and too noisy to come up with any useful conclusions on something with as many variables as mpg. When I see a large scale independent test which publishes it's methodology and results, I'll take some notice. Until then, I'll remain a skeptic.

+1

Feel free anyone to try and / or believe for yourselves though

Just guessing here but how many of the cars still on the road today would be old skool normally breathing diesels? Maybe one in a thousand cars?

Cmar-Ireland

On older diesels just stick in €5 - €10 euros of pertol. It will clean out the fuel system just an effectively as dipetane IMO.

GTE

I found a bottle of this in Mullingar for 12 euro at a petrol station so I thought Id give it a shot.

From reading their website it does two things:
1) Releases more energy from the fuel
2) Cleans up the deposits

So, for the first thing you need to have it in your fuel all the time but for the second it can shift a lot of dirt so you can use it once in a blue moon or whatever.

Would that be the right conclusion to make?

If so is the cleaning of deposits in the engine going to make a huge difference in a mid to late 90's diesel?

DIESEL fuels treated with Dipetane burn so completely that carbon deposits are essentially eliminated in the combustion chamber leaving then nearly as efficient as when they were new. Black diesel smoke is eliminated and soot levels in oil are dynamically reduced.

It saying that it brings it close to being new, if you stop using it what brings back down to years from new so quick? Allegedly =P

keithclancy

bbk wrote: »

I found a bottle of this in Mullingar for 12 euro at a petrol station so I thought Id give it a shot.

From reading their website it does two things:
1) Releases more energy from the fuel
2) Cleans up the deposits

So, for the first thing you need to have it in your fuel all the time but for the second it can shift a lot of dirt so you can use it once in a blue moon or whatever.

Would that be the right conclusion to make?

If so is the cleaning of deposits in the engine going to make a huge difference in a mid to late 90's diesel?




It saying that it brings it close to being new, if you stop using it what brings back down to years from new so quick? Allegedly =P

Vegetable oil does the same thing, and you have to change the fuel filter pretty regularly when you switch over until the engines cleaned out.

gofaster_s13

Cmar-Ireland wrote: »

On older diesels just stick in €5 - €10 euros of pertol. It will clean out the fuel system just an effectively as dipetane IMO.

Very dangerous advice, I've seen 2 engines weld the pistons to the bores using this method.

Mr Benevolent

How's the dipetane test going on your 850 Matt?

Barr

It deffo works on emissions , tried everything before to get a car through the NCT. On the third time it passed with Diptane.

Raiser

As per my new thread on here today I've increased my monthly mileage significantly following a House move - Am now also trying to source the 25 Litre drums off this stuff at the moment in the hope of keeping Petrol Bills manageable.

Anyone else been experimenting with this stuff and trying to gauge its effectiveness?

Will keep ye updated on prices, Suppliers and conclusions