[Archived]

I’ll try not to reveal how I really feel………..I think they should stick biofuel where the sun don’t shine,

[Jim/Chris]

Jon, I am with you on that at least as far as my personal needs are. In winter of 2009 about a year after buying our bus, while in N Ohio at Christmas time, I bought a tank of Bio-Fuel, thinking it would be “good” to clean out my fuel system, as I had just undergone a filter change. Starting out of Toledo, Oh into Myrtle Beach, we had to change out 2 filters and before the trip from there into Fla then home to Arkansas, 2 more times. Each time a filter change did the job. At one fuel location that we limped into a fellow in an older motorhome came up to me and said he figured we were having trouble as he had never ever thought he would be able to pass a Prevost on the Interstate with his rig. No More Bio for us!

[Archived]

You have no choice in the matter in some states. You will be getting anywhere from 5% to 20% biocrap regardless of whether you want it or not. The stations don’t even seem to know what percentage they are getting. I have asked at some, and they say “read the sign on the pump”.

A few years ago, MN mandated at least 5% bio mix in all diesel fuel sold in the state. The first winter, a whole bunch of school busses crapped out and left kids stranded in the cold. Should have heard the screams about it then. There was an almost immediate exemption for the remainder of the winter until they got to the bottom of the problem. Seems that there was minimal or no quality control for the mixing of the bio component. They got that “resolved” and the mandate went back into play.

We only had one of our shops that was forced into bio. All the others got their fuel from WI even though a couple were in MN, it only applied to fuel BOUGHT in MN. The one facility that had to have the bio had issues for a couple of months, where almost every truck that got fuel there needed filter changes within a few days. Seems that bio is a great solvent, and will release the gunk from tanks and lines, which all end up in the filters. I don’t know how many filters we went through, but it was lots.

I have first hand experience where my coach mileage went up by at least a half mile per gallon when I did NOT have bio in the fuel I bought in New Mexico. I got fuel there two times, once heading west and once heading east and it was noticable almost right away. Next tank, mileage went back down to normal.

I would love to be able to always buy only diesel…no bio!

[Jim/Chris]

It is all about the BTU content of the fuel and as soon as bio is added the BTU content goes down. Along with power and mileage.