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6 Best Diesel Fuel Additives To Boost Performance
Diesel fuel additives offer several benefits, including reducing emissions, extending engine life, increasing reliability in colder temperatures, and boosting performance. With numerous options available, selecting the most effective diesel fuel additive to enhance your diesel engine’s performance can be a challenging task.
The guide below features six of the best diesel fuel additives available to boost performance and ensure the longevity of your diesel vehicle.
Which Diesel Fuel Additives Boost Performance?
Among the various types of diesel fuel additives, several share overlapping benefits. However, not all diesel fuel additives directly target performance enhancement.
While fuel stabilizers, lubricity improvers, biocides, and demulsifiers can help improve a diesel engine’s functionality, fuel additives such as cetane boosters, anti-gel agents, and fuel system cleaners boost performance.
Cetane Boosters
Boosting diesel fuel’s cetane number enables the fuel to ignite more quickly, making it easier to start a diesel vehicle in colder temperatures.
A cetane booster also enhances the fuel’s combustion quality, thereby improving the engine’s efficiency and reducing strain on key internal engine components that typically see high wear. Smoother combustion and greater efficiency result in increased performance across the board.
Fuel System Detergents
Similar to gasoline engines, diesel engines produce carbon as part of the combustion process.
Fuel system detergents combat carbon buildup in both types of engines, removing deposits from fuel injectors, pistons, intake valves, and cylinder heads to ensure optimal operating conditions. Enhancing combustion leads to fewer emissions as the fuel system’s efficiency improves.
Anti-Gel Additives
Diesel fuel that struggles to ignite limits a diesel engine’s performance in freezing conditions. However, anti-gel additives can help prevent these circumstances by modifying the wax crystals responsible for diesel gel.
An anti-gel additive effectively lowers the diesel fuel’s cold filter plugging point (CFPP) to delay the formation of wax crystals at colder temperatures.
6 Best Diesel Fuel Additives To Boost Performance
Fuel additives help clean out harmful deposits, reduce wear and tear, improve fuel efficiency, prevent fuel breakdown over time, and help engines last longer.
Diesel fuel additives that help improve engine performance incorporate detergents, cetane boosters, and anti-gelling agents. Below are six of the best diesel fuel additives to boost performance.
1. CAM2 Diesel Fuel Treatment
CAM2 Diesel Fuel Treatment is a smart and dependable choice for anyone looking to maintain optimal performance in their diesel engine.
Designed to work with all types of diesel fuel, this additive provides year-round protection and efficiency. It helps clean injectors and other critical engine components, improving combustion and fuel economy while reducing harmful emissions. The formula includes a cetane booster to enhance ignition quality, leading to smoother engine starts and better throttle response.
In cold weather, CAM2 Diesel Fuel Treatment also acts as an anti-gel agent, preventing fuel from thickening and clogging filters. It also contains anti-corrosion and anti-wear additives to protect internal components, extending engine life and reducing maintenance costs.
2. Lucas Oil Diesel Deep Clean
A trusted brand in the industry, Lucas Oil manufactures a wide range of aftermarket products for diesel and gasoline engines.
As the name suggests, Lucas Oil Diesel Deep Clean performs a similar function to the previously mentioned diesel fuel additive with occasional use. However, note that this diesel fuel additive lacks cetane boosters or anti-gel agents.
3. Howes Diesel Treat Conditioner and Anti-Gel
Diesel owners can use Howes Diesel Treat Conditioner and Anti-Gel daily to boost their engine’s efficiency and performance.
Howes’ proprietary formula includes anti-gel additives and fuel system detergents to keep your diesel running smoothly in almost any weather conditions. Diesel Treat also incorporates lubricity improvers to reduce rough idling and smoking.
4. Amsoil Diesel All-In-One
The Amsoil Diesel All-In-One diesel fuel additive can be used with all types of diesel, including biodiesel fuel. Amsoil’s concentrated formula boosts performance through cetane boosters, fuel system cleaners, anti-gel additives, and lubricity improvers.
It also helps stabilize diesel fuel during storage and extends fuel filter longevity, allowing you to spend less on fuel system maintenance and repairs.
5. Sea Foam Motor Treatment
Diesel owners have long depended on Sea Foam’s Motor Treatment diesel fuel additive to scour away harmful deposits, improve lubricity, and stabilize diesel fuel.
As part of regular maintenance, add Sea Foam Motor Treatment to a fresh tank of diesel every 3,000 miles or three months, whichever occurs first. You can also add this diesel fuel additive to the oil crankcase for even better performance.
6. Peak “Blue” Agri-Clean Diesel Fuel Additive
Peak “Blue” Agri-Clean Diesel Fuel Additive optimizes fuel economy and enhances diesel performance through fuel system detergents and cetane boosters.
Diesel owners can use this diesel fuel additive from Peak year-round, but drivers in colder climates should note it doesn’t feature any anti-gel additives. However, Peak “Blue” Agri-Clean Diesel Fuel Additive is rated for use in biodiesel engines.
How To Select the Best Diesel Fuel Additive for Performance
Remember that cetane boosters, fuel system cleaners, and anti-gel additives help boost diesel engine performance.
When selecting diesel fuel additives that incorporate these features, consider your engine’s age and current state. Match up the manufacturer’s recommendations with the typical driving conditions your diesel engine sees.
It’s also important to distinguish between diesel fuel additives approved for daily use and those you only use once or twice a year. Regardless of which type you choose, it’s valuable to gather data on key performance metrics to determine your return on investment. Track your diesel’s fuel efficiency, any downtime necessary for repairs, and any additional required fuel system maintenance.
What To Expect When Using Diesel Fuel Additives
Untreated diesel fuel can cause several issues within your diesel engine’s fuel system, ranging from the buildup of sludge and varnish to water and bacterial contamination, which lead to reduced longevity and costly repairs.
However, it’s worth noting that diesel fuel additives are preventative, not necessarily prescriptive. In other words, if a diesel engine already has an issue, a fuel additive alone won’t necessarily resolve the problem.
That said, you may notice that you need to change your diesel fuel filters more frequently after incorporating a diesel fuel additive into your preventative maintenance routine. Those additives that boost power, especially fuel system detergents, flush deposits from the fuel system.
Keeping a few extra consumable components, such as fuel filters, on hand can help reduce any necessary downtime.
Any fuel additive also has a ceiling regarding effectiveness and the corresponding results. While fuel additives can enhance diesel engine performance, any improvements depend on engine design, compression ratios, and other underlying engine characteristics. Base fuel quality also plays a significant role in diesel engine performance.
Maintain Your Diesel Engine With High-Quality Fuel Additives
Diesel engines can be expensive to maintain and operate, but with the highest-quality products available, you can extend your diesel engine’s lifespan for thousands more miles.
Whether you oversee a fleet of diesel vehicles or want to care for your own personal diesel, the experts at Cadence can help connect you with the best products, including diesel fuel additives. Contact us at 336-629-2061 to speak with a friendly and knowledgeable representative about your diesel needs.
Sources:
Diesel Deep Clean® | Lucas Oil Products, Inc.
Diesel Treat | Antigel Diesel Fuel Conditioner | Howes Products