2-EHN Cetane improver

[piglet]

Anyone got any experience with this stuff?
If the internet is to be believed (it isn't) then this is what makes the difference between ordinary Diesel and Posh Diesel.
And no 2 stroke as Diesel additive hyperbole neither.

[Doggy]

Can't see why it wouldn't have exactly the same effect as posh diesel, (i.e. produce less power / increase fuel consumption since your fuel will contain proportionately less diesel, just like posh stuff).

[Welly]

I drank half a litre of this stuff at a Christmas Party, can't say I noticed any real difference in performance afterwards. HTH

[PeterN]

I did once accidentally fill up with posh diesel but it didn't seem to make much difference and even if it did it cost more so I wouldn't bother, as mentioned its the same diesel with more additives. I have run on supermarket diesel for the best part of half a million miles and have never had a problem.

Peter

[Bailes1992]

As a user of premium diesel in my own cars I've found they're more of a long term benefit than something you notice overnight. I probably agree that 2-EHN is used to boost cetane levels in a lot of premium diesels but they have increased levels of cleaning additives and other niceties to boot. Best example of this is Shell V-Power uses a gas to liquid process to produce the fuel. The diesel is synthesised from natural gas and this means the diesel burns far cleaner and leaves much less in the way of deposits behind.

My previous MK4 Mondeo was purchased at 3 years old with 97k on the clock. I then put a further 60k on it over 30 months. Those 60k were done using nothing but BP Ultimate or Shell V-Power and the engine started better, was quieter and smoother at 158k when I got rid of it than when I purchased it at 97k. It's done over 180k now and still on the original injectors.

My own MK3 Focus I purchased brand new and again put 60k on the clock over two and a half years. I nursed it, used only BP Ultimate or Shell V-Power along with changing the oil every 6k or 6 months often using 10w30 or 15w40 heavy duty diesel engine oils (the sort used in HGV's). The car drove the same when I sold it as the day I purchased it. The engine was smooth as silk and very very quiet.

Now take for comparison my current company car. Another MK3 Focus with the same engine that my MK3 Focus had. It's spent it's 3 years and 85k run on supermarket diesel and it feels like it's done 200k in comparison to my MK3 Focus. The engine is noisy on start up, it's sluggish, rattly and generally feels 'tired'. I suspect it's mainly down to a gummed up intake from EGR use along with dirty injector nozzles. Something which doesn't happen with premium diesel.

I have use 2-EHN in vegtable oil to make up for a little lost power, usually mixed in with a good glug of two stroke oil. It works, there's no doubt about that. But in my experience you definitely get what you pay for with diesel. Supermarket diesel may meet the required British Standard but that doesn't mean it's what's best for your motor.

[rwb]

That's exactly what I'd read about it.

I've just started giving it a go. I'm on my first tank. It'll be a month or so before I have any meaningful statistics. Only put in 25ml as it was dark I the bottle was too shiny to read the markings under the forecourt lights. Will be using 75ml; usually put about 60l diesel in.

Never detected any difference using super diesel.

The impression I get -- which could be nothing but confirmation bias -- is that it's easier to drive on a light throttle at low revs, e.g., trying to float along at 56 on the motorway. (I'm already getting 1,000 miles per tank out of the 407 2.2.) (I'm paid mileage instead of salary as a tax fiddle so I have to minimise what goes on diesel.)

[PeterN]

I would agree, the way you drive and frequency of oil changes makes a lot of difference to engine and transmission life, both my 2.0. 406 estates will do 60 mpg + on a longish motorway journey and I haven't changed a clutch in 20 years or more. One is just on 200k and my first one did 246k before electronic failure wrote it off.

Peter

[trufflehunt]

As a user of premium diesel in my own cars I've found they're more of a long term benefit than something you notice overnight. I probably agree that 2-EHN is used to boost cetane levels in a lot of premium diesels but they have increased levels of cleaning additives and other niceties to boot. Best example of this is Shell V-Power uses a gas to liquid process to produce the fuel. The diesel is synthesised from natural gas and this means the diesel burns far cleaner and leaves much less in the way of deposits behind.

My previous MK4 Mondeo was purchased at 3 years old with 97k on the clock. I then put a further 60k on it over 30 months. Those 60k were done using nothing but BP Ultimate or Shell V-Power and the engine started better, was quieter and smoother at 158k when I got rid of it than when I purchased it at 97k. It's done over 180k now and still on the original injectors.

My own MK3 Focus I purchased brand new and again put 60k on the clock over two and a half years. I nursed it, used only BP Ultimate or Shell V-Power along with changing the oil every 6k or 6 months often using 10w30 or 15w40 heavy duty diesel engine oils (the sort used in HGV's). The car drove the same when I sold it as the day I purchased it. The engine was smooth as silk and very very quiet.

Now take for comparison my current company car. Another MK3 Focus with the same engine that my MK3 Focus had. It's spent it's 3 years and 85k run on supermarket diesel and it feels like it's done 200k in comparison to my MK3 Focus. The engine is noisy on start up, it's sluggish, rattly and generally feels 'tired'. I suspect it's mainly down to a gummed up intake from EGR use along with dirty injector nozzles. Something which doesn't happen with premium diesel.

I have use 2-EHN in vegtable oil to make up for a little lost power, usually mixed in with a good glug of two stroke oil. It works, there's no doubt about that. But in my experience you definitely get what you pay for with diesel. Supermarket diesel may meet the required British Standard but that doesn't mean it's what's best for your motor.

To me, it looks like you've taken two polar opposites..., a car that receives lots of careful attention, and a car that sounds like a company 'hack', used and abused by a motley group of careful, or careless drivers..., to make a selected point about premium diesel.

[piglet]

No hard evidence either way then.

[Bailes1992]

No 'hard' evidence but a gut feeling built up from experience with different fuels.

The other thing worth mentioning is DPF regens. I did try to use supermarket diesel a few times in my Focus but the first thing I noticed was the regens were happening every 300-400miles as opposed to 650-700miles on premium diesel. In fact on V-Power with the synthesized GTL fuel driving back and fore Bournemouth I was pushing nearly 1000miles between regens.

My 2014 Focus Zetec ECOnetic 1.6TDCi (105ps) has now been replaced with a 2016 Focus Style 1.5TDCi (120ps).

Now I know about a week before I got rid of my own Focus with the same 1.5TDCi 120ps engine I stuck a borescope down the intake and found nothing more than a light dusting after 60k. The new Focus has done 31k and as I now get a company fuel card it will only have been and only will be run on supermarket diesel. It'll be interesting to stick a borescope down the intake and see the difference. It seems to be a much better looked after car than my last one. The last one looked like it had been dragged through a wood on it's roof with a bunch of smoking monkeys inside.

It isn't quite a fair test as the thicker oils used in my Focus may have contributed to less oil vapor in the intake. After-all, it's the mix of oil and exhaust in the intake that causes the build up of carbon.

My Fathers 320d gets run on Tesco diesel and nothing else. The intake was removed at 80k to be cleaned and when I stuck my camera down the intake a few weeks ago at 110k it's soaking wet and already starting to build up with carbon. The BMW gets driven quite hard too.

[piglet]

What's your take on 2 stroke?
Stinks of internet garbage to me or does it actually Improve pump life?

[dirtydirtydiesel]

That's a old well covered topic, have a search through the forum.

[Bailes1992]

My experience with two stroke oil is limited to my 406 1.9TD, my 406 HDi and a hand full of go's with my Mondeo and the Defender.

It improves low down torque, quietens the engine down no end and helps to lubricate the fuel system.

I remember reading some time ago a story about Mercedes taking a fleet of E-Class from Paris to Beijing. Mercedes were worried about the quality of fuel in Eastern parts of the world so they dosed up all the tanks with two stroke oil. They found the cars to perform better, they were quieter and fuel economy was better than expected. How true this is, I have no idea as I haven't been able to find the article since.

However, you shouldn't use it in a DPF equipped vehicle as the ash from the two stroke oil after combustion can block the DPF. I've also seen one experiment where they claimed that it caused deposits on the injector nozzles, however I'm not sure I buy that one entirely.

Maybe for older diesel engines a two stroke oil/2-EHN mix would be a nice little additive.

[rwb]

First tank had 25ml of 2-EHN in it. Recommended dose is 1ml per litre of diesel, so under-dosed. Just put in 75ml of 2-EHN and 61.32 litres of diesel. Tank is about 66 litres.

Was expecting it to be slightly down as on this tank I'd been to Bridgnorth for some tyres, done a few extra local journeys, had a detour to Tamworth to do PP2k for someone and got my clog down on the way back after getting pissed off by motorway closures.

Computer said 61.5mpg for the tank. MPG by brim-to-brim is 68.33

The last times the computer said 61.5 the brim-to-brim were: 68.9, 68.3, 68.9, 69, 67.6, 66.7, 67.9.

So on the first tank I think my verdict has to be: no difference.

[Bailes1992]

First tank had 25ml of 2-EHN in it. Recommended dose is 1ml per litre of diesel, so under-dosed. Just put in 75ml of 2-EHN and 61.32 litres of diesel. Tank is about 66 litres.

Was expecting it to be slightly down as on this tank I'd been to Bridgnorth for some tyres, done a few extra local journeys, had a detour to Tamworth to do PP2k for someone and got my clog down on the way back after getting pissed off by motorway closures.

Computer said 61.5mpg for the tank. MPG by brim-to-brim is 68.33

The last times the computer said 61.5 the brim-to-brim were: 68.9, 68.3, 68.9, 69, 67.6, 66.7, 67.9.

So on the first tank I think my verdict has to be: no difference.

Is the 407 trip computer like the 406 where it would settle on the nearest MPG figure that was related to a *l/100km figure?

Always used to please me that my HDi90 used to do more MPGees than indicated. My Fords since haven't been so blessed.