How To Improve Gas Mileage In Your Diesel

In this day and age, everyone seems to be talking about the various ways we can reduce our expenses. Why not look for ways to cut down on costs with something we do every day: drive. Gas prices have continued to increase over the past few years, making it difficult on pocketbooks everywhere.

Sometimes truckers are painted as heroic figures, like in Red Sovine's song, "Big Joe and Phantom 309," about a truck driver who swerves to miss a school bus full of children, losing his life and becoming a ghost who picks up hitch hikers. Much like the people who drive them, diesel engines carry their own myths. Here are 5 common myths surrounding diesel engines, and the surprising truth that will have you rethinking the way you view big rigs.

Myth: You need to idle a diesel engine for 5 minutes or more in the morning

The Truth: Idling a diesel engine for a long time can actually harm the engine more than if it were driving down the highway. That's because at low speeds, such as idling, your engine experiences twice the wear and tear. Most owners' manuals recommend no more than 3 minutes of idling before you drive. Even in colder temperatures, when the diesel fuel tends to gel, you can add winter blends to the fuel to make it flow better.

How Do You Keep Your DPF Clean?

Increasing timing and rail pressure

To help increase your miles per gallon in your diesel, the goal is to create as much cylinder pressure as possible while using as little fuel as you can. Something to try is slightly increasing timing or rail pressure and seeing if that helps with your fuel economy. Aerodynamics.

The Truth: It's not just trucks and ships that use diesel fuel these days. More and more cars are fitted with diesel engines, and just about every neighborhood gas station has a diesel pump.

Myth: Diesel is dirtier than gasoline

The Truth: There's a stigma that diesel trucks constantly puff out big clouds of black smoke. However, due to recent EPA emissions requirements, diesel engines are held to the same standards as gasoline engines. Now diesel trucks are fitted with a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), which removes over 95% of the particles in the exhaust. The result of adding DPFs to diesel engines: no more black smoke bellowing out of trucks. Any short drive on the freeway confirms this fact-you'll be hard pressed to any see smoke coming out of a big rig's exhaust pipe.

However, this is highly discouraged for two reasons: it can cause further damage to the delicate parts of your DPF, and it does not provide the same comprehensive cleaning and inspection that a dealership or repair shop can achieve with specialized tools and skills. The inspection component is important because you may not be able to detect damage or inefficiency in your DPF.

You should watch your acceleration carefully. Avoiding accelerating too quickly, and accelerating then stopping can really help to increase the miles per gallon you so desperately need. FleetServ provides a wide range of diesel emissions solutions including diesel particulate filters, helping to service your fleet of diesel vehicles. For all of your diesel particulate filter needs, call FleetServ today. We can take care of yoru diesel fleet needs for you.