mikemargolis

If you click on my fuelly link, you'll notice (as I just did) that my mileage has dropping a few mpg consistently through the winter months.

Is this typical and expected?

Thanks in advance

ImInPA

It can. There are some additional additives to keep it from gelling. More likely though, it is the diesels superior thermal efficiency that is dinging your mpg. Diesels actuall perform best when full heated. Cold temps work against the diesel in this regard and reduce efficiency a bit. I usuall see a drop of 1-2 mpg during the really cold winter months. The effects of winterized diesel are not as dramatic as they are for winterized gasoline.

mikemargolis

Interesting, thanks for the reply!

Mbenz260e

My diesels all gotten worse in the winter. Not sure what has a greater effect, cold starts or winter diesel. My guess would be the cold starts though as my wife's vehicle which does short trips seems to suffer even more...

listerone

My understanding of "winter" diesel is that it's a mixture of actual diesel and kerosene with the final result being a fuel that won't gel as easily at a given temp but which,OTOH,contains less energy...which makes for lower mileage.