Thanks Rusty, I hadn't realized that today's ultra low sulfur diesel had THAT much lower cetane levels and that BioDiesel was actually helping to up the cetane level. I must of had recollections of the older formulation of pure diesel, vs biodiesel, as far as cetane levels still stuck in my head. A while back I had experimented with so many diesel fuel additives I felt like I was making a witches brew (2-stroke oil, Power Service, Pri-D...) every tankful in my truck, tractor, generators, etc. plus Power Service Diesel Clear in any long term storage like aux tanks on generators. I recently cut back to only Power Service and started using Shell B5 for engines that get regular use (no biocides). From the sounds of it, not only do you want to insure the fuel has sufficient lubrication additives but that you are also upping the cetane levels plus keeping injectors clean. I will look into the Opti-Lube XPD thanks for the tip!
Also, am I right to assume that winter formulation diesel has even less cetane than summer formulation diesel?
Is it just me thinking that the Feds are out to kill off our on-road diesel vehicles by a slow strangulation death via the engines? I was going to recommend to the wife that she look for a diesel SUV for her next car as she is making quite a few road trips every few months to California. However, after reading all the horror stories of clogged DPF's, EGR's clogging intake manifolds and issues with DEF fluid malfunctions...a new diesel engine today with all the pollution control sensors, restricted intake and exhaust paths, along with lower quality diesel could potentially turn a modern road diesel vehicle into a very frustrating money pit to maintain with less reliability than the old diesels of yesterday. My 2004 Dodge Ram 5.9 Cummins just has a cat behind it and none of the other crap they have added since 2007. So, its going to be a keeper hopefully to turn into one of those million mile engines!