Caltex vortex premium diesel

[Mister_duck]

I was driving yesterday past a Caltex service station and noticed they had banners up with a new type of premium diesel available.
There is some info about it at www.caltex.com.au.

It's not available at all service stations in Sydney. Now I don't normally use caltex diesel but this is meant to be better for your car as well as clean injectors and the best part, no bad diesel smell.

I didn't notice if it was more expensive then normal diesl, I might try it next time I fill up, Has anybody else here had any experience with the premium diesel ? is it any good ?

[GoLfMan]

do you have any information if its coming to melbourne??? that sounds the goods

[Mister_duck]

No idea if it's coming to Melbourne sorry, I thought that it might have been in most capital cities, Maybe its just a sydney trial for now

[mikinoz]

What is Vortex Diesel?
Vortex Diesel is Caltex’s new premium ultra-low sulphur diesel product that provides a cleaner, higher standard of diesel to customers. Vortex Diesel is focused on enhancing the customer’s filling experience and restores lost fuel economy and engine power, by cleaning the fuel delivery system including the fuel injectors.

How is Vortex Diesel different from regular diesel?
Vortex Diesel contains a special ingredient that is part of a formula designed to clean deposits from critical parts of a vehicle’s fuel system and intake valves, thereby assisting cars to perform at their best. Vortex Diesel also has an anti-foam agent which provides a cleaner filling experience for the customer. This special additive is exclusive to Caltex.

What are the benefits of Vortex Diesel?
Vortex Diesel has been specially formulated to clean your car’s fuel system while you drive. The cleaning power of Vortex fuels restores performance in three areas:
Formulated to clean fuel injectors: Over time, performance-robbing deposits build up on fuel injectors due to engine heat. Deposits reduce combustion efficiency, which leads to power loss, slower acceleration, increased fuel consumption and higher exhaust emissions. By removing these deposits, Vortex Diesel helps restore lost power and economy.
Formulated to restore fuel economy: Vortex Diesel looks after your car by removing injector tip deposits. This ensures a better quality fuel spray, allowing the fuel to burn more efficiently and completely. You’ll use less fuel and that’s good for you and good for the environment.
Formulated to restore engine power:


Is Vortex Diesel safe for my car?
Vortex Diesel can be used in all diesel vehicles. Vortex Diesel is designed with new common rail diesel technology in mind and is ideal for the most advanced turbo-diesel engines.

How does Vortex Diesel provide a "cleaner" filling experience?
Vortex Diesel contains an anti-foam agent that significantly reduces the risk of splashing and reduces the odour that can sometimes be left on your hands when filling.

I withhold my opinion until I see it in all service stations and have tried it.

[gldgti]

i would put MONEY on the special ingredient being about 2% biodiesel, availble from Bogas servo's for a while now. it is just enough to have a cleaning effect, just enough to improve combustion a little bit, and just enough to prevent it having to be sold as a biodiesel blend.

it could also be acetone, also cleans your fuel system and breaks surface tension in the fuel making it atomise better.

[Mister_duck]

That doesn't come as a shock to me if infact it is a biodiesel blend of diesel.
Though if it is a small blend of biodiesel wouldn't caltex have to made it known that a small % of this so called " premium diesel " is inactual fact biodiesel ?

I did go into the servo and ask the guy what was so special about the diesel, he didn't know, all he gave me was a brochure, he didn't know anything about it

I think im just going to stick with the diesel that I have been using which is Bp

[gldgti]

by all means give it a try - it wont hurt your car at all. the small amount of biodiesel improves lubricity greatly, its much nicer to injector pumps etc than ULSD

[Seano]

I think im just going to stick with the diesel that I have been using which is BP

Which is already an ultra low sulphur diesel........and has been for some time.

So the only difference between BP diesel and Caltex VD (!) is this 'anti-foaming agent' and the 'cleaning agent'....which I'll agree is almost certainly acetone.

[Edison]

enhancing the customer’s filling experience

Thats business-speak for "Ripping off customers"

want proof? the total lack of any information about what it actually is.

[smithy010]

I used it the first time i ever filled my tank with diesel... only because my local servo sells it. It's no more expensive than other diesel.

It's difficult to say whether they would advertise it if a small amount of biodiesel was added... iit would probably turn away as many customers as it attracted- people scared of buggering up their nice new diesel engines or something...

Whatever it is, it's the same price, so there can't be too muc "rip off" factor..

[bluey]

Is it really premium???

Is it really premium???

Can't find any technical information on Vortex Diesel.
Caltex Australia: Vortex Premium Fuels - Vortex 98, Vortex 95, Vortex Diesel
MSDS Link via that page comes up with standard diesel.

http://www.caltex.com.au/ProductsAndServices/Pages/ProductDescription.aspx?ID=1786

MSDS Link via the second page does not link directly. Search of the MSDS database only comes up with a product called VORTEX DIESEL-EXTRA LOW SULFUR DIESEL - Nothing in there with the "Premum" word.

The blurb seems to say that Vortex Premium Diesel is diesel with an injector cleaner. The MSDS for the low sulphur version says 0-10% methyl esters (presumably from biodiesel). Thre is no mention of cetane improvement of the cetane rating of this fuel.

I presumed "Premium" would indicate a higher cetane. Presumably the biodiesel part does this. Why doesn't Caltex come clean??

So on currently available information, this is misleading naming....

[mk3pete]

it is in melbourne.

[wai]

The way I read it is that Vortex is the premium fuel be it ULP or diesel.

Going to the first link it is headed Vortex Premium Fuels.

[Greg Roles]

I use it happily in line with BP, and preferentially over Shell. There is no real "premium" in a diesel, it's more the additives to assist keeping injectors and fuel lines clean.

[Halcyon]

I had a phone conversation with a tech from Caltex a couple of weeks ago and he said that the difference between Vortex and normal diesel is that Vortex has the addition of a detergent, anti foaming agent and a scent(perfume) to disguise the diesel smell. Two cent/litre price difference when I looked.