The Fuel Blending Debate for Veggie-Diesel Cars — Just Do It!

As winter dumps her usual dose of cruelty here in New York’s Hudson Valley, like many drivers of veggie oil-powered cars, I have begun reading up on how to best prepare mine for the cold season.

There is a LOT out there on the web regarding the proper blending of WVO, diesel, kerosene, etc. After several weeks of reading several hundred blogs and forum posts, here is what I’ve deduced: Nobody really knows.

And here’s what else I’ve deduced…it really doesn’t matter.  I’ve put every conceivable combination into my single-tank 240D. With the exception of a slight increase in power when using a higher ratio of dyno-diesel, there is no significant difference in performance or MPG.

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Since the cold season kicked into high gear, I’ve been running a 75/25 (WVO/Diesel) mix. Even with temperatures hovering in the single digits, I’ve had no problems with either starting or driving. In fact, the plan is to reduce the amount of diesel in the blend until we reach the point of total failure. And isn’t that really what alternative fuel vehicles are all about? It’s a giant experiment with only positive results—even in failure.

I speak to dozens of would-be WVO converts every day. Most will never take the leap, preferring rather to research the thing to death. Hours wasted trying to decide what blend to use when the temperature drops below 50 F while using such-and-such a filter, blah blah blah. Here’s my advice—just do it. If it’s not for you, go back to your old car. At least you can say you tried. And you’ll have good grease stories to relate at happy hour.

Photo Credit: Jeff Egnaczyk’s Flickr Photostream under a Creative Commons License

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