What are the benefits of diesel fuel conditioners?

What are the benefits of diesel fuel conditioners?

If you own or use a heavy-duty diesel vehicle and your days are spent driving it around, chances are good that you want to maximize the efficiency and output of its engine. While there are many small things you can do to help out with that – even making sure your tires are properly inflated can have a positive effect – one of the biggest contributors is simply putting the right stuff into the engine in the first place. Low-sulphur diesel is just the start. Do you know about the benefits of adding a conditioner to your fuel system?

How Does Diesel Fuel Conditioner Work?

Due to modern pollution standards, today’s diesel fuels are very “dry”. They lack lubricity to properly lubricate your fuel injection system, they carry particulates that build up inside the system, and the water content inside the diesel is susceptible to Alberta’s wild temperature swings, condensing into drops that can greatly reduce your fuel efficiency. 

Fuel conditioners help combat all of these. They contain cetane enhancers, compounds that help diesel engines start colder, use less fuel, prevent deposits, and more. They improve lubricity, keeping the moving parts of your fuel injection system functioning properly. And they have detergents, designed to clean your injection system and help water go through without damaging it. 

Is Diesel Fuel Conditioner Necessary?

While not a necessary part of your fuel mixture, diesel fuel conditioner will really help maximize your engine’s efficiency and lifespan in a few different ways, and adding a high-quality fuel conditioner to your diesel fuel system has many benefits (as long as it’s good quality, like our recommended brand, Stanadyne) that substantially improve engine performance across the board. 

Diesel Fuel Conditioners and Fuel Economy

To start with, your fuel economy will go up. In nine separate tests that we did, fuel economy went up every single time (some independent tests got up to a 9% increase, with the average being about 4%). This will be especially noticeable on older, more worn engines with fuel injection systems, because it cleans the engines as it works.

Diesel Fuel Treatment and Cold Weather

Adding a high-quality diesel conditioner to your tank will improve your engine’s ability to start in cold weather, as combustibility is easier and cleaner. In the middle of a long, cold Alberta winter, your vehicle sometimes needs all the help it can get, and this is an easy way to keep things moving.

More Benefits of Diesel Fuel Conditioner

Overall, your unit will run smoother and quieter (cetane enhancers also reduce knocking and noise), and you will get more power and torque from your engine as you continue to use a high quality fuel conditioner. If you want your vehicle to be powerful and efficient for years to come, getting started early and staying consistent with diesel treatment is an important step.

Does Diesel Fuel Treatment Go Bad?

If you have a case of fuel additives, you’re probably wondering how long they’ll stay effective before they “expire”. We can’t speak for all the brands out there, but for Stanadyne products, you can store any of the bottles for up to 2 years (unopened, in a suitable environment) without losing its effectiveness. After that, they can still be used, but you might not get the full impact. And yes, these additives can be used in bulk storage tanks, though there are some additional steps to ensure it fully mixes throughout the solution – click the link above for details.


This also ties into another point, about when to treat diesel fuel. The easiest way is to figure out the optimal amount of additive for the size of your tank, and add that in when you fill up from empty. If that’s not possible, reduce the amount of fuel conditioner you’re adding to compensate for what’s still in your tank.


The ratio and mix will depend on your vehicle, the size of your tank, how much fuel is still left in the tank when you fill up again, and so on. There is such a thing as too much fuel conditioner (which generally won’t harm the engine, so much as decrease performance), so you’ll want to make sure you’re getting the right amount when you fill up.

Getting the Best Results from Diesel Fuel Treatment

In order to get the best results, a concentrated and high-quality fuel conditioner is necessary. At West Tech Mobile, we have many different sizes of Stanadyne fuel conditioner – including bulk 19 L pails that we purchase directly from our distributor, leading to big savings that we can pass on to you when you’re ready to stock up.

To learn more, pick up some diesel fuel conditioner to try for yourself, or ask about some of our many other maintenance services, drop by our shop in Calgary’s industrial area from 8-4:30, Mon-Sat. You can also give us a call at 403-265-5699 or drop a line in our easy-to-use contact form. We look forward to helping you get the most out of your diesel fuel!