Diesel Fuel Additive Test

NC Hauler wrote:
...and you can find just as many articles that state you don't need to use additives, Articles I've seen are dealing more with diesel engines since DEF was added (2010)...I've not used any additives in the 10, 12 or 13 Ram's I've owned or the 07.5 Chevy D/A 3500 dually I owned and never had an issue. In temps below zero and near 100, towing or empty.

again, for every article that say's use an additive, you'll find one that say's you don't need to.

GM recommends an additive "IF" you feel you need one.

Ram doesn't recommend them that I'm aware of...

I'm driving my 2013 Ram in extreme cold conditions. I contacted Cummins directly and requested their advice. Below is their response:

Cummins neither approves nor disapproves the use of Fuel Additives in our engines. We only recommend using them when there is a diagnosed need (i.e. winter gelling, algae infestation, etc.). However, we also recognize that customers may feel they need to use an additive. For this reason, Cummins Filtration (Fleetguard) has created several different additives that are completely safe to use in any Cummins engine.

If you are looking for an additive to prevent fuel gelation as well as clean injectors and provide lubricity, then I would recommend our Turbo Diesel All Season Fuel Additive (part number CC2588). Turbo Diesel provides a cetane boost for improved starting, stabilizes diesel fuel, cleans fuel injectors, optimizes fuel economy, enhances fuel lubricity, and is compatible with all types of diesel fuel including ULSD and biodiesel blends up to B20. It also prevents wax gelation and fuel line freezing, and reduces cold filter plugging point.

Since you are in Alaska, the winter additives in the Turbo Diesel could possibly not be enough to completely solve the fuel issues related to excessively cold ambient air temperatures. I would use the Turbo Diesel first to see how it works for your fuel, but if it proves to not be enough, we do have another additive made especially to treat fuel problems associated with cold climates. This additive would be our Winter Conditioner (part number CC2591), which prevents ice crystal formation along with preventing wax gelation and fuel line freezing, and reducing the cold filter plugging point. The Winter Conditioner has a more concentrated formula for preventing winter fuel issues, which makes it more effective in extreme temperatures than the Turbo Diesel.

Treatment rate for the Turbo Diesel is 1 pt: 30-50 gallons of diesel, and the Winter Conditoner treatment rate is 1 pt: 125 gallons. These additives can be used simultaneously as long as you adhere to the recommended treatment rates. Therefore, if the Turbo Diesel is not enough to prevent your fuel from gelling, you can use the Winter Conditioner along with the Turbo Diesel to still obtain the injector cleaning and lubricity enhancing qualities. As we do not sell to the public, you will need to contact your local Cummins Distributor or FleetGuard Retailer for pricing and availability information for these additives. I am including a link below from our website (cumminsfiltration.com) that will take you to our Retail Locator page. All you have to do is enter your location (City and State or Zip Code) and you will get a list of various options near you.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

http://www.cumminsfiltration.com/wrl/retaillocator.do?_locale=en