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Diesel vs Gasoline Pricing

6K views 27 replies 17 participants last post by  Syntax 
#1 ·
I'm awaiting the build of my X5 35d and watching gasoline prices fall. Here in New Jersey the price of diesel has declined only slightly since oil has started to slide. While diesel in the past has been a few cents below premium, it is now 6 to 8 cents higher. Is this a long term trend where premium will be cheaper? Anyone know why diesel in some parts of the country is cheaper than or the same price as regular, but so much higher here in New Jersey? I'm wondering if I should have ordered the new N55.
 
#2 ·
The better mpg of the diesel should make up for most any price differences. You would miss the 425ft.lbs. of torque with the diesel. You might check an online cheap gas site or the like to review a one or two year trend of diesel v. gas in your zip code. BMW is not #1 because they don't see an advantage with the diesel or would not offer it here along with the 35i.
 
#3 ·
I've never understood how they price diesel in different parts of the world. :dunno:

Some of the European guys have been posting that the prices are equal over there, while the US market seems to be slightly more expensive for diesel.

Up here, we typically see premium diesel priced anywhere from 50-75 cents per gallon cheaper than premium fuel. :)
 
#4 ·
I'm awaiting the build of my X5 35d and watching gasoline prices fall. Here in New Jersey the price of diesel has declined only slightly since oil has started to slide. While diesel in the past has been a few cents below premium, it is now 6 to 8 cents higher.
I've only been paying attention to diesel prices since I bought my "d" last summer.The price of diesel around here was within a few cents of regular then and during this past winter it's been within a few cents of premium which is where it stands today.My theory is that in New England,at least,the price of diesel somewhat mirrors that of heating oil which,in essense,is what it is.Heating oil is noticeably cheaper in July than in January.I guess we'll see what happens in the next few months to gas prices *and* diesel prices.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Diesel in Virginia is usually priced between mid-grade and premium petrol. In instances where petrol prices rise quickly, diesel prices lag so it's not unusual to see diesel priced between regular and mid-grade.

Currently diesel runs around $2,85-2,99/US gallon and I suspect they will fall further.
 
#6 ·
In my zip, 20854, diesel is between the price of premium and mid-grade.

Looking at www.gasbuddy.com NJ is still lower than MD by about $.20 in all grades. Just be grateful you have lower gas prices and someone fills your tank for you. :D

Looks like in the Cherry Hill area, Diesel is about the same as premium.
 
#8 ·
Do you guys search for premium diesel in your area and is the information on the pump? I need to start searching for that in my area as I would like to put the highest quality of diesel when I have the chance.
 
#12 ·
Since the X5 is my dads car, all I do is tell him about the potential benefits of premium diesel but I don't really care if he shells out for it or not.

Premium diesel availability varies by region. In Central/southern Virginia, BP and Southern States are the two most likely to carry higher cetane diesel (45-47). Just like octane ratings, the cetane rating is supposed to be posted on the pump. If it's not posted, then assume regular diesel (40).
 
#9 ·
Since getting my 35d last november, in my area, diesel has fluctuated between slightly less than regular gas to slightly more than premium, but for probably 80% of that time it was about the price of midgrade gas, as it was when I last filled up.

I think diesel prices and gas prices fluctuate responsive to a variety of factors, some seasonal and some not.
 
#10 ·
I think diesel prices and gas prices fluctuate responsive to a variety of factors, some seasonal and some not.
I think there could be regional factors as well.For example...many people in New England heat their homes with oil.Oil heat is also found elsewhere in the Northeast but,I believe,isn't common elsewhere (Midwest,Northwest,etc).Given that diesel fuel and heating oil are basically identical the prices of the two tend,to a degree,to mirror each other in areas where heating oil is widely used.
 
#16 ·
Logistics

A friend who trades oil told me that much of the Diesel in the northeast is actually shipped over on tankers from Europe. There isn't a lot of Diesel pipeline coming into the northeast.

As it takes longer to get here, this may explain why it takes the price of diesel a little longer to catch up with the price of gas.
 
#17 · (Edited)
In my part of the world diesel is cheaper than regular gas right now. That can (and does) change with marketplace price fluctuation. In California there apparently is no "premium diesel" because all diesel sold here is "premium diesel" because of CARB regulations.:angel: Much of the diesel used in CA is also refined right up the bay in the Benicia area.
 
#18 ·
Had been the same here in SoCal until about two months ago when diesel started to climb and in 80% of the stations it is now about $0.05 higher than premium gas. In the other 20% is below regular gas!!!???.

What's interesting is that while gas prices are fairly stable between stations and providers (Shell, Chevron, etc.), diesel varies wildly. Yesterday, I passed two Chevron stations within two miles of each other with diesel at $3.36 per gallon. I filled-up at the next station about two miles farther down the road at $3.06 per gallon. Can't figure what the :mad: is going on.
 
#19 ·
My theory on that is it is based on the amount of diesel fuel they sell. The stations with the high prices sell little diesel while those with lower prices sell a lot. The expensive stations (Shell in my area) seem to cater to the Mercedes crowd while the less expensive stations (Chevron) have a lot of medium duty truck trade with PowerStroke, DuraMax and Cummins engines.
 
#20 ·
Here in the NW it seems to be a bit more than Premium. However the MPG between my 35D and 4.8 is very noticable and the power drop off minor thanks to the increased torque. Also the tank size means I fill it up less often and can get discount pricing using supermarket gas where we buy our food.

Not sure if it still is valid but the $1800 tax credit made it an easy choice.

I got 29 MPG on the freeway up the BC not counting the border down time and 26 overall. That is a far cry from my 07 4.8.
 
#22 ·
I hope to be picking up my X5 35d sometime this week and have been checking local stations (plenty that offer diesel) but cannot find any with the cetane rating only low sulfur posted on the pumps. I don't ask the cashier as I am sure they have no idea. Is this the way it is around the country or just the south?
 
#23 ·
If there is no cetane rating posted, assume the minimum cetane rating of 40.
 
#24 ·
I'm in Bellevue, WA and Diesel here is just a few cents more than regular gasoline. Add that with the amazing mpg (I got 29.4 mpg on the freeway last week) and the 35d is a no-brainer!
 
#25 ·
I came back from Finland and Germany yesterday. The current pricing in both countries is about ***8364;1,21/litre diesel compared to about ***8364;1,38-1,45/litre of petrol in D. and about ***8364;1,45/litre in Finland. That's nearly ***8364;1,15/US gallon difference!
 
#27 · (Edited)
I know this isn't totally related to gas vs diesel pricing, but here are my stats since inception on November 4, 2009 (odometer units = miles; refill amount = gallons; price per unit = USD):

X5d
Date Odometer MPG Re-fill Amount Price per unit
1
11/16/2009 449 22.93 19.534 2.759
12/1/2009 891 21.95 20.138 2.699
12/9/2009 1392 23.39 21.423 2.659
12/27/2009 1745 18.54 19.042 2.619
1/10/2010 2169 21.05 20.144 2.739
1/16/2010 2544 24.53 15.29 2.739
1/24/2010 2967 22.01 19.218 2.739
2/6/2010 3359 22.41 17.493 2.699
2/19/2010 3815 21.01 21.705 2.699
3/5/2010 4245 21.16 20.319 2.799
3/14/2010 4754 24.25 20.991 2.879
3/30/2010 5171 21.28 19.595 2.859
4/11/2010 5649 23.82 20.068 2.859
4/25/2010 6072 20.66 20.476 2.999
5/3/2010 6552 22.92 20.942 2.999
5/22/2010 6966 20.41 20.28 2.999
Avg Consumption: 22.02mpg
Avg price/gallon: 2.80
Avg price/mile: 0.13
Overall fuel cost: 886.30
Avg miles/day: 35.01


Price of diesel is rising on us here in Denver. I've gone to the same gas station every fill-up.

(I don't know how to insert a table...)
 
#28 ·
I know this isn't totally related to gas vs diesel pricing, but here are my stats since inception on November 4, 2009 (odometer units = miles; refill amount = gallons; price per unit = USD):

X5d

1
Code:
Date	  Odometer	MPG	Re-fill Amount	Price per unit
11/16/2009	449	22.93	19.534	2.759
12/1/2009       891	21.95	20.138	2.699
12/9/2009       1392	23.39	21.423	2.659
12/27/2009	1745	18.54	19.042	2.619
1/10/2010       2169	21.05	20.144	2.739
1/16/2010       2544	24.53	15.29	2.739
1/24/2010    	2967	22.01	19.218	2.739
2/6/2010   	3359	22.41	17.493	2.699
2/19/2010   	3815	21.01	21.705	2.699
3/5/2010   	4245	21.16	20.319	2.799
3/14/2010  	4754	24.25	20.991	2.879
3/30/2010  	5171	21.28	19.595	2.859
4/11/2010  	5649	23.82	20.068	2.859
4/25/2010  	6072	20.66	20.476	2.999
5/3/2010   	6552	22.92	20.942	2.999
5/22/2010  	6966	20.41	20.28	2.999
Avg Consumption: 22.02mpg
Avg price/gallon: 2.80
Avg price/mile: 0.13
Overall fuel cost: 886.30
Avg miles/day: 35.01

Price of diesel is rising on us here in Denver. I've gone to the same gas station every fill-up.

(I don't know how to insert a table...)
Added a code tag to make the table a bit more readable.
 
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