For all intents and purposes, dyed diesel is the exact same as regular clear diesel except for their color. Using it won’t destroy your engine, or do any sort of harm at all. However, what dyed diesel will do is put you at risk of being fined thousands of dollars. So in a sense, there is actually a difference between dyed and clear diesel in that they, by law, must be used differently. Below we’ll answer the question of what types of vehicles you can use red dyed diesel in.
If you were to use dyed diesel in a truck, car or any vehicle that is road legal than you are using dyed diesel improperly. As we know, the only difference between regular and dyed diesel is their color. What we haven’t discussed however is the reason for the dye. Simply, dye is added to diesel so that seller, user and authority alike know that this particular diesel is restricted to off-road use. Meaning that if dyed diesel is used in any way to power a vehicle that is traveling on the highway, than that diesel is being used illegally.
By now you might be asking, “Why does anyone use red dyed diesel?” If it’s not any different than regular diesel, and can only be used in off-road vehicles? Well, to incentivize use of red dyed diesel it is sold everywhere tax free. Resulting in, depending on the state, up to nearly a dollar in savings. Click here to see how much savings you can benefit from in your own state!
Below is a list of the types of vehicles that you can use dyed diesel in:
Farm Equipment
Construction Equipment
Fuel Powered Non-Vehicles
And that’s all there is to it! If at any point you’re still unsure about whether or not your particular vehicle can use dyed diesel ask yourself this question, “Could I drive this onto the highway without getting pulled over?” If the answer is NO, no I could not drive this vehicle on the highway. Then YES you can use dyed diesel in it. Now that you know how to use it, the next logical step of course is to know where and how to get it! Click here for a list of every station with dyed diesel at the pump in the state of CA, and click here for directions on how to obtain the means to buy it.