Fuel Additives/Oil Additives - Do You Use Them?

-Chris-

Forgive me for posting this. I'd love some of your opinions and feedback on the questions below. There are a lot of opinions here that I really respect and I'd appreciate the ability to use you guys as a focus group.

I don't consider this to be shilling in any way as I only sell trade only. If you have an issue with the thread, feel free to report the post.

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Do you use fuel additives or oil additives?

If so, what do you use? The main ones I'd be aware of are Dipetane for getting emissions down or the likes of STP or Redex that can be got from Woodies etc.

What are your experiences, positive or negative?

Have you used an oil flush or coolant/powersteering/oil additive?

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If not, why not? Have you tried them and didn't see a benefit or do you just consider them snake oil?


If you don't currently use them, what would convince you to buy them? Would decent marketing (or analysis/test results) convince you, or would you require a recommendation from someone you know?

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If you were trying to convince people to buy fuel additives, or if you wanted to promote them, what would you do?

Any other thoughts?

Thanks!

In the past I have used
- slick 50 engine treatment and slick 50 gearbox additive. I was an 18 year old working in a motor factors who got stuff at cost price.
- I have also used various fuel treatments over the years, Redex etc.
- When I ran an jap import Celica I used Octane booster.
- I also used Redex as an engine treatment (down the plug holes), good crack, huge amounts of white smoke for miles and miles, had to take the car out country roads as I was afraid of being pulled over, the amount of white smoke was disgraceful

I have never used an oil flush, I'd sooner use diesel engine oil of the correct spec for a slow 2000/3000 mile flush.

I don't plan on using any additives ever again unless I have a diesel car, Millers is well regarded for diesels so I wouldn't be against using that.

I think petrol additives and engine treatments are mainly a gimmick that are unnecessary. Having driven cars that were 15 to 20 years old that ran perfectly fine on normal engine oil I would be slow to believe any shtuff promoting the additives that claim they do any good to any engine that regular oil changes with decent oil can't.

No suggestions on how you would market the stuff aside from pre NCT reduce emissions bla bla bla. Best of luck selling the stuff though, I like seeing folks make money.

taintabird

-Chris- wrote: »

Do you use fuel additives or oil additives?

yes

-Chris- wrote: »

If so, what do you use?

Wurth oil treatment, engine flush and diesel additive

-Chris- wrote: »

What are your experiences, positive or negative?

very much positive

-Chris- wrote: »

Have you used an oil flush or coolant/powersteering/oil additive?

yes as above

Drummerboy08

Only ever used Dipetane before putting a few machines through NCT. Never used anything else other than that!

Esel

RoverJames wrote: »

In the past I have used - slick 50 engine treatment....

Did it fubar the engine (blocked filter - oil starvation)?

andyseadog

i think oil additives are a total and utter gimmic. they aren't actually fixing any problems, just masking them.

if you need a product to 'thicken' your oil to stop it burning, you have a far greater problem on your hands than an 8 euro can of oil fortifier is going to cure.

similar too are the ones that suggest they can increase the lifespan of the oil, surely if you've picked the correct grade for your car, the manufacturer of the oil (castrol, mobil etc.) has already spend probable millions in research and design of that particular oil and have already finely tuned just how to get the best from it. surely chucking some additive in on top of it would just upset the balance they worked so hard to create.

i've previously used redex and dipetane as fuel additives, they done what they said on the tin, happy out.

that said, its worth bearing in mind (this is something toying on my mind, i may or may not be correct) that if your using the likes of the above fuel additives to reduce your emissions pre n.c.t., while they are in your cars fuel system wouldnt they temporarily raise emissions while they burn off excess carbon etc. thus defeating the purpose of what you bought it to do?

andyseadog

andyseadog wrote: »

that said, its worth bearing in mind (this is something toying on my mind, i may or may not be correct) that if your using the likes of the above fuel additives to reduce your emissions pre n.c.t., while they are in your cars fuel system wouldnt they temporarily raise emissions while they burn off excess carbon etc. thus defeating the purpose of what you bought it to do?

Always thought that too, when I worked in the factors I used to advice folk to use all that crap at least a tank before the NCT to allow all the stuff to be burned off. I reckon if a lad is heavy footed and has emissions issues no can of anything will sort it, fair enough if a car is never driven on though.

Tefral

On the phone now so I cant post it up but someone might find the youtube clip of the people from 5th gear doing a test on the various "STP Performance enhancers". All of them dropped the performance of the engine and increase fuel consumption.

The only one ive every used is Proboost, all the rest I would consider to be gimmicks.

Matt Simis

Yes, Ive used ZX1 Oil treatment and Dipetane.
ZX1 is added to motor oil and gearbox oil (and fuel tank possibly) as a friction reducer. Yes, it works (2nd gear crunch slight improved).

EDIT: Forgot I used Novastop too, its a rad sealant and despite the reputation these things have, seems excellent.

Esel

Esel wrote: »

Did it fubar the engine (blocked filter - oil starvation)?

Not to the my knowledge, it went into a 1990 Rover 414 in 1999 at about 75K miles, I sold the car on in March 2001 at 92K miles and 6 months later the lad I sold it to parked in the car park I was working in and it was still running A1

vincenzolorenzo

RoverJames wrote: »

- When I ran an jap import Celica I used Octane booster.

How did you find the octane booster? Did it give any increase in power?

Tefral

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2KNbbdQv3E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2KNbbdQv3E

vincenzolorenzo

vincenzolorenzo wrote: »

How did you find the octane booster? Did it give any increase in power?

Nothing that I noticed to be honest.

Swampy

I've used BG 44k. Brilliant stuff. Noticable improvement. Best used on cars with over 60,000 miles.

http://www.bgprod.com/products/fuelair.html

ianobrien

I'm using Miller CVL in the Escort all the time. I'm using it simply because the engine builder said to use it, and the engine was built for retro rallies as well, so it gets a fair bit of stick.

As for noticing any difference, the pick-up from when I mash the throttle to the back of the headlight is a fraction cleaner (or is it a case of Pavlov's dog)

analfabets

From owners manual in my car:

"You must not use fuel additives, so-called “flow improvers”

dr.fuzzenstein

andyseadog wrote: »

if you need a product to 'thicken' your oil to stop it burning, you have a far greater problem on your hands than an 8 euro can of oil fortifier is going to cure.

I did, once owned an '88 Mitsubishi Colt and oil changes obviously had been neglected throughout the life of the car, i.e. never done.
This cause the crankshaft seal to dry out, turn hard and start rubbing on the actual crank shaft, gradually wearing it down.
So once I bought the car and started servicing it and oil got everywhere it's supposed to go, the crankshaft seal started dripping like mad. Puddles of oil on the drive.
Was advised (right or wrong I don't know) that replacing the seal wouldn't help because the shaft was worn and it would always leak, only two options would be to take the engine apart and replace crankshaft and crankshaft seal (on I car I paid £300 for), or lash in some oil treatment and fingers crossed.
So, lashed in oil treatment, crossed fingers and whaddayaknow, the leak almost stopped, sometimes that stuff really works.

On the other occasion I used additives was on a 1973 Ford Cortina, engine was not converted to run on unleaded, so used fuel additive for that.
Additives have their uses, but I would never use one as a matter of course for a car that is in good nick, I don't believe they do anything useful other that hold a banger together so it will just about pass a test, be sold on and then expire in a cloud of smoke and cogs.

Matt Simis

analfabets wrote: »

From owners manual in my car:

"You must not use fuel additives, so-called “flow improvers”

Every manual says that.