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I've never used one of those "power adders" but I have run the occasional bottle of fuel system treatment/injector cleaner and the like. I wonder if those are actually doing what they promise, or if I'd be better off just filling up with the occasional tank of 89 octane?
Didn't play the video but I agree fuel additives are a waste. Those octane booster bottles are a rip-off, being that for most people 1.) increasing octane beyond what is recommened by the manufacturer is unessesarry and actually decreases power and, 2.) The octane boosters actually increase octane maybe only .0002% per tank, practically an immeasurable increase.
Yeah, exactly....if your engine does not need higher octane (it might if its a high compression engine, super/turbo charged, or tuned within an inch of its life) its not going to help. And if these additives actually increased the octane the only way to benefit from them is to increase the advance or turn up the boost. Not exactly something you do to pick the kids up from soccer.
From what I understand all octane grades of fuel have the same additives in them . The only difference being octane. If your car calls for 87 and you put 93 in...your should take a hit in horsepower. Putting in 89 to treat your car is honestly a waste of money.
Additives for cleaning a fuel injection system may be beneficial, depending upon the car, how it's driven, and the quality and additive pack in the fuel(s) typically used in it.
In my shop, I used BG 44K for many years, along with LubroMoly and a number of injection system cleaners run through the tank. I had many cars that could not be adjusted to run within the emissions standards, let alone within the manufacturer's specs, until the FI system had been cleaned.
There are a number of excellent professional machines which do this in a workshop environment, but you cannot justify owning one for your own car. The way to avoid needing this service is to keep your FI system clean to begin with ....
I find that using a few ounces of Acetone per gallon of fuel every now and then does a good job of cleaning out the FI system on my cars. The difference is noticeable in terms of smooth running and fuel economy as the FI computer "learns" the new fuel delivery parameters. This trick has been especially helpful when out on the road and I've gotten a "bad" load of fuel to help clean it out. Don't use more than 2-3 oz per gallon ... and expect that the first tankful may have lower than normal fuel economy as the system cleans out.
I tired using Acetone as a fuel economy improver in several of my gas and diesel fueled vehicles. It didn't make any significant difference, but I was already getting better than published economy for the cars by keeping the FI systems clean, proper tires/inflation, etc.
Well, duh. They put octane booster in cars that are only tuned to run on standard-grade gasoline. Put it in a car that actually benefits from high-octane fuel and can detect and adjust for increased (or decreased) octane, it can and does make a difference. There are quite a few WRX owners in the rallycross circles I run in who mix their fuel with toluene. After about 3 to 4 weeks the ECU adjusts the spark timing accordingly, and those things run like raped apes.
I been thinkin' that I'd just get EVERY fuel additive and fuel economy device and put it on/in my pick-em-up and I'll save SO much fuel that my tank will overflow from all extra fuel savings I get...
Here's something about fuel additives that's not a myth, somebody got rich from them.
Depending on what the problem you're having is, very few of them actually do what they claim, but for the most part, they are a waste of money. If you have problem with the fuel system, the best "additive" you can use to take the vehicle to a reputable service shop.
I've cleaned too many plugged up fuel injection system cars by driving them with additives in the fuel so that I could properly adjust the FI sytem to know that gasoline additives DO WORK for keeping the FI systems clean.
It would have been beneficial if the car owner had been using these before bringing the car into the shop.
A lot of the problems today are caused by the current make-up of the "gasoline". Years ago, it was a predictable blend of flammable liquids distilled from crude. Today, in an effort to recapture as much "gasoline" per barrel of crude at the refinery, the "gasoline" is a mixture of lighter gases used as a solvent for some of the heavier components of the crude as well as the liquids component. That's why you get a lot more gum and varnishing in a fuel system today than we did years ago when the high end gases vaporize out of the fuel.
I can remember getting vehicles into my shop that had sat around for a year or so, and ran poorly on the "broken down" fuel ... which sometimes, really smelled bad. Today, we can get that bad result of broken down fuel in a month or so.
As someone who drives a lot over the road, I can also confirm that a lot of fuel in the marketplace is pretty bad. That goes for gasoline and diesel fuels. I had a neighbor on a trip last month to Canada with an almost new diesel pick-up get a bad load of fuel .... so bad, that the truck wouldn't run again after it was shut down overnight. Towed into a dealership, they "diagnosed" a bad fuel pump. After waiting two days for the replacement, they installed it without any change in the no-start condition. They worked on the truck for another day, and then ... at my suggestion of a possible relationship between a new tank of fuel and a no-start condition, they checked the fuel. Still not convinced, they drained the tank, purged the fuel system, and put 5 gallons of known fresh fuel in the tank. The truck started promptly and ran normally after the injectors were bled out. The fuel wasn't contaminated, it was simply such poor quality that it wouldn't burn unless the motor was up to running temperature first.
My wife, on a recent trip to Texas with her little Ford Ranger 3.0 gas motor ... had a similar fuel related experience. She stopped at a major town in North Texas for a tankful of gas, and the truck started to buck and jerk about 5 miles later, at 75 mph. Concerned, she called me about the condition ... and we determined that the problem was coincidental with the new load of fuel. She stopped at the next town and added a can of "dri-gas", which is essentially denatured alchohol. The truck cleared up it's running within a few miles, having delivered much less than normal fuel economy. It took several more treatments to clean out the FI system, even after replacing the fuel filter. Back home, the truck started to run normally after using a can of BG 44K in the tank.
I take care of too many client's vehicles on a daily basis to have someone infer that my only goal in using these fuel additive products is strictly a useless but profitable motive. The alternative in many cases would be new fuel pumps, injectors, new fuel control sensors and pressure regulators, etc. ... at an installed cost of thousands of dollars. I have a higher regard for my clientele than to rip them off when the solution is so readily and inexpensively available.
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