Additives

Dont on any account put stp oil additive near your car or any other additives for that matter like slick 50. STp contains graphite, you dont want it inside your engine and slick 50 and other so called friction reducers contain ptfe, a very slippery substance made by DuPont, but what people dont realise is DuPont do not recommend or authorise its use for engines and cannot stop companies using it for such once the licence fee is paid. Ptfeis a solid and coagulates under heat and pressure.

as for fuel injector cleaners they can be a good thing, Redline make a very good one.
hope this helps
stephen

 

ass far as fuel cleaners i either use redline or the chevron concentrate. i use those in all of my vehicles from my daily driver S10 pickup to my ferrari to my motorcycles.
as for oil additives i have used a product called hyperlube in many vehicles over the years and always had good results. never any problems and the stuff sticks to surfaces like honey.

 

Oh, boy. I can see a LONG thread coming on this one.........

 

Personally, I use STP together with a couple of different cans of 'stop leak'. The store shelves have both 'carb cleaner' as well as 'FI cleaner'. I figure both would be appropriate in an expensive car. But don't forget the coolant system 'stop leak'. Good for that water pump that is just about ready to go south......

 

One thing that you may not be aware of is the common use of chlorene in oil additives. Although I do not know the chemical composition, or advantages, I have found that it does help reduce friction, as tested in house with an industry standard bearing surface tester(the type where weights are added until failure occurs). In some cases I have found evidance of corrosion on the surface of metals exposed to this in the oil.
The same test machine sure opened my eyes to how poorly some of the much hyped Synthetics did compared to stock oils.
Just my $.02, FWIW.
Kermit

 

Marvel's Mystery Oil is good for older carburated cars. I used it in every time I filled up with gas in my ex-330GTC.

 

Really! This is new to me. How much did you use? What benifits did you notice? I use carb cleaner every 3 months or so; not sure it does any good but people say it won't hurt.

I NEVER use an oil additive. Since I change it all the time I figure it's just a waste, and the TC doesn't leak ( at the moment!)

Ken

 

Ken, on older cars you add Marvel's Mystery Oil to the fuel, not the oil. The dirctions on how much to add per gallon are on the can. It helps the engine's top end on cars originally designed to run on leaded fuel.

 

My post above was a bit tongue-in-cheek. On a more serious note:

Oil additives can give a little life to an engine that is seeing it's very last days. I've seen American V8s with knocking rods that went for months by using copious amounts of 'motor honey'. However, I wouldn't use anything in a reasonably healthy engine. All you need is top-of-the-line motor oil. You pick synthetic or dino (a whole other arguement...), but just be sure to get the best. These oils already have complicated blends of additives built in.

Ditto for coolant, except many of us have seen near miraculous results with Redline's Water Wetter. Don't argue against it until you've tried it first hand. Look at their website for more info.

Gas additives: Years ago, I overhauled my 1972 Corvette. The valves were coated thickly with some sort of furry white deposit. The carb was gooey with gummy crud. Fast forward to this last winter. Carb overhaul on my 308. The insides of the carbs all looked brand new! Not a hint of residue of any sort. With a flashlight, you can see the intake valves. Clean as can be! Sparkling metal. I've been using Texaco gas, no additives. Apparently, modern gas has come a long way. I can't see any need for gas additives.

 

Oil: just plain ol' Redline 10/40

Gas: Sweepco 503

Water: Redline water wetter

 

Interesting, tell me more on Redline water wetter

 

Check out BG Products. The Dealer in Chicago recommends BG Products fuel cleaner with every oil change. I use it every year without a problem.

The also make a zinc based oil additive. It's called BG MAO. I did use it once. Did not notice an appreciable difference over just synthetic oil in my '83 308 with 26 k miles.

 

The best place for info on Redline Water Wetter is their website. Also, check the archives, as it's been discussed before. Very briefly:

Water Wetter serves BOTH as an anti-corrosion additive, and allows the water to, uh for lack of a better word, make better contact with the metal. It also helps lube the water pump seals, etc. The result is better heat transfer and a cooler running car. In race cars, it's usually run with pure water - no antifreeze. It was originally developed for racing applications, and with a particular eye toward compatibility with non-ferrous metals.

My car would run 100-110degC on a hot summer day with the A/C running. After adding Water Wetter, I seldom see over 90deg, and never over 100deg, even on the Siskiyou Summit in summer. (If you've been to Oregon, you know what I'm talking about!!) Many others have reported similar results, especially some of those who track their cars extensively.

 

There was an article from a University study on oil additives a ways back. Oils additives are of a few basic types.
1-More zinc. This is used in higher concentrations on race cars. It builds up on metal parts and eventually decreases clearance. Prolong may be the example. It is OK if you keep rebuilding your engines.
2-PTFE, basically Teflon. It is good for nothing in my mind and clogs oils filters decreasing oil flow and lubrication. If it says to shake well that means you got a problem off the bat. Slick 50 I think.
3-Detergents. These increase performance in older, sludge filled engines by cleaning them out.
4-It seems as there was another category.

In any event. Using name brand oil, gas and antifreeze is the best one can do. Any additive extras may destroy the basic chemistry of the home product. Owners manuals plainly state never to add additives.

aehaas

Smart people learn from their own mistakes.
Very smart people learn from other people's mistakes.

 

do not add any oil/crankcase additives, ever. slick 50, and it's parent co. were sued for false advertising and for making mis-leading claims, re: the efficacy of their slick 50 product; in a word, it's: bull$hit.
fuel cleaners, on the other hand, are for the most part benign, and do "help." from my persoanl exp, chevron's proprietary "techron" concentrate is decent, but i haven't bothered to run any of it through the hplc or mass spec to see what it truely is -- mostly b/c it would ruin the plumbing.
simply use good gas, change your oil on time and keep all the filters in your engine fresh; i.e., fuel, oil, air, etc.