Fuel Additive?

Is it a waste of money to dump some additives in your gas tank every once-in-awhile? Online searches just seem to procure advertisers claiming there products are the best and they improve fuel efficiency and clean injectors. I didn't buy my truck to get prius MPG but a little help goes a long way. Any help is appreciated.

NOTE- search tab came up with nothing direct about additives.

Cheers,
Ben

 

I think you have answered your own question. ADVERTISING.....

 

I used to dump a bottle of lucus fuel injector cleaner in the tank at every other fill up. Never noticed any difference in mileage between tanks. I think its all bs snake oil imo.

 

Sea Foam is great. I always put a bottle in my 1st gen a couple times a year. You're not going to get a noticeable increase in fuel mileage though. Have used it in law mowers and boats too. A neighbor that is a mechanic swears by the stuff. Description from the web, take it for what it is...

"As a fuel system additive, Sea Foam will clean fuel injectors, clean carbon, gum and varnish deposits, add lubricity to fuel, stabilize fuel for 2 years and control moisture."

 

At one point I watched some videos of dudes putting sea foam through their intake and blowing huge clouds out the pipe, but looked like done wrong you could really do some damage. Probably just use the money on more gas!

 

After 30 years of seeing this crap I have yet to see a white paper definitively proving that any of these things have any effect whatsoever. The vast majority of them are 20 cents worth of naptha and kerosene.

 

It's hard to say if they work. Kind of like people who use x brand of oil saying there truck runs great who knows just placebo effect most of the time.

 

My daughter’s Mazda CX-5 will spit and sputter all over the place off cheap gas to the point where it throws 3-4 codes. A can of Sea Foam clears it up every time and I never believed that stuff was worth a dime until a guy at my local auto parts store told me to give it a try. I did and it saved me yet another trip to the dealer. That is the most finicky vehicle I’ve ever seen when it comes to gas. My Taco just likes 91 or above octane or else it has issues too, but nothing like this Mazda.

 

Here is the answer to this question..

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/forums/35/1/cooling-system-fluids-additives

 

Most if not all of the additives that you get off the shelf are "snake oil" (lucas brand is the only one I would consider) do your self and your truck a favor and fill it up with 91 octane fuel every now and then and drive it out on the highway.

 

I use Lucas fuel additive at EA fill up and notice a big difference in idle quality also increase in fuel mileage

 

Want to have fun with your friends , add this to their tank and enjoy the fun especially if law enforcement notices !!!

A friend of mine runs this in his methanol powered drag race car as an upper cylinder lubricant . It smells like the real thing
http://www.powerpluslubricants.com/store/p42/ReeferMadnessFuelFragrance.html

 

The only additives that actually do anything are those that contain PEA (polyetheramine). This is the primary ingredient in Techron, Amsoil PI, and a couple others. It's the only one that has actually shown some benefit.

 

I have personally seen the results of techron in my corvette, c5s had issues with crud building up on the fuel card in the tank

 

I believe them to remove water from tanks and help stabilize old fuel, but unless in high concentrate I doubt they clean valves or injectors well.

True 100% injection purge cleaners are all I trust, and have confirmed to work on carboned valves at trade school.

 

x2

 

Can of sea foam and a cold air intake=unlimited horsepower.

 

The best thing I found that works very well in removing carbon from the valve pocket ,valves and tops of pistons is atomized water from a spray bottle

Not sure how to do this on s EFI motor but on a carbed motor and with the air cleaner off . Hold rpm at 1500/2000 rpm and spray water directly into the carb venturi's . I usually will spray about 4-6cups of water

Basically you're steam cleaning the carbon off of the areas inside the engine

 

I really wanted to do all I can to show my Tacoma love... I used to put in a bottle of Techron at fill-ups every few months, more than once... and carefully monitored the gas mileage and any other activity of the motor. There was NO difference after the Techron was put into the tank, none.

Oh, and I really wanted there to be one, so I was not a skeptic.
How is Sea Foam different? I thought that was more for engines not used often?

 

Depends on what kind of fuel additive were talking about.

Almost all of those "octane boosters" gas stations sell are a waste of money. The actual boost in octane you get from them is negligible at best. To boost 87 octane to 89 you'd need several bottles of the stuff. That said, there are certain ones worth buying but usually you have to get them online or in auto parts stores.

Fuel system cleaners are worth running every once in awhile imo, I used to run a can of Seafoam in my gas tank every oil change for good measure before it got to be $15 for a can of the stuff. Not worth it when there are other brands for way cheaper using the same or similar chemicals. B12 Chemtool is a good cleaner to run through the tank and is usually only $3 or $4 a can.