I'm not really talking about the engine/trans/radiator stop leak products or curative type products like that, I'm talking about the different chemical treatments that are supposedly preventative. Maybe a new thread should be started for curative treatments and stop leak products.
Anyway, In any auto store, there is a whole shelf of different treatments for your car's drivetrain. I was looking at fuel system treatments, and I'd see a certain brand that was selling 4 of the same size bottles with different treatments like: 1. Injector treatment 2. Injector and valve treatment 3. fuel and injection treatment 4. Complete fuel system treatment.... :drunk:
So, at first it seemed that buying the 'complete' fuel treatment was the smart move, but then I wondered if maybe since it had to treat every part of the system instead of specializing on one part, that maybe it wasnt as good at cleaning each part as the treatment that only cleans each individual part of the system would be. It was confusing, so I didnt buy any of it as usual. :embarrass
Then I noticed that some were made of the same chemical, but others were very different. Most claim to extend life, raise fuel mileage, clean your engine/trans, etc., add horsepower and solve all your marital problems, etc.
But people have always sold 'snake oil', and sometimes it does more damage than good, and so I wonder if some of this type of stuff might either not work at all, or make things worse even.
Some of the fuel system cleaners contain petroleum products, but your car has petroleum going through it every time it runs, and petroleum products like gas are solvents, so shouldnt the regular gas you use in your car work just as well to clean out your fuel system as these petroleum based fuel system cleaners? The fuels sold today supposedly contain detergents already after all...... Do we need more?
What about the octane boosters....... Do they really boost your octane to 108 or 114 like they claim, or would you be better off just adding a little high octane racing fuel to your tank with regular fuel to raise the octane? Are they bad for engines?
I have not mentioned the transmission treatments, do they work?
What if any of this stuff do you use?
Anyway, In any auto store, there is a whole shelf of different treatments for your car's drivetrain. I was looking at fuel system treatments, and I'd see a certain brand that was selling 4 of the same size bottles with different treatments like: 1. Injector treatment 2. Injector and valve treatment 3. fuel and injection treatment 4. Complete fuel system treatment.... :drunk:
So, at first it seemed that buying the 'complete' fuel treatment was the smart move, but then I wondered if maybe since it had to treat every part of the system instead of specializing on one part, that maybe it wasnt as good at cleaning each part as the treatment that only cleans each individual part of the system would be. It was confusing, so I didnt buy any of it as usual. :embarrass
Then I noticed that some were made of the same chemical, but others were very different. Most claim to extend life, raise fuel mileage, clean your engine/trans, etc., add horsepower and solve all your marital problems, etc.
But people have always sold 'snake oil', and sometimes it does more damage than good, and so I wonder if some of this type of stuff might either not work at all, or make things worse even.
Some of the fuel system cleaners contain petroleum products, but your car has petroleum going through it every time it runs, and petroleum products like gas are solvents, so shouldnt the regular gas you use in your car work just as well to clean out your fuel system as these petroleum based fuel system cleaners? The fuels sold today supposedly contain detergents already after all...... Do we need more?
What about the octane boosters....... Do they really boost your octane to 108 or 114 like they claim, or would you be better off just adding a little high octane racing fuel to your tank with regular fuel to raise the octane? Are they bad for engines?
I have not mentioned the transmission treatments, do they work?
What if any of this stuff do you use?