Fuel / oil additives

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 5:00 pm

Are there any that genuinely make a difference? I occasionally stick some redex in the tank in the hope of keeping the fuel system reasonably clean, but that's about it. Anything else that's really worth using? Just while I'm about to change the oil..

hardhitter · Post by **hardhitter** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:30 pm

They are all a waste of money including the redex. Theres absolutely no need for any of it if your fuel system is in good condition. If theres a problem, additives won't fix it.

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 8:07 pm

Good to hear

Couple of quid saved in that case.. although, I'll still use redex from time to time whenever I'm feeling malicious enough to cover the village in a blanket of white smoke

bstardchild · Post by **bstardchild** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 9:41 pm

hardhitter wrote:They are all a waste of money including the redex. Theres absolutely no need for any of it if your fuel system is in good condition. If theres a problem, additives won't fix it.

Absobloodylutely correct

And if Redex can't take carbon of the tops of pistons anymore (it used to do a great job of that) then it ain't gonna do a squits worth of difference when diluted with petrol and atomised in a carb or injector

Want to keep you fuel system and engine clean - don't use supermarket fuel

*Gets of soap box

http://www.vettenet.org/oiladds.html

Good read if you're bored..... There is another site i like that destroys the claims of a lot of.......

wear reducing performance boosting octane enhancing bhp gaining torque assisting 0-60 reducing CARP (I can spell but so can the nanny facility) The only this that is guarunteed is you will make the seller richer

bstardchild · Post by **bstardchild** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 9:42 pm

GroovyCarrot wrote:Good to hear Couple of quid saved in that case.. although, I'll still use redex from time to time whenever I'm feeling malicious enough to cover the village in a blanket of white smoke

No that truely is the only good use it has

G.C You need a red car if you're gonna prentend to be a red arrow doing a low fly pass complete with smoke trails

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 10:05 pm

Pfft.. red arrows, so cliche. What fun is life if you can't be different?

Wonder if I could get redex to burn to coloured smoke instead of white...

Want to keep you fuel system and engine clean - don't use supermarket fuel

Guilty as charged.. but only because tesco is the only filling station around here which accepts my pathetic excuse for a debit card.. honestly, solo and visa electron actually work better abroad than they do in this country, where they magically turn into their big brothers, switch and visa.. ridiculous system that is

hardhitter · Post by **hardhitter** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 11:08 pm

Glad to hear someone with the same thinking as myself. I agree that supermarket fuels should be avoided too.

I wouldn't put the stuff in either of my GT's and always run them both on Optimax or Super. Makes a difference long term I think, if you regularly use good quality fuels.

So there we have it GC, instead of additives spend the money on better fuels.

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 6:58 am

The moment my bank decides to grace me with a useable bit of plastic I shall do so.. unfortunately it's pretty much the only option for now.

daffy · Post by **daffy** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 4:58 pm

KEEP AWAY FROM OIL ADDITIVES!!!!!

hardhitter · Post by **hardhitter** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 6:04 pm

This is probably a co-incidence, but I filled up with regular unleaded for the first time in ages yesterday. It's (shell) becuase the fuel tank has started leaking and i can't afford to waste optimax.

But today it's got the hump and driving back from college it had flat spots and the throttle isn't behaving. Got to investigate, it's probably a sender or similar.

Maybe it's telling me to feed it optimax agian, lol.

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 2:31 am

can i be the lone voice of dissent that honestly can't tell a jot of difference between the different fuel brands etc?

maybe its because ever since i first thought to give a toss about it, i've been driving relatively low output (per litre) single point injection models that are luckily, nay if not designed to be tolerant of rubbish petrol - not highly tuned, not carbed or MPi etc.

but between tesco/asda, bp regular, or optimax/various rivals, i'll go for the tesco nonsense, because it appears to give exactly the same performance and is several pennies per litre cheaper. i've actually tried filling with optimax when haring around at high speeds with load, and its made diddly fiddly improvement. chipping the car changed it more.

ian can redex still be used to clean all the crap off the cylinders, bores, valves etc by hand?
if the modern stuff is no good, then i found a half full 3-pint metal container of the stuff in the garage when i was cleaning it out - looks to still be good, by which i mean it's still red and hasnt eaten thru the tin.

bstardchild · Post by **bstardchild** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 7:11 am

Tahrey1043 wrote:ian can redex still be used to clean all the crap off the cylinders, bores, valves etc by hand?
if the modern stuff is no good, then i found a half full 3-pint metal container of the stuff in the garage when i was cleaning it out - looks to still be good, by which i mean it's still red and hasnt eaten thru the tin.

Nope but Mr Muscle Oven cleaner - spray on leave - wash off does a much better job

- Trust me I always have at least 2 tins in the garage and it is fantastic stuff

Safety notes

- wear rubber gloves (marigolds)
- Wear safety glasses

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 9:55 am

Yeah, oven cleaner is fantastic stuff on pistons, cylinder heads etc.. just whatever you do don't touch it, it burns like hell

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 11:41 pm

found it to be fantastic with an old toothbrush, on your recco's

squib it on.... spread it around.... wait 20 minutes... quick scrub with the brush..... then it rinses quite easily off both piston and brush with not very much water at all! magic! even does the sides of the conrods a treat.

was concerned because its aluminium stuff, but doesnt seem to have been a problem - maybe they advise against it because, after all, you'd be using it quite regularly on an aluminium *oven*..... and it has a very tiny damaging effect?

saw a pamphlet for a new additive when in GSF - something that cleans your catalyser out apparently, with the usual "improve power! reduce emissions!" claims. Funny, the old nail has a heavily abused, 15 year old catalyser of first-gen design, and it still isnt failing emissions tests or drastically down on power (when the engines not broken, of course

).... hmmmm

liviococcia · Post by **liviococcia** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 12:52 pm

I reckon 'Cataclean' does a good job, i've used it twice now and i do see a difference,... also, using a Hydralic lifter oil additive, again, i've used Wynn's twice now, i think it does help reduce tappet noise and maybe keeps those oil galleries clear.

The other thing is, with the engine seeming happier using VW's recommended 'Quantum Synth silver', oil type is inportant

regards