Techron or Fuel Additives?

I run a gas tank of Techron before oil changes ...

I also typically run a tank of seafoam through the Prius'es, as well as the pickup trucks and the motorcycles.

I swear by it.

It's kept my carbureted motorcycles from gumming up, so it goes into the FI vehicles too ...

great stuff, about $9.99 a can.

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I'm surprised that no one mentioned that Chevron/Texaco gasoline gas Techron additive in it. I prefer that compared to bottled additive. And yes, you get 3% off gas price with Chevron credit card.

 

Check post #20 I don't buy chevron gas because I can't even think of any in this area and always buy the cheapest I can find anyway! I do think that lends good stock to the quality of techron, though. Chances are if it was crap an entire line of gas would not have it in their fuel.

 

An interesting personal note: I always used Mobile gas until the pipeline to Arizona broke. When it did, we were all out of gas. All brands come through that same pipeline, so the only difference is the additives.
When driving cross country, Chevron is the biggest station on most interstate exits, so that's what I would use. My Accord never seemed to like it. My gas mileage would drop, it would occasionally knock, it would run a little rough. But it wasn't a one time thing. This would happen every time I used it.
I'm not saying Chevron is bad by any means. But it was definitely bad for my Accord.

 

Another interesting note: About 2 months ago, my 06 Prius was in the shop and I had to get to work. I picked it up and needed gas. There was a Chevron right there so I decided to try it. I filled up and headed to work. I drove about 2 or 3 miles, and WHAM!!! An SUV behind me wasn't paying attention and totaled the car.
Oh, and the reason it was in the shop... The Inverter coolant pump died. So I paid over $200 for that, then a full tank of gas, and lost it all. And when insurance paid off my car, I still owe 3 grand on it. It was worth less than I owed.
But to me it was priceless. I really loved that car.

 

Lucas Oil Fuel Treatment is what you need....

Lucas Oil makes a fabulous fuel treatment that I have been using for years in all vehicles. I swear by it. Just squirt it in with each fill up and forget about it. Never have I had a sputter or clogged fuel injector and they have run like day one. It also acts as a topside cylinder lubricant reducing wear and heat so they say. Lucas Oil Fuel Treatment is the way to go...

 

Long and very bloody battles have been fought in the motorcycle forums over the cost/benefits of Techron, SeaFoam, and other such additives in engines.
The "vitamin" analogy was probably closest in this thread that I've found to matching what I consider to be the 'truth' on this subject.

If you know you're going to try to keep your Prius for 250,000 miles or more, then it's certainly not a bad idea to always try to use 'tier 1' gas, and stick a bottle of miracle juice in your ICE during the last tank before your next scheduled oil change. That way any "junk" that gets purged from your FI system and is not burned in your cylinder (as opposed to the "junk" that TSA agents are not supposed to touch) is removed from your ICE during the oil change.

Like vitamins though, anything that's worth doing can be overdone. This usually will only result in a lightening of your wallet (or purse) but in extreme cases, I've seen motorcyclists actually damage their cylinder walls from using excessive amounts of Techron-like products in each and every tank of gas.
Probably not going to happen with a Prius---even with its thimble sized gas tank, BUT...if you're like 80-percent of drivers out there, you're already salivating over the prospect of replacing your G2 with a G3, or your G3 with a PHEV, or your PHEV with a cold-fusion nuclear car (it's pronounced "new-clear" George!)
In other words...and only IMHO, there isn't going to be a definative short term benefit to adding $10 to the price of every third fill-up or so if you're going to be trading in your 'baby' in 100,000 miles or less for your next 'baby'---unless you drive like, 5,000 miles a year.

JMHO. Like I said...WARS have been fought over this---and like the Great Oil Debate, and the Great Tire Inflation Debate there's usually no clear winners---except in this case maybe the manufacturers of Techron (evil, BIG OIL)...

 

Below is a link to an excellent article in Motor Magazine concerning carbon deposits that I also posted on another thread.

The article explains how carbon deposits occur and performance problems they can cause, including the rough start problem described in the other thread. It is a good read for anyone with an open mind. My only critique of the article is that it is written for repair shop owners and emphasizes remedial decarbonization services sold by repair shops; however, it does not discuss regular use of complete fuel system cleaner such as Techron and others as a preventive measure, which in my experience has worked to prevent such problems and expensive decarbonization and fuel injector repairs.

MOTOR Magazine Article | MOTOR Information Systems

 

Alfon, I can understand your stand on this matter, but did you ever consider that not every batch of gas is the same and that some companies take shortcuts in their refining processes. Look back to Texaco and you might be worried as I'm sure pouring an additive in your gas tank to remove water might be more cost effective than dealing with the trouble of having your fuel filter replaced. The same being said for fuel stabilizers as I'm sure some owners have long intervals between fillings. I'll take my chances, but after stumbling upon a website that mentioned top tier gas, if I was not concerned before, I am now. Here I was filling up with gas that was inferior, guess I'll be filling up at the Shell near my house even though is considerably more expensive.

 

I fill up exclusively at Shell - a top tier gas. I spend more money per gallon to do so - supposedly for the additives that will keep my ICE clean.

If the consensus is this stuff is needed regardless, what the heck am I wasting my money on top tier gas for?

Here's hoping top tier gas is enough.

 

I hope I'm not changing the subject when I ask whether the quality of gas really makes much difference in the Prius. I saw a video posted on this board about how the wheels turn on the Prius (by the way, I didn't understand much of it). But it sure looks like most of the power comes from the battery. And in case you need additional power, the ICE is used. But the ICE appears to be mainly used to recharge the battery. So, assuming this last sentence to be true, really, how much need is there for good gas for the ICE? Of course, if my assumption is wrong, then never mind ....

And wait, does the ICE actually power the car or does it just give an additional charge so that the battery doesn't drain?

And for that matter, I'm not even sure where the spark plugs are on my car. It's gotta have them someplace, right? But I don't recall when they should be replaced. So, if they don't need to be replaced very often, then it would seem that the quality of gas isn't as important.

I never said I was smart. And my understanding on how my car actually moves is probably 100% wrong. Maybe I'll shut up, put gas in my car, and just drive.

Where's my mother?

Mike