Don't Shoot the Messenger -- Tufoil

Well actually it CAN hurt.

Other products containing PTFE have been found in the past to "separate" and cause a sludge problem over long periods of use. Many of those products are no longer on the market because of that.

You can get moly already IN energy conserving oils. I suspect that most 0W20 types have it already.

To complete your test, you need to NOT add it at your next oil change, see what the mileage is and then add it later again.

Personally I NEVER put any extra additives in my oil......and nothing but Techron in my gas.

 

I used it in the 1970's and 1980's in my Camaro with the 5.0 liter small block. The car went for over 300,000 miles and was still running fine, when I traded it in because of suspension issues.

I now use Liqui Moly, which is less expensive.



I get a lot of opinions from others, but at the very least, it won't hurt.

It's coating might help in rare incidences of low oil pressure at startup, especially on a start-stop engine.

 

i'm in! love to see my 70mpg go up to 80! i will report back after following o/p's instructions. this could be the miracle the world has been waiting for.

 

I heard of a lot of negatives about Teflon or polytetraflourethylene buy a lot of good about Liqui-Moly, as it is widely used and recommended by BMW, Mercedes, Audi and others in Germany.

 

Just show me the page in the owners manual that recommends oil additives and I am in!




[crickets chirping]

 

Well at least you admit it's not scientific.

As you admit you've got a couple of factors all happening at once.

And you are only admitting to a 2-3 mpg improvement. That's too minimal for me to attribute to any one factor. The greatest of which simply might be the warming up of the weather.

People are free to do whatever they want to their vehicles.

When I was young I regularly added one of those "infomercial" Miracle oil additives to one of my trucks. I never put enough miles on the vehicle to know whether it helped or hurt or did anything. At this point in my life? I'm not easily sold anything. I think just using the recommended synthetic oil will be protective and efficient enough.

I'm kind of with the "Old Fogey" thinking that if any single additive could make a huge impact on MPG, then all major oil manufacturers and automobile manufacturers would start recommending it and using it and adding it.

Since this is not the case? I feel no compulsion to go out and buy some and pour it in my engine.

 

No, I'm not expecting any increase in MPG with any oil additive.

There is a certain amount of additives in all stock oils and molybdenum disulfide is one of them commonly used. Adding less than a ounce a quart might likely help.

I'm NOT sold on the PTFE in Tufoil. It also uses molybdenum disulfide.

So, I believe that it's the molybdenum disulfide is the most beneficial part of it.

 

I'm amused how so many of these after-market additives seem to escape the notice of motor oil blenders. It isn't like I can pay extra and get "<name_brand> with <additive>" at the local Auto Zone.

Bob Wilson

 

big oil does not want these products to be successful and spends millions on fud to undermine them.

 

In Hawaii, Toyotas are sold exclusively by Servco, who push the use of this additive through their service departments.

Krex Graphite Engine Lubrican Consumer Information | Krex Inc.

Apparently, they add it at the non oil change 5k service interval as well.

 

Well that's just sad.
In the US....maybe 40 years ago.....the big "thing" in oil was Arco Graphite.
It only lasted a few years because of some problems that showed up.
I don't remember the specifics but a Google search might turn up something.

I actually used it a couple of times in my '57 Chevy and couldn't tell any difference......EXCEPT that graphite and
oil mixed together creates a godawful cleanup problem wherever it touched.

 

I remember Arco Graphite.

ARCO Graphite Oil | Passenger Car Motor Oil (PCMO) - Gasoline Cars/Pickups/Vans/SUVs | Bob Is The Oil Guy

I tried it in the late 1970's and was not impressed.

It was really dark, like oil from a diesel engine.

The Liqui Moly when used about half can for a Prius Gen III engine holding four+ quarts turns the oil a slight gray tint.

Molybdenum disulfide has been know to leave behind a film even without oil pressure. So, I find it as a little extra insurance.

 

BG MOA (Motor Oil Additive) was also popular with Nissan service departments here.

 

If you're one to keep a car for less than 100K moles, I would NOT worry about wear on the oil piston rings.

Anti-wear additives will show their worth in the 200K plus range.

 

I remember...

Actually the Molly-be-damned stuff isn't bad for your motor, and the Tuf(on your wallet)oil probably won't hurt it either....but as Mike pointed out, the true benefit won't be apparent until you've reached lunar mileage and even then?
It's probably a slight benefit.
Generally speaking, people don't replace engines in cars.
It happens occasionally when people forget to put oil in the motor or when there is a one-in-10,000 manufacturing error, but even a poorly maintained mill will usually hold together for over 100,000 miles - and by then most cars start exhibiting geriatric problems with suspension, electrical, emissions, transmission or any of a bunch of other things.

My biggest problem with Snake Oil products are the mileage claims.
I'm "sure" there are examples of these products working out there, but Toyota sells Priuses for ONE thing.
MPG!

If they could add a bottle of snake-oil to the motor and a paragraph to the maintenance manual and suddenly be able to market a 55-Mpg car instead of a 50-MPG car????
They would be all over that like a bum on a bologna sandwich!!!

In fact?
They would probably add the snake-oil to their already over-priced designer blend of oil so that their entire fleet would receive a 10-percent bump.

So......I'm sorry, but I'm a hard sell on the Marvel Mystery Oil scheme.

No flames.
Just sarcasm.
Your Car.....Your call.

YMMV.

 

To me, a half a can of Liqui Moly every oil change at the 10K interval is cheap insurance against wear on the piston rings, especially on the oil sealing ring that would cause oil consumption.

That's about $4 an oil change.

I do keep my cars for 10-15 years plus.

I have no expectations of increased mileage and don't expect it.

While worn compression rings would cause loss of compression, most power loss due to loss of compression can be attributed to burnt or damage valves, with the exhaust valve being more likely.

In the old days, tetraethyl lead residue coatings in leaded gasoline protected valves from heat damage. Currently, harder and more durable insert seats do the same.

So, I do NOT believe any of the other claims, as others assert.

Your choice!

 

In theory the gasoline choice is not signficant (assuming Regular is used in each case).
You switched from a TopTierGas.com company (recommended by Toyota due to use of additional detergent additives) to a non-TopTier company. In any case, I am thinking NJ uses EPA reformulated gasoline which would tend to make the Regulars at each station fairly similar with respect to energy content.

In general, I am thinking energy content variations could account for up to 10% MPG difference, but I am not expecting much energy content difference between two "RFG Regulars" in NJ. What I am doing is measuring density when I fill up to see energy content diffrences. So far I only got one sample...its messy...don't try this unless you are safe.

We've been seeing some wild swings in MPG lately as Spring warm up attempts to visit DC (10-in snow yesterday though - another set back). The other day we had terrible ~35 MPG in 60 mph winds snowy 0 deg F up the mountains...I was wishing we had grill blocks...do you have that?