Fuel Additives: Beneficial or pure crap?

I put in one bottle of gas treatment a year, I don't really know why. Just makes me feel like I'm doing some good to keep the engine cleaner long term. Placebo? Probably, makes me feel better. Just me.

 

There might be a slight advantage in certain circumstances for shoving a bottle of STP through your tank, but mostly it's the same as the advantage of pumping gas in the morning when the fuel is (supposed to be) cooler and more dense.
I read somewhere that it's good for converting water into something that's "burnable" by your engine and can prevent fuel system icing when it's really really cold outside.
I'm kinda skeptical about all of that since (a) water is heavier than gasoline and (b) your fuel pump 'probably' draws from the bottom of the tank. This means that the water is aleady hitching a ride to injector-land and being converted into the water vapor that accompanys your nasty emissions into your exhaust system.
I'm rather skeptical about STP being vital in this role otherwise the highways and byways of this great land would be littered with dead and dying cars everywhere.....all the time.
The government would also insist on vouchers for this 'staple' for the less fortunate.

But wait.....
There's more!
There's subset of fuel additives called something like "throttle body" and/or "injector cleaner."
This product can actually save you up to a couple hundred dollars the very first time you use it.
Here's what you do:
(1) The next time your Toyota Dealership insists that your car needs a throttle body or injector cleaning (without telling you why you didn't detect this "need" when you drove the car to their shop!) simply decline this service and go to a WalMart or similar store and buy a $8 bottle of Techron or similar product.
(2) Pour this product into your gas tank, following the manufacturers directions. Try to resist the human urge to put four bottles in your tank when you only have a gallon of fuel remaining. You might hurt your catalytic convertor if you do this too much.
(3) Bask in the warm glow of success!!!
You just did exactly what many dealerships do when they perform a throttle body cleaning service.

There's some evidence that something like a a bottle Techron (or equivalent) semi-occasionally (think: before an oil change) will help keep your TB clean.

So...FWIW? I consider the fuel treatment myth neither busted nor confirmed, but semi-plausible.
YMMV.

 

The last three vehicles we drove [Chevy, Ford and Buick] all refused to start when it was anything below -10F, unless there was iso-heet in their tank. With a bottle of 'iso-heet' in each tank, each of those vehicles started easy in the winter mornings.

So far with this Prius, we have not seen any need for it.

It starts great every time.

 

Snake oil.

 

It really depends, IMHO, if the vehicle is not being driven on a weekly basis or not drivened for a month, then, yes on the fuel treatment. Reason: todays' fuel breaks down real fast and can raise problems on the fuel delivery systems.

If the vehicle is a DD, no need for fuel additives.

DBCassidy

 

Pure crap.

 

HEET is a good product to unfreeze fuel lines as previously mentioned. Had to use some on a a trip to Colorado in sub-zero weather one time. Injector cleaner probably does some good if you really need it, all the others.......... not so much.......... but if it feels good to you, the good news is you probably won't go blind.

 

I also give it a bottle of injector cleaner every 6 months. Just to make sure the system is in good health. I think,at least.

 

All the gas around here has 10% ethanol, so there's no need for a fuel de-icer. The only fuel additive I ever use is Techron, and that's only once in a while. A representative once told me don't use it if you're taking a trip on the highway. It works best driving around the city.

 

Did he say why? Please share.

 

He said the main reason Chevron came up with Techron was for cleaning deposits from the base of the intake valves. The faster the engine speeds, the faster the additive blows by the valves instead of soaking into the deposits and removing them.

 

I'd like to hear from a chemist who actually knows what these additives do. Until then, it's all pure snake oil to me. I know that gasoline itself is not a chemical compound or molecule, it is a mixture of butane, naphtha, and other distillates, and additives.

 

Try a google search.

 

I read somewhere thatit's beneficial for you to complete the Techron treatment before an oil change. This is allegedly so that any dirt removed from the intake that finds itself into the oilcan be thence removed when you change the oil.
YMMV.
Also.....and again....YMMV I've heard that if you go crazy with the Techron it can be hard on the rings (oil gets cleaned off of the rings by the Techron) and the cat(s).

I'm not so sure about any of that, Cleaners like Techron and Seafoam are pretty pricey and I'm thinking that it would be pretty tough to get enough into a Prius to cause any of these problems.
Remember.....in a G3 when DTE=Zero Miles.....you still have 2 gallons of fuel in the tank.

 

It also did a good job cleaning fuel injectors back in the day. Now that fuel injector design has changed and good brands of gas have better additives from the factory it's not as needed much anymore.

 

I was listening to Click and Clack on NPR this morning and one of them recommended Techroline to somebody with a dirty carburetor. But then he said he had reservations about this as he was pretty sure it was full of carcinogens. Does anybody actually know whats in this stuff?

 

Techroline - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

OK, so Techroline is the early version of Techron, which is sold now. I must have been listening to an old rerun. Anyway, I found the MDS for Techron and it didn't look terribly concerning as long as you don't breathe the fumes.

http://www.jeadauto.com/msds/chevron/techron-concentrate.pdf

How do you make a hyperlink that is clickable in this forum?