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Z-Maxx treatment

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by carpedal, Aug 22, 2017.

  1. carpedal

    carpedal Member

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    I do not normally endorse commercial products, nor do I sell products. I wish to relate a recent experience. I have a 2011 hatchback with 63K miles. I had to make a run from Fairfax County, Northern Virginia to Radford VA down I-81. I have previously used Z-Maxx oil treatment in two other older cars to no noticeable effect, and I wanted to experiment. I added a bottle of Z-Maxx oil treatment right before I left. The two fill up's were calculated at 47.8 and 47.0 MPG. Tuesday August 21, I drove down to South Carolina for the eclipse. As a comparison, I had driven to Florida down I-95 in March and April, with South Carolina as my overnight halfway point. The March, April numbers calculated out to be 42.6, 42,1, 42.7, 42.6 MPG. Remarkably, the August numbers were 48.4, 47.9 MPG. Speed ranged 70-80 MPH with some cruise control time in all cases. The question remains, at $26 a bottle, is it worth it?
     
    #1 carpedal, Aug 22, 2017
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2017
  2. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Not sure what Z-Maxx is, or contains.

    Guessing it could be this : zMAX Engine Formula | zMax Micro-lubricant

    Website says it sells for $19.95 (suggested retail price, but found it online for under MSRP), so it might not be the same product that you used in the above.

    You are gaining about a 10% increase in MPG, which at $3 a gallon would take 6 (or more) tanks of gas to pay for a single treatment- assuming you maintained the same increase in MPG.

    Is this treatment once every Xx miles or something you need to do every oil change?

    How many calculated tanks have you observed with an increase in MPG before it fell back into the normal range?

    Except for some random PEA treatments in the gas, I don't use additives- though I am always open to ideas and of course others experience with such.
     
    #2 SFO, Aug 22, 2017
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  3. carpedal

    carpedal Member

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    Around town mileage is only 1-2 MPG better. I assume pulse glide contributes to less gas use, so less mileage improvement. Overall, pure economic benefit does not offset added cost of treatment. There are those who pursue better fuel economy regardless of cost, however. I do not intend to use zMAX oil treatment at every oil change. Zinc is not considered to be an essential oil additive for engine longevity, wear and tear. Again, there are those who pursue any perceived advantage, real or not.
     
    #3 carpedal, Aug 23, 2017
  4. wnovak

    wnovak New Member

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    The problem here is that the two trips can't be compared. If you had a breeze blowing 10 miles an hour out of the North on one trip and 10 miles an hour out of the South on the other trip, you'd see a big difference in mileage for no apparent reason.
    I once drove from South Bend Indiana to Cleaveland Ohio and got almost 60 miles per gallon at turnpike speeds. But the wind was blowing a full gale out of the West.

    Bill

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #4 wnovak, Dec 3, 2017
    Tande and SFO like this.
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