Oil Additives?
- Thread starter MetsBuff
- Start date
aftershock63
Member
- :
- 2004 G35 Sedan 6mt
nope but i know if I ever have queeky little problems i add hat marvolous mystry oil and that seems to do the trick
badAzLava3
Member
General rule of thumb...NO.
Federal Trade Commission filed a cease and desist against Quaker State/Slick 50 about 5 years ago for false claims. Go to Miata.net, go to the garage section and read the indictment for yourself.
There are about 20-30 of these products out there, most have testimonials and infomercials with cars driving around LA with no oil in them and so forth.
No hard science. Some use additives already in quality oil, with the idea being if some is good more is better...some captive labs that are paid to write nice things don't mean much..
real life ain't like that....too much sugar tastes bad, too much salt tastes bad, too much additive works bad....
so buyer beware....
OTOH it's your money, do what makes you feel good, but don't expect anything...
Federal Trade Commission filed a cease and desist against Quaker State/Slick 50 about 5 years ago for false claims. Go to Miata.net, go to the garage section and read the indictment for yourself.
There are about 20-30 of these products out there, most have testimonials and infomercials with cars driving around LA with no oil in them and so forth.
No hard science. Some use additives already in quality oil, with the idea being if some is good more is better...some captive labs that are paid to write nice things don't mean much..
real life ain't like that....too much sugar tastes bad, too much salt tastes bad, too much additive works bad....
so buyer beware....
OTOH it's your money, do what makes you feel good, but don't expect anything...
Many oil and fuel additives are BS.
yes, don't expect anything good. instead, expect the worst, and hope for the best if you just start adding crap in there. if it's something you are sure you need, i would still recommend researching it well before you get it. just because pep boys sells something doesn't mean it won't **** your car over.badAzLava3 said:
goldwing2000
Turd in the punch bowl
- :
- 2004 Mazda3s Hatch; 269,000 miles
Generally they aren't worth the bottles they're packaged in.
They do have their uses, though.
I had a '80 Chevette that the rings were so bad it would foul a set of plugs in 40 miles and smoke like you were fogging for mosquitos. I filled the pan with 3 qts of 20W50 and two quarts of "Motor Honey" and that made it quit smoking long enough for me to trade it in. (2thumbs)
Oil additives are for POS vehicles that you don't want to spend the money to repair. If you use a good quality oil from day 1, you'll never need an additive.
They do have their uses, though.
I had a '80 Chevette that the rings were so bad it would foul a set of plugs in 40 miles and smoke like you were fogging for mosquitos. I filled the pan with 3 qts of 20W50 and two quarts of "Motor Honey" and that made it quit smoking long enough for me to trade it in. (2thumbs)
Oil additives are for POS vehicles that you don't want to spend the money to repair. If you use a good quality oil from day 1, you'll never need an additive.
G
GimmeA3S
I know this is an old thread, but I was a good boy and did a search before I posted. I found this particuarly funny...I'm still laughing
What if They Have a Test To Show How Their Additive Works?
At a recent trade show we were at, one of these miracle oil additive companies was there with a machine that demonstrated how their additive reduced friction. It was a motor with rotating solid steel disc secured to the motor shaft and a torque meter with a flat piece of steel mounted on the torque arm.
They put every type of oil on the market, one by one, on the machine & pressed hard on the torque meter and at about 20-40 lb-ft torque the torque arm would stall the motor....that is until they cleaned it off & tried their (chlorinated) additive "IXL" on the bearing & ran the test.
People were amazed as the meter peaked out at 140 lb-ft. torque and still didn't stall the motor! We knew what was happening but many unsuspecting consumers were eating it up and standing in line to buy the additive!
The next day we showed up with some Head & Shoulders Shampoo disguised in an oil bottle & had the IXL additive people try it on their test machine. The operator was amazed as the motor just barely stalled at 140 lb-ft!
The operator says that's pretty good stuff, what is it? We said Head & Shoulders. He was quite embarrassed to say the least. Head & Shoulders has high levels of high potency Zinc in it that attaches itself to ferrous metals. Coke soft drink will do exactly the same thing. ZINC reduces friction and provides anti-wear protection and is present in most motor oils at a much reduced level. Now, would you put Head & Shoulders in your engine?
What if They Have a Test To Show How Their Additive Works?
At a recent trade show we were at, one of these miracle oil additive companies was there with a machine that demonstrated how their additive reduced friction. It was a motor with rotating solid steel disc secured to the motor shaft and a torque meter with a flat piece of steel mounted on the torque arm.
They put every type of oil on the market, one by one, on the machine & pressed hard on the torque meter and at about 20-40 lb-ft torque the torque arm would stall the motor....that is until they cleaned it off & tried their (chlorinated) additive "IXL" on the bearing & ran the test.
People were amazed as the meter peaked out at 140 lb-ft. torque and still didn't stall the motor! We knew what was happening but many unsuspecting consumers were eating it up and standing in line to buy the additive!
The next day we showed up with some Head & Shoulders Shampoo disguised in an oil bottle & had the IXL additive people try it on their test machine. The operator was amazed as the motor just barely stalled at 140 lb-ft!
The operator says that's pretty good stuff, what is it? We said Head & Shoulders. He was quite embarrassed to say the least. Head & Shoulders has high levels of high potency Zinc in it that attaches itself to ferrous metals. Coke soft drink will do exactly the same thing. ZINC reduces friction and provides anti-wear protection and is present in most motor oils at a much reduced level. Now, would you put Head & Shoulders in your engine?
goldwing2000
Turd in the punch bowl
- :
- 2004 Mazda3s Hatch; 269,000 miles
Ha! (hah) That's priceless!
Good post resurrection. (2thumbs)
Good post resurrection. (2thumbs)
G
GimmeA3S
I got started looking for the Slick 50 litigation info, etc when my boss told me he uses Slick 50 in his Dodge minivan...I just sent him a bunch of info about what DuPont has to say about PTFE, etc in a car engine (worthless) and I included this tidbit....hopefully he stops wasting his money, or redirects it towards the purchase of good quality synthetic oil - but you can only lead a horse to water.
G
GimmeA3S
TomH said:
Yeah, that was mentioned in another writeup I read...I hate getting that s*** on my hands...it's slimy and really stinks. It's really bad for the metals in your engine too. They warned of clorinated additives and how they corrode bearings.
I have to admit, when I first learned of Slick 50 and the like, I thought it was such a great idea until the bad press started coming back from it. It does make a lot of sense now that I've seen both the pros (all from the manufacturers of these miracle products) and the cons (from techs who know better). I'm sure the makers of Teflon frying pans don't just pour Teflon on the pan, let it dry, and there it is....that stuff has to be baked onto a perfectly clean surface, under specific conditions. Having particles of it floating around in your oil does absolutely nothing but clog passages, and your oil filter. They also noted that oil-coated steel or aluminum is actually SLICKER than PTFE, so in some cases you're actually increasing the friction in your engine by using it (until all the PTFE particles get lodged in your filter). It's Mobil 1 for me, and nothin' else.
GimmeA3S said:
Don't feel bad, I was one of those suckers that paid $50 a bottle for Slick 50 when it first came out in the mid 80s (and that was quite a bit of money for a teenager back then!) I definately didn't know then what I know now, and will approach these types with a lot more caution in the future.
funnylittlman
Member
- :
- Protege
GimmeA3S said:
Maybe if my car had dandruff
(peep)Serioulsy though, it's great that you stupped that sideshow
