Attention: TDR Forum Junkies http://www.fitchfuelcatalyst.com/
I feel like I can finally post on this product, since I now have about 4 years combined experience with it on two vehicles- one gas, one diesel.
The Fitch catalyst basically increases the combustibility of hydrocarbon fuels. HC fuels are mixtures of various HC chain lengths- not all are uniform length. For example, gasoline's main HC is OCTANE (C8H18). But it also has longer chains, like nonane (C9H20) and decane (C10H22) as well as shorter chains like Hexane (C6H14) and Pentane (C7H16). The shorter chains tend to combust too early, which leads to pinging. The longer chains tend not to burn, which increases emissions and reduces HP.
Now ideally, gasoline would be all octane, and would have very uniform composition. But this never happens.
So what the Fitch Catalyst does is make gasoline chemically more stable by "cutting off" the extra HCs from the ones that are too long, and attaching them to the HCs that are too short. Thus, we increase the stability of the gasoline, and its uniformity of composition.
I decided to give this a try on my '97 Nissan Maxima in 2000. Installation is easy, as you just drop in these little "turds" that sit in the tank. They look like little plastic logs with slots cut into the side. Through the slits, you can see the catalyst element, which looks like a roll of quarters stacked inside. The catalyst is platinum based, so it's not cheap. The application for my car ran about $160.
The results? An INSTANTLY noticeable increase in engine pep only 5 minutes after dropping them in. Over the first few months, I noticed a 2mpg increase. I was pumped.
Well, I bought my CTD in Aug of 2002 with hopes of bombing it. I also knew that I wanted to try the Fitch Fuel Catalyst based on my good experience with it on my Nissan. Unfortunately, the FFC for a Dodge diesel is a different installation (a canister that you plumb into the fuel system just before the LP), and it's much more expensive. I think it was like $400!! A gamble? Maybe.
So I installed my FFC-- at the same time I did my injectors
Thus, I had no A-B difference to compare it to.
So what have I noticed with the FFC on a dodge diesel? Well, it's hard to say. I don't have enough experience without it to make a meaningful comparison. All I can provide is anecdotal evidence:
1) I was told that DD2s would smoke quite a bit, and I would have to be extra careful not to smoke people. With the FFC, I could drive with the EZ on #3 and not smoke people even a a GA humid summer.
2) I average a consistent 15. 8-16. 3 mpg around town. That's ALL city driving. I never drive to intentionally increase mpg around town. I even almost always start in 1st gear
3) Hwy mpg clears 20 almost always, even with a levelling kit and non-hwy tire pressures (45/40). Stock exhaust and BHAF is all I have for air.
4)Exhaust smoke dissipates quickly. I would bet that the opacity would test pretty low.
5) My truck seems to dyno more tq than other trucks with similar mods. It dynoed 918lb-ft on a Dynojet, and 904 lb-ft on a Superflow. This seems to be more tq than a 24V typically puts out with just DD2s and an EZ. Maybe not by a huge amount, but it's on the higher side of a bell curve for sure.
Now, the pivotal question-- is it worth $400? That's about 180 gallons of fuel. I'm guessing I'd have to drive a LONG time to "save" 180 gallons of fuel. ON this basis, probably not.
But if you are someone who REALLY wants to keep your smoke down, then this may be something you should consider. Or maybe you like your present injectors, just want to have less smoke. If you live in a state that has a "snap test" for diesel soot opacity, then I'd say this is almost a must-have.
I hope this post has some value. I mean, it's not a scientific study, and I can't really offer solid conclusions. That, and it's not cheap!
But compared to a $600 FASS, I'd buy it first
Justin
I feel like I can finally post on this product, since I now have about 4 years combined experience with it on two vehicles- one gas, one diesel.
The Fitch catalyst basically increases the combustibility of hydrocarbon fuels. HC fuels are mixtures of various HC chain lengths- not all are uniform length. For example, gasoline's main HC is OCTANE (C8H18). But it also has longer chains, like nonane (C9H20) and decane (C10H22) as well as shorter chains like Hexane (C6H14) and Pentane (C7H16). The shorter chains tend to combust too early, which leads to pinging. The longer chains tend not to burn, which increases emissions and reduces HP.
Now ideally, gasoline would be all octane, and would have very uniform composition. But this never happens.
So what the Fitch Catalyst does is make gasoline chemically more stable by "cutting off" the extra HCs from the ones that are too long, and attaching them to the HCs that are too short. Thus, we increase the stability of the gasoline, and its uniformity of composition.
I decided to give this a try on my '97 Nissan Maxima in 2000. Installation is easy, as you just drop in these little "turds" that sit in the tank. They look like little plastic logs with slots cut into the side. Through the slits, you can see the catalyst element, which looks like a roll of quarters stacked inside. The catalyst is platinum based, so it's not cheap. The application for my car ran about $160.
The results? An INSTANTLY noticeable increase in engine pep only 5 minutes after dropping them in. Over the first few months, I noticed a 2mpg increase. I was pumped.
Well, I bought my CTD in Aug of 2002 with hopes of bombing it. I also knew that I wanted to try the Fitch Fuel Catalyst based on my good experience with it on my Nissan. Unfortunately, the FFC for a Dodge diesel is a different installation (a canister that you plumb into the fuel system just before the LP), and it's much more expensive. I think it was like $400!! A gamble? Maybe.
So I installed my FFC-- at the same time I did my injectors
Thus, I had no A-B difference to compare it to. So what have I noticed with the FFC on a dodge diesel? Well, it's hard to say. I don't have enough experience without it to make a meaningful comparison. All I can provide is anecdotal evidence:
1) I was told that DD2s would smoke quite a bit, and I would have to be extra careful not to smoke people. With the FFC, I could drive with the EZ on #3 and not smoke people even a a GA humid summer.
2) I average a consistent 15. 8-16. 3 mpg around town. That's ALL city driving. I never drive to intentionally increase mpg around town. I even almost always start in 1st gear
3) Hwy mpg clears 20 almost always, even with a levelling kit and non-hwy tire pressures (45/40). Stock exhaust and BHAF is all I have for air.
4)Exhaust smoke dissipates quickly. I would bet that the opacity would test pretty low.
5) My truck seems to dyno more tq than other trucks with similar mods. It dynoed 918lb-ft on a Dynojet, and 904 lb-ft on a Superflow. This seems to be more tq than a 24V typically puts out with just DD2s and an EZ. Maybe not by a huge amount, but it's on the higher side of a bell curve for sure.
Now, the pivotal question-- is it worth $400? That's about 180 gallons of fuel. I'm guessing I'd have to drive a LONG time to "save" 180 gallons of fuel. ON this basis, probably not.
But if you are someone who REALLY wants to keep your smoke down, then this may be something you should consider. Or maybe you like your present injectors, just want to have less smoke. If you live in a state that has a "snap test" for diesel soot opacity, then I'd say this is almost a must-have.
I hope this post has some value. I mean, it's not a scientific study, and I can't really offer solid conclusions. That, and it's not cheap!
But compared to a $600 FASS, I'd buy it first
Justin
I'm just real curious about the upgrades you've been contemplating. But I'm sure you'll keep us posted. 
