Fuel Additives, are they worth using?

[thermalking]

I am trying to figure out whether using additives in the fuel is worth it or not. I have been using the Lucas Upper Cylinder Fuel additive and I am sure none of these additives will hurt anything, but there seems to be alot of debate as to whether these additives actualy do anything or not. Even if it didnt boost fuel mileage, if the additives help keep the injectors clean and help dispurse water in the fuel it seems like they would be well worth using. I would be interested in feedback from all of you 3rd generation Dodge Ram owners and your experiences with additives of any sort.



Thanks,

Jay



2005 Dodge Ram 2500 HD, Cummings 5. 9L Turbodiesel (Stock)

 

[kowaliga]

Roll Tide, first of all. I've an '05 and have used 'Slick Diesel' every fill-up since new, and at 88K miles, ignition begins within 1. 5-2 seconds after 'key on'. I use it for ULSD fuel lubrication, but, ALL my fuel is 2-micron filtered at the fillin' station ( no water or trash ). I don't know if additivies help or hurt, but 16 ounces costs @ $3. 00. and the motor has operated consistently and has never been touched since leaving Mexico. These are subjective observations; not scientific. Additionally, cetane is supposedly increased with 'Slick Diesel'.

 

[thermalking]

Thanks for the reply Kowaliga.



I just purchased an 80oz container of Slick Diesel and I will be using that as soon as my bottle of Lucas additive gets used up.

 

[bheiting]

Some of the additives were tested on another site. Scroll down on the
"discussion forums" above and click on "search forums". You should be
able to find the link there. As I recall, plain old biodiesel was one of the best.

 

[DaveHess]

Jay, I bought my 2003 with 7 miles on the clock and have used Stanadyne Performance Formula in every single fuel fill-up. I can not boast any fuel mileage increases or performance gains but what I can tell you is, the Stanadyne works excellent in cold weather with #2 Diesel on-board. For the last two winters I have had #2 in all winter even when it was -20F here for several days. Never gelled once! I realize this is not an issue for you in the sunny South but it works for me in the Great White North. I have caught some flack in the forums before (indirectly) for using the Stanadyne so blindly, but the cold weather attributes of Stanadyne keep me coming back and trusting this product. For the record, a D-Max neighbor of mine was running #2 last January and Power Service. He gelled up. Again, I didn't. Just my two cents.



I should clarify that ND does go to winter blended fuels in the winter. However, once camping season ends (September), I fill the truck and that tank will take me to March. I don't drive it much in the winter. Not with these crazies. A red traffic light here means just three more cars. I have a winter-beater for that. The diesel does come out when the beater won't start which is generally the very cold days.

 

[pullya]

In some previous discussions about this same question some of us have decided that some of the supplements are more useful for the owners peace of mind than they are for the truck. Check out some of the comparisons that have been made and pick and chose as you(or your truck) feel is necessary.

Jay

 

[HBarlow]

Your Dodge/Cummins owner's manual tells you that fuel additives are NOT necessary and NOT recommended.

I put 325,000 miles on an '01 Ram HO six speed NEVER using any fuel additive except a rare jug of anti-gel when temperatures were predicted to drop below 15* and I was running all over the USA delivering travel trailers and did not know if the fuel I bought in one state to drive in the weather of another state was winter blend or not.

I put 230,000 miles on an '06 in less than two years NEVER using fuel additive except as above.

I currently have almost 60,000 miles on an '08, still using no fuel additives.

If you do the math you will see I have driven three Dodge Rams a total of 614,000 miles without fuel additives. I have never replaced an injector, never had any problem with water or trash in the fuel.

Some folks feel better if they add fuel additive to their tank. IMO it only increases the cost of fuel but it is their money, their truck, and their right. Perhaps their trucks love them more than mine loves me. Each to his own.

 

[TCDiesel]

Check with Your local refinery, they will connect you to the chemist who will send you the exact fuel break down and minimum requirements. Flint hills refinery refines 80% of the fuel here in MN. They will recommend never to use any type of additive, at your request they will send you a video of some of the most popular additive, after you see it, You will change your mind on most additives. ( I think it's still available)

 

[SGrooms]

Where do you get that Slick Diesel at?

 

[TimothyLong]

I started using the Stanadyne Performance Plus about 6 months ago because of rough idling. It has really smoothed out the engine both idling and under power. Seems to work well with my Banks Six Gun package too. Since I've started using it, I'm getting about 1 mpg better than I did without the Stanadyne. I use it in the wife's '04 too. She went through a spell where she wasn't real good about telling me when she was going to refuel so I could give her a bottle of Stanadyne to dump in the tank. After about two or three tanks without the Stanadyne, she started complaining about rough idling. Put the Stanadyne back in and it's run great ever since. Her '04 is totally stock and she's even getting . 5 - 1 mpg better. She's been a whole lot better about telling me when she has to refuel. Imagine that!!

 

[WCPoe]

Where do you get that Slick Diesel at?

The Power Service products contain SlickDiesel and are easily found at most auto parts store and WallyWorld.



Power Service Products, diesel fuel additives, prevent gelling, clean injectors, disperse water, boost cetane, reduce emissions, improve fuel economy

 

[jelag]

We used to run an additive only in the winter, based on the local weather and if we expected to drive the trucks from a warm area to a cold one... without blending down you can gel it up... with the advent of ULSD we do it year around... just an added bit of protection if the ULSD doesn't really have what is supposed to be there to prevent galling...

We purchase it 10 gallons at a time... as I remember 10 gallons treats 12,500 gal of diesel. . we pour it into a small plastic bottle we just throw away when we fuel up... it adds something like 1 1/2 - 2 cents per gallon to the fuel...

If you live where it can flash cold (drop 40*F) in a short time the fuel dealers will be caught with their pants down and the fuel will not be blended down... We had one of our Freightliners gel up one winter and it cost a small pile of money to thaw it out once we got it inside... .

Canada, because of its diverse weather has had the government decree that all fuel will be blended down to something like -30*F from mid Sept to mid May... I'm sure one of you guys in Canada will correct the dates if I'm wrong... we just don't buy fuel there. . its over a $1. 00 a gallon than here in Spokane so all our trucks can round trip into Canada without a fuel stop... . or if there's lots of load and wind we might pick up 20 gallons... .

Hope this helps. .

 

[rbattelle]

Your Dodge/Cummins owner's manual tells you that fuel additives are NOT necessary and NOT recommended.

never had any problem with water or trash in the fuel.

Be careful. Cummins does not specifically recommend a fuel additive, which is different from saying they recommend you don't use one. In effect, they take a neutral stance on the matter.



It's very difficult to "prove" any effect on longevity brought about by additives.



I do use Stanadyne, but have no data to show it has any effects other than psychological. I use it for lubricity, but I actually think ashless 2-stroke oil might be a better option. I've also considered switching to Stanadyne lubricity formula.



I think it's more-or-less impossible to give a definitive answer to your question.



Ryan

 

[TimothyLong]

Harvey, congrats on getting over 1/2 a million miles total on your trucks! Shows me that you love your trucks more than a lot of other people. Something to be said for that.



Ryan brings up a very good point, though, about tying the effects of fuel additives to engine longevity. There are a lot of variables that go into that equation such as maintenance practices and operator use/abuse to say the least. To use a fuel additive because everyone else is or strictly on the belief that it will prolong the life of your engine by itself is pretty foolish and a waste of money. Most folks who use fuel additives use them for a reason whether it's for added lubricity, anti-gelling, cleaning agents, cetane boost, an algaecide, what ever. Ryan uses one strictly for lubricity. I use the same one to cure a rough idle (most probably a lubricity issue as well) and I happen to get some added benefits, as stated in my last post. I can't say that it will make my engine last any longer, but it sure does help my engine run better. Don't know that my truck loves me any more for it, but I do love my truck enough to try and keep it running well!

 

[rbattelle]

To expand a little on what Tim said, I think it would be foolish to expect any additive to be a magical pixie dust that will make your engine last forever, re-grow your hair, and make the babes flock around like geese.



But if you've got a specific issue you're looking to address, as Tim points out, then considering an additive in that light could be useful.



Perhaps an answer to, "what is the best fuel additive" is, "what issue are you trying to address"?



Ryan

 

[Grizzly]

I'm on my second Dodge truck with a Cummins 5. 9 diesel and have never added any additives to the fuel nor have I had any fuel related problems with the engine. Actually I've never had any problems with the engines or the trucks.



I did speak with a Dodge Rep about fuel additives, as well as other subjects concerning my truck. He did not say that additives are, "not recommended", but he did say that they are not needed and that they are a waste of money. I can understand the need for additives in very cold areas as Jim (jelag) and others have stated. We don't get that cold in Albuquerque and we don't travel to severe cold areas in the winter.

 

[cojhl2]

Additives and big Trucks

Well all I know is that many big Trucks have millions of miles on them and to my knowledge we never messed around adding an additive excepting what is necessary to keep fuel from gelling.

 

[DPeltonen]

So, the reality is:



1. There is absolutely NO proof that an additive does anything other than fleece your wallet.



2. NO one (Cummins, Dodge, fuel producers, Diesel Engineers) recommends that you use additives.



3. The manufacturer of the engine (Cummins) specifically advises against using any additive. What would be the point of building an engine that did.



4. ALL the "so called" testimony of satisfied users is purely opinion without the smallest shred of credible scientific data. How do you calculate the performance improvement with data like "gee, it seemed to run better after a while", or "I'm pretty sure I saw around a mile per gallon improvement". Of course the guy who has passed a half a million miles with three different trucks without using a single additive must just be a fluke..... right?



It appears that most additives do little more than fill the pockets of the makers. Although they may not hurt your engine, they certainly don't help it. Shoot, you may as well just add some ATF and moth balls to the tank. That was the rule of thumb for gassers for years... . people swore by that one.



Just my 5 cents fwiw. Besides, I gotta go change my oil... . it's been almost 3000 miles and I feel like throwing away some more money. :-laf

 

[Grizzly]

So, the reality is:



1. There is absolutely NO proof that an additive does anything other than fleece your wallet.



2. NO one (Cummins, Dodge, fuel producers, Diesel Engineers) recommends that you use additives.



3. The manufacturer of the engine (Cummins) specifically advises against using any additive. What would be the point of building an engine that did.



4. ALL the "so called" testimony of satisfied users is purely opinion without the smallest shred of credible scientific data. How do you calculate the performance improvement with data like "gee, it seemed to run better after a while", or "I'm pretty sure I saw around a mile per gallon improvement". Of course the guy who has passed a half a million miles with three different trucks without using a single additive must just be a fluke..... right?



It appears that most additives do little more than fill the pockets of the makers. Although they may not hurt your engine, they certainly don't help it. Shoot, you may as well just add some ATF and moth balls to the tank. That was the rule of thumb for gassers for years... . people swore by that one.



Just my 5 cents fwiw. Besides, I gotta go change my oil... . it's been almost 3000 miles and I feel like throwing away some more money. :-laf

Changing oil every 3000 miles is another waste of money, except under very severe conditions, like pulling tree stumps everyday for a living. Changing oil every 3000 miles was something grandfather and dads did in the 50's and 60's. Todays engines and engine oils have improved significantly since the days of yesteryear.



Of course rip-off's like Jiffy Lube recommend 3000 mile intervals because they want to sell more oil changes.

 

[HBarlow]

Yeah, I agree. I started out doing 5,000 mile interval changes on my first Ram for the first 150 miles but when I started transporting 5k rolled around in less than two weeks so I lengthened the interval to 10k for another 175k miles. I used 10k oil services on the '06 for 230k.

I don't have any scientific testing or evidence to prove or disprove the effectiveness of a long change interval. Perhaps I shortened the service life of those two trucks from a million miles to only 750k.

IMO DPeltonen is precisely correct about the fuel additives issue in his post above.