Which Diesel Additive Is Best ?

[Daveyonthemove]

Blimey, Who'd have thought this thread would have gone on so long??

Well, I have no idea what additive LH's friends are using in their cab's, but it does sound very good, and will no doubt be available to everyone before too long (companies want maximum profit after all).

As for what's available, I can only speak on my own findings.

Fuel:

Most people I know running a diesel on supermarket fuel are not returning great MPG, and their engines sound a little more agricultural. The cars still run fine, but probably not as well as they could, and MY cars have always felt better and returned better MPG when run on Shell fuel save, and even smoother and better MPG on Vpower.

My opinion on this theory is simple... The engine burns the fuel better, and less soot clogs up the DPF, meaning the 5th injector uses less diesel to activate the regeneration, keeping MPG higher. Monitoring my car over a period of 12 months has proven to me that it costs the same cost per mile on Vpower as it does on Fuel save, so the extra cost at the pump is returned in extra miles.

Additives:

There are loads out there, and at some point I have tried most of the better known ones on a variety of engines.

Millers did seem to improve the smoothness of the engine, but I never saw any consistent gains in economy that couldn't be attributed to a change in conditions.

STP/Wynnes/Halfords style injector cleaners made no noticeable difference, except to clean my wallet out of some blue bits of paper I had hidden in the back.

BG244 is the most expensive I have tried, but probably the most accurate to its description on the tin. It settled down the engine problem I was having (Ford TDCI not Toyota) and improved the way the car started, drove and delivered power. This truly is a very good product, but I still find it hard to part with £20+, so would only buy it again if I had similar issues to the Ford engine.

For me, the best 'bang for buck' has been 2 stroke oil. Less than £3 for a 600ml bottle, and with a mere 250ml per tankful of diesel, My car is driving MUCH better than it ever has. Sounds quieter, runs smoother, has improved torque when needed and MPG has jumped up on long runs (7-8MPG gains over 100 miles). On top of that, 2 stroke is meant to lubricate the fuel system and substuting the sulpher that used to be present, meaning our fuel pumps should last longer, and it burns easier than diesel, so there is less soot produced which keeps the DPF from working less often.

All of the above is my own personal findings. I have no scientific evidence to back any of it up, and I won't sit on a forum and argue with sceptics about my findings. I did my homework on this stuff and had the balls to try it for myself.

In answer to the original question, the BEST additive is the one that YOU feel delivers the best value for money whilst giving you what you hoped for. If that means a change of fuel to something better, or a bottle of redex, then that is the answer.

I've found my 'BEST' additive, and i'm sticking with it.

[Mistermena]

I know that I get more mpg by using Shell V-Power derv (GTL) over normal Dino heavy oils. In fact there are members on here that gain a substantial gian by using V-Power over standard diesel.

[dervdave]

Honestly just my opinion and like most on here i am a bit dubious about additives, but i am also dubious about the merits of different fuels...Stew

Theres nothing wrong in that Stew, at least you`re prepared to find your own answers and come to your own conclusions as opposed to dismissing all of them out of hand. ;)

[CharlieFarlie]

Right folks...... Have today received my BG244,poured the whole lot in along with 3/4 tank of........Shell....fuel save diesel. As the nearest Shell V-power diesel station is out of my way by a few miles. So hopefully in the next week or so and the future,i will have no more hesitating. Time / miles will tell......gulp I have done this on the back of the fact that i added that Adelphi + about 2 1/2 weeks ago ,and had only one ' knock ' from the engine during last weekend & about 200 miles since. So it seems to have had an effect.......and may....i repeat may......have saved me £££'s on diagnostics.

Rambs, should you not have let the Adelphi + and i think you mentioned some Wynns run through your system first, If i am understanding you correctly you have multipe additives in there,which may be counter productive, on the other hand you will have the cleanest engine on the Forum, Except for Anchs :D Stew

Reminds me of homeopathy where the diluter the dose, the claim is that the stronger it is -an obvious contradiction to anyone with an ounce of common sense. Anyway on TV a few years ago the homeopaths claimed that water had some sort of memory even though scientists showed that there would be about one molecule per swimming pool. Still the power of the mind that wants to believe is strong. Charlie I'm with you all the way.

Not trying to be clever here, but are we not being a bit contradictive when the staunchest users of V Power etc, which is ordinary diesel with additives, and the biggest arguers against supermarket fuels, which is supposedly ordinary fuel without additives, are the strongest opponents of additives, I am very confused :(

Yeah your right thats exactly what I`ve tried to explain to Charlie but he seems unable or unwilling to accept it. :)

I understood Mate... I realise Vpower is only normal diesel with additives in it.....

I feel I should apologise to Rambler for making a silly off the cuff remark which was not necessarie ....

Feelings are running high in the Farlie camp at the moment but this does not excuse My flippant remarks.

Tech01.. If You think Your statement above was needed or appreciated then You are way of the mark.. That statement at best was plainly pathetic !!!

On topic...... No additives have ever as far as I am aware been proved to work.. But then six months ago I would have said spending the extra on Vpower was a waste of time so what do I know...........

[Mistermena]

V-Power derv is slightly different to "Normal" diesel as it as GTL (Gas to liguid) so in a sence its a semi-synth oil unlike normal refined diesel that comes out of the ground. V-Power has its stock package being mineral with the other additives chucked in... Twice the package of normal diesel with centane improvers...

[dervdave]

V-Power derv is slightly different to "Normal" diesel as it as GTL (Gas to liguid) so in a sence its a semi-synth oil unlike normal refined diesel that comes out of the ground. V-Power has its stock package being mineral with the other additives chucked in... Twice the package of normal diesel with centane improvers...

How much is it where you are mate ? its £1.48 here

[rambler]

Right folks......

Have today received my BG244,poured the whole lot in along with 3/4 tank of........Shell....fuel save diesel.

As the nearest Shell V-power diesel station is out of my way by a few miles.

So hopefully in the next week or so and the future,i will have no more hesitating.

Time / miles will tell......gulp

I have done this on the back of the fact that i added that Adelphi + about 2 1/2 weeks ago ,and had only one ' knock ' from the engine during last weekend & about 200 miles since.

So it seems to have had an effect.......and may....i repeat may......have saved me £££'s on diagnostics.

Rambs, should you not have let the Adelphi + and i think you mentioned some Wynns run through your system first, If i am understanding you correctly you have multipe additives in there,which may be counter productive, on the other hand you will have the cleanest engine on the Forum, Except for Anchs :D Stew

Hi Stew

Well tbh i thought the Adelphi would have gone through the system by now...maybe,seeing as i usaully do half a tank per week.

But this week i've done 3/4 tank of diesel.

I hav'nt put any other additives in since the Adelphi,instead i went for the BG244 for a ' one off ' treatment.....see what happens.

As another member mentioned, i may put Millers in in 50ml doses during 4-5 fill ups......if needed in time to come.

Wierd though,the BG244 comes with its own........cardboard funnel,which you ' pop up' out of a flat sheet of cardboard.Then literally just pour it in...simples.. squeek.

[Mistermena]

I've not had to fill up for ages now... But the last time in Cardiff is was about £1.52! Much cheaper in Birmingham where I'll be passing on the way back from Staffordshire. I'll be filling up there and putting 250ml of 2T in the fuel to see what difference it make... I bought a 600ml bottle from Wilko's for £2.88 (API TC JASO FB mineral oil) that my mate Davey is using in a hope that the engine runs even smoother than it does now.

[dervdave]

I've not had to fill up for ages now... But the last time in Cardiff is was about £1.52! Much cheaper in Birmingham where I'll be passing on the way back from Staffordshire. I'll be filling up there and putting 250ml of 2T in the fuel to see what difference it make... I bought a 600ml bottle from Wilko's for £2.88 (API TC JASO FB mineral oil) that my mate Davey is using in a hope that the engine runs even smoother than it does now.

Am I right in saying Davey doesn`t use V-Power though ?

[Mistermena]

I've not had to fill up for ages now... But the last time in Cardiff is was about £1.52! Much cheaper in Birmingham where I'll be passing on the way back from Staffordshire. I'll be filling up there and putting 250ml of 2T in the fuel to see what difference it make... I bought a 600ml bottle from Wilko's for £2.88 (API TC JASO FB mineral oil) that my mate Davey is using in a hope that the engine runs even smoother than it does now.

Am I right in saying Davey doesn`t use V-Power though ?

Not at the min afaik... He's just on Shell fuel saver derv. Davey can confirm this??

[Daveyonthemove]

I've not had to fill up for ages now... But the last time in Cardiff is was about £1.52! Much cheaper in Birmingham where I'll be passing on the way back from Staffordshire. I'll be filling up there and putting 250ml of 2T in the fuel to see what difference it make... I bought a 600ml bottle from Wilko's for £2.88 (API TC JASO FB mineral oil) that my mate Davey is using in a hope that the engine runs even smoother than it does now.

Am I right in saying Davey doesn`t use V-Power though ?

I was using it for a while, but stopped recently. I am a firm believer that its very good fuel for the engine and works well in my engine, but have had to 'tighten the belt' over the last few months, and as my car was doing mostly shorter journeys it wasn't going to benefit from Vpower so I have gone back to fuel save. Now Fuel save is roughly the same price that Vpower was when I used it last, so i'm trying 2 stroke for a while as it works out cheaper.

[Tech01]

This seems quite a balanced and logical view:

http://auto.howstuff...fectiveness.htm

. . . The article you posted was all about GASOLINE additives. We're not talking about that, are we?

Do diesel injectors get dirty? Does low-sulphur fuel lack something? Is budget fuel a bit low on cetane value?

And, yes, there are many folk who have been driving diesel vehicles for decades now, and have become attuned to what promotes a smooth, well-running and flexible engine. My own experience tells me that the differences fuels make to the average petrol engine is extremely marginal. With diesels, it's another matter entirely.

And, quite right, some of the loudest critics of diesel fuel additives are the same folk who extol the merits of 'Advanced' diesel fuel at the pump. What on earth do they think differentiates the expensive stuff from the standard? If nothing, why use it and why pay handsomely for it?

A good many of us are too intelligent to go for snake-oil and go-faster stuff, just as we were too smart to go for Slick 50 or fuel-line magnets. But we did go for electronic ignition, breakerless distributors, halogen upgrades, Kenlowe fans and hotter thermostats. Why? Because we did the reading, did the research, tried the stuff out, and came to a conclusion. Most of these things were, once upon a time, not offered by any major vehicle manufacturer: now they are all standard.

"Good enough" is not always good enough for everyone, and that applies to diesel fuel as well. So far as petrol is concerned, I personally don't have much interest; I think it's largely had its day.

23:15 and time for bed.

Best wishes to everyone,

Chris

EDITED NOTE:

This post was written as a response to #71 from Davrav, and should have appeared way above, so some of it looks a bit out of place here. Oops.

C.

[dervdave]

, so i'm trying 2 stroke for a while as it works out cheaper.

Are you sure about that Davey two stroke oil isn`t cheap and you do have to put quite a lot in,

I`ve a feeling using V-Power would work out cheaper :)

[Mistermena]

I'm glad that Slick 50 (PTFE, Teflon) has been mentioned on this thread as it prob the worst thing every to put in a car as it can clogs up the oil ways in so many ways. Even the manufacturer Dupont said it should not be used in the automotive industry. I remember years ago when Ford used it in there Capri's gearbox from factory (Afaik the Lazor model) they had problems.

I used it many years ago in my 1976 Ford Escort's gear box and engine and it never ran the same!... Never again! This could be one of the reasons why Slick 50 have multi million $ law suits againts it!...

[dervdave]

I'm glad that Slick 50 (PTFE, Teflon) has been mentioned on this thread as it prob the worst thing every to put in a car as it can clogs up the oil ways in so many ways. Even the manufacturer Dupont said it should not be used in the automotive industry. I remember years ago when Ford used it in there Capri's gearbox from factory (Afaik the Lazor model) they had problems. I used it many years ago in my 1976 Ford Escort's gear box and engine and it never ran the same!... Never again! That one of the reasons why Slick 50 have multi million $ law suits againts it!...

And probably why so many people don`t believe in the use of additives good and bad and think they`re all `snake oil`

[Mistermena]

I'm glad that Slick 50 (PTFE, Teflon) has been mentioned on this thread as it prob the worst thing every to put in a car as it can clogs up the oil ways in so many ways. Even the manufacturer Dupont said it should not be used in the automotive industry. I remember years ago when Ford used it in there Capri's gearbox from factory (Afaik the Lazor model) they had problems. I used it many years ago in my 1976 Ford Escort's gear box and engine and it never ran the same!... Never again! That one of the reasons why Slick 50 have multi million $ law suits againts it!...

And probably why so many people don`t believe in the use of additives good and bad and think they`re all `snake oil`

Its prob a contributing factor the whole issue of additives my mate.

[Daveyonthemove]

, so i'm trying 2 stroke for a while as it works out cheaper.

Are you sure about that Davey two stroke oil isn`t cheap and you do have to put quite a lot in,

I`ve a feeling using V-Power would work out cheaper :)

Not sure on the exact price of V-power at the moment, but going off Taff's comment, he last paid 1.52pl

Assuming we fill from empty to the brim (55 litres).

Vpower: 1.52 x 55 = £83.60

Fuel save: 1.43 x 55 = £78.65

Difference = £4.95 per tank full

2 Stroke oil at £2.88 per 600ml bottle:

2.88 / 600 = 0.048 x 250 = £1.20 per tankful.

So every tank full of fuel save with 250ml of 2 stroke is £79.85 (£3.75 difference).

So, Yes, I'm quite sure it is cheaper :)

[jedi134]

Wow! this thread is massive!!!

If I`m going to stick anything into my fuel it will be 2 stroke oil...............because I know what it is, and can see how it can work......

No idea whats in any of the other stuff.................but the Mistermena BG stuff sounds promising...................I may try that one day

[dervdave]

, so i'm trying 2 stroke for a while as it works out cheaper.

Are you sure about that Davey two stroke oil isn`t cheap and you do have to put quite a lot in, I`ve a feeling using V-Power would work out cheaper :)

Not sure on the exact price of V-power at the moment, but going off Taff's comment, he last paid 1.52pl Assuming we fill from empty to the brim (55 litres). Vpower: 1.52 x 55 = £83.60 Fuel save: 1.43 x 55 = £78.65 Difference = £4.95 per tank full 2 Stroke oil at £2.88 per 600ml bottle: 2.88 / 600 = 0.048 x 250 = 12p per tankful. So every tank full of fuel save with 250ml of 2 stroke is £78.77 (£4.83 difference). So, Yes, I'm quite sure it is cheaper :)

Not my maths TS @ £2.88 per 600ml = £4.80 per 1000ml ie 48p /100ml so 250ml = £1.20 TS per 55Litres of fuel.

V-Power is 8p a litre more than Fuel Save so 55 litre = £4.40 more expensive.

Using TS saves you £3.20 per 55 lts

[dervdave]

, so i'm trying 2 stroke for a while as it works out cheaper.

Are you sure about that Davey two stroke oil isn`t cheap and you do have to put quite a lot in, I`ve a feeling using V-Power would work out cheaper :)

Yes, I'm quite sure it is cheaper :)

And it must be cheap TS

[Daveyonthemove]

Yup, I did read the decimal point in the wrong place, and corrected my post.

You are right, it is £1.20 per tank full, but that it is still cheaper.

Yes, it is cheap 2 stroke, but it is doing the job of lubricating the fuel system and burning cleanly, so there is no need to put expensive oil in there.

For every tank of Fuel save + 2 stroke, I save enough money to buy another 600ml of 2 stroke. So the saving is enough to pay for itself, without factoring in the MPG improvement and money saved there.

Like I said, I read up on it, tried it, and have shared my findings. Its not for everyone, and I fully understand that, but it works for me and in the scheme of things, thats all that matters because I am paying for the fuel and the 'additive'.

[dervdave]

Yup, I did read the decimal point in the wrong place, and corrected my post. You are right, it is £1.20 per tank full, but that it is still cheaper. Yes, it is cheap 2 stroke, but it is doing the job of lubricating the fuel system and burning cleanly, so there is no need to put expensive oil in there. For every tank of Fuel save + 2 stroke, I save enough money to buy another 600ml of 2 stroke. So the saving is enough to pay for itself, without factoring in the MPG improvement and money saved there. Like I said, I read up on it, tried it, and have shared my findings. Its not for everyone, and I fully understand that, but it works for me and in the scheme of things, thats all that matters because I am paying for the fuel and the 'additive'.

I used TS long before you Davey so you don`t have to convince me of its effectiveness

[Daveyonthemove]

Not trying to convince anyone DD, and I'm not claiming to be a pioneer either. :thumbs:

Just sharing my personal findings with those that have an interest in additives, and hoping it might help someone who wants to try it, or doesn't believe in premium fuels or additives.

If nobody takes any notice then that is all well and good, and likewise if someone decides to give it a go :)

[dervdave]

I wasn`t having a `pop` about using cheap TS, just it was the more expensive oil I had in mind when I thought V-Power may have worked out cheaper :)

[dervdave]

Not trying to convince anyone DD, and I'm not claiming to be a pioneer either. :thumbs: Just sharing my personal findings with those that have an interest in additives, and hoping it might help someone who wants to try it, or doesn't believe in premium fuels or additives. If nobody takes any notice then that is all well and good, and likewise if someone decides to give it a go :)

Well thats always been my feelings as well but its amazing how its like a red flag to a bull to some when you say you use additives.

I couldn`t give a monkeys if people use them or not, I really couldn`t care one way or the other, its just infuriating when they question your own findngs having never even used the !Removed! stuff themselves and have little or no knowledge on the subject.