additives

[patriceboivin]

Strolled by the automotive department at Canadian Tire... for every engine part (gas or diesel) they have either a "booster" or a "cleaner".

Do any of these things do anything? Or are they like the products sold in pharmacies -- do not work, but also do no harm so Health Canada doesn't block them.

Why would all these additives be required? You would think the engine manufacturers know what they are doing.

If you use Chrome as your browser you can go to this page, a company called WAKOS in Japan sells the same kind of products.
http://www.wako-chemical.co.jp/products/recommendation/

I am wondering if this is just for enthusiasts who are willing to spend their money, or if these products actually do anything.

[TardisDeli]

Hi patrice, for my diesel L300, I do add additive. Ensure it says "Lubricates" (versus saying "cleans" which has alcohol and does not lubricate, in fact alcohol is a solvent thus it removes the lubricant that coats the metal parts) because the lubricant help keep engine metal parts running smoothly. I use a cleaner once a year only, when I change my fuel filter, so it cleans off build up. Cetane Boost means extra oomph and power, which is good. Water dispersion or similar words, might be needed if you have lots of water in your fuel (not a good thing, avoid by keeping fuel tank full in winter to reduce the condensation of water in the fuel tank). I dont add each fill up, but i try to remember to do it twice a month (I have low mileage).
Cheers Christine.

[mark]

I was curious about the pros (and perhaps cons?) of additives, and happened upon the following comparison posted on the Diesel Place forums (products ranked in accordance with lubricity):

Lubricity Additive Study

Personally, I use Stanadyne Performance Formula (which came in at #12 according to the Diesel Place rankings).

Like anything else on the internet, the Diesel Place forum rankings have drawn some criticism (e.g., see this article), so we should probably view their rankings with a healthy dose of skepticism...

[Firesong]

This is a beaten to death topic lol. The general consensus is as long as you use something your doing the right thing:)

[patriceboivin]

I sent an e-mail to Consumer Reports but probably they won't answer.

[patriceboivin]

they did reply, sort of -- sounds like they haven't thought of evaluating these products before, which seems a bit hard to believe since CR has been publishing since at least the early 1980s but anyway:

"I’d like you to know that your submission has been forwarded to our Technical and Editorial Staff for consideration for possible use in our column."

Perhaps I will hear back, maybe not.