fuel additives

mxzane933

Seasoned Expediter
how many of you regularly use fuel additives, and what are your reasonings. My fathers company just finished a diesel treatment and i want to get them into.the expedite industry. So any input would be helpful.Do you use it every time you get gas, use it every now and again, or not at all. If so is it to prevent gelling in the cold or for horse power gain, removes the water from the fuel, or use it like a vitamin for your body. I havent been able to try the diesel formula but in my chevy van before we has the regular gasoline additive I always used it.every time I filled up , more so because I could tell a difference in how the van ran more so then the xtra half mpg it would add. thanks for your input ! I really hope to get a foot in the other side of the industry as well.

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mxzane933

Seasoned Expediter
this is the diesel treatment, I've been working on . I covered up our company name because I dont want people to think im trying to advertise freely or anything.

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Lawrence

Founder
Staff member
I think you are telling us about your family business. Plus I don't think you are soliciting. It's great! Wish you all the best success!
 

mxzane933

Seasoned Expediter
I think you are telling us about your family business. Plus I don't think you are soliciting. It's great! Wish you all the best success!

thanks Lawrence. We have been in motocross, and are big into private labels but I really hope we can get into this industry.

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mjmsprt40

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
MX, maybe I can help a little. I used to run a diesel, so I have a bit of experience.

I hardly ever ran any supplements during the warmer weather because I wasn't sure there was any need for it. In the winter, I sure did run supplements. I used Power-Serv to keep the fuel from gelling. #2 diesel will gel once the temps get to about 20F or so, and the biodiesel stuff is even more prone to gelling. So, if the temps were gonna get below freezing I made sure to treat the fuel. I got caught a couple of times, nothing quite like having a full tank but none of it getting to the engine. The cost of the tow easily exceeds the cost of a winter's worth of fuel treatments.
 

mxzane933

Seasoned Expediter
MX, maybe I can help a little. I used to run a diesel, so I have a bit of experience.

I hardly ever ran any supplements during the warmer weather because I wasn't sure there was any need for it. In the winter, I sure did run supplements. I used Power-Serv to keep the fuel from gelling. #2 diesel will gel once the temps get to about 20F or so, and the biodiesel stuff is even more prone to gelling. So, if the temps were gonna get below freezing I made sure to treat the fuel. I got caught a couple of times, nothing quite like having a full tank but none of it getting to the engine. The cost of the tow easily exceeds the cost of a winter's worth of fuel treatments.

thanks for the input. So cold weather yes. From what i've gathered majority use it in cold temps but the summer heat is more detrimental on the motor than even cold.

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FlyingVan

Moderator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
Never used an additive, and I have been in temps as low as -5. Never had a problem in more than 500k miles. Now, if I ever have to drive in temps lower than that, I will add some.
 

BobWolf

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Yep, I run Howes year round 10 oz per 50 gal and I keep 10 mpg steady skip it and loose 10%.
Shoot me some info on your product I'll take a look at it.

Bob Wolf.
 

aquitted

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I use 2cycle motor oil 1 oz per gallon of deisel almost every tank full it brings the lubricity levels back up to what they were before the gov switched to ulsd. NOT TO BE USED IN 07 OR NEWER WILL DAMAGE THOSE ENGINES!! also use howes in 20 degree or colder weather
 

mugurpe

Seasoned Expediter
We use Optilube summer (in the summer) and Optilube XPD in the winter. One of our trucks (GMC T6500 w/ Cat 3126) doesn't like to start on some days (when it's cool, but too warm for the intake heater to come on). The additives have helped with that. I bought it used, and it was real hard starting then, that's when I started using additives. it's slowly been getting better over time. I've also noticed maybe a 1/2 - 1 mpg difference in average fuel mileage. Supposedly it also increases the lubricity of the fuel which would make the engine last longer. The summer additive is super cheap, but the winter stuff is a little more pricey. I chose the optilube based on some lab results that I had found on the 'net, and they ship in bulk and we have our warehouse guy decant them into smaller "single dose" bottles.
 

mxzane933

Seasoned Expediter

thanks for the input, we actually used psp along with about 20 other brands to.test ours vs the leading.competitors . So you just use it in cold weather?

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mxzane933

Seasoned Expediter
Never used an additive, and I have been in temps as low as -5. Never had a problem in more than 500k miles. Now, if I ever have to drive in temps lower than that, I will add some.

holy cow.500+ thats.crazy, Thanks for the input.

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mxzane933

Seasoned Expediter
Yep, I run Howes year round 10 oz per 50 gal and I keep 10 mpg steady skip it and loose 10%.
Shoot me some info on your product I'll take a look at it.

Bob Wolf.

We tested that also, alot of people try it and dont actually get the data so they dont really know how much it can help, thanks for the data Mr.Wolf, I will shoot you a pm.

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mxzane933

Seasoned Expediter
I use 2cycle motor oil 1 oz per gallon of deisel almost every tank full it brings the lubricity levels back up to what they were before the gov switched to ulsd. NOT TO BE USED IN 07 OR NEWER WILL DAMAGE THOSE ENGINES!! also use howes in 20 degree or colder weather

hmm thats interesting, how much extra does that add to your over head a month? yes the new fuel is horrible on the engine, alot of people dont realize that either it is crazy when you see the scientific facts of how it harms, youd never really think the expensive liquid gold could hurt.a engine like it can, thanks for the input.
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mxzane933

Seasoned Expediter
We use Optilube summer (in the summer) and Optilube XPD in the winter. One of our trucks (GMC T6500 w/ Cat 3126) doesn't like to start on some days (when it's cool, but too warm for the intake heater to come on). The additives have helped with that. I bought it used, and it was real hard starting then, that's when I started using additives. it's slowly been getting better over time. I've also noticed maybe a 1/2 - 1 mpg difference in average fuel mileage. Supposedly it also increases the lubricity of the fuel which would make the engine last longer. The summer additive is super cheap, but the winter stuff is a little more pricey. I chose the optilube based on some lab results that I had found on the 'net, and they ship in bulk and we have our warehouse guy decant them into smaller "single dose" bottles.

Alot of them do one thing decent and the rest of the claims not so much from what we found out through testing. A lot of the lubricants dont get to do there because the heat ends up evaporating the oil based lube and when that happens it produces carbons which end up doing the opposite and that defeats the reason you used the product from the start. thAnks for the input.

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21cExp

Veteran Expediter
I've used diesel fuel for years, running well over 700,000 miles on three different diesel engines of my own; a '78 Mercedes 300, a '98 6.5 Duramax, and my current '08 6.6 Duramax.

I don't profess to be an expert on fuel additives, but was guided early on by a Mercedes mechanic, and then later by two different diesel fleet mechanics. I like Standadyne or Lucas Fuel Conditioner, which one diesel fleet mechanic said are pretty much interchangeable. Lucas is more readily available, so I've used it almost exclusively for the last eight or so years.

I buy Lucas by the gallon at a independent truck stop in TN (where it is always about $2/gal cheaper than chain truck stops) and decant it into an old 16oz plastic Stanadyne bottle to keep in my drivers door for adding at each fuel stop. Just a couple ounces per fill-up. Originally started using it when the Ultra Low Sulphur fuel came out because my engine was pre-ULSD, then researched it when I got the current Duramax and have kept using it for it's lubricity. Some users will spout off all sorts of tech figures etc, or make some pretty outrageous claims, but I have no tech stats or huge claims. I can just only honestly say the diesels run smoother and better using the fuel conditioner, as if they're working easier with less friction.

For winter fuel, and I've run a lot of northern miles, from Minot to Caribou, I most always have used winterized fuel when I can and have not worried too much about adding additional anti-gel additives. Sometimes will add Red Line anti-gel. Block heaters help too, though I realize that is rarely an option when expediting.

My current Duramax, the '08 6.6 (only had two winters with it), has a more advanced starting and glow plug system than did my other engines and has had absolutely no problems yet with starting in cold weather, even without winterized fuel. More important has been to keep the batteries good.
 

jt1980a

Active Expediter
MXZ,
I use Power Service in all my engines year round. (Cummins, Mack, CAT and International). Its not really a winterization thing with the Cummins or Mack since they return so much fuel that the fuel tanks are always hot. But, the CAT and International dont seem to return any fuel as the fuel tanks seem to be the same as the outside temp. For this reason I use it for Gelling purposes. My main use for the additives is additional lubrication. Especially on the Cummins, the pistons in the pump need that extra lubrication. Dont know if it really helps all that much but Im sure it cant help when used in moderation so I buy a couple of pallets of it this time of year when its on sale. I have used Lucas fuel treatment before (because I use all their other products like oil stabalizer, rear axle fluid, hub oil, trans fluid, etc and I am a firm believer in their products!!!) but I dont know if the fuel treatment really helps. I did notice that the Cummins and Mack engines use just about anything with problems but the CAT and International engines dont really like the Lucas Fuel Treatment very much. To be quite honest I dont think that any of the products gave more miles per gallon or power. If anything I would have to say that everything I tried actually hurts miles per gallon AND power, but does help with neutralizing poor quality fuel.
 

mxzane933

Seasoned Expediter
I've used diesel fuel for years, running well over 700,000 miles on three different diesel engines of my own; a '78 Mercedes 300, a '98 6.5 Duramax, and my current '08 6.6 Duramax.

I don't profess to be an expert on fuel additives, but was guided early on by a Mercedes mechanic, and then later by two different diesel fleet mechanics. I like Standadyne or Lucas Fuel Conditioner, which one diesel fleet mechanic said are pretty much interchangeable. Lucas is more readily available, so I've used it almost exclusively for the last eight or so years.

I buy Lucas by the gallon at a independent truck stop in TN (where it is always about $2/gal cheaper than chain truck stops) and decant it into an old 16oz plastic Stanadyne bottle to keep in my drivers door for adding at each fuel stop. Just a couple ounces per fill-up. Originally started using it when the Ultra Low Sulphur fuel came out because my engine was pre-ULSD, then researched it when I got the current Duramax and have kept using it for it's lubricity. Some users will spout off all sorts of tech figures etc, or make some pretty outrageous claims, but I have no tech stats or huge claims. I can just only honestly say the diesels run smoother and better using the fuel conditioner, as if they're working easier with less friction.

For winter fuel, and I've run a lot of northern miles, from Minot to Caribou, I most always have used winterized fuel when I can and have not worried too much about adding additional anti-gel additives. Sometimes will add Red Line anti-gel. Block heaters help too, though I realize that is rarely an option when expediting.

My current Duramax, the '08 6.6 (only had two winters with it), has a more advanced starting and glow plug system than did my other engines and has had absolutely no problems yet with starting in cold weather, even without winterized fuel. More important has been to keep the batteries good.

Oh yea i forgot about that type of fuel up north, how much does that run a gallon, thanks for the info too

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