Every oil change i put in slick 50 fuel cleaner and the slick 50 synthetic oil additive. The oil i put in my car is 10w40. My uncle told me to do it and he is a mechanic (but works on domestic cars) he says it makes the engine idle better and frees lost hp .....he drives a 98 mustang gt and i have taken his advice and my max runs alot better. Do you guys add this kind of stuff to your cars and will it hurt my car in the long run it has 68,784miles...especially since i put in synthetic oil additive with all those miles. If you guys do use it am I useing the right stuff.

(i know its long ...sorry)

 

10w40 is ok if you run your Max in very hot weather. But for better cold start, just use what Nissan recommends...5w30. Consumers Reports tested Slick50 and found that when added to 5w30 oil, it gives it a consistency of much thicker oil, like straight 30w or something. Besides, did you know a class action lawsuit against Slick50 required Slick50 to officially retract any advertising that made any performance claims on its products, and issued a $15 settlement to each Slick50 customer? This was like two years ago, and the lawsuit settlement was in the back of all the major car magazines. So, my personal opinion is that Slick50 is not necessary if your engine is in good shape. Now if I had a 20 year old beater that burns oil and is losing compression, I'd dump in some miracle treatment like Slick50 or Restore, but not for a 5 year old Maxima.

As for fuel treatment, a lot of people here like Chevron Techron Concentrate. Note the CONCENTRATE. It's better than the other Chevron stuff like Progard.

Oh, a friend of mine put Z-Max additive (with Linkite) into his 98 Frontier (32k miles) and has yet to notice any mileage increase or performance benefit.

 

Fuel additive is basically octane booster. It is supposed to boost the octane so it will burn hotter and clean injectors ect. An ordinary bottle of this is around 107 octane. Added to a full tank of gas this will boost your total octane level less than one octane point. My advise to you is just fill up with 93 octane every 4-5 tanks if you don't consistently. It is just as effective. As for the oil additive, I have never seen a study producing MUCH of a result, but in the tests I have seen Slick 50 is usually last. Just use Mobil 1 synthetic 5w-30 and forget about it. This oil alone will prolong engine life longer than any combination.

 

I read in the owner's manual and it said not to used additives or anything like that. The thing I don't understand is that why does my local dealer recommend their customers to use Valvoline Synpower fuel injector cleaner every 30,000 miles?

 

I copied this off the website that I ordered this stuff rom. I like it a lot. The site is http://www.asap.homeownersmall.com/index.html

It's Al Smith Automotive Products Online

"Red Line SI-1 Injector and Valve Detergent. A concentrated package of the most powerful high temperature detergents available to clean gasoline fuel injectors and intake valves. SI-1 can clean injectors to nearly 100% efficiency in one treatment. The cleansing effect on injector deposits can raise fuel economy approximately 12% or even greater, depending on the condition of the injectors. Although many gasolines advertise injector cleanliness, GM presented a paper to the SAE which indicates that their customers encountered injector plugging with all major brands of gasoline (SAE 861533). SI-1 also contains detergents and a synthetic upper cylinder lubricant which will help clean the intake valves, pollution control valves, combustion chamber deposits and carburetors. SI-1 also protects the fuel system from rust. One bottle treats 15-100 gallons and provides intake system cleanliness for unlimited mileage. Safe for continual use."

 

yeah but we don't have carburetors

 

I use a line of fuel additives from this one brand named "Shogun". They claim that its the "Import Car Fuel Treatment" which I have been using for a while now. Their line of additives include a Fuel System Cleaner, Octane Booster, and Fuel Injector Cleaner. I've been using all three and have noticed that my engine idle is a lot smoother and my fuel economy has increased somewhat from when I wasn't adding them. I also use "Duralube Engine Treatment" and 5w30 now that its getting cold. With this combination I never see a loss in horsepower or fuel economy. It might be just in my car, but I think if your trying out supplies, maybe you should try these brands out and see if they work the same for you.

 

Try Techron Concentrate & compare it w/others @ oil change intervals. I did not notice a difference, other than peace of mind in a bottle.