Hi
Which fuel addition is better ?
1-Lucas ?
2-STP fuel system cleaner ?
3-Chevron with techron gas ?
which win do you feel better ? can be used with every tank ?

Thanks

 

i put in Lucas, and it actually screwed up my injectors.

 

good gas has very little if any substitutes. If you run an injector cleaner there are only a few out there that are worth mentioning and it has to be done right before an oil change.

here are some that I would use (not in any order)

- Techron by Chevron (you can get even in Walmart)
- RedLine (forget the actual name, but its a fuel system cleaner. Available at parts stores like AZ or PepBoys)
- Regane by Gumout (also available at Walmart for less then $5. IMO its the one that is the best for the price)

I have used Lucas as well. I did see a little improvement in the work of the VQ. If you are taking about the upper cylinder lubricant and cleaner, its not worth it. A little 2-cycle oil (3oz per tank) will do the same for a fraction of the price.

P.S. right now the best gas you can get is Shell V-Power, second after that is any that has Techron in it (Texaco, Chevron etc.)

 

A lot of people swear by seafoam for cleaning. Search seafoam in the search box and be ready to read!

 

Where did you get this info from to base this judgement?
Ive always read Chevron met the Top Tier standards for all their grades and that Shell does only on it's high octane fuels that's branded with the V-Power and Ultimate.
Not all vehicles require 91+ fuel, and by putting in a higher grade fuel in a car that calls for 89 really is just a waste of money. If you can get a fuel that meets the Top Teir standards in an 89 grade, to me thats a better fuel.
Ive never seen any tests that put the V-power above the ChevronTechron. Not saying its not any good or beneath it jus that I havent seen anything putting it above it, except from individuals opinions.

 

I am a loooonnnnggg time Chevron user (15 years+) and I have witnessed 1st hand ,many ,many times the greatness of techron, however , about 3 months ago I decided to try Shell for a few months and almost immediatly I gained 2~4 miles more per gallon depending on how I drive.

This is not A guess...I keep records and for the last year and I went from 19-21 with Chevron super to 22-24mpg with v-power 93.
It is hard for me to say this becuase I am one of those loyal and hard to change my mind kind of people but facts are facts.
so until something changes , I will use v-power with a bottle of Techron additive every 4 or 5 tanks...

 

Like I stated previously,
So your saying nothing else was done to the vehicle maintenance wise? New plugs, air filter, etc?
I just find it hard to believe that if it actually performed so well, why havent official comparisons been done?

 

no other maintenance what so ever...
I wouldnt believe it either if I hadnt seen it with my own experience.
I am pretty confident in my results , these are not spur of the moment statistics for me and I have a bit of a background with this type of thing (cars , engines ,stats, and such).
like I said, i did the same kind of hands on resaerch with the whole techron thing years ago and that is what I based my opinion on back then. But things change .
I certainly will not argue about this(not saying you are) I just wanted to share my experience on the subject.

 

I got some of the info from the BITOG forums. Also You are saying that for Shell it only counts for the high octane? Well aren't we talking about the Maxima here? Our car needs 91+ octane so the Shell is perfectly fine. You are right that it's a waste to put good gas in a car that doesn't need it. I would never put premium in something like a Focus.

I have felt the difference with both Chevron and Shell, but it seems the Maxima likes the Shell better. For me right now what matters most is the price at time of fill-up. Where I am at the Shell has been slightly cheaper these days.

 

Yeah, Ive read some of those threads as well, along with many others on other forums and its the same thing as here. Some say theyve seen incredible results (like 9-10mpg) and others have stated they noticed no difference at all.
I was commenting on this statment you made
You didnt mention it was the best gas you can get for the Maxima, but even if you had I still havent seen any real proof and comparisons proving that.
Im not saying its not, just that I havent seen anything other then peoples opinions stating it was the best gas available.
But even it was the best and did yeild greater gas mileage, why wouldnt Shell apply it to all of its grades rather then just supreme and reach a much larger market of vehicles? With the current economy and everyone trying to be fuel effecient it just doesnt make since to me to leave all the vehicles requiring low and mid grade fuels out of the savings.
Just my thought, once again Im not saying what is and is not the best fuel.
If Shell V power is easily available in your area, and is cost effective then makes sense to use it. But I wouldnt say its the best gas out there because of that.

 

^^^ yep. it all comes down to personal situation, preference etc. I have also noticed that my 96 Maxima (with 95 engine and ecu) is a little more picky about the fuel than my friends 98. So it's an individual thing.

 

does anyone else think there should be a fuel section on the .org?

I'm pretty much dedicated to shell, but i'm currently running BP and i'm pretty impressed. Shell has always been good to me (well, the Max) though. just do yourself a favor and don't cheap out at the pump...get 93. it's only like ~2 bucks extra per fillup.

as far as an additive, just add 1/2 can of seafoam to your tank next fill-up. save the other 1/2 for your intake manifold (through the brake booster)...but wait until you're ready for an oil change, because that's pretty much required after cleaning the intake manifold.

 

we dont got 93 here in cali. at least in sacramento. we got 87-89-91, and then 76 sells 100

 

I used 101 octane one time, but i mixed it with 89 or something like that. It cost me over $5 a gal. I would try it again if I had a station like that near by.

 

Chevron Techron is probably the best stuff as far as the cheap in-tank additives go. The main drawback of these products however is that they lack the ability to lubricate. For all purpose petroleum based cleaning I recommend Deep Creep by Seafoam... it can be used in your gas tank, in your intake, in your crankcase and pretty much anywhere else in the car. Its really quite good in the gas tank though, it will help prolong your fuel pump's life by cleaning gunk out of it and lubricating it, will probably do a nice job on your injectors as well. But Shell V-Power gas on a regular basis is the single best way to keep injectors clean...

 

Hmmm, You're talking about Highway mileage right? Cuz I get about 18 city using V-power ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This Ethanol additive they've been forcing us to add into the fuel is burning quicker, just FYI for you all. Essentially, fuel economy is going downward.

 

i did a research project on ethanol as an alternative fuel while in college. tight_whip is right, the ethanol is just filler. ethanol doesn't burn any cleaner, but does burns faster, gives you less gas mileage, and is much cheaper to produce. this means that the "up to 10%" substitution is merely to bring costs down for the oil companies while maintaining the original price to the consumer. just some food for thought.

 

I also gained a few MPG just by using Shell V Power. I am sold on that stuff.

 

^^ is there a way to counteract the ethanol? like some kinda super anti-ethanol fuel additive or something?

 

yep its just so those bastard make more money by selling you less gasoline and yet at the same time upping the price.. .

 

I'm a loooonnng time Maxima owner...I like Mobil better than Shell.

 

I love Kroger fuel.

 

In response to the ethanol comment. Ethanol does to things to gasoline. Frist, it increases the octane of the fuel. Second, as the energy content of ethanol is about 74% that of regular gasoline so a 10% ethanol mix is going to result in a 2-3% decrease in the total energy of the fuel. I don't have the numbers for premimum fuel in front of me. However, I might expect it to be slightly more of a difference due to the distribution of the fuel molecular size.

Any case, I used to run non oxygenated gas. It's the stuff that some gas stations sell for small engines as ethanol is very bad for 2 strokes if I remember right. When doing this I did get very good MPG numbers on highway trips. Most noteably consistently over 30 MPG on my cabin trips and a high of 35.4 MPG.

The only issue was in the winter my car started running like crap. Heavy hesitation and extremely rich running for the first 30 minutes of driving. My fuel pressure regulator died, although I can not say for sure that it was the non oxy gas that caused it.

In any case, you can counteract the enthanol by getting the non oxy gas. THere are lists on the internet about what stations sell the non oxy stuff.

 

^^^ I can't seem to find almost any lists for non-oxy fuel. there is a good list and maps for Minnesota are in one Mitsu forum but that's it.