Are Fuel Additives Necessary.?

[jake88]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Originally Posted By: Capa
A lot of people here run a PEA fuel cleaner like Techron, Redline, etc. every 3,000 miles. I do believe that fuel additives are necessary.


Hmm...I do use them but not that often - I probably use Techron roughly 2-3 times a year in the Bimmer, but the car is pretty low mileage. (42 k miles).
As for wife's 2014 Mazda I don't use any. It shouldn't need any additives at least until 50k or so. Even then I don't know if these cars really NEED them...

On the 03 Elantra beater which has 210k miles now, I have started using Techron a bit more often, but still probably every 10k or so...should I step it up?


I am looking at a '14 Mazda when the incentives come along for the new 3s. The Skyactiv engine is GDI and could probably benefit from the PEA detergent. I plan on using a PEA every 25k miles or so.

 

[InvalidUserID]

I use them a few tanks before oil changes. I haven't noticed any noticeable benefits but if the only downside is a few bucks, I don't mind.

 

[Errtt]

I have Redline S1 and Techron complete fuel system cleaner.
Few days ago I dumped a bottle of the Techron in one of the vehicles (2010 Tucson 2.4L GDI) for 1st time since I bought it. Had 39k when I bought it and had 51k on the Techron dump. Burned that tank with Techron and on a fresh fill. Can't tell any difference. Now going to do a OC this Friday.

 

[nleksan]

I have always used them whenever I thought to, no real pattern, rhyme or reason, just figuring that PEA is known to be beneficial and I spend as much money as I do extracting more power from engines that $10 now and then to make sure that I am not losing power to something as simple as carbon buildup is good practice.

However, ever since I upgraded my injectors (again) and went with the newest Bosch Gen3 model, which is noted for having the best atomization pattern of any injector made, I have been a lot more consistent in the use of SI-1. The previous Gen2 28# injectors I had cleaned and tested, and having seen nothing but Shell 93oct on the street and fresh 100-110 race gas on the track, with maybe a bottle of SI-1 every 3k miles avg, they were all between 98.2 and 99.7 percent which is well within the "new" parameters. I don'tkknow if it is the fuel used, the combination of FI + high CR, the fact that I am anal about fuel filter replacement and the pump itself was new with the injectors (Wahlbro 255lph), the use of SI-1, or something else, but they were in excellent shape.

It was mentioned to me that the fact that I never ran less than 1/4 tank, combined with the fact that the car spent more time at high RPM in a month than most do in a lifetime (5500-8100rpm is the range from the last track day, but excluding outliers, 99 percent of time was between 6250rpm and 8120rpm), likely kept the injectors clean.

Always running fresh plugs helps too, but I don'ttthink you need to change them quite as often as I personally do (I go through 3-6 sets a season)...