Oil Additives - Do they Help?
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,033
Likes: 1
From: spring, texas
Oil Additives
I personally have never noticed any sort of gains using an oil additive.
I have been driving a 2000 f-150 4.6. liter windsor for almost 5 years. I used the valvoline 10w-50 racing oil for about 40k and that was a mistake I believe. I figred being texas with 100 degree days for weeks at at a time it would be o.k. I now only use mobil 1 10w-30 synthetic. I have screwed the pooch in a sense because you are supposed to stick with the same oil for the life of the engine, as I have been informed. Anyway, the truck runs good and more importantly runs consistantly every day.
2000 F-150 XLT extednded cab
4.6L Windosr
3:55 rearend
Hypertech Power tuning with 93octane mod and transmission shift firmness setting
Stock induction w/ k&n filter
coming soon
Magnaflow exhaust
k&n induction kit
151k and still running
I have been driving a 2000 f-150 4.6. liter windsor for almost 5 years. I used the valvoline 10w-50 racing oil for about 40k and that was a mistake I believe. I figred being texas with 100 degree days for weeks at at a time it would be o.k. I now only use mobil 1 10w-30 synthetic. I have screwed the pooch in a sense because you are supposed to stick with the same oil for the life of the engine, as I have been informed. Anyway, the truck runs good and more importantly runs consistantly every day.
2000 F-150 XLT extednded cab
4.6L Windosr
3:55 rearend
Hypertech Power tuning with 93octane mod and transmission shift firmness setting
Stock induction w/ k&n filter
coming soon
Magnaflow exhaust
k&n induction kit
151k and still running
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 483
Likes: 0
From: AZ
They work about once a century
Additives only work for the guy selling them. You buy he makes money.
About 40 plus years ago my best friend blew a rod through the pan of his very used and abused 55 Chevy. This happened in the winter in Northeast Ohio. He drove the car for another 2 weeks and even used it to carry the replacement engine home from the junk yard. After it was running for awhile the idle would slow down and there was no use putting oil in it cause it ran right back out. I would never have believed this but I was there and witnessed the car running and the hole in the oil pan. His explanation "it must have been the can of STP that I added every week."
If you want to contact him to verify the story email me and i wll give you his email.
I am old but this is an evnt you don't forget
About 40 plus years ago my best friend blew a rod through the pan of his very used and abused 55 Chevy. This happened in the winter in Northeast Ohio. He drove the car for another 2 weeks and even used it to carry the replacement engine home from the junk yard. After it was running for awhile the idle would slow down and there was no use putting oil in it cause it ran right back out. I would never have believed this but I was there and witnessed the car running and the hole in the oil pan. His explanation "it must have been the can of STP that I added every week."
If you want to contact him to verify the story email me and i wll give you his email.
I am old but this is an evnt you don't forget
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 614
Likes: 0
From: Troy, NY
When I used to have my dune buggy with the '71 Beetle motor, a flat four, 1600cc little plant, it ran dry on numerous occasions and kept on starting up. Granted, the motor was already in bad shape and wouldn't idle no matter what I did, but it slightly burned oil off and I forgot to check most of the time. One time it just got really low so the floating oil sucker couldn't get any more. I didn't notice until the oil pressure gauge was at zero, and after letting it cool a bit, I drove it several miles home. No significant or noticable motor damage. The other time the oil pressure line fell onto the exhaust and melted, slowly pissing all the oil out the side. Noticed when the back end of the car was smoking and stunk really bad.
The only oil I can attest to is Blue Marble. They made 2 stroke oil for years, the whole time making fantastic claims about "pour in HP" and "better than new performance". They said special polymers filled in microscopic pores and imperfections in cylinder walls and other locations, making the surface literally smoother. Nobody bought it, it was "just another oil". Recently SnowGoer mag did a big scientific test about it, and actually found the claim true. Two identical exhaust valve equipped motors, one running plain-jane oil, and the other running BM oil, the BM motor had nearly a 1.5hp advantage consistently as well as a slightly lower, smoother idle. A dis-assembly of both motors showed the BM motor's parts were shiny clean and were really-really slick to the touch. Shortly after that story was published, BM oil sales shot through the roof, and tens of thousands of sledders can't all be wrong.
They recently started making a 4-stroke oil additive that they claim contains the same compound that "fills in micropores" within the motor. Haven't seen it anywhere, I actually still rarely see regular BM 2 stroke oil. I'd try some if I saw it.
K-100 additive is the only gas additive I'll ever use again. Not only does it virtually instantly fix any water related problems(experience talking here), but there is a noticeable boost in overall performance. Peppier acceleration, and a crisper throttle response. It's expensive at like $8 for a small bottle, but comes in various flavors for gas, diesel, and marine motors. I was planning to take apart and clean one of the Mikuni carbs on my 380 sled due to a sticky float. Ran K-100, within a couple minutes the misfiring stopped and when I later took apart the carb, it looked like it had just been cleaned, no kidding.
But as for wal-mart specials on "oil additives" claiming to boost performance for the low,low price of $1.09, you can safely pass without missing anything.
Use good oil and you really shouldn't need any additives. Maybe use high-mileage(funny how 75k is considered an "old" car now) oil if your car is feeling a bit tired.
The only oil I can attest to is Blue Marble. They made 2 stroke oil for years, the whole time making fantastic claims about "pour in HP" and "better than new performance". They said special polymers filled in microscopic pores and imperfections in cylinder walls and other locations, making the surface literally smoother. Nobody bought it, it was "just another oil". Recently SnowGoer mag did a big scientific test about it, and actually found the claim true. Two identical exhaust valve equipped motors, one running plain-jane oil, and the other running BM oil, the BM motor had nearly a 1.5hp advantage consistently as well as a slightly lower, smoother idle. A dis-assembly of both motors showed the BM motor's parts were shiny clean and were really-really slick to the touch. Shortly after that story was published, BM oil sales shot through the roof, and tens of thousands of sledders can't all be wrong.
They recently started making a 4-stroke oil additive that they claim contains the same compound that "fills in micropores" within the motor. Haven't seen it anywhere, I actually still rarely see regular BM 2 stroke oil. I'd try some if I saw it.
K-100 additive is the only gas additive I'll ever use again. Not only does it virtually instantly fix any water related problems(experience talking here), but there is a noticeable boost in overall performance. Peppier acceleration, and a crisper throttle response. It's expensive at like $8 for a small bottle, but comes in various flavors for gas, diesel, and marine motors. I was planning to take apart and clean one of the Mikuni carbs on my 380 sled due to a sticky float. Ran K-100, within a couple minutes the misfiring stopped and when I later took apart the carb, it looked like it had just been cleaned, no kidding.
But as for wal-mart specials on "oil additives" claiming to boost performance for the low,low price of $1.09, you can safely pass without missing anything.
Use good oil and you really shouldn't need any additives. Maybe use high-mileage(funny how 75k is considered an "old" car now) oil if your car is feeling a bit tired.