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SHOULD I BE USING ADDITIVES ON MY NEW VEHICLE

Hosted by
Steve Sommers

For most of us 2020 hasn’t been a spectacular year. Perhaps you were fortunate enough to be able to buy a new vehicle. Now that you’ve dropped down some major cash on your new ride, you might be thinking to yourself, how do I protect my investment? The first step is basic vehicle maintenance such as regular oil changes, checking tire pressure, checking fluid levels and rotating your tires. An enhanced maintenance plan would include the use of oil and fuel additives.

Today’s vehicles are designed to be highly efficient, becoming more efficient has caused tighter tolerances in engineered into modern engines. To increase fuel economy a common practice among gas and diesel engines, is to add a turbo charger to efficiently deliver more air into engine to create a more efficient burn of the incoming fuel. Turbocharger bearings operate with tight tolerance and extreme heat (reaching temperatures upwards of 400°F) and are a known victim of stiction buildup.

To prevent stiction from forming, add FR3 Friction Reducer to the engine oil to prevent the breakdown of oil. We recommend waiting until there are at least 10,000 miles on your vehicle, then use a maintenance-level treatment of Stiction Eliminator or the regular dose of FR3 on the oil side. Because of the way these two products reduce friction, we want to ensure the engine is completely broken in.

FR3 Friction Reducer is a lubricity-enhancing oil additive that increases the lubricating and wear reduction properties of the host oil. The product contains patented synthetic lubricants that have unique lubricating properties even compared to PAO or mPAO synthetics of the same viscosity. Negatively charged Group V synthetic esters tenaciously attach to all internal parts completely lubricating your engine. Esters are also responsible for the increased rubber seal lubrication as well as a slight swelling of the seal for less oil leaks. The anti-wear component of the formula is a patented carbon Nano particle that fills in microscopic irregularities on the machined surface to provide a smoother surface for the lubricating film to form. Wear rates are reduced by 43% on the ASTM G-133 test when using FR3, effectively doubling the life of your engine. The patented nano particles cross link at the surface which increases film strength and boundary lubrication. The synergy of these components extends the base oil performance in shear stability, oxidation stability, film strength and especially friction reduction. Lost compression is regained by cleaning deposits on the rings and pistons and by providing a smoother sealing surface for the rings which results in better ring sealing, less blow-by and increased combustion efficiency. The reduction in the coefficient of friction reduces operating temperatures and improves the oxidative stability of the host oil ensuring longer life for your engine. Fuel mileage and horsepower gains of 5% are not uncommon with the use of FR3 as backed up by dyno and road testing.

Fuel additives can be and should be used immediately to protect your new vehicle, no break-in period needed. Today’s ULSD (Ultra-low Sulfur Diesel) leaves a lot to be desired straight from the pump. Even more troubling is that the quality of diesel varies pump to pump, making it hard to ensure you are using a quality fuel. The lack of lubricity has even caused issues in late-model vehicles, causing catastrophic failure of key fuel system parts. Protect your diesel and get the most performance by using a proper fuel treatment regimen.

Everyday Diesel Treatment (EDT) helps replenish the missing lubricity of modern Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel and biodiesel. The removal of sulfur, and hence the lack of lubricity, from diesel fuel causes added friction against all of the moving parts in your fuel system. Plus, waxy soap deposits that were soluble in higher sulfur content fuels are now forming in fuel systems and very difficult to filter. Most diesel fuel contains at least a portion of biodiesel which contains glycerides. Hot Shot’s Secret Everyday Diesel Treatment was formulated with an injector cleaner, cetane improver, neutral and sulfur free lubricity agent, water dispersant, rust and corrosion inhibitor and fuel stabilizer. EDT’s injector cleaner specifically cleans IDID’s as well as the original carbon coking External Diesel Injector Deposits (EDID’s) and waxy soap deposits. EDT’s injector cleaner cleans all parts of your fuel system including upper cylinders, fuel tank, fuel pumps and lines. The injector cleaner is also responsible for bringing asphaltenes and glycerides back into solution and preventing further ashpaltenes and glycerides from forming.

While EDT provides good overall protection to your fuel system we recommend once every 6,000 miles or six-months to add Diesel Extreme during one fill-up to deep clean your injectors. It’s like going to the dentist twice a year for a good cleaning of your teeth. Diesel Extreme still provides the same protections of EDT with an enhanced level of injector cleaner.

When the weather begins to turn colder switch from EDT to Diesel Winter Anti-Gel to prevent gellingDiesel Winter Anti-Gelx provides “Premium Diesel” qualities to standard diesel fuels in terms of detergency, stability, lubricity, winter operability, and cetane number. Diesel fuel contains wax, as temperatures drop these wax crystals clog fuel lines and cause problems for diesel engines. Our effective anti-gel additive greatly improves cold temperature performance and helps prevent the wax in the fuel from clogging lines. Lowers Pour Point to -65° F. Additional properties provide further winter protection against freeze-ups down to -40°F. In addition, Diesel Winter Anti-Gel contains a powerful cetane improver for quicker cold starts and a maximum boost in power and performance.

Say you just want lubricity, LX4 is your answer! This is the only diesel additive we offer that isn’t fully formulated. Designed for lubricity issues, LX4 Lubricity Extreme is a premium lubricity additive for Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) and gasoline. This Ultra-low Sulfur diesel additive contains the highest level of lubricity performance on the market and can put even the poorest quality fuel back into specification and exceed OEM requirements for lubrication. Lubricity is enhanced and the wear scar is reduced by up to 56% in the ASTM D-6079 method in un-additized ULSD fuel, exceeding the lubricity recommendation by the Engine Manufacturers Association. The use of LX4 Lubricity Extreme in your fuel system provides additional protection and leads to a longer life of your fuel system components, saving you from catastrophic and expensive failures. LX4 can be used by itself or in combination with EDT or Diesel Winter Anti-Gel.

So what if you bought a gas vehicle? Do I need to put a gasoline additive in my tank every time? Not at each fill-up. Gasoline is a more highly refined product than diesel and has more regulations. Therefore, gas is a higher quality product straight from the pump. Since the fuel is finely tuned straight from the pump minimum additives are required. We recommend a good cleaning once every 6-10,000 miles with Gasoline Extreme. It is a fully-formulated, concentrated cleaner that removes combustion chamber and intake valve deposits, as well as cleans injectors, valves, pumps, rings and pistons. GASOLINE EXTREME also lubricates key components in the fuel system, including upper cylinders, while restoring fuel economy, power and performance.

Get the most from your investment by maintaining both the basic and enhanced maintenance regiment. Extend the life of your engine with an oil additive and keep your fuel system clean and protected by using a fuel system cleaner such as Diesel Extreme or Gasoline Extreme. If you have any questions about your vehicle you can also talk to one of our experts by call 800-341-6516.

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