Recommended oil viscosity

Actually, long term oil analysis typically shows that viscosity INCREASE over time is a bigger problem than thinning, provided that you don't get a lot of fuel dilution from cold weather short-trip driving.

I've had very good success with 4 cars and two drivers over 18 yrs. using Duralube. Then 5W30 vs 10W30 is irrevelent. Duralube definitely reduces wear, comparing my cars to friends with the same engine. The main wear difference is reducing friction when starting a cold engine. When you put it in you can hear the difference on starting. I did a blind test with my wife's '87 4 cyl Daytona and a few days later she asked me why it was now much quieter on starting up. Also on my wife's current 2001 V6 2.7L Sybring I proved a 5% reduction in fuel consumption on a 1,200 mile drive. This compared the same drive at 7,000 miles to 14,000 miles with Duralube. My oldie 05 Concord now has 80,000 miles and requires no oil between

4,000 mile changes. My estimate is it would go about 6,000 miles to be down a quart; the same as when it was new.

I'm not for nor against, but don't use oil additives. Anyway, you my find these articles on Duralube interesting ;-)

People who fall for this stuff are seldom convinced by the facts.

Matt

Duralube and many other additives can have their place in automotive servicing, but very few live up to the inflated claims made by the marketing agents. Particularly those sold on late night infomercials and at county fairs. There is no doubt that some of the thicker additives will reduce oil burning in an old half worn out engine. That same additive may very well quiet down that same half worn out engine and increase the oil pressure. Being slippery as well as thick, it might help hydraulic lifters run quieter as well. Might help reduce wear on that same engine.

Is it going to do anything measurably positive in a well maintained low mileage car? Nope.

There is also no doubt that some of the thinner additives (and even highly detergent thick additives) can disolve some crankcase deposits, occaisionally free up stuck rings, and get lazy hydraulic lifters functioning again - at least for a while. The fact some can also loosen engine deposits without totally disolving them also needs to be remembered - as those loosed deposits can plug oil pickups etc and actually ruin an engine in some cases.

Is there a case to be made for using them in a well maintained, low mileage vehicle??? Not usually. But on SOME vehicles with a history of certain problems, they CAN be effective in preventing premature failure.

There are many additives on the market that CAN be very valuable to the owners of problem vehicles. Seal conditioners and anti-leak additives can significantly extend the life of automatic transmissions, power steering units, and even air conditioners.

Friction modifiers etc can improve the shifting characteristics of transmissions or take the nasties out of a posi differential. Then there are fuel conditioners that can extend the life of fuel injectors. All of these are technically additives - but are also very effective tools in certain circumstances.

Now, an additive that will increase power, improve fuel mileage, reduce operating temperature, all by significant margins on a vehicle that is in good operating condition in the first place??? Generally falls into the category of "snake oil"

I don't buy it. I tried several of these many years ago when I couldn't afford a real car and none of them ever did anything positive. If they had data to prove this, they wouldn't get sued by the government for false advertising all of the time.

They are just like the magic gas mileage gizmos. Popular Mechanics tested half a dozen of these in their latest issue. NONE of them provided any improvement in fuel economy or power, and a couple of them had major detrimental affects.

Matt

Matt - I didn't say they could work miracles, or that they would help a totally worn out car. As a mechanic I have used additives to the customer's advantage MANY times. A $12 can of additive has reduced oil burning in an engine from 1 quart in 300 miles to less than a quart in 2000 - PERMANENTLY by freeing up stuck rings. $12 compared to closer to $1200 to rebuild the engine. And I've seen this more than once. I've also had a $6.00 can of additive completely quiet down the valve train of an engine with hydraulic lifters, instead of having to dissassemble the engine and replace all of the lifters. Many many times over 35 years. When the engine is crammed into a van, or a Pacer, there is SIGNIFICANT labour involved in changing the lifters.

Then you get the real POS vehicle that just is NOT worth replacing the engine on, and it's got a cracked or porous block, or a cracked head. A can of "boiler sealer" like IronTite will most often stop up the leak, and the vehicle may well go another couple of years before it gets replaced. Is it a repair? No - but it is a "fix"

Same with transmission additives. I've had many an automatic that was shifting erratically on a car with 200,000 or more Km on the clock. Car was in reasonable condition - worth about $2500 to replace. Cost to rebuild the transmission? About $2500. Cost of a bottle of Ford friction modifier? About $8.55. If it doesn't solve the problem, it cost you $8.55. Scrap the car. If it works, it saved you about $2491.45. Drive it untill something else major goes bad. More often then not, it has solved the problem.

Now, on the topic of "miracle" gas gizmos, we agree 100%. Glad to see we have some common ground!!

That explains a lot. Yes, sometimes giving the customer a placebo will calm their mind and that makes a lot of difference, I agree. If people think things are better, they often are better. That is why people buy the gas mileage gizmos. They usually don't even know how to properly determine their fuel mileage and they WANT the gizmo to work so in their mind it does work. Same with engine oil additives.

I'm not sure we have much common ground. I only believe in things supported by data, and you seem to believe otherwise. I've never seen any data that shows that any oil additive does anthing positive and I tried a good many of them when I was young and foolish and I never saw one work either.

Matt

Matt, you really do not have a clue. NO placebo effect. When, as a mechanic, I propose using a chemical fix they are told right up front that it MIGHT work - and it might not. If the problem is not rectified they have the choice of spending X$ or scrapping the vehicle.

As I said before, there is no magic cure-all additive, and NONE that will give any positive effect on an engine that is both in good shape and running well. There are, however, MANY very effective "tools in a can" If you use the right tool for the problem at hand they are well worth the money. Try using a sledge hammer to install new window glass - won't work. Try using a tweezers to torque a head bolt - wont work. But the tweezers takes out splinters a whole lot better than a torque wrench, and a sletch hammer breaks rocks a lot better than a glass cutter.