There are a long list of companies, selling additives for you to ad to your fuel, engine etc. promising anything from better mileage, over lower friction and wear, to a cleaner exhaust.
I have tried quite a few, and will share some of my experiences here.
I do however not see any reason to add additives and cleaning solutions, without a specific reason.
I have used engine oil additives on older worn engines, and would try to fix an issue with a specialized additive before hiring a garage to take apart my engine. But only if there was a solution, that I thought could fix something, and do it without a risk of damage.
“Premium” fuels with additives
All oil companies that sell fuel, have added additives before distribution.
However, some companies sell different fuel types, often advertising them as a choice between a “regular fuel” and a “premium fuel”. Of cause the companies websites and billboards tell us that the “premium” fuel is far superior to the “regular” fuels, or the competitors standard fuels.
Finding more information about these “premium” products, is pretty hard. Their websites have few informations, and these are often filled with fancy marketing lingo, and fine print full of disclaimers.
Diesel additives
(Bought but not tested yet)
(Bought but not yet tested)
Petrol additives
Carburettor alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol)
Yes, I’m old enough to have had a need to add carburettor alcohol to my daily driver, in order to bind the condensation water in the fuel tank, so it didn’t turn to ice in the carburettors venturi chamber, and cause issues when the frost came.
My other car still has a carburettor, but I haven’t run it in winter for a few decades, so that hasn’t been an issue lately.
Company name irrelevant.
The “Carburettor alcohol” is just a name used to sell Isopropyl alcohol to motorists, to let them know what they needed it for 😉.
Engine oil additives
I’ve tried a few engine oil additives, from companies like Swedol, and STP, but not on my Fortwos, only on some older clearly worn engines.
This resulted in a smoother engine when idling, better oil pressure, and even a better fuel economy.
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