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This topic is in the MVS Volvo Repair Database » Do fuel additives help mpg?
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Gasoline / Oil additives?

I love them.
15
31%
I hate them.
16
33%
I only trust the Lucas Oil ones.
13
27%
They damaged my engine.
4
8%
 
Total votes: 48
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instarx
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Re: It really saves gas and gives power !!!

Post by instarx »

marginal wrote: I don't believe this is a good comparison :roll: .
A comparison on using additives or not, can be made ONLY on the same car, same driver, same weather conditions, same style of driving, same (or approximately the same) load and so on.
Roll your eyes all you want. Saying that I get better than 32 mpg without additives is just as valid a statement as: "I use [additive]. Seems to work well. On flat highway I can average 32mpg at 65-70mph."

Marginal, you clearly want very badly to believe that the additives improve mileage but there is simply no evidence here (or anywhere) that they do. If an additive company could demonstrate their product improved mileage don't you think they would have made it widely known by publishing the studies? Have you ever asked yourself why no additive maker has ever ever published a single study showing their product improves mileage? It's because they can't.
Last edited by instarx on 21 Nov 2009, 15:22, edited 8 times in total.
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Post by polskamafia mjl »

Maybe this will clear things up. I don't use any additives at all and I still avergage 32-33 mpg highway on my 96 850 GLT. In addition I'm a college kid so I'm not exactly "light" on the gas, haha.
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Post by instarx »

tjts1 wrote:Your link says $82/quart and you have no data to back up your claim. Not exactly a convincing argument.
"sold only by the case" so its $82/case.
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Post by voodoorobaz »

I get 32+ without additives. There is no science behind it. I do not use additives of any kind anywhere on my vehicles. Best thing for mileage is proper tuned car, proper tire inflation, and gas pedal control.
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Post by matthew1 »

Some voodoo is expensive, and some is cheap. I buy one of those Lucas bottles a year at around $9, so my voodoo is around 75 cents/month. If you're wondering... no, I don't drive much: 95k miles on my '97.

Don't use fuel additives? Don't most gas stations buy fuel with additives in it already? In the US anyway, I believe most do and I'd be hard-pressed to find fuel without additives. Haven't gone out and looked... just sayin'.

I can't say my mileage increased after using (additional) fuel additive products back in '00 because I a) didn't keep track and b) my driving style varies widely, but I can say my 32mpg is better than most 850 turbos. How? https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=23596 If you don't feel that's a scientifically strong poll, I don't blame you. It's just some internet forum poll. But in my 10-ish years of owning my 850 and reading internet forums and talking to owners, I bet I can find additional evidence that 32 number is above average.

And to anyone who says you shouldn't compare your car vs. the aggregate I say why not?

Now if you trust that 32mpg is above average, and you do believe there are maintenance factor(s) involved in causing it, not just some factory anomaly, and you don't believe it's the fuel additive, then go back to sentence #1 in this post. :wink:
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Post by marginal »

instarx wrote:
marginal wrote: Maybe, if I stop using it, the mileage will be the same, but that will mean, the additive has done some job, like cleaning the injectors, upper cylinder and so on.
It means nothing of the sort. It means exactly that there is no difference in mileage when you don't use it as when you do use it.
So, how come then I had a 10% decrease in gas spending after I used it?

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Post by marginal »

instarx wrote:
marginal wrote: I don't believe this is a good comparison :roll: .
A comparison on using additives or not, can be made ONLY on the same car, same driver, same weather conditions, same style of driving, same (or approximately the same) load and so on.
Roll your eyes all you want. Saying that I get better than 32 mpg without additives is just as valid a statement as: "I use [additive]. Seems to work well. On flat highway I can average 32mpg at 65-70mph."

Marginal, you clearly want very badly to believe that the additives improve mileage but there is simply no evidence here (or anywhere) that they do. If an additive company could demonstrate their product improved mileage don't you think they would have made it widely known by publishing the studies? Have you ever asked yourself why no additive maker has ever ever published a single study showing their product improves mileage? It's because they can't.
I'm still rolling my eyes :roll: not understanding why my car spent 10% fuel after I used the additive :roll: ...

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Post by tjts1 »

matthew1 wrote: Now if you trust that 32mpg is above average, and you do believe there are maintenance factor(s) involved in causing it, not just some factory anomaly, and you don't believe it's the fuel additive, then go back to sentence #1 in this post. :wink:
I don't think 32mpg is average for most 850s. Actually its way above average for any 850. But its possible with most 850 given the right tune, right driving style and the right conditions. Most people get far less. But if someone just spent $10 on a bottle of additive, they'll want to know it worked. People tend to pay close attention to their driving style when they're trying to measure FE. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
marginal wrote: I'm still rolling my eyes :roll: not understanding why my car spent 10% fuel after I used the additive :roll: ...
Do you take note of your exact fuel consumption at every fill up? How much did the price change between fill ups? What kind of driving did you do before and after using this product? Long trips, short trips, cold starts etc? How much weight were you carrying in the car before and after the change? Any one of these factors on their own car make a 10% difference in your fuel economy.
You're making a big claim here for a little bottle of additive. Don't be surprised if most people won't take you seriously without any data or explanation to back up your claim.
good luck
Justin.
Ambitious but rubbish

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Post by marginal »

tjts1, you can read my first post, the answers to your questions are all there.
BTW, the price of the fuel has nothing to do with the fuel efficiency.

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Post by instarx »

marginal wrote:
instarx wrote:
marginal wrote: Maybe, if I stop using it, the mileage will be the same, but that will mean, the additive has done some job, like cleaning the injectors, upper cylinder and so on.
It means nothing of the sort. It means exactly that there is no difference in mileage when you don't use it as when you do use it.
So, how come then I had a 10% decrease in gas spending after I used it?
"Decrease in gas spending"? Is that how you determined you got better mileage - because you spent less on gas? Probably not the best way to determine miles per gallon.

But we may be talking about different things. If you are talking about putting a cleaner in one time and getting better mileage as a result - that's entirely possible (although 10% seems huge). But the way I read your posts you put it in tank after tank to give you better mileage for each tank. Extremely unlikely.
Last edited by instarx on 22 Nov 2009, 08:51, edited 6 times in total.
2011 XC70 T6 - current
2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Q2 - Totaled in 2022. Not my fault.
2011 XC60 - sold
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