Fuel Additive Facts

The following article appreared in Road & Track in July of 2013.

If you find yourself lost in the fuel additives aisle or just sticking to the same old thing, you are not alone. To make the right choice and get the most
for your money, you need to understand how they work and what your vehicle needs.

Q: What's the difference between a fuel injector cleaner and a fuel system cleaner? The guys at my auto parts store always recommend the same fuel additive
no matter what problem I have. I'm not convinced it's working but these products are so confusing and they all claim different things. I don't know what I
really need or who to trust. How can I select the right product for my vehicle?

A: To understand fuel additives, focus on cleaning power, parts cleaned and treat rates. Then do your homework and know what your vehicle needs. Using the
wrong additive can be like using nothing at all.

KNOW YOUR TYPES

There are four types of cleaning related fuel additives: gas treatments, fuel injector cleaners, fuel system cleaners, and multi-system additives. There
are a lot of variations on these basic types, but most fuel additives can be classified this way. As a general rule of thumb, when it comes to
effectiveness, you get what you pay for.

GOOD: Gas Treatments are typically the lowest priced fuel additive, but they also offer the fewest product benefits.

BETTER: Fuel Injector Cleaners offer a step up in cleaning power and a variety of other benefits.

BEST: Fuel System Cleaners are the top shelf option. They contain more powerful cleaning agents. But beware not all fuel system cleaners contain the same
amount of cleaning power.

Multi-system additives are both fuel and oil additives. They claim to work in the crankcase and the fuel system and many claim a long list of benefits. A
lot of consumers default to these because they aren't exactly sure what they need. This may make the purchase decision easier but may also be the wrong
decision in many cases.

KNOW YOUR FORMULATIONS

Gasoline, even top tier gasoline, leaves deposits on vital fuel system parts resulting in combustion problems. To restore or improve combustion, these
parts must first be cleaned. Fuel additives contain detergents that can clean these parts and keep new deposits from forming. Formulations differ on the
quality and quantity of cleaning agents.

There are three common cleaning agents used in most top selling brands, polyisobutene or PIB, Polyisobutylene amine or PIBA and Polyetheramine or PEA. Most
of these are nitrogen based and act as a detergent. If a product lacks a nitrogen based additive, its cleaning ability is negligible.

PIB is typically found in Gas Treatments and some Fuel Injector/Carb Cleaners. It does a decent job of removing water and some dosage rates may keep new
deposits from forming on fuel system parts but it is not strong enough to remove existing deposits and it normally requires usage with each fuel fill-up.

PIBA is normally found in Fuel Injectors. At the right dosage rate, it will provide more cleaning power to remove existing deposits, clean more parts and
can have a longer interval between applications than PIB.

PEA is the cleaning agent found in any truly effective complete fuel system cleaner. It is the strongest cleaning agent available in fuel additives. It
cleans better and cleans more parts than PIB and PIBA. PEA is in a league of its own and in some cases it is the only detergent that can get the job done.

Which detergent and how much of it is in the formula will determine the cleaning power of your fuel additive and the treatment interval. Basically, PIB is
good, PIBA is better, and PEA is the best. The ratio of cleaning agents to other fluids in an additive will determine how well it cleans existing deposits
and prevents new ones from forming. This ratio can vary considerably by brand and product and is not always reflected in the price. However, if an additive
does not contain PEA or one of the other nitrogen-based detergents, it simply is not cleaning.

KNOW YOUR PARTS

The fuel system parts primarily involved in the combustion process are intake ports, intake valves, fuel injectors, carburetors, piston tops, cylinder
heads and combustion chamber. Deposits form on these parts and cause a variety of ailments such as hesitation, stalling, knocking, pinging and loss of
acceleration and fuel economy.

Port Fuel Injectors (PFI)

Intake port positioned fuel injectors have pintles which allow the fuel to disperse from the injector. This is a microscopic orifice that, when clean,
delivers an atomized spray of fuel that when combined with an air mixture is easily detonated in the combustion chamber. When deposits start to build up,
this spray pattern becomes irregular and the spray turns into droplets that are harder to combust.

The intake valves and ports are subjected to the fuel sprays, whether they are delivered in a mist or in a denser droplet. Deposits develop here too and
act like a sponge - reducing the amount of fuel that is introduced into the combustion chamber. The denser the spray pattern from the injector, the higher
the chance of deposit build-up on valves and ports.

Keeping the fuel injector clean from deposits is critical to performance. Failure to remove deposits will lead to a series of compounding problems that
result in a loss of fuel economy, stalling, hesitation, and overall decrease in performance. Many fuel injector cleaners are strong enough to clean up
deposits on a port fuel injector. However, most are no match for what lies in the combustion chamber.

Gasoline Direct Fuel Injectors (GDI)

Port injection fuel delivery systems used to be the norm, but new gasoline direct injection or GDI technology is becoming standard equipment on many new
cars, especially in high performance vehicles. In this innovative fuel delivery system, the injector is placed inside the combustion chamber yielding
improved combustion to produce better performance, improved gas mileage and fewer emissions. However, the heat and pressure inside the combustion chamber
means trouble.

Deposits in GDI systems are extremely hard to remove because they are cooked on. They are forced onto the surface of the combustion chamber, piston top and
cylinder head and can cause hot spots that result in pre-combustion and an increased compression ratio that lead to knocking and pinging and ultimately
valve issues in extreme circumstances. Poor combustion can also mean higher emissions and lower fewer economy.

It takes an extremely powerful detergent to remove the pressure cooked deposits found on cylinder heads, piston tops and combustion chamber walls, and only
PEA can do this. In GDI systems only PEA can clean up the injectors and keep them clean. PEA can only be found in a few fuel additive products. Check out
manufacturer websites to find an MSDS and technical bulletins that may describe what the components of their additives are. Gumout Regane, High Mileage
Regane and All-in-One Complete Fuel Cleaners contain PEA in concentrations strong enough to clean every part in both direct and port injection fuel
systems.

KNOW YOUR TREAT RATE

If the directions state to use the product every fill up, the detergent is going to be weaker and the additive dose rate lower compared to those that say
to use it every oil change, 3000+ miles or 10 fill ups. To get the most for your money, be sure you know the treat rate and cleaning power of a fuel
additive.

With so many choices, it is easy to think spending less is saving you money but it may actually be a complete waste of money. You may think paying ten
bucks for an additive is crazy but you could end up spending a lot more than that if the product doesn't fit your needs. For example, you can buy a gas
treatment for $3.00 that must be used every fill up; after 10 fill ups you will have spent $30 for only the basic level of cleaning if any. But for $6, you
can buy a fuel system cleaner that will last for 10 fill ups, cleans more parts and cleans them better.

KNOW YOUR ADDED BENEFITS

There are other components besides detergents that add benefits to the efficacy of an additive. Among these are lubricants and friction modifiers. If an
additive claims to have an upper cylinder lubricant in the formula, be sure it is not mineral oil based. This type of lubricant can actually cause new
deposits to form because it is cooked onto surfaces before it can lubricate. You will also see an increase in tail pipe smoke because the oil is being
burned up and sent out in the exhaust. This is the same thing that happens in oil blow by caused by worn cylinder rings.

An additive with a friction modifier can reduce friction in the upper cylinder yielding improved combustion, lower heat and reduced wear. Gumout's
All-in-One complete fuel system cleaner has this typed of additive.

KNOW YOUR TECHNOLOGY

Today's modern engines require built-for-purpose additives to address issues that arise in the fuel system and crankcase that did not exist even 10 years
ago. You wouldn't let a mechanic working with old technology wrench on your modern, high performance engine, so be careful not to use a fuel additive that
is built to work in an old engine.

An additive that has never updated its formula or never introduces new benefits may be the one you've always used but it is probably being burned up in
your engine long before it can provide much cleaning benefit. You wouldn't pay your mechanic to do nothing. Know your technology and make sure you get what
you pay for.

KNOW YOUR CHOICES

Fuel additives can help with a lot of common fuel system issues, but only if they are used properly and have formulations that will actually do what the
label claims. The right product for your situation may not be the same thing you've always used or what the counterman recommends to every guy that walks
through the door. If you know what you are paying for and what you are getting out of it, the decision will be pretty simple. You can simplify the decision
by knowing a few basic things about what's in the bottle and what's under the hood.