Fuel additives are widely known as products helping you to get more mileage out of your car. But what do we really know about them? Are they really such useful products? how do they influence on the environment? We’ll try to clear these questions in our article.
There are many people considering fuel additives to be the second greatest invention of the humanity after the wheel. Others try to concentrate attention on their harmful influence on the environment. Both parties are right. Of course additives have been created to increase car mpg, they accelerate combustion thus giving you car more power and smoother performance. At the same time as any fuel they play havoc with the environment. The manufacturers of these products claim the following characteristics of the additives:
1. Decreasing of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emission.
2. Reducing engine knocking.
3. Improving stability of fuel
4. Increasing mileage foe 8-12 percent.
The opponents of the additives consider them to be harmful. However in reality they are as harmful as any other fuel. Yes they play havoc with the environment when spilled on the ground but testing show that they can reduce your vehicle’s emission. Some people blain the manufacturers that they exaggerate the actual abilities of their products.
So before spending your hard earn money for additives consider what you are expecting from it and find out whether the additive you have chosen is really able to fulfill the task. Many people think that additives will help them to improve the mileage and extend the lives of their cars. That’s true that additives’ properties really can help with this but a proper maintenance does the same thus making use of additives absolutely unnecessary.
Let’s assume that your car has been maintained well from the very beginning in this case the engine does not need any additives at all. Besides brand-name gas already contains additives. If you use the car heavily instead of taking additives you can just use a higher grade gasoline as it contains even more additives. Of course in this case you don’t need a separate additive.
If you don’t serve your car properly which results in such problems as engine knocking or pep losing, then early or late it will require auto mechanic’s help. And don’t think that fuel additives can repair damage. They are designed just to prevent corrosion or clean carbon deposits. Their aim is to maintain but not repair.
However there are reasons for using fuel additives. If you haven’t maintained your vehicle properly in the past or bought a used car with unknown state of the engine then you may use additives until you achieve a good state of the vehicle. Assuming that you have been using gas of a grade lower than recommended for your car and made up your mind to shift to a higher grade. In this event you may use an additive until the lower-grade gas is consumed. If the water has got into your tank use absorbing additive. Using additives is also recommended when it is necessary to remove accumulated sludge from the car that hasn’t been used for several months.
The following directions will help you use fuel additives correctly: some additives should be added into the empty tank before filling up so that they mix well with the fuel. Other kinds of additives are usually poured into a full tank of gas. So before using these products you’d better read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
However if you are maintaining your car properly, it is in a good condition and the car manufacturer does not recommend fuel additives, then you just have no reasons to use them. The matter is in the fact that higher octane gas already contains all necessary additives. You may want using them if you feed your car with a lower-grade gasoline. If you are so concerned about your car’s health, why not shift to a higher-grade gasoline at first instead of using fuel additives? Of course, it is a matter of preference. In the event of any doubts connected with the use of additives consult with a trusted mechanic.