Do Gas Additives Actually Work?

Fuel additives are commonly used by drivers across the nation. They’ll pour these additives into their car’s gas tank, hoping to obtain some of the numerous benefits listed on the sides of these fuel additive bottles.

Manufacturers of these fuel additives claim they can help you resolve many of the problems you’re most likely to experience with your car. But how much of this is true? Do these gas additives actually work, or are they just hyped up through advertising to the point where people have actually started to believe in them?

Let’s take a closer look from the perspective of a mechanic in New Palestine, IN.

What to know about gas additives

There are several factors that will influence whether or not a gas additive will make much difference in the performance of your vehicle. The two most important factors to consider are the type of additive you plan to use in your vehicle, as well as whether or not your vehicle actually needs that additive for strong performance.

There are some additives that actually do offer some tangible benefits, so if your vehicle stands to benefit from those additives in any way, you can go ahead and use them without feeling like you’re being taken advantage of. Many types of vintage cars that were built in the 1970s or earlier, for example, were designed to run on leaded gasoline. There are additives you’ll find on the market that do not have any lead in them, but still have claims that they can help you make those types of cars run better on unleaded gas. The jury is out on whether or not these additives are capable of accomplishing what they say they can do, but they certainly can’t hurt.

Another example is with diesel vehicles. People who drive diesel-powered vehicles know that the colder the weather gets, the more likely it is that the diesel fuel will start to congeal in the fuel tank and fuel lines, which can limit performance until the vehicle gets up to its normal running temperature. To help resolve this issue, you can purchase anti-gelling fuel additives for diesel vehicles that help keep the fuel running smoothly, even through the filter.

Fuel stabilizers are ideal for use when you plan to put a vehicle into storage for an extended period of time. They’ll help you be able to start the car up smoothly once you take it out of storage and out onto the streets again.

Finally, if you have an older vehicle (at least a couple years past the manufacturer’s warranty), it could benefit from occasional usage of fuel injector cleaners that you add into the gas tank.

You can, however, avoid using products that are something your car simply doesn’t need, particularly if your car is relatively new. In addition, be skeptical of any additive that has main benefits of “improved fuel efficiency” or “boosting horsepower.”

For more information, contact an experienced mechanic in New Palestine, IN at Auto Air & Heating, Inc.

Categorised in: Mechanic

This post was written by Writer