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Oil & Fuel Additives

23K views 30 replies 20 participants last post by  MeeLee 
#1 · (Edited)
I'll admit I've been fooled by some products out there but I use some that I think really do what they claim to. Right now I use a few made by Lucas (I don't work for them or am associated with them in any way). I'm using their fuel treatment which increases mpgs and lubricates upper cylinders. It pays for itself in most cases and has smoothed out any engine I've tried it on so far. I use their oil stabilizer too but they could be pulling a fast one on me and I'd never know.

I'm curious of what products you guys and gals are using that you think or know make the difference, or don't and end up on the shelf indefinitely. What about homemade recipes like 50/50 acetone and ATF for penetrating oil? Got any special brews?
 
#4 ·
One additive that I don't understand is the fuel injector cleaners you put in your fuel tank. In my car, I have a 15 US gallon tank. If I put a 12 ounce bottle of the cleaner in a full tank of gas per the instructions, how in the world can such a small amount of cleaner do any good?
 
#8 ·
Right, it truly sucks to get bad gas especially if you can't dump or drain it to use in a lawn mower instead. Even the stuff I keep around for weeks with Sta-bil is better than the junk at some of the stations around me. I've never tried Chevron gas. I can't think of any stations around me. I've tried Shell gas with all their fancy stuff and it was okay but my car didn't really care for it much. The best mileage and best running fuel I've gotten was from a local small-town Citgo. After I have the Lucas stuff in that it's no contest, but that gas station is now out of my way 99% of the time :( I've been using BP lately (poor planning) and it's junk imo. Runs like poo in my scooter. Lucas helps, a lot, but it could still be better.
Anybody ever use sea foam? I have a time or two and wasn't really impressed.
 
#10 · (Edited)
In my Carb'd Bikes I have I use about a half quart of any ATF in a full tank about 5 gallons of Gas, Make a bike engine
run very smooth, lubes top end and cleans and lubes fuel system.
I also use ATF in engine crank case, to remove the gunk in a well used engine that has a sludge build up.

I have also made a ATF & diesel fuel mix to successfully unfreeze a few frozen Goldwing engines, that are still running today.
 
#12 ·
2 stroke marine oil, super tech from wal mart. there are a couple of guys at ls1.com that have done a ton of research on adding this to the fuel. the downside, lol, you have to find the right ratio for your engine and tank size. I know on the ls1 I think the mix was 1 ounce per 5 gallons, there about. it is the additives of the marine version that was the benefit, and wal mart super tech was dirt cheap.


one thing to remember is, additives are petroleum based harsh chemicals. not to be used too much. whether your talking sea foam, b12, lucas, stp, what have you. they are designed to break down the bad stuff, and that is harsh. these are not things you should run all the time, or so people have said. personally I use b12, cost versus benefit. I used to use the super tech mix, but my ls1 is gone. I also use gunk motor flush once every couple of years, on my cars.


on my bikes, i have heard never use additives on the oil for the wet clutches. as far as gas, an ounce of b12 per 1-1.5 gallons, maybe once or twice in a year. i used to have carb bikes. i never had a problem with clogs, "gumming, etc. but i don't need to winter ize either. i could leave my v-star sit for 2 or 3 months and no carb issues at all.


i have heard if you want to know what oil to run in an engine. you do a black oil test. otherwise it is pure guess and more than likely no benefit. each driver and driving condition is different. the back oil test is the only way to know what is best.


for gas, well, i think it is just what ever makes you feel good. people swear by sea foam. people swear by lucas. people swear they are getting bad gas, lol.... i think much is rumor and myth. i think all the products out there are probably near each other and neck and neck. i doubt you good go too wrong with anything. considering there may be no benefit at all from any of them, lol....hard to screw up.
 
#13 ·
Not sure if this question belongs here or not, but what brands of engine oil are some of you using or what do some of you recommend? I guess if I take it to the dealer they will use whatever is specified in the manual, or can I ask them to use what I want?
 
#14 ·
Not sure if this question belongs here or not, but what brands of engine oil are some of you using or what do some of you recommend? I guess if I take it to the dealer they will use whatever is specified in the manual, or can I ask them to use what I want?
I'm using Valvoline 4T 10W-40 Synthetic Motorcycle oil. I also do my own oil changes and regular services. If you take your bike to a dealer for oil changes, you'll be pretty much limited to what they sell. Most Honda dealers will more than likely use Honda GN4 mineral oil for oil changes, unless you specify that you want something different, like a synthetic oil.


As for the topic of Oil & Fuel Additives, I don't believe they are necessary if you're using good oil and a top tier gasoline to begin with. I do use some Stabil in the gas tank this time of year, as I don't get out and ride the CBR on a regular basis.
 
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#16 · (Edited)
On my 600 mile service, I told the dealer to stay with their default oil and filter... Which is Honda's genuine recommended (OEM). Oil and filter change is around $60 and the place where I go does it right in front of me where I see their job. May or may not squeeze an extra one in at 4k miles, and the next service shows to be at 8k miles. Fyi, I keep it simple and don't use any extra additives.
 
#17 ·
my GF and I did the Honda GN4 on the 600 mile oil as well. our next oil will be the Honda full syn. I think I will look at Moto Mike's oil choice as well, Valvoline 4T 10W-40 Synthetic Motorcycle oil. My GF and I agreed we would run full syn in our bikes.
 
#18 ·
With carbs, I think it probably helps get dirt and varnish out of the jets faster if you use some of the solvents, but you can do it also by just riding the bike and putting some miles on it. That's been my experience with carbs. Of course the quickest thing to do is take the carb apart and clean the jets, but often you only need to go through a couple tanks of gas with some moderate riding cause what gets them gummed up is people not riding the bike enough. I don't plan on putting any additives in my CB300F other than what comes in the Premium gas I use.
 
#19 ·
Honda recommends 10W-30 so I've been using Rotella T5 10W-30, even though it's not JASO-MA certified. From what I've gathered it apparently meets the specifications (or close enough). I'm sticking with the Honda oil filter since they're cheap and filter per Honda specs.
 
#20 ·
So on the topic of oil changes, I was gonna give her an oil change tomorrow morning and I was just curious as to what additional parts I may need besides the oil filter and, obviously, oil. Is there a gasket or anything that I need to compliment the filter maybe?
 
#21 ·
Yes, there is a gasket for the oil filter cover, and an aluminum crush washer for the drain bolt.

Make absolutely sure you have the new oil filter oriented correctly when installing it... more than a few 250R owners have inadvertently installed the oil filter backwards, which results in a lack of lubrication and damage to the camshafts & cylinder head.
 
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#25 ·
If you use a 12mm socket and ratchet with an extension piece in between the two then you can unscrew the drain plug without removing any fairings.

However... the oil filter housing cover requires some fairing removal but you can cheat a bit and not have to remove the middle fairing. If you just undo the screws that hold the middle fairing on then you can flex it outwards enough to access the last screw on the belly cowl without pulling those tabs out that you speak of. Ideally you need a 'ball end' type allen key that works at slight angles to get onto that last screw.
Hope this makes sense, its such an annoying design I know.
 
#26 ·
never used any additives to petrol or oil..
[now on 6th road honda]
all regularly ridden motorcycles, mostly sole
form of transport and lifestyle, all went well..

avoid ethanol additive..
none in cb250r 3 yrs [stolen] now none
in cbr300r replacement.. [spit, spit]

use local caltex good turnover station
that puts no, ethanol in any of its petrol..
[maroubra rd south coogee for sydneysiders]
 
#28 ·
manual states 91RON = 86 -7PON [USA]

according to NRMA engines designed for 91
can run on 95/8[RON] but this 'may cause
engine damage in the long term'..

only reason for using higher octane petrol might
be if your engine is pre-igniting 'knocking' or
'pinging' [unlikely] where slower burning
higher octane petrol may prevent pre-ignition..

engines may be capable of running on ethanol
but hondas are not suitable for ethanol according to
the FCAI list of suitable vehicles and motorcycles..

E10 will result in higher fuel consumption
[1 - 3.5%] due to to its lower power..
ethanol is hydrophylic, ie, attracts water,
incl from the atmosphere, into petrol in tanks,
being transferred and as you fill up..

ethanol is banned from aircraft and marine use..
reason being increased risk of engine failure
at sea and in the air.. [comforting]
if your state has been corrupted by ethanol
interests, depriving you of the choice of using
it or not in your engine, marine and aircraft
sources are a possible option..
also there are lists on google for pure, clean
ethanol free petrol outlets in usa etc..
 
#31 · (Edited)
To the original poster of this thread:
Most fuel additives do almost nothing to the mpg, or cleanup of the carburetor. If anything, they foul the plugs.
It does perhaps do 1 or 2 mpg extra just on their lubrication functions, and less engine vibrations, and definitely helps out in the hotter temperatures in case you have an aircooled bike (and the temps exceed 100f).
Even 2 stroke oil added to the fuel increases the ability to withstand pinging (raises octane levels).

But oil based fuel additives, just like octane boosters, work on the same principle as 2 stroke oil.

For most 2 stroke oil, the optimal ratio is between 1:32 and 1:50,
For most 4 strokes, the ratio is between 1:100 (very lubricated), to 1:300 (benefits are almost non existent).

At a 1:160 ratio, you'd be needing about 2oz for every 2.5 gal of fuel.
A 6oz bottle costs about $1.8, or you'll add about $0.6 per tank, way cheaper than all these so called "injector cleaners", and "fuel treatments", which are nothing more than 95% oil with less than 5% additives.

So, you won't benefit much of anything with 2 stroke oil, save for less vibrations, and the mpgs kind of get 50-75% of the extra $0.6 recovered per tank,
But when you go over to these specialized fuel treatments costing more than 2 stroke oil, you're just throwing away money.

I found no reason to use any oil additives to the engine/transmission oil.
 
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