Do the STP Fuel Injection Cleaner and STP Performance Booster additives work or help?

[Ghetto2315]

The title pretty much says it all. Just wondering if its all that its made-up to be. What about other companies that make the same products? I mean its pretty cheap ($2.00) for a bottle of either... so if it works or helps... I guess I could buy a bottle or two.

[hjeepxj]

i couldnt tell a difference, but i love my xj...so I dont mind spending 2 extra $ a month....

ps ghetto, youve got pm

[RichP]

The cleaners work if you use them kind of on schedule. I add a large bottle of Chevron Techron about every oil change or so to keep the injectors clean. Once a year I borrow my neighbors 3M injector cleaning kit, pick up a can of cleaner/fuel and run that maintenance evolution. I also use Valvoline, the cleaner in the gold container if the techron is not on sale As for 'Performance Booster Additives', heck if they worked the gas manufactures would use them and charge for it. Otherwise I think they are a waste of money. YOu'll get more bang for the buck running Mobil-1 oil and checking your tire pressure weekly.

[Drewlee77]

There is a company that makes an oil-additive called "Restore" in a silver can. After developing an erratic oil leak in my 66' mustang's 302 and running it out of oil twice (thank the Lord for Mobil 1! once I had about one quart left the other time I had just a little more, both times it was making noises it was so low!) I also developed a blue smoke out of one tail pipe and some degradation of power. So I thought, what the heck - can't hurt nothing too bad, eh? So I used it and lo and behold I gained power, smoothed out the idle and eliminated the blue smoke. I have no idea how many miles were on that engine, but the engine was pretty old and pretty hot so it couldn't have too many more years left. I sold it before it went criticial on me. my brother used it and said it certainly made a difference, but he didn't like it. I can't remember what it was exactly he didn't like, something like gas mileage problems or knocking or something like that. The stuff claims it restores compression. YMMV. Might be worth a shot if/when you have lots of miles on the engine. <shrug> Just a thought...

[hjeepxj]

i use restore in my oil too...

[SyCo]

From what I understand Restore uses Teflon, which is why you need to "shake well before using". Dupont, the inventor of teflon, has said that it should in no way be used in internal combustion engines. I'll take what Dupont says over what some silver can says, IMHO.

[LT1XJ]

Best stuff I have found is top engine cleaner from GM. They supposedly stopped making it, but I don't have any trouble getting it. I used to have a buddy that had a machine to do it, he dumped the can in and it ran it through the engine. Well, don't have access to it so I did what a gm tech told me to do. Pull the brake booster vac line and stick it in the can with the engine running. Keep giving it gas till the can is empty, then shut the engine off for 2o minutes or so. Then start it up and let the smoke bellow.
Dustin

[FatXJ]

Teflon AKA PTFE or polytetrafluoroethylene

I don't like the idea of putting it in my engine because it is a plastic. PTFE is used a lot on cooking ware which handles high heat but at the same time it probably doesn't reach the same temp as certain parts of an engine. Maybe I am wrong but PTFE is not something I think would work well in an engine.

I have used several different products from top engine cleaner to oil system flush and injector cleaner. They have all worked. I have never tried the octane boosters or the NOS in a bottle additives.

[Slip Kid]

The cleaners work, and most people reccomend them. I use a "total fuel system cleaner" every now and then.

As for the performance booster... Usually this just increaces the octane. What most people don't realize is that higher octane is only good if you NEED is, as in, have higher-than-stock compression. The results are acually detrimental if you use too high octane gas. Regular w/ additive is effectively the same thing.

The higher the octane, the more the fuel must be compressed/heated to explode. If your engine needs higher octane, it will "knock". The knocking is caused by the fuel exploding BEFORE the plug fires. So if it dosn't knock with strait up 87, anything else is just throwing money in the toilet.

So go and buy two cans of the cleaner, and leave the additives for some other sucker.

[SV1CEC]

Originally posted by SyCo
From what I understand Restore uses Teflon, which is why you need to "shake well before using". Dupont, the inventor of teflon, has said that it should in no way be used in internal combustion engines. I'll take what Dupont says over what some silver can says, IMHO.

Have you ever opened up an engine which has been treated with a teflon additive? Not a pretty sight. Some years ago, there was an additive sold in Europe, called Metal 5 or something similar. It too, was Teflon based. My father used it in his car's engine. At a later date, he had to open up the engine for something. The inside was a mess, you couldn't clean it even with a power spray thing.

My 2 cents only (Eurocents actually)

Rgds

[D.I.T.A]

seafoam works great i use one third of the can down the throtlebodywhile its running and the rest in a full tank i pulled a injector once it was spotless
they say it can be used in the oil to clean the inside but i have never tried it though

[Built2Flex]

Originally Posted by Ghetto2315

The title pretty much says it all. Just wondering if its all that its made-up to be. What about other companies that make the same products? I mean its pretty cheap ($2.00) for a bottle of either... so if it works or helps... I guess I could buy a bottle or two.

I run the STP injector cleaner. I think it works. When I use it I use two at once and when I'm at a 1/4 tank of gas to be sure it's more concentrated. I'm at 220,000 miles and the idle is great with good throttle response. Hope that helps.

[aparke4]

wow old thread but a good one now gas has gone up

i use this stuff regularly - octane booster, fuel and carb, super concenrtated, lucas, restore (oil), and some others... i add it regularly to the gas - thats the key- i like my xj so whatever couple extra bucks no biggie

[scottmcneal]

I just run Chevron fuel.. Have been for Along time.. works great..