GAS MILEAGE IMPROVEMENT FOR $5

Well to start this off i have an 06 trd sport, double cab 4x4. i have 31" tires (this doesnt help gas mileage), and i HAD been getting about 17 or maybe 18 if i drive real light on the pedal, but then i found this stuff at my local auto parts store, its a fuel injector cleaner made by Lucas and it says "tune up in a bottle". well i figured i would try it out and i did just like the bottle said and put it in after filling up, and the next time i put gas in my truck i checked my mileage and i was getting about 19.7. now this is a pretty drastic change for a $4.99 bottle of fuel injector cleaner. so now i've started putting this in every 4 fill ups, even though it says to use it every fill up for best results. just thought i would tell people my experience with this stuff. and YES I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO A FRIEND.

 

Yep, good stuff. They also have a deep clean version, which I'm assuming is a fuel "system" cleaner, been meaning to try it. Just no funds at the moment. There's also the Slick50 a lot of people take and the Chevron brand system cleaner. I stick to Lucas cuz it worked for me

 

I ran a bottle of the STP stuff through and had similar results for that tank. It went back to normal for the next tank though.

 

21 gallons at 17 MPG = 357 miles
21 gallons at 19.7 = 413.7

Difference of 56.7 miles, or 3.335 gallons ($12.84 @ $3.85/gallon).

Every partial fill-up (say 15 gallons, more likely):

15 gallons at 17 MPG = 255 miles
15 gallons at 19.7 MPG = 295.5 miles

Difference of 40.5 miles, or 2.38 gallons ($9.16 @ 3.85/gallon).

The car we have, a 2010 Mazda 3, gets noticably better gas mileage when running a bottle of Chevron Techron cleaner (the full power stuff). I've noticed no difference in the truck.

My guess is it's counter-acting the nasty Ethanol stuff, as it's pretty detrimental to mileage and car health.

Be careful you're not noticing the mileage improvements switching from winter to summer fuel. Summer fuel should get better mileage. Also note that you've not found 10% Ethanol instead of 15% (I don't know if much 15% is in the wild yet)--or no Ethanol.

You should trend it over 3-4 tanks to see if it holds up. Driving habits have a substantial effect on mileage (especially within 2-3 MPG).

Also, there are only a hand full of cleaners that actually do the fuel system good--Techron, Gumout Regane, and I think the Shell stuff. If it's counter-acting Ethanol though, I don't know what does that, and many might have done that.

 

Lucas is the best it has no alcohol that drys out your fuel lines. I use it every oil change! I buy it by the gallon ($30.99 @ autozone) it's comes out way cheaper to use. Just save the $4.99 bottle you bought to refill every time you add to your gas.

I get the same mileage all year long (20ish never below 19) Heres why, I run my AC whenever I drive during the day, I usually turn off ac and leave recirculation and fan on when accelerating on the freeway. When the winter blend comes out I am not using the AC and the difference of not using AC justifies the same MPG for the winter.

 

I think the Lucas fuel additive is a top end lubricator, not cleaner--however having that can increase performance slightly as I understand it. The Ethanol content reduces the fuel's lubricity further, so the Lucas will reduce wear as well. Some people use Marvel Mystery Oil and/or a small portion of TC-W3 two-cycle oil. The hard part is figuring out a dose that works optimally, as too little isn't effective and too much can reduce octane/performance/etc.

The only effective fuel system cleaners as I understand it contain PEA, which are in the ones I mentioned earlier.

The AC compressor is the drag on the engine. You probably know this, but if you run defrost the AC compressor runs as well. It helps dry out the air and defrosts faster. It's also bad for the compressor to sit idle for long periods, so it helps the system from a maintenance perspective. I believe most cars (including the Taco) cycle the compressor on startup to get the oil moving.

 

You guys take it too deep for me... my point is bottom line: with lucas- almost 20 mpg, without lucas- 17 mpg..

 

This

You could have bought another gallon and a half of gas for the same $5

 

Some people spend $25,000 to save $2000 in gasoline (like buying a new car to save gas). I'm just pointing out it pays to do the math. In this case, it's saving you money (if the trend continues and is legitimate), but a lot of effort is made to save money at the gas pump, where you lose tons of money somewhere else.

 

For $10, they have a bottle which is about 5 of the 4.99 bottles at my local Wal mart. But I like the idea of the Gallon option since I am doing a few trucks/vehicles in my stable.

 

I look at this as a maintenance thing - but like a tune-up today, I only do it every so often because I have seen the build up... otherwise I would not do it at all I am sure! Not even sure if it is worth it!

 

not bad for 4.99!