5 Additives That Can Help Improve Your Engine’s Performance and Longevity – Jalopnik

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Regardless of whether you drive an old Camry or a high-performance sports car, your vehicle has a specific maintenance schedule. Here you can read everything you need to do to keep your car in top condition. Change the oil, change your transmission fluid, change your filters and spark plugs every few miles and years – it’s pretty standard stuff.

Sticking to this regime will help you get the most out of your car. However, is it possible to go beyond what the manufacturer recommends? Very possible, yes. Look, a number of additives exist to improve the performance of your car and extend its life. Products like octane boosters and fuel system cleaners promise all kinds of benefits, but whether they actually work is another matter entirely.

But as with everything, not all additives are equal. Some will be largely useless, while others have undergone intensive testing and development to ensure their effectiveness. It is these proven additives that we will focus on. The following five are all proven products from established and trusted brands. So if you’re considering going the extra mile to get your engine performing at its best, these additives should be a good starting point.

It’s worth noting that not all additives will work for all cars. For example, while lead additives can help older engines last longer, they aren’t suitable for modern cars, and diesel fuel system cleaners won’t do much good in your V8 gas either. So be sure to double-check the compatibility of each additive before pouring it into your car.

There are several pros and cons when it comes to the world of octane boosters, but one that is seemingly getting rave reviews everywhere is the Torco Unleaded Accelerator. Torco is no stranger to performance and has developed several lubricants and racing fuels.

The additive works by lowering the final combustion temperature of the fuel in your car’s system, allowing the fuel to burn more completely and produce more horsepower. With this formula it is possible to produce gas with an octane number of up to 105; simply mix a 32 ounce can with 5 gallons of 91 premium unleaded gasoline to achieve this result. You can also mix 10 gallons with a 32 ounce bottle for a 102 octane fuel blend that will last longer while still providing a performance boost.

Other benefits include the fact that it can be used alongside other additives, which is great if you plan to use a custom mix for any reason. Additionally, because it is lead-free, Torco assures consumers that it poses no risk to O2 sensors or catalytic converters. Many consumers seem to love it and claim that they could feel the results immediately. The additive has an impressive rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on the Summit Racing site, with some users claiming they can immediately tell the difference when driving it.

Modern diesel engines are still better than gasoline in heavy-duty trucks. However, fewer and fewer diesel cars are being offered for sale in both the US and Europe, but that doesn’t mean owners of older diesels can turn away from maintenance. If your diesel car’s injectors are clogged, the symptoms are usually easy to spot.

For example, you may experience rough idling, black smoke from the exhaust, misfires and poor fuel economy. Unfortunately, replacing or repairing injectors can often be an expensive affair, easily costing you hundreds of dollars. So before you dig deep into your wallet, it might be worth trying out an injector cleaner Wynn’s Diesel Injector Cleaner comes highly recommended.

Rather than improving performance, this additive is primarily about maintaining operational reliability. The product is designed to return lumpy idling to a smooth purr by cleaning the injectors and allowing the uninhibited flow of fuel again. This can also result in fewer starting problems and possibly a small performance improvement. Unlike octane boosters, it does not provide an increase in power above what is normal for the vehicle, but instead restores the output to what it should be.

It’s fairly cheap at around $30 per bottle, and unlike other alternatives, it’s not designed for continuous use. One bottle treats up to 60 liters (about 16 gallons) of diesel fuel, and Wynn’s recommends repeating the treatment every third time you fill the tank.

Unlike other additives that try to solve a particular problem or add a few extra horses to your engine’s stable, STP oil treatment is simply a solid all-rounder. Simply put, it adds an extra layer of protection to your engine, reducing wear and tear, increasing lubrication and combating threats such as excessive heat and carbon deposits. Parkers gave the product a rave review and declared it their favorite oil additive, and for good reason too.

You may not notice an immediate difference when using the treatment, and it’s not a quick fix for anything specific, but it does promote a smooth and clean run. Moreover, it can also combat excessive oil consumption. Although it can be used in a range of different engines and the treatments are specific to petrol and diesel, it is particularly effective on higher mileage engines.

The best part is that it’s remarkably cheap to get your hands on, retailing at around $5 per bottle. If you have an older vehicle, you can add this to your oil every time you oil it and count it as part of your regular maintenance schedule.

This one is a little different than the rest as it is more of a repair than a generic additive, but it works in a similar way. At least you use it in a similar way: you simply pour it into your car’s cooling system, instead of adding it to the fuel or oil.

As the name suggests, it is designed to repair head gasket problems. Common signs that your head gasket is blown include overheating, white smoke from your exhaust, and contaminated oil/coolant. Repair costs can easily rack up four-figure bills, and that’s why Steel head gasket repair may be worth a try. However, it is also important to note that head gasket sealers, such as Steal Seal, only work on certain types of leaks. It costs $79.99 for a single bottle, which can handle a four-cylinder engine, or $129.99 for two bottles, which can handle six- and eight-cylinder engines.

Steel Seal works by creating a hardened seal in the damaged area, effectively sealing the problem. Unlike other cheaper products that seem to do the same thing, Steel Seal comes with a lifetime warranty, which should fill potential buyers with confidence before investing in a bottle.

While additives such as the STP Oil Treatment can provide general protection for your engine, adding Steel Seal will not provide any benefit unless you have a leaking head gasket. However, when used properly, engine performance and life can be improved and restored, even if it is only used as a quick fix, until you can afford to have your car properly inspected and repaired with a new gasket.

This last additive is another one for those of us with a diesel car. While diesel cars of the past could throw all kinds of pollutants into the air, their modern counterparts are equipped with several features designed to reduce the amount of harmful emissions released into the atmosphere. One of those features is a particulate filter, DPF for short.

The job of a DPF is to filter out and capture those harmful particles, and while they do this largely successfully, the DPF can also be a common source of pain for owners. See, the filter can become clogged, meaning it can’t effectively stop the soot particles. This can cause damage to both the exhaust and the engine, with reduced performance, erratic operation and warning lights being common consequences. This is often caused by short journeys, because the exhaust does not get up to temperature often enough to burn the soot. Avoiding short journeys like this is one way you can prevent your DPF from becoming clogged.

Using an additive such as JLM DPF cleaner can help clean and reactivate the DPF by clearing out old soot blockages, potentially saving you a lot of professional cleanings, regenerations or even DPF replacements. The cleaner works by burning stored soot at lower speeds. It may not fix a heavily clogged DPF, but normally the JLM DPF cleaner at about $53 per bottle is worth it before trying more expensive methods.