Threads will wander and go off-topic by default. Out of our control. Speaking of oil, do you prefer olive or avocado?
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I wanted to share something helpful
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I would have to extract some oil to try it in mine, however I believe I noticed a reduction in noise after a few minutes compared to the sound as her car was warming up. What I really need is something to take care of the carbon but not in this thread lol.
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Amazon has it on sale from time to time for $12.xx. You might find an even better deal on eBay.
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Im a retired parts service director for a Subaru dealer and they would have us take an oil sample if they were suspicious about an engine failure. I can't say the same for Ford.
Im not worried, any questions I could possibly ask about this product were covered on line. I bought a hand vacuum pump and removed enough oil to fill the empty bottle left from my wifes car and added it to my oil.
Getting set up to draw oil from the dipstick was an adventure though. Luckily we had some tube from an old kids toy that was small enough to go right into the oil pan and it was thin walled so good inside diameter. The oil drew up quite easily and when I was done I I realized I could have made something out of a plastic jar in between lengths of tube and just sucked the oil into the jar with my mouth. Ice maker line might work as well.
Getting set up to draw oil from the dipstick was an adventure though. Luckily we had some tube from an old kids toy that was small enough to go right into the oil pan and it was thin walled so good inside diameter. The oil drew up quite easily and when I was done I I realized I could have made something out of a plastic jar in between lengths of tube and just sucked the oil into the jar with my mouth. Ice maker line might work as well.
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No disrespect to the OP intended here, but if there was a product that could increase fuel economy by more than a fraction of a % without any other unintended consequences (and certainly 4-5MPG!), the manufacturers would be using it. I have driven my BS BL for periods on the highway similar to what the OP posted and have seen similar MPG numbers (mid 31s, definitely over 30 on multiple occasions) but as soon as you get into any stop and go, or start dealing with grades, the average eventually falls off.
Most people would be surprised the lengths manufacturers will go through in order to gain even a 1% fuel economy increase just to help make sure they meet CAFE requirements for the fleet. To provide some perspective, for the "normal" BS BL customer who's getting 26MPG, a 1% improvement is a 0.26MPG increase. No normal customer will ever be able to accurately measure (on an individual vehicle) these types of fuel economy improvements provided by some of the hardware that's been added by manufacturers in the last 5-10 years, BUT they add them anyway because it helps with their fleet averages. To put this in perspective, the BS has a 16 gal fuel tank. As mentioned by @Ernest T , the only accurate way to measure fuel economy is fill the tank, record the miles driven and then refill the tank TO THE SAME LEVEL you started from to measure the amount of fuel that has been consumed. To illustrate my point about how challenging it would be to measure a 1% improvement using that method of measurement, you'd have to refill the tank to within 0.16 gallons (1% of 16 gallons) of the same level you started from. That's nearly impossible to do. Most fuel tanks have at LEAST 2 -5 gallons of what's called "unmeasured volume" and I've personally measured as much as 10-12 gallons (that was on a 52 gallon tank) of additional capacity after the initial shut off. So, trying to accurately measure MPG (within 1% anyway) is incredibly challenging. Even small variations in fuel level have potentially large impacts on the measurement. This is amplified with smaller tanks, like we have in the BS.
In addition and as stated by others, the manufacturers don't recommend oil additives, and this video suggests why. Are they snake oil? I'm NOT saying that. However, unless you go through the time, effort, and cost of having multiple oil analyses performed and you know how to read and interpret those results, you could be playing with fire.
NOTE: Pay SPECIAL attention to the comments about calcium in the video. What he is saying is 100% true!! LSPI (low speed pre-ignition) will DESTROY direct injected turbocharged engines in a matter of a few engine revolutions!! If you were doing this in a naturally aspirated/non-direct injected engine, I'd be less concerned, but I would never consider doing this in a DI turbocharged engine for this reason alone.
I won't be adding anything to my engine oil.....YMMV (literally ). You do you.
Most people would be surprised the lengths manufacturers will go through in order to gain even a 1% fuel economy increase just to help make sure they meet CAFE requirements for the fleet. To provide some perspective, for the "normal" BS BL customer who's getting 26MPG, a 1% improvement is a 0.26MPG increase. No normal customer will ever be able to accurately measure (on an individual vehicle) these types of fuel economy improvements provided by some of the hardware that's been added by manufacturers in the last 5-10 years, BUT they add them anyway because it helps with their fleet averages. To put this in perspective, the BS has a 16 gal fuel tank. As mentioned by @Ernest T , the only accurate way to measure fuel economy is fill the tank, record the miles driven and then refill the tank TO THE SAME LEVEL you started from to measure the amount of fuel that has been consumed. To illustrate my point about how challenging it would be to measure a 1% improvement using that method of measurement, you'd have to refill the tank to within 0.16 gallons (1% of 16 gallons) of the same level you started from. That's nearly impossible to do. Most fuel tanks have at LEAST 2 -5 gallons of what's called "unmeasured volume" and I've personally measured as much as 10-12 gallons (that was on a 52 gallon tank) of additional capacity after the initial shut off. So, trying to accurately measure MPG (within 1% anyway) is incredibly challenging. Even small variations in fuel level have potentially large impacts on the measurement. This is amplified with smaller tanks, like we have in the BS.
In addition and as stated by others, the manufacturers don't recommend oil additives, and this video suggests why. Are they snake oil? I'm NOT saying that. However, unless you go through the time, effort, and cost of having multiple oil analyses performed and you know how to read and interpret those results, you could be playing with fire.
NOTE: Pay SPECIAL attention to the comments about calcium in the video. What he is saying is 100% true!! LSPI (low speed pre-ignition) will DESTROY direct injected turbocharged engines in a matter of a few engine revolutions!! If you were doing this in a naturally aspirated/non-direct injected engine, I'd be less concerned, but I would never consider doing this in a DI turbocharged engine for this reason alone.
I won't be adding anything to my engine oil.....YMMV (literally
). You do you.
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Doubting it without trying it is your right. I'm telling you my honest experience with it. Trust me, if it didn't quiet down the engine, run cooler and get better MPGs, I wouldn't have posted it here for others here to enjoy but, it did. I even put it in my whole house generator engine and it quieted that down. Still a loud item when it runs but, after adding the STP Ceramic Oil Treatment we noticed it being quieter on its weekly startups. It's right beside our sunroom and can hear it pretty easily. Noticeably quieter after adding it. I actually expect to see oil manufacturers to add this product to their oils or add them to special versions of their oils. STP sells oil. They should be the first to do it but, they might just want to keep it a separate product so it can be added to any oil. When you pour it in it looks like regular oil. I'm sure it's STP's oil with this ceramic product added to it so, I always make sure to shake it up real good even though it doesn't say shake well. I even shake my 5 qt bottles of oil before adding.No disrespect to the OP intended here, but if there was a product that could increase fuel economy by more than a fraction of a % without any other unintended consequences (and certainly 4-5MPG!), the manufacturers would be using it. I have driven my BS BL for periods on the highway similar to what the OP posted and have seen similar MPG numbers (mid 31s, definitely over 30 on multiple occasions) but as soon as you get into any stop and go, or start dealing with grades, the average eventually falls off.
Most people would be surprised the lengths manufacturers will go through in order to gain even a 1% fuel economy increase just to help make sure they meet CAFE requirements for the fleet. To provide some perspective, for the "normal" BS BL customer who's getting 26MPG, a 1% improvement is a 0.26MPG increase. No normal customer will ever be able to accurately measure (on an individual vehicle) these types of fuel economy improvements provided by some of the hardware that's been added by manufacturers in the last 5-10 years, BUT they add them anyway because it helps with their fleet averages. To put this in perspective, the BS has a 16 gal fuel tank. As mentioned by @Ernest T , the only accurate way to measure fuel economy is fill the tank, record the miles driven and then refill the tank TO THE SAME LEVEL you started from to measure the amount of fuel that has been consumed. To illustrate my point about how challenging it would be to measure a 1% improvement using that method of measurement, you'd have to refill the tank to within 0.16 gallons (1% of 16 gallons) of the same level you started from. That's nearly impossible to do. Most fuel tanks have at LEAST 2 -5 gallons of what's called "unmeasured volume" and I've personally measured as much as 10-12 gallons (that was on a 52 gallon tank) of additional capacity after the initial shut off. So, trying to accurately measure MPG (within 1% anyway) is incredibly challenging. Even small variations in fuel level have potentially large impacts on the measurement. This is amplified with smaller tanks, like we have in the BS.
In addition and as stated by others, the manufacturers don't recommend oil additives, and this video suggests why. Are they snake oil? I'm NOT saying that. However, unless you go through the time, effort, and cost of having multiple oil analyses performed and you know how to read and interpret those results, you could be playing with fire. I won't be adding anything to my engine oil.....YMMV (literally
It might make it quieter, it might reduce friction. I didn't say any of that wasn't possible or true. I am not even saying it will not increase fuel economy, but I am saying it won't increase it by 4-5MPG across several full tanks of the same driving style and conditions. I'm not even saying you didn't see a 4-5MPG increase. I believe you saw that! I'm simply saying it wasn't all due to that additive. There are far too many other variables in play. I watch my fuel economy all the time, I have seen it vary by more than 4-5MPG on the same ~50 mile route on the same day. Things like weather, traffic, net elevation change, how many stop lights I catch, how hard I accelerate, what speed I drive at, how much I coast, if I spend any time driving behind a semi and drafting, which way the wind is blowing (seriously! head wind vs tail wind) can impact as much as 4-5MPG or more!
I don't even care about any of that. There's MUCH more to oil than friction, noise, and fuel economy. It's a bit of a lengthy video, but WELL worth the watch. For the sake of making sure you don't do more harm than good, please consider watching the video. (I don't think you watched it yet, because it's a 27 minute video and it was only 11 minutes between my post and your response. I acknowledge that it is your right not to watch it if you don't want to). I'm not trying to argue. I'm not selling anything. I'm just trying to inform you that it's not all about what can be heard and what the manufacturer that makes it claims. There's a LOT of science behind it, and I think it's worth the 27 minute education...ESPECIALLY when it comes to LSPI on these engines.
The decision is yours, and I respect that. I'm simply trying to share info so you have all the data to make a fully informed decision. It will certainly be interesting to see if manufacturers start adding this to their oil.
As I said, you do you. Good luck.
I don't even care about any of that. There's MUCH more to oil than friction, noise, and fuel economy. It's a bit of a lengthy video, but WELL worth the watch. For the sake of making sure you don't do more harm than good, please consider watching the video. (I don't think you watched it yet, because it's a 27 minute video and it was only 11 minutes between my post and your response. I acknowledge that it is your right not to watch it if you don't want to). I'm not trying to argue. I'm not selling anything. I'm just trying to inform you that it's not all about what can be heard and what the manufacturer that makes it claims. There's a LOT of science behind it, and I think it's worth the 27 minute education...ESPECIALLY when it comes to LSPI on these engines.
The decision is yours, and I respect that. I'm simply trying to share info so you have all the data to make a fully informed decision. It will certainly be interesting to see if manufacturers start adding this to their oil.
As I said, you do you. Good luck.
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No, I haven't watched the video. I may or may not watch it. My nephew mechanic with 27 years experience really likes that guy in the video. I told him about STP Ceramic Oil Treatment. He said he hadn't tried it but, he buys old, cheap cars and said he might try it on that. It told him my experience with it and he said if an additive that could increase slickness and make the engine run cooler, he said it sounds like a good thing. He pointed me to that video too but, I never have watched it. One reason is they didn't show the one I've posted here in it. I've used others with meh results. This one is different. I think there are other brands with ceramic in it that I haven't tried. They might be good too. Oh, someone else posted it might void warranties but, right on the bottle it says it won't. It's oil with an additive in it. Just like oils we buy every oil change have additives in them. They don't void warranties. I am going to keep using it. If I didn't notice a positive difference, I wouldn't keep using it but, I did. A very positive difference than plain oil. Maybe you have an old engine you could try it in. Like a lawn mower or old beater car. I wish I had my old 1971 Honda Trail 70 to put this stuff in. I bet it would make that thing sing. I loved that old bike.
My great uncle had one of those Honda Mini-trails. I thought it was the best thing ever. I only got to ride it once. It was the first thing I ever rode with a centrifugal clutch, as I recall. I never had one of my own but always wanted one. I would be willing to give that product a chance on something I don't care much about or that isn't as expensive (relatively) to replace as putting an engine in my BS if something goes wrong!
As far as the video goes, I also noticed he didn't test the product you chose. It did have one with ceramic in it. I'm guessing(?) they are similar, but regardless, if you do choose to watch it, there are several things in there that explain why mixing additives with a base oil can have the opposite of the intended effect if the individual components work against each other and he found products and certain oils that exhibited this when the "wrong" additive was mixed with the "right" brand oil. The only way to really know what is happening is to run a given oil in your engine for your normal oil change interval, and then have that sample analyzed to see what the content is, and what the wear metal content is. This gives you a baseline. Then, you can make changes and have the new sample analyzed at the next oil change to see if the change had any impact (positive, negative, or none at all). Of course, it's not all relative. There are some hard limits that can be observed in the analysis that don't need to be compared to another oil brand/type.
In some of those products that were tested, they actually increased wear or caused the oil to become corrosive! IIRC, he even showed one product that reduced friction but increased wear. I'm not sure I understand this, but that is what the data showed. Again, I'm not saying this is what will happen with the product you chose. I'm simply saying it could.
Most importantly, I can't caution enough about LSPI. I also cannot say the product you chose WILL cause this problem in your engine. What I can say is I know of at least two major manufacturers who, while developing their first GDI engines, destroyed several of them during development. It took many months to finally figure out what caused it. Much to my surprise, it was traced back to excess calcium in the oil. The result of this was a new oil specification called SN plus (I think the latest specification is SP) from the Automotive Petroleum Institute that trades off calcium for magnesium in the detergents and helps prevent LSPI. I don't care what oil you run in your BS, but I hope you choose something that meets this specification. I have seen far too many of these new GDI engines (NOT brand specific) turned into scrap metal because of this and I'm just hoping that product you're adding doesn't add excess calcium. LSPI is something that happens VERY quickly, with almost no warning, so there is really nothing that can be done to prevent or avoid it (that I am aware of) other than using the right oil. If you're bored, you can go down that rabbit hole and read all about it. It's very well publicized now.
Bottom line is just because it sounds quieter, seems to run cooler, and appears to have better fuel economy doesn't mean it won't cause you other problems that aren't obvious and can't be seen, or heard until it's too late.
I think you get the point. Sorry to ramble on. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, video or not.
As far as the video goes, I also noticed he didn't test the product you chose. It did have one with ceramic in it. I'm guessing(?) they are similar, but regardless, if you do choose to watch it, there are several things in there that explain why mixing additives with a base oil can have the opposite of the intended effect if the individual components work against each other and he found products and certain oils that exhibited this when the "wrong" additive was mixed with the "right" brand oil. The only way to really know what is happening is to run a given oil in your engine for your normal oil change interval, and then have that sample analyzed to see what the content is, and what the wear metal content is. This gives you a baseline. Then, you can make changes and have the new sample analyzed at the next oil change to see if the change had any impact (positive, negative, or none at all). Of course, it's not all relative. There are some hard limits that can be observed in the analysis that don't need to be compared to another oil brand/type.
In some of those products that were tested, they actually increased wear or caused the oil to become corrosive! IIRC, he even showed one product that reduced friction but increased wear. I'm not sure I understand this, but that is what the data showed. Again, I'm not saying this is what will happen with the product you chose. I'm simply saying it could.
Most importantly, I can't caution enough about LSPI. I also cannot say the product you chose WILL cause this problem in your engine. What I can say is I know of at least two major manufacturers who, while developing their first GDI engines, destroyed several of them during development. It took many months to finally figure out what caused it. Much to my surprise, it was traced back to excess calcium in the oil. The result of this was a new oil specification called SN plus (I think the latest specification is SP) from the Automotive Petroleum Institute that trades off calcium for magnesium in the detergents and helps prevent LSPI. I don't care what oil you run in your BS, but I hope you choose something that meets this specification. I have seen far too many of these new GDI engines (NOT brand specific) turned into scrap metal because of this and I'm just hoping that product you're adding doesn't add excess calcium. LSPI is something that happens VERY quickly, with almost no warning, so there is really nothing that can be done to prevent or avoid it (that I am aware of) other than using the right oil. If you're bored, you can go down that rabbit hole and read all about it. It's very well publicized now.
Bottom line is just because it sounds quieter, seems to run cooler, and appears to have better fuel economy doesn't mean it won't cause you other problems that aren't obvious and can't be seen, or heard until it's too late.
I think you get the point. Sorry to ramble on. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, video or not.
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OP
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Thanks for all your input. I do appreciate it. Yeah, short term I may be seeing/hearing improvements but, long term who knows? I use full synthetic oil from Costco which is made by Warren. I used it in my Mustang I traded in on this Badlands and had 104,000 totally trouble free miles on it. I remember when I first bought that ecoboost Mustang. I went on Mustang forums and saw people posting a good amount of ecobooms. Meaning their engines blew. I was freaking out thinking I was going to have this problem. Just like so many here say stay away from the 1.5L engines. I took it easy on the Mustang and had 104,000 trouble free miles.My great uncle had one of those Honda Mini-trails. I thought it was the best thing ever. I only got to ride it once. It was the first thing I ever rode with a centrifugal clutch, as I recall. I never had one of my own but always wanted one. I would be willing to give that product a chance on something I don't care much about or that isn't as expensive (relatively) to replace as putting an engine in my BS if something goes wrong!
As far as the video goes, I also noticed he didn't test the product you chose. It did have one with ceramic in it. I'm guessing(?) they are similar, but regardless, if you do choose to watch it, there are several things in there that explain why mixing additives with a base oil can have the opposite of the intended effect if the individual components work against each other and he found products and certain oils that exhibited this when the "wrong" additive was mixed with the "right" brand oil. The only way to really know what is happening is to run a given oil in your engine for your normal oil change interval, and then have that sample analyzed to see what the content is, and what the wear metal content is. This gives you a baseline. Then, you can make changes and have the new sample analyzed at the next oil change to see if the change had any impact (positive, negative, or none at all). Of course, it's not all relative. There are some hard limits that can be observed in the analysis that don't need to be compared to another oil brand/type.
In some of those products that were tested, they actually increased wear or caused the oil to become corrosive! IIRC, he even showed one product that reduced friction but increased wear. I'm not sure I understand this, but that is what the data showed. Again ,I'm not saying this is what will happen with the product you chose. I'm simply saying it could.
Most importantly, I can't caution enough about LSPI. I also cannot say the product you chose WILL cause this problem in your engine. What I can say is I know of at least two major manufacturers who, while developing their first GDI engines, destroyed several of them during development. It took many months to finally figure out what caused it. Much to my surprise, it was traced back to excess calcium in the oil. The result of this was a new oil specification called SN plus from the Automotive Petroleum Institute that trades off calcium for magnesium in the detergents and helps prevent LSPI. I don't care what oil you run in your BS, but I hope you choose something that meets this specification. I have seen far too many of these new GDI engines (NOT brand specific) turned into scrap metal because of this and I'm just hoping that product you're adding doesn't add excess calcium. LSPI is something that happens VERY quickly, with almost no warning, so there is really nothing that can be done to prevent or avoid it (that I am aware of) other than using the right oil. If you're bored, you can go down that rabbit hole and read all about it. It's very well publicized now.
Bottom line is just because it sounds quieter, seems to run cooler, and appears to have better fuel economy doesn't mean it won't cause you other problems that aren't obvious and can't be seen, or heard until it's too late.
I think you get the point. Sorry to ramble on. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, video or not.
You bet! Most welcome. That's exactly the message I was trying to convey.
I actually drug my feet buying a direct injection engine for a long time because of this. The BS is my first and only (so far). Still hoping I don't regret it. Glad to hear a success story on your Mustang!
I have some of that Costco oil in the garage. I just checked. It meets the SP specification, so from that standpoint, you're in good shape!!! Enjoy!
I actually drug my feet buying a direct injection engine for a long time because of this. The BS is my first and only (so far). Still hoping I don't regret it.
Glad to hear a success story on your Mustang!I have some of that Costco oil in the garage. I just checked. It meets the SP specification, so from that standpoint, you're in good shape!!! Enjoy!
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You bet! Most welcome. That's exactly the message I was trying to convey.
I actually drug my feet buying a direct injection engine for a long time because of this. The BS is my first and only (so far). Still hoping I don't regret it.
I have some of that Costco oil in the garage. I just checked. It meets the SP specification, so from that standpoint, you're in good shape!!! Enjoy!
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I knew it did. I always check that. Warren's signature/best oil is Mag1. I used it until the pandemic and the price went through the roof. I liked it better than any oil I tried. It seemed to stay cleaner than any other oil I tried. I know that's partly in my head but, I did like it. The Badlands I just bought and put this STP Ceramic in it has dark oil in it. Safford VW in Fredericksburg, VA where I bought it said they changed the oil but, it looks darker than anything I've put in. I'm hoping for even better results when I put the Costco/Warren oil in with the Ceramic treatment. One thing I can't remember if I posted in the original post about the STP Ceramic is, it lets me know when to change the oil. Somewhere between 4000 and 5000 miles on the last fill up with gas I always reset my MPG gauge, the MPGs went back to what I got before the STP treatment was put in. Basically meaning the dilution of gas and crap in the oil ruined the STP's improvements and tells me it's time to change the oil. So, it's not a miracle worker and can't overpower the dilution crap that gets in the oil and needs to be drained, changed and STP added again.
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