Fuel Additives

[71brotim]

I have a 2004 Pilot and was wondering if I should add any fuel additives like STP Fuel Injector cleaner or STP Engine performance.

Thanks

[rockman19762001]

I dump a can of STP injector cleaner, Techron or what ever I happen to find on sale or near at hand every oil change. I have done this since the 03 Pilot was new. So far I have not had any problems with the fuel system. Except when I bought some diesel when Sam's fuel deliverer put diesel in the regular gasoline tank. Heading to 97,000 trouble free miles.

[N_Jay]

Originally posted by rockman19762001
I dump a can of STP injector cleaner, Techron or what ever I happen to find on sale or near at hand every oil change. I have done this since the 03 Pilot was new. So far I have not had any problems with the fuel system. Except when I bought some diesel when Sam's fuel deliverer put diesel in the regular gasoline tank. Heading to 97,000 trouble free miles.

I never dump a can of STP injector cleaner, Techron or what ever happens to be on or off sale. I have done this since the 03 Pilot was new. So far I have not had any problems with the fuel system. Period.
Heading to 121,000 trouble free miles.

[jay]

I split the difference between N_Jay and rockman19762001 and dump a can of Techron (from Costco) in at every oil change, when I remember.

Someone gets a great vehicle when they buy my trade-in, because I've worked out all the first year productions bugs AND over-maintained it.

[xGS]

Originally posted by 71brotim
I have a 2004 Pilot and was wondering if I should add any fuel additives like STP Fuel Injector cleaner or STP Engine performance.

Forget about extra additives and just buy a brand of gas that meets the Top Tier standard:
[http://www.toptiergas.com]
[http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html]

[iivtecracerii]

forget about gas that meets top tier standard and just buy gas.

[jay]

I split the difference between xGS and iivtecracerii and buy gas at Shell and Costco.

[xGS]

Originally posted by iivtecracerii
forget about gas that meets top tier standard and just buy gas.

How do you choose between following Honda's recommendations and doing otherwise because you believe that you know better than them?

[Roger]

Originally posted by iivtecracerii
forget about gas that meets top tier standard and just buy gas.

I'm with you!!!

[Roger]

Originally posted by xGS


How do you choose between following Honda's recommendations and doing otherwise because you believe that you know better than them?

Honda/every vehicle manuafacturer recommends many things, they're just that recommendations. Not requiements.

My choice is also based on keeping my vehicles for anywhere from 10-15 years and putting bewtween 100-150K miles on them and never having a fuel related issue.

Gas is gas, buy it, burn it and never think twice.

[75blazer]

Originally posted by Roger


Honda/every vehicle manuafacturer recommends many things, they're just that recommendations. Not requiements.

My choice is also based on keeping my vehicles for anywhere from 10-15 years and putting bewtween 100-150K miles on them and never having a fuel related issue.

Gas is gas, buy it, burn it and never think twice.

Here you Go. ABC and Edmunds say it best. By and large gas is gas.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=1261790

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fuelec...3/article.html

[xGS]

Originally posted by 75blazer


Here you Go. ABC and Edmunds say it best. By and large gas is gas.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=1261790

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fuelec...3/article.html

From your first link:

"Brands like Mobil and Sunoco keep their gas formulas secret, but Mobil says it adds at least twice the amount of detergent as generic gas, and that it adds the same amount to all three grades of gas."

From your second link:

"Typically the only difference is the additive package they put in the gas," Beard said. The additive package is often put into the gas as the tanker is filled up at the refinery. A common additive is a detergent agent. "The law requires a certain level of detergents in gasoline. Shell, for example, is putting in more detergent. — Whether that has a measurable effect to the driver is debatable." Detergents have a marked effect on engine deposits."

The question isn't whether "gas is gas" but rather is the regulated minimum amount of detergent additives adequate?

Some automakers, such as Honda, think not: [http://www.toptiergas.com]

[robrecht]

And Shell V-Power, which is 93 octane here in NJ, supposedly has 5x the required amount of detergents ... or so I've heard. I used to just buy the cheapest gas I could and never gave it a second thought, but I've recently started using more expensive gas in my other car. Our Pilot still uses cheap gas. Noticed it running a little rough the other day at around 60k miles so I ran a couple of tanks with techron before changing the oil. Think I'll read up on how to do a tune up soon.

[N_Jay]

Originally posted by robrecht
And Shell V-Power, which is 93 octane here in NJ, supposedly has 5x the required amount of detergents ... or so I've heard. I used to just buy the cheapest gas I could and never gave it a second thought, but I've recently started using more expensive gas in my other car. Our Pilot still uses cheap gas. Noticed it running a little rough the other day at around 60k miles so I ran a couple of tanks with techron before changing the oil. Think I'll read up on how to do a tune up soon.

There is not much to "tune" on our Hondas.

Did the Techron fix it?

[jay]

Originally posted by xGS


From your first link:

"Brands like Mobil and Sunoco keep their gas formulas secret, but Mobil says it adds at least twice the amount of detergent as generic gas, and that it adds the same amount to all three grades of gas."

From your second link:

"Typically the only difference is the additive package they put in the gas," Beard said. The additive package is often put into the gas as the tanker is filled up at the refinery. A common additive is a detergent agent. "The law requires a certain level of detergents in gasoline. Shell, for example, is putting in more detergent. — Whether that has a measurable effect to the driver is debatable." Detergents have a marked effect on engine deposits."

The question isn't whether "gas is gas" but rather is the regulated minimum amount of detergent additives adequate?

Some automakers, such as Honda, think not: [http://www.toptiergas.com]

I have a Costco AMEX that gets me 3% off Costco gas, and a Shell Mastercard that gets me 5% off Shell gas. There's usually a long line at Costco, none at Shell, and the Shell seems to perform somewhat better in my vehicle. Since the Shell gas is only 1 to 2 cents a gallon more, is easy in and out, is a top tier gas, and seems to perform better, I've lately been running it exclusively.