A long time ago I used oil additives in the high reving Jap' bikes I use to own. I didn't have any problems or breakdowns with it. I was just wondering if the newer additives ( not the thickeners or teflon based slippery ones ) but those that claim ????? to reduce friction between moving parts by filling/coating the micro pores of the metal surfaces are any good ? I always have an oil change at 3k anyway but just pondered the idea of an additive for further protection. And NO, I don't believe everything I read on a label or advert, hence the question here.

Anyone used one and any comment ?

Thanks

JBL

 

oil filters

 

personally if you use the right oil and change at reasonable intervals then you will not need any fancy 'miracle in a tin'......................

use a high quality oil like the Motul, Millers, etc.................

alyn

 

Thanks for that.

StickyMicky, could you explain a little further for me what you mean by "oil filters " ?
I presume that an additive will reduce the efficiency of a filter ?

Thanks

JBL

 

I asked that very same thing years ago on here, and was told by a lot of people
that it wasn't a good idea to use "Slick50" etc, etc. Can't remember what the reasons were though, but try the Search.
I also think Sticky Micky suggesting "oil filters" means that they are the best friction reducers you can use,(due to them keeping the oil, contaminant free) lol. Personally, i'd agree with Sticky on this one.
Just change oil and filter regularly and you'll be kool.

Cheers.

 

Ah, got the wrong end of the stick !
Thanks-- I won't bother with them.

JBL

 

as above

oil filters will keep your oil nice

plus i belive any additives will just mess up the filter
i also belive that if these products were so "hot" they big companys would have put them in as standerd??

and they have much larger R&D departments then sum small time "wonder" company

 

Numerous independent tests have been done. Results were that the additives made no difference. Exactly right that if such an additive could be made then the big oil companies would certainly have put it in their oils. Additives can damage the oils ability to perform to its original specifications and may actually do more harm than good - especially with fully synthetic oils that are the result of decades of progress and millions of dollars of R&D. The company making Slick50 has been sued in America I think and forced to withdraw the claims about eliminating engine wear.

 

Personally I wouldn't use them. If they are so great, why haven't the mighty oil companies started to market them afterall they have the technology. It's simple, a decent oil contains all the addatives the engine needs!

We were warned some time ago about the downsides of these products and here is the transcript of comments made by an eminent oil chemist.

It's your car and your money - you decide!

General Remarks on Chlorinated Additives.

A number of ‘add-on’ additives intended to improve the performance of commercially available automotive lubricants have been marketed in recent years, under such names as ‘Xxtralube ZX-1’, ‘Metol FX-1’, ‘PPL Anti-Friction’ and ‘Activ-8’.All such products share the following characteristics with ‘X-1R Friction Eliminator’:-

1)They all contain chlorinated paraffin ‘exteme pressure’(EP) compounds first used in the 1930s in heavily-loaded industrial gearboxes, and in some automotive transmission applications, mainly hypoid gears.

2)They all corrode copper-based alloys at moderate temperatures, easily exceeded in all engine, and most transmission applications.This problem was recognised in the 1930s, and chlorinated compounds were never used in transmissions with bronze bearings or gears. No responsible manufacturer ever suggested using them in engines where their increasing activity at high temperatures could lead to piston ring corrosion and bore glazing. (For the same reason, modern ‘hypoid’ additives are not used in engines, even though they are much safer than any chlorinated additive.)

3)X-1R Friction Eliminator and its clones are based upon very outdated technology, which was abandoned by responsible lubricant manufacturers for automotive transmission uses in the 1950s. Chlorinated compounds still find applications in metal working, but their use is on the decline because of health and safety considerations.

4)When burnt, chlorinated paraffins produce corrosive hydrochloric acid, and organo-chlorine compounds including the highly poisonous phosgene gas. Apart from these corrosion and health hazards, with petrol engines the deactivation of exhaust catalysts is also a problem.

5)Unfortunately, these additives give spectacular results in simple EP test machines such as the ‘Falex’. As a marketing ploy, a demonstration of this type looks impressive to those not aquainted with the above facts. Also attractive is the low cost of chlorinated compounds, allowing profits of several thousand percent to be made.

We also have the transcipt of the AA report on "Slick 50" and the upshot is that they make no difference at all.

Hope this helps to make an informed decision.

Cheers
Simon