Engine additives?

[Nv6974]

Is anyone going to use an oil additive, Lucas or prolube oil treatment or royal purple, to help keep engine running smooth?? They always suggest them on older cars but don’t hear anyone using them on new ones. Seems like it might help, any insight??

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[goodlettjr]

On todays engines you need to be careful using oil additives. While they may have helpful additives, many will change the viscosity of the oil and it will have a harder time going through the much smaller journals and oil paths. Also creating poor fuel mileage.

 

[erocker]

Just change your oil regularly.

 

[Interstellar]

The only engine additive I have planned is a Procharger

 

[goodlettjr]

The only engine additive I have planned is a Procharger

Get you some!!!

 

[roket]

it's probably not the best idea to use oil additives on modern engines. goodlettjr and erocker said it best, it could mess with the viscosity of the oil, making it harder to get into journals, VVT solenoids, or it may not have enough of a film to ride on and cause premature wear. the best way to prevent wear is just change your oil often (i recommend every 5-6k miles). of course, if you ask Lucas, Royal Purple, or any of those companies, they will probably highly recommend it, but it's just a scam with the stuff modern oils have in them. it's an especially bad idea on those engines that run eco oil like "0W16" or even "0W8" weight

 

[LETHAL]

Pretty sure they got the Gen4 yote squared away. Shouldn't need any additives,

 

[BrianJ77]

I used to run STP in my vehicles back in the 90s along with 10W-40 conventional oil. How things have changed. Modern oils are very good. I personally run Valvoline full synthetic or Motorcraft full synthetic in whatever viscosity the engine manufacturer calls for, and NO additives for the reasons stated above. I religiously change it every 5k miles or 6 months. Whichever comes first. Do not wait for the oil change reminder on the dash to tell you to change it. My wife's Acura (4 cyl turbo) wants 10k mile intervals and I'm here to tell you at 5k miles that oil is needing to be changed, and with a turbo you want fresh, good quality oil in your crankcase. I never go beyond 5k miles.

I have multiple vehicles with over 140k miles and no issues. No noise, no oil consumption, etc. by simply following that maintenance schedule.

 

[mcky2011]

Air, fuel and spark is all you need.

 

[LCDRChemEng]

My wife's Acura (4 cyl turbo) wants 10k mile intervals and I'm here to tell you at 5k miles that oil is needing to be changed, and with a turbo you want fresh, good quality oil in your crankcase. I never go beyond 5k miles.

I have multiple vehicles with over 140k miles and no issues. No noise, no oil consumption, etc. by simply following that maintenance schedule.

You and I are probably in violent agreement, but I thought to point out that I have an 2010 Acura that I drive daily - and probably will for a while longer - with 310,000 miles on it. Never put anything in it except oil, and changed it religiously according to the maintenance minder. The Acura maintenance minder is based on revolutions, not miles, so while your missus may get the alert after 10K miles, I get mine at about 7K. Have not had problem #1 with it.

I even used dinosaur juice at first, and only changed to synthetic at about 150K simply because it became affordable to do so. I do install synthetic media filters with every oil change. IMHO that makes a bigger difference than synthetic vs. dinosauric oil.

Does anyone know if the 2024 mustang will have a similar maintenance minder? I find it a great convenience.

As far as additives, because these engines are so environmentally sensitive it is recommended to use a 50/50 blend of humpback whale oil and manatee blood, plus 2 ounces of bald eagle tears to the radiator. It is known.

 

[BrianJ77]

You and I are probably in violent agreement, but I thought to point out that I have an 2010 Acura that I drive daily - and probably will for a while longer - with 310,000 miles on it. Never put anything in it except oil, and changed it religiously according to the maintenance minder. The Acura maintenance minder is based on revolutions, not miles, so while your missus may get the alert after 10K miles, I get mine at about 7K. Have not had problem #1 with it.

I even used dinosaur juice at first, and only changed to synthetic at about 150K simply because it became affordable to do so. I do install synthetic media filters with every oil change. IMHO that makes a bigger difference than synthetic vs. dinosauric oil.

Does anyone know if the 2024 mustang will have a similar maintenance minder? I find it a great convenience.

As far as additives, because these engines are so environmentally sensitive it is recommended to use a 50/50 blend of humpback whale oil and manatee blood, plus 2 ounces of bald eagle tears to the radiator. It is known.

I wouldn't say violent. It's your vehicle, you do what you want. I will say that your 2010 likely has port injection (I may be wrong on this) and may not be blown like the 2022 model we have. The DI systems have resulted in fuel dilution in some Honda engines so I just play it safe. Everyone has an opinion. Glad that you've had such excellent results with following the maintenance minder. It's just not conservative enough for me.

Mustangs definitely require bald eagle tears to run properly.

 

[LCDRChemEng]

I wouldn't say violent. It's your vehicle, you do what you want. I will say that your 2010 likely has port injection (I may be wrong on this) and may not be blown like the 2022 model we have. The DI systems have resulted in fuel dilution in some Honda engines so I just play it safe. Everyone has an opinion. Glad that you've had such excellent results with following the maintenance minder. It's just not conservative enough for me.

Mustangs definitely require bald eagle tears to run properly.

Please don't get me wrong, when I say "violent agreement" I mean we both concur 100%.

I don't know if the Dracura has port injection, but it is definitely normally aspirated. I've had nothing but bad experiences with past 5-cyl turbos in my life (an Audi and a Volvo), and if I had a 4banger+hairdryer I would most definitely be extra cautious like you.

 

[Skye]

The Ford Oil Life Monitor counts down a minimum 1.92% a week, whether the car is sitting or being driven.

I changed my oil for the first time at 1200+ mi / 1930 kms. I plan on changing once a year.

I replaced the factory fill with Pennzoil Ultra Platinum and a Fram XG filter.

I will not be using additives. With modern engines using quality oils/filters, I don't see the benefit of an additive. As others have pointed out, an additive might have a negative effect. I'd have to see quantifiable test data showing an improvement for me to consider.

Attached is a link where I posted information on oil analysis and my results.

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/first-oil-change-and-analysis.132878/#post-3792622

Find a quality oil and filter, use it consistently and follow the maintenance schedule. You'll have all the power possible while keeping the engine at its best.

 

[mcky2011]

The Ford Oil Life Monitor counts down a minimum 1.92% a week, whether the car is sitting or being driven.

I changed my oil for the first time at 1200+ mi / 1930 kms.

I replaced the factory fill with Pennzoil Ultra Platinum and a Fram XG filter.

I will not be using additives. With miles/smiles per year, I plan on changing once a year.

Attached is a link where I posted information on oil analysis and my results.

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/first-oil-change-and-analysis.132878/#post-3792622

If you care about your engine you shouldn't use anything with the Fram name on it, they have been shown to be inferior to most filters in many tests.

I would stick to the Motorcraft filters and oil as long as you are in warranty or upgrade to any of the Wix filters out there. (Napa Gold is made by Wix) I use Motorcraft filters on both of my Fords, Motorcraft oil in my Fusion and with Mobile 1 Euro in my F150.

 

[goodlettjr]

If you care about your engine you shouldn't use anything with the Fram name on it, they have been shown to be inferior to most filters in many tests.

I would stick to the Motorcraft filters and oil as long as you are in warranty or upgrade to any of the Wix filters out there. (Napa Gold is made by Wix) I use Motorcraft filters on both of my Fords, Motorcraft oil in my Fusion and with Mobile 1 Euro in my F150.

Be careful making a name brand into the premium. I learned a lot about filters when I worked for Ford and had to promote the Motorcraft oil, air, and fuel filters in the Power Stroke engines.

1. No filter manufacturer makes all of their own filters. They purchase from one another. One of the weirdest but economical things I have seen in business.

2. In order to make / copy a patented filter you must change at least 3 things about it so you don't infringe. Height, width, circumference, length, micros, pleats, material, etc.. Inside of the overall filter patent, you may have a patent to deal with that is exclusive to the filter manufacturer such as media material. This is where most get an after market wrong and end up making an "ok" filter but nothing good or great.

3. Manufacturers, such as Fram, Baldwin, Napa, WIX, Purolator, all spot purchase filters. Meaning the filter you bought that was a Fram last time, but hidden under that paint was a Donaldson. Now it still says Fram on the paint, but is it a Deutsch filter. These are made up examples, but exist in most lines and not limited to the ones mentioned. They don't just make a filter for ever or purchase it form one place for years. It can be one month to another.

4. There are good quality filters on the market for any application, you just have to know and really examine the specs. However, running OEM only in warranty does nothing for you unless it doesn't meet the minimum specs. An example is the OEM filter has filtration of 10 micron but he aftermarket has 5 micron. You could clog the filter and starve the engine of oil. On the other hand, the OEM has 5 micron and the aftermarket has 10 micron, you could allow debris, soot, carbon to not be filtered reducing the life of your engine. All of this is important. Read up on the Magnuson Moss act if you are concerned about warranty.

If you want trouble free and reasonable oil changes, use the Motorcraft filter. If you want to study up and compare , then use what you feel works best. Just learn and apply some things along the way for the best experience.

I'm not going to even get into oil. My fingers will cramp up and there are many others that know about oil much better than me.

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