I would like to run a bottle or 2 of Injector Cleaner threw the car on my upcoming out to the west coast. Any suggestions on which ones you think do the best job? Also is it worth the cost to have the tire air replaced with nitrogen before the trip?

Dennis

 

I use Zmax....engine an fuel treatment twice a yr...(on my Ls) and every oil change on my work truck which gets used 36k-42k miles a yr) improves mpg 10% on average. fyi my last work truck had 280k miles no issues..current truck has 173k miles no issues... Zmax works!!!

Nitrogen keeps a more constant pressure. ..a word of advice west coast octane levels are lower so an additive is a great idea...

 

Unless you plan on tracking your LS, nope.

 

Agreed, others may disagree, but it is a money maker for the dealer with benefits which are not commensurate with the cost.

 

I've always found Chevron's Techron to be very effective.

 

Another vote for Techron Concentrate.
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/c...ontent=7080568

If you routinely use high-detergent gas, it's probably not necessary. Don't run two bottles at once. Use one bottle and then run a second bottle with a second tank of gas.

91 octane isn't that bad. CA is a big market for luxury cars, so you don't NEED additive. Theoretically, you lose a little bit of performance. We're also E10 for our gas.

 

Waste of money for sure. Never use it and have over 195K miles on my '91 Lincoln. Nor have I ever had the injectors cleaned. Old friend of mine who worked at NAPA told me long ago that the rent-a-car companies used to buy the stuff by the case from them. Then the petro companies started adding cleaner to their fuels and that was the end of their sales of the stuff to rent-a-car cos. This goes back to when fuel injection first came out. It doesn't matter what octane you use either. Save your money.

 

You can't generalize. If you're using TOP TIER fuels (cleaners present), then you probably don't need it.

If you don't use top tier fuel, then doing a cleaning is worthwhile.
http://toyotasludge.com/
http://www.toptiergas.com/index.html

http://www.chevronwithtechron.com/car-care-faq/

And this video

 

I'm not generalizing. I've used 87 octane, which is what it calls for, in my '91 Lincoln since purchased new, over 195K miles now, and never used a drop of injector cleaner or ever had them cleaned. I use 93 octane when called for in other cars I've had, including my 460, since injectors came out in the '80's and never had an injector problem. Oil companies can't afford to be selling any octane gas that clogs injectors as they will begin losing their customer base. Don't listen to the companies selling this stuff. Car additives are a multibillion dollar business but most are worthless. But if it makes car owners feel better, that's another story.

 

I agree with your statement about octane but the EPA standard and Top Tier standards are different. Costco originally went with EPA standards years ago but this year started moving everyone to the higher detergent formula...

If you have never used fuel injector cleaner, how do you know it's useless? If you used top tier 87 octane fuel in your Lincoln then your fuel system is clean. However if you used non top tier fuel, get some Techron Concentrate and try it. If you don't see a difference, I will publicly retract my statement.

Watch that YouTube video.... they did before and after dyno's.

 

My take on this is, if Toyota/Lexus thought this was necessary it would be included in your maintenance schedule, so they could make a few bucks on it. Use the recommended gas from branded gasoline and you should not incur any problems.

 

This was included on our friends 2010 LS 460 30,000 miles service last Friday to the tune of $29.99 per bottle. I just want to run a bottle through these next couple of tanks. It is not something I run through the system on a regular basis, as I run Shell gas through the systems normally. Just wanted to clean the system on the new to us 2010 LS 460 L as I do not know what the previous owners ran through the system.

Dennis

 

Agree 100%. But remember, Toyota/Lexus settled a class action lawsuit due to sludge and Toyota was a founding member of Top Tier gas:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Tier_Detergent_Gasoline

(look at history)

Fuel system cleaner for cars that were NOT typically fueled with Top Tier has benefits. Toyota and Lexus do not recommend routine fuel injector cleaner since in theory, you should routinely be using Top Tier gas.

BP did not join Top Tier originally because they thought it was just a way to decrease warranty claims
http://forums.audiworld.com/a6-s6-c6-platform-discussion-58/costco-response-top-tier-gasoline-inquiry-2606847/?styleid=11

but like Costco, they are now Top Tier gas suppliers....

So my recommendation is the same. If you use top tier gas, no additives are necessary. If you did not use top tier gas, running a bottle of Techron Concentrate will provide a noticeable improvement. (say at 25k worth of miles). For severe build up (say 50k worth of non Top Tier gas), then running two bottles back to back might make sense. If you have less than that, it may still help but the difference may be more subtle.

Once you clean it, you don't have to keep doing it if you use Top Tier gas (which now includes cheap stuff like BP, Arco, and Costco).

Just my two cents. If I'm wrong, you're only down $7. But if I'm right and the Fifth Gear people are right (see that Youtube video), you recover a lot of performance for not a lot of money.

(But you don't have to take my word for it).

 

Hands down the best stuff I've ever used.

 

Another vote for Techron.

Seafoam isn't bad either and you can get it at any auto parts store.