About Fuel Treatments

The market is flooded with different types of fuel treatments for all types of vehicles. Some of these treatments are meant to boost your octane, thus enhancing your gas efficiency, while others are geared more toward cleaning the fuel injectors and other components of your engine that never see the light of day.

Function

Fuel treatments are used to improve certain car functions. It is important to identify the areas where improvement is needed before you attempt to purchase the fuel treatment.
For example, if you need to improve performance, then buy a treatment specifically made for increasing performance. If you need your fuel injectors cleaned, then buy a fuel treatment made specifically for cleaning these components.
There are fuel treatments on the market, however, that boast a variety of functions, such as boosting horsepower and octane, all the while cleaning fuel injectors.

Significance

During fuel's aging process, masses of resin, carbon and gum form in your fuel. Because of the buildup, the masses become too large and are not completely burned because of their size. This compromises the process of combustion.
The result of incomplete combustion and the aging process is that your engine can no longer perform as it was designed to, thus creating problems with acceleration, fuel economy, etc. Your car's ability to burn fuel also becomes less efficient, and you tend to lose power and energy as a result.
As if all of this wasn't bad enough, damaging, abrasive deposits are formed as a result of the unburned matter, and this can take their toll on your fuel system and engine. The end result is an engine that wears out faster and delivers less performance.

Considerations

It's tempting to purchase the cheaper treatment. However, you get what you pay for. Do your research before you buy a fuel treatment. This is going in your vehicle, and if something goes wrong, the consequences could cost you a lot more to fix than that $3 bottle of fuel treatment did.
Consult your owner's manual for suggested treatments. You can also get this information from the mechanics at the dealership. Buy fuel treatments that are well-known or that have been recommended to you by a certified mechanic.

Time Frame

You will get the most out of your fuel treatment if you wait until your next fill-up at the pump. Adding the fuel treatment to a full tank of gas allows the treatment to run through your vehicle's components for a longer period of time and to sit in your gas tank for a longer period of time, thus working on any gunk that has gathered in there.
Once at the gas station, add the fuel treatment to the tank before pumping the gas; that way, it mixes thoroughly with the gasoline.

Warning

Not every fuel treatment is right for every car. If you choose the wrong treatment, there can be dire consequences for your vehicle. For example, instead of slowing the wear on your engine, the wrong treatment can actually increase the engine's wear. In addition, instead of keeping bad fuel deposits from entering your vehicle's fuel system, the wrong treatment can actually increase the chances of this happening, so it's very important to use the proper treatment.