A fuel "additive" product. Real or bogus?

[cdaubs]

So I was cruising through eBay as I do frequently and came across this:

Fuel additive

They claim that this was developed by the Royal Air Force and that after placing in your fuel tank you are able to use 95 octane unleaded fuel with no worries. They also claim that the beads will last 100,000k miles.

Really???

Anybody over there ever heard of this??

[abowie]

I vote "bollocks".

[vee12eman]

I vote "bollocks

Seconded!

[cactusman]

Utter rubbish.....snake oil

[christopher storey]

I think snake oil might be more effective

[MarekH]

Sadly it isn't considered complete bollocks by everyone because I've met an etype owner who had fitted this at the first car show I ever went to ten years ago. It probably wasn't developed for the RAF - that much is surely bogus.

But the claim that you can safely run lower octane petrol unleaded petrol in an etype is true:- Jaguar use hardened valve seats already and simply altering the distributor timing a few degrees provides the safety.

In other words, the product has no effect on performance positive or negative whatsoever. What is most amusing is that I found one of these in my petrol tank several years go when restoring the car - clearly at least two people have fallen for it!

kind regards
Marek

[cactusman]

If it was truely "tin amalgam" then it would be a mercury/Tim amalgam. Sell that or putting it in a motor vehicle would not be legal. It is probably a hugely expensive way of buying a few tin (or maybe lead) or even solder pellets. What ever it is, such metals do not dissolve to any measurable degree in octane....fuel is mostly hydrocarbons containing 8 carbon atoms. As it will neither dissolve or react with fuel it will do absolutely nothing to alter the research octane rating of fuel. Neither will it coat your valve seats. After 100000 miles it will still be jangling about in your tank. It is boll@@ks and has no scientific basis on which it might work. You would do just as well to Chuck a lump of lead or solder in your tank. It will have the same zero effect for a fraction of the cost!!!

[PhilBell]

The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs organised a proper regime of testing lead substitute products under controlled conditions with measurable results. The products that passed the tests for valve seat recession are listed on the FBHVC website: http://www.fbhvc.co.uk/legislation-and- ... formation/

Some manufacturers of products declined to submit theirs for testing, prefering to cite testimonials from customers to support their claims. Others cited tests done in irrelevant conditions (a diesel truck engine). I believe that Advertising Standards does not recognise customer testimonials as legitimate evidence of a product's efficacy.

So you've got to ask yourself why any manufactuer would not want to have their product officially validated by the FBHVC.

[AussieEtype]

Most of these type of fuel products have been banned in Australia because sellers/makers were not able to prove their claims.

Garry