Millers additive.

[goshow]

Does anyone here use this stuff?

I've been using the diesel power eco max additive for the past 5 years now.

I can't say I use it for the power increases as I don't really think there are any noticeable gains but it certainly gives a leaner burn and keeps everything inside a bit cleaner.

Any thoughts?

[littleade]

I've been using ecomax for over 12 months with standard non supermarket diesel. It seems to make mine run a little smoother and whether it's coincidence or not I have only interupted 1 regen in the last 6 months or so, though the warmer weather and the engine loosening up will obviously have a part to play in this. I also stick it in SWMBO1.9 PD seat as a precaution to help it run a bit a bit cleaner but as I don't drive that much can't say if it makes any difference there or not performance wise. It costs me about 2p a litre extra which is far cheaper than putting vmax or an equivelent premium diesel in so is a good compromise IMO.

[KBPhoto]

I've been using the diesel one for about the last 7 tank fills.

Seemed to make some difference initially, but that may just have been wishful thinking, and now seems to be doing nothing.

When I stop using it at the end of this bottle, I'll be able to see if there is any drop in performance but, at the moment, I'm not convinced enough to keep on using it.

[Doofy]

I've been using it for a few months now, Seems to make the engine a bit smoother but it could just be all in the mind, Been using it to keep the internals cleaner..

[Mr Ree]

I find 'snake oil' equally as effective.

[littleade]

I find 'snake oil' equally as effective.

Is it cheaper than Millers?

[Mr Ree]

Is it cheaper than Millers?

Oh yes. 

 

trouble with all these whizz bang magical remedies is that any differences obtained...if any at all...are all tiny in the great scheme of things, and more often than not, in your mind too.

 

Bit like when you've had an oil change, and the car, as if by magic, feels smoother? 

 

I used to use that Slik 50 nonsense.

Expensive but fantastic marketing and promotional stuff that sucked me and many others RIGHT in to part with big money.

 

Useless stuff in essence...IMO...and many others too seemingly.

Edited 2 August, 2014 by Mr Ree

[cheezemonkhai]

I find 'snake oil' equally as effective.

The millers used to be good pre mot.

Double dose in the tank before the mot, then a single dose in the tank for the mot. Once in a blue moon otherwise.

an old car failed the soot test even after a good drive out. A double dose of the old old millers in the boot and a drive by the garage before another soot test where it passed with flying colours.

Bear in mind that was years ago with an old idi diesel.

Slick 50 though... Yeah and I imagine it was bad as it probably all sat in the oil filter instead.

Edited 2 August, 2014 by cheezemonkhai

[grr666]

[D@z]

My mrs uses millers in her 2.0 tdi after I gave her some left over from my old car, she does about 27k a year and swears by it, doesnt make any notable difference to anything but economy in her opinion, she reckons about 3-4 mpg difference on average

[D@z]

Also for what its worth she finds supermarket fuel does not have the same mpg figures as "better" brands, which matches what I found when I had a derv

[seboni121]

I use the BG244 and done so for several years now it's the cetane content which does the business I think? , I used to have a fiat stilo 1.9jtd and the egr and fuel lines where heavily gunked so I was told to chuck a can in and run the car until the tank was empty and we checked it ! It was absolutely clear ,like new and didn't smoke either

[Biodieselgangan]

Do a bay search for 2 EHN.....it's the bit that gives Millers and the like the better bang bit.

1ml per litre of fuel is the average dose. :sun:

[hatchy]

I stick a 50ml shot in every tank. Just use it to keep it all clean (car used to have quite a stutter up through the revs on hard acceleration when I first got it,the Millers ecomax sorted all that out in a tank or 2),anyone using it for performance gain is sadly deluded. Had my Vrs for 2 years and added just 12,000 miles to the 107,000 when I got it in that time,lots of short(ish) journeys,which isn't good for DPF (so they say). Never had the DPF light come on. Had the EGR off last year to see what condition it was in and considering it was on circa 113,000miles it was bloody clean. Then at the last MOT in May the opacity (smoke) test result was a ridiculously low 0.03%, the 'limit' is 1.5%. That's all the proof I need to know the stuff works.

[seboni121]

Do a bay search for 2 EHN.....it's the bit that gives Millers and the like the better bang bit.

1ml per litre of fuel is the average dose. :sun:

I like that thank you for that , it comes from the same people that supplies the bg244

[cnc]

Maybe fuels of a decade or two ago when carburettors instead of fuel injection were normal did benefit from additives but isn't that what you get today with the higher range fuels, Shell V power, BP Ultimate etc. They claim they have advanced cleaning additives. Some claims here from BP.

 

http://www.bp.com/en_za/on-the-road/south-africa/products-and-services/bp-ultimate-diesel.html

 

Interesting article here as well http://www.dieselcarmagazine.co.uk/features/the-extra-mile-april/

 

Auto Express found out of nine fuel additives added to standard fuel none gave the octane rating of premium pump fuels http://www.dieselcarmagazine.co.uk/features/the-extra-mile-april/

 

Fifth Gear found some additives actually reduced power  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKxJfXfD6mg

 

I've yet to find a scientific study anywhere that backs up the additive makers claims of enhanced cleanliness/power but if someone can find one post it up, would be interesting.

 

Personally I think they are trying to sell you something you don't need, but that's marketing these days. Placebo effect?.

 

I'm with Mr Ree on this, we'll stick to Snake Oil :no: .

Edited 3 August, 2014 by cnc

[seboni121]

Have a look at this then !

[Manatee]

I'm not really interested in extracting more power, but cleaner burning and reduction in clag (especially on a high-tech diesel with EGR and DPF) is of interest.

 

About 6 years ago, a friend (no longer with us unfortunately) provided the following opinion of Millers Diesel Power (and a bit about oil which I've left in).  He was a technical consultant to the petroleum fuel industry and knew what he was talking about (Millers Diesel Sport 4 has been rebranded since then;  and I haven't seen Shell Extra diesel for a while).

 

Millers Sport 4 additive: It does work - sort of.

 

It's a mixture of 2-Ethyl Hexyl Nitrate (or 2EHN) and high aromatic naphtha (very similar to a blend of white spirit and petrol).

 

2EHN is a Cetane booster - a measure of the performance potential of diesel fuel - and in the early phase of the combustion process, 2EHN breaks down to form "free radicals" which enhances the burn (the Chemistry of flames is all about radicals). The engine runs quieter and produces more power - fantastic. Until the engine warms up and then 2EHN decomposes prematurely and stops working

 

The high aromatic naphtha dissolves gums and crud deposited in the fuel system right to the tip of the injectors. But once burnt in the engine, it's gone - and any ability to clean the EGR is probably very minimal. The EGR is easy to clean if you like DIY.

 

The very best diesel fuels are the new synthetics - such as BP Ultimate, Shell V-Power and Total Excellium - all are 55 Cetane fuels and can increase power by 5% and fuel efficiency by 5%. At the bottom end of the diesel fuel hierarchy are the basic branded fuels - such as Shell diesel or supermarket ultra low Sulfur diesel - which have a Cetane index of 51. Fuels such as Shell Extra are intermediate ...

 

Adding Millers Sport 4 to a basic branded fuel will improve the Cetane index to an intermediate value. But if your engine is under any sort of warranty - then don't use it - the smell of 2EHN is very characteristic and lingers for months after you stop using it - and would be an instant get out for the manufacturer.

 

Likewise lubricating oil - at the top are full synthetic oils such as Mobil 1 ESP (for cars with DPF) and Millers synthetic - and these are true synthetic oils made from a PAO base (polyalphaolefin). At the bottom are simple mineral oils distilled from crude oil. And in the middle lies an endless stream of marketing cr@p - my favourite marketing speak includes "semi-synthetic" oil - this usually means a mineral oil that's been passed through a minor chemical process and it's nothing like Mobil 1...

 

And if you want to improve fuel economy - switch to a fully synthetic engine oil (from a PAO base stock - look on the can) and a synthetic gearbox oil (and rear axle oil if you have one of those)

 

I will say that from 1998 to 2002 I had a Ford Scorpio with the fairly horrible VM diesel engine (old tech). It would get progressively smokier, not usually visible in daylight but you could really see the fug in the headlights of a following car.  When it got really bad, or before the MoT, I would buy a bottle of Millers and double dose it a few times.  It reduced the smoke a lot, which I put down to the injector cleaning effect.

 

My friend reckoned the best way to maintain a clean engine though (diesel) was to use BP Ultimate/V-Power/Excellium.  It just doesn't have the carp in there in the first place.

[goshow]

I'm with you on all the above but I'm just not a fan of spending 7p or 10p per litre extra on the ultra type fuels. Especially when I do my shopping at Tesco and have been taking advantage of 20p per litre savings for the past few months. An extra 2p per litre added to the tank with millers or similar works for me. As previously mentioned by others, I'm not really in for the performance gains, it's more for the cleaning properties and keeping everything sweet.

 

Interesting read though.

[hatchy]

I stick a 50ml shot in every tank. Just use it to keep it all clean (car used to have quite a stutter up through the revs on hard acceleration when I first got it,the Millers ecomax sorted all that out in a tank or 2),anyone using it for performance gain is sadly deluded. Had my Vrs for 2 years and added just 12,000 miles to the 107,000 when I got it in that time,lots of short(ish) journeys,which isn't good for DPF (so they say). Never had the DPF light come on. Had the EGR off last year to see what condition it was in and considering it was on circa 113,000miles it was bloody clean. Then at the last MOT in May the opacity (smoke) test result was a ridiculously low 0.03%, the 'limit' is 1.5%. That's all the proof I need to know the stuff works.

 

Just to add on to previous post. Had MOT today,passed with no problem but with 3 advisories. Two the usual rubbish about car being fitted with undertrays blah blah blah. The 3rd made me chuckle though. No emission print out produced,emissions too low 

 

Only use standard supermarket fuel too.