Additive Over Dosing

January 15th 2021

One question that comes up quite often is “how much fuel does this additive treat?” This information is written on the bottles but it’s just very small and hard to read. In most cases the fuel additives are 1 bottle: 40-60L of fuel. In the unusual case of DPF Heavy Duty – its 1L: 170L ratio is highlighted on the front of the can.

Believe it or not – portioning additives is actually quite important. These products aren’t made by some dude mixing moonshine in his back shed but actual chemists and engineers. If you want to get the best use out of your fuel additives, use it as directed – pour the additive into your fuel tank as you’re refuelling to get the best mix of the product. “But what’s the worst that can happen?” great question! In most cases the worst that can happen is just that the additive won’t do what it says it will do on the label. But if used incorrectly, certain products have cause some pretty expensive damages. For example, E85 and Ethanol additives contain an organic matter, if there isn’t enough fuel to dilute this matter it can build up into a slimy residue that can attract other dirty deposits which can go onto cause blockages in the injection system which can… well I’ll let you use your imagination there, I have met a great deal of race mechanics who have made the simple mistake of overdosing similar products and end up pulling out of events because of it.

You may also know that Regeneration Additives are designed to boost combustion and exhaust temperatures and in the case of many DPF fitted diesel engine they may also use a downstream injector to help increase DPF temperature, but what systems are in place within the vehicle to cool down the DPF? Well, there aren’t any. If you over use a regeneration additive you run the risk of exhaust thermal runaway. This can melt, crack or otherwise destroy your DPF – if you ever hear someone say “DPF additives do more harm than good” this is why.

No one has ever said it better than Darren Darling, the DPF Doctor & JLM Ambassador who says “Leave the science to the scientists” – the hard work has been done for you, just put the additive in the tank with the right amount of fuel and its happy days.

If you’re unsure of the product, check with a trusted mechanic, if you’re a mechanic and you’re unsure of it, read the description on the bottle or check out the product page on the JLM Website.

Written by Elliot Altobelli 2021