Techron Concentrate Additive

[Bea]

Normally, we use Top Tier gas in our vehicles but on our recent 2500 mile road trip we discovered something.... Top Tier gas can be hard to find or non existent in some small towns....not to mention the price of Top Tier gas or any gas for that matter is sky high now. So we are tempted to add this Techron additive (https://www.amazon.com/Chevron-Techr...4066901&sr=8-1 ) to our tow vehicle, 2017 Ford Expedition 3.5 EB. Is this a good idea? Anyone else use this in their TV? Thanks in advance for any advice on this. -Bea

[gbaglo]

It's your money. If you think it does anything and it makes you feel better, go ahead.

[Rossue]

I don't worry about the few times I can't get gas at Costco/Shell/Mobil/76/Sinclair/Arco, et al.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by Rossue

I don't worry about the few times I can't get gas at Costco/Shell/Mobil/76/Sinclair/Arco, et al.

FWIW I agree.

I've swallowed the Top Tier Kool-Aid (I'm a believer) but also believe the benefit and payback is a long term thing - missing a few 'doses' isn't gonna be a big factor in that long run, IMO.

[dfandrews]

Bea,
We also rely heavily on top-tier gasoline. We have knowledgeable family contacts in the industry who tell us it's the real deal. The detergent additives required for top-tier classification do indeed help clean and maintain the engine performance.
Regarding Techron specifically: We have a Honda that uses their VCM technology for fuel economy, that shuts down 3 cylinders of the 6 during cruise conditions with low throttle requirements. For those of us at over 100,000 miles on the vehicles, there is a noticeable change in performance due to deposits in those three cylinders.

We've been adding Techron concentrate immediately prior to trips where we are towing our Escape, and have noticed a significant improvement in performance, even though we also routinety use top-tier gasoline.


Edit: We have a great 20+ year relationship with our service rep. at a local Honda dealership, and have discussed this very thing over the last year. He concurs that what we are doing is really the best thing we Can be doing. The window that is used to take a peek at the engine innards is to remove and examine the spark plugs. That exam confirms our conclusions.

[C&G in FL]

Bea, the Techron additive is a good product, especially for direct injection engines like the EcoBoost where Ford has no procedure for cleaning the intake. However, it is not necessary to use it on every fill-up and if you are, you are probably wasting your money. Even with top tier (high detergent gasoline), adding the Techcron additive every 5,000 to 10,000 miles should be sufficient.

[RangerMan]

I've been using Lucas fuel additive in my 2002 F250 7.3 diesel since it was new. I Can't know with any certainty if it has helped but I have 370,000 mi on it and I have replaced the starter, alternator... etc but the engine itself has not cost me a dime.

That 7.3 engine is the best!

[cpaharley2008]

I always try to fill with the mid-grade 89 octane or higher if possible.......

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I always try to fill with the mid-grade 89 octane or higher if possible.......

Using a higher octane fuel than the manual calls for is just money down the drain. The computer that manages fuel is set for a certain octane, and that is specified in the manual.

[Bea]

THANK YOU one and all for ALL your helpful advice! As a retired ER nurse I am all about preventative maintenance and from your collective input I feel reassured that this product is a prudent, preventative cocktail of sorts, especially when it's only $7.49/ bottle. Interesting to hear what others use, as well! Now I won't fret when the closest gas to the campground looks like this!

Jim and Glenn, you also bring up a good point about the octane level. Our owners manual says in very large BOLD print to use 87 at the top of the section but in the fine small print that follows it says to use 91 premium fuel for the best performance when towing a trailer. So, when we tow we generally try to put in 91.

Again thank you for all your feedback to our question. This forum and all the kind folks here are like our 'Camping Techron' - you make our camping experience so much smoother and in the long run, so much better!!! Happy camping this summer!! -Bea

[gbaglo]

I've had my 2020 Highlander since August 2020 and have yet to break 4,000 kilometres ( 2,500 miles ). I'm not concerned that I'll wear the engine out.