2023 RDX A-spec

I'm taking a little road trip and was thinking to add some "seafoam" or other to the tank.
Do fuel additives make a difference on direct-injected engines?

Thanks!

 

If you are using top-tier gas (Costco has one), you dont really need any additives. But if you do not have access to top tier gas, its a good idea to run products like Techron or BG44k once in a while.

when gas is not top tier, it only has minimum government required additives for cleaning deposits. So you really dont know how well it will clean.

 

I completely agree with russianDude. And I have a question. If you believe the fuel system/injectors may be dirty, would it be better to add the injection cleaner to a nearly empty tank and run a very high concentration for an hour or is it better to add the cleaner to a full tank, and run a diluted concentration for a week? I would argue an empty tank with a high concentration would clean better. Counter thoughts?

 

Why wouldn’t you just follow the instruction on the bottle??

 

Thanks and yeah, I tend to use Costco premium or other premium blends. I have no issues... just thinking preventative + road trip = opportunity to add it.
I'll check out the video Thanks!

 

Agree. Its not like if you put more it will be better.

one thing I recommend is to do it before oil change. If it cleans deposits, some of them might come in contact with oil.

 

Fair question. I know what the directions say. But can you increase the efficacy?

Ever see the show Wheeler Dealers? It was British “car flipping” show back in the early 2000s. Anyway, in one episode, the mechanic of the show, Edd China, was tasked to fix a fouled fuel injection system for that episode’s car. His technique was to disconnect the fuel line for the fuel injection system and temporarily replace it with a line connected to a concentrated fuel injection cleaner. He let the car idle for about 15 minutes on this cleaner and like magic, the car went from stumbling to smooth during those 15 minutes.

That episode made me question if it is more effective to use a high concentration for a short time than to use a low concertation for a long time. I was curious if anyone thought the same.

 

Here is my $0.02 -

If you go to the Dr. and he/she writes a prescription, would you take more or use it faster hoping for better/faster results? I'm sure the manufacturer of whatever additive/cleaner the OP is contemplating has spend thousands of R&D hours testing their product and came up with the instructions for use. More, changing the concentration, or deviating from the instructions doesn't necessarily equate to better results. Even if it did, how would you know?? OP didn't mention it, but are they having issues with their RDX today? Happy to be wrong, but I'm willing to bet as part of those thousands of R&D hours the manufacturers tested a lot of different concentrations to ensure minimum efficacy and minimal potential damage. Could you imagine inducing a problem that didn't exist before using the product??

I'm familiar with the show and the mechanic, but don't specifically remember that episode. My guess is there was a more serious issue with the fuel injectors and were trying to be cost conscious vs just replacing them or perhaps they are scarce? Absolutely not saying you need to be a rule follower, just not sure there is much to be gained by deviating from instructions.