As mentioned in the past, the “anonymous” additive I was running yielded no mileage gains, just a little peace of mind. Then, after discovering the benefits of running 2-stroke for lubrication purposes, I started using it at a 200:1 mixture in my ’97 Power Stroke.
If you’ve read the December issue, you’ll also see that my results could be somewhat skewed due to the fact that we installed 160cc single shot (stage 1) injectors, a freer flowing exhaust, and chip (which has “no” economy tune, the truck previously had a Superchips programmer). However, now switching to Opti-Lube will put it directly up against the 2-stroke additive using the same basic variables. And, I can discard the “anonymous additive” altogether, as it isn’t important, and no longer relevant.
Keep in mind that the 2-stroke isn’t cetane improver, or even ULSD compliant for that matter, but the simple fact that it lubricates very well increased my mileage, and it's pretty cheap.
The photo up above shows the methodology behind this testing. It’s not done in a scientific lab or anything fancy, which is the point. You can do this type of testing yourself, and I recommend it if you’re seeking out which additive is best for your truck.
Variables to keep in mind:
’97 Crew Cab
Long bed
4-wheel drive
4.10 gears
Automatic
Anonymous Additive
MPG:
14.1
2-stroke Additive
MPG (final):
15.1
Overall Increase: 1 mpg