Different types of additives

Fuel additives

Fuel additives improve the performance of an engine in terms of fuel efficiency, acceleration and top speed. There are different additives for petrol and diesel. They are designed to clean fuel injectors, reduce exhaust gas emissions, prevent corrosion in fuel lines and the fuel tank, reduce knocking and misfiring and make cold starts easier. 

Octane boosters improve the performance of an engine as they allow the fuel to combust more easily. However, they will not result in better performance of road cars as only high performance cars which run on high octane fuel benefit from octane boosters. High octane fuel is the right option for high performance cars. In India, high performance fuel is not available in all regions, so octane boosters are the ideal alternative. 

3M and Chevron are well known fuel additive makers. Prices of petrol additives start from Rs. 250 onwards while prices of diesel additives start from Rs. 270 onwards.

Engine oil additives

Additives enhance the engine oil’s lubricating ability and, thereby, reduce friction and enhance performance besides preventing build up of sludge and extending the life of the engine oil. They also improve engine operation under extreme weather and load conditions. However, sulphur additives can reduce fuel efficiency and damage catalytic converters. Also, some detergent additives can work against other additives that reduce friction. 

AMSOIL and 3M are well known engine oil additive makers. Prices of engine oil additives start upwards of Rs. 100 (for one quart or 488ml).

Gear oil additives

As there is no pump that circulates oil inside a manual gearbox, gear oil has to be able to stick on to rotating gears, and channels inside a gearbox direct oil flow. Gear oil, therefore, consists of extreme pressure additives that allow the gear oil to lubricate the surface of the gears without air bubble formation under high pressure between contacting rotating gears. Gear oil additives enhance the thickness of the oil and keep up its lubricating properties. This reduces friction and heat resulting in smoother gear shifts, less wear and tear and low maintenance costs. Synthetic gear oil is an alternative to gear oil additives. 

There are different gear oil additives for manual and automatic gearboxes.

3M, Pennzoil and Gunk are well known gear oil additive maker. Prices of gear oil additives start from Rs. 300.

Radiator additives

Radiator additives improve the ability of coolants to maintain optimum operating temperatures under extreme temperatures. They improve heat dissipation, prevent corrosion inside the radiator pipeline, and also act as acid neutralisers. Radiator additives are mixed with coolant inside a vehicle’s cooling system.

Some well-known radiator additive makers are AMSOIL, Pennzoil, JB, Royal Purple, Red line and 3M. Prices of radaitor additives start from Rs. 100.