tips for keeping maximum performance?

[Mackid343]

anyone have any tips other than get your oil changed every 3000 or so miles to maintain getting maximum performance out of your car? and is stp fuel injector cleaner a good idea to use every oil change too, or does that just a temporary gain, long term loss kinda thing? i've heard both sides from different people on that.

thanks in advance!

[ELVATO]

anyone have any tips other than get your oil changed every 3000 or so miles to maintain getting maximum performance out of your car? and is stp fuel injector cleaner a good idea to use every oil change too, or does that just a temporary gain, long term loss kinda thing? i've heard both sides from different people on that.

thanks in advance!

I use the Lucas gas treatment thing every other gas fill up. Changing the air filter helps. So does the fuel filter.

[RadarRick]

Just use good oil and service the car by the book, that's the best tip i have beside working hard and being good to your mother :wink:
RR

[laserblaster]

Air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs will affect performance, using injector cleaner will keep the injectors from fouling up, it will keep the injectors performing as they left the factory and will save loss of mpg, the air filter will achieve the same results...

For making engines last oil changes are which will keep wear to the minimum, use a good oil filter and use good oil either a semi synthetic or fully synthetic, castrol, valvoline, mobil 1, you can't go wrong by using a well named oil also check whats on the back of the oil bottle for the latest api and acea ratings also many manufacturers but their reccomendation on the back label... vw, bmw and porsche approved etc, and change oil at the manufacturers recomended intervals for that oil.

Other than that theres not alot to do on modern cars, basicly just keep it running and you get maximum bhp and life from the engine....

ALso changing power steering fluid and tranmission fluid will extend the life of the steering rack, ps pump and the transmission, both of which can be expensive in both parts and labour when they fail..

so a few $ on fluids is a wise investment....

check out www.valvoline.com they have a wide range of car care how to diy pages on the website well worth reading, i'm always on there checking out the useful info for the home mechanic....

[p8ik8e]

and be nice to it... dont bring it to redline all the time... and be sure to let it warm up for a bit before driving it...

[wanderingmind]

Seafoam every once in a while.

Oh yeah, if you put some fugly vinyl graphics on your car, that's always good for 10-20 whp.

[SmaartAasSaabr]

I dunno if I agree with everything here... change the oil when it's dirty... change the filters when they are dirty... clean injectors when they are dirty and don't suck in powerful solvents into the engine at random moments. Injectors should never get dirty if good quality fuel is used. Carbon deposits in the combustion chamber will form quickly in the first few minutes of running a new engine then stay pretty much constant. Pouring in seafoam and etc will wipe most of that away, then it will come back in a few minutes, but also it isn't very good for other parts of the drivetrain.

[Mackid343]

i haven't changed the air filter in 25000 miles...thats probably long over due...

i've been getting crappy gas mileage lately too and thats probably a big part of it, along with a little less highway driving and a little more city driving that i've been doing.

SmaartAasSaabr, when you say good quality fuel, what exactly do you mean? slightly higher octane or like kwik trips "top tier" gasoline that they advertise?

[crazyVOLVOrob]

I change all my filters at 3000 miles and put in fuel injector cleaner at each oil change

[TSi+WRX]

SmaartAasSaabr, when you say good quality fuel, what exactly do you mean? slightly higher octane or like kwik trips "top tier" gasoline that they advertise?

Sorry to interject for my Saabr ops: - but what I believe he's saying is to get good quality gasoline, go to a station around you which you know supplies uncontaminated fuel.

Other than that, simply use the grade gasoline that your user-manual specifies.

Typically, higher-octane fuel than stated in the manual is not necessary. Unless you are experiencing active knock and suspect fuel-grade problems or have a vehicle specifically tuned to run with higher-octane fuels (this means an aftermarket tune, not that your vehicle is a "high-performance vehicle"), usually, going with what the factory states should be your fill-grade is not only the most economical, but also will allow your vehicle to perform its best.

As for oil and filter (including air filter) changes, go by your manual's recommendations, too. If you're a dedicated "maintenance" kind of guy, and a little superstitious - like me ops: - you could go with the old "3000 miles/3-months, whatever comes first" adage, but honestly, it's typically not necessary for most of today's vehicles, particularly if they are not operated either harshly or in harsh conditions, and use good-quality engine-oil and oil-filter to begin with.

If you're really concerned about this, you could obtain an UOA. Search "UOA" on this website using the search function, you'll see what I mean. UOAs will readily tell you several critical factors on both a quantitative as well as qualitative (labs like Blackstone will provide "suggestions" based on their analysis) level.

Finally, with older/higher-mileage vehicles, yes, the air-filter can be a significant issue when it comes to gas-mileage, but remember also that your O2 sensors could be on their way out, too. And, of course, there's the wildcard of "winter fuel," which may also noticeably impact your fuel-economy, as does slower travel/longer idle times due to inclimate weather, traffic, or even just sitting at a standstill, warming up your vehicle.

I would only attack the O2 sensor(s) if you have active CELs with codes indicating such issues - it's typically harder to check, and also, since it's a pricier component, you really don't want to replace it unless you had to, whereas an air-filter is a normal maintenance item, and is quite cheap.