Hi there,
In NZ they've started plugging this stuff called "X-1R" which is an oil treatment for petrol, diesel and auto trans oil.
It was developed by this company in conjunction with NASA for the lubrication of their shuttle devliery vehicle. It claims to reduce wear, increase performance, etc.
It sounds good, but here's my thoughts:
1.It must have been developed in the 70's (when NASA started using shuttles), so why is it only now they're advertising it?
2.If its so good, why dont the big oil companies put it in their oil and tell everyone why their oil is now "better"?
Their website is
www.x1r.com
Any comments?
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(I hope this is not too tasteless) If it is so good why didn't they put it on the outside of that shuttle which burnt up on re-entry because of friction with the atmosphere?
More tastefully, doesn't the shuttle delivery vehicle do about 1 mph top speed and probably has an engine with max revs of 1500 rpm and travels about 2 miles per year. How many cold starts does it do per year? How many school runs? How many motorway miles? Does that sound like your car?
Anyway, how about just changing the oil that companies spend millions of pounds developing a little more frequently. I bet there's loads of people on the board who can claim phenomenal mileage for their cars with just reasonable frequent changes of oil and filter. Do you need to spend extra on additives?
Witch oil?
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Hmm. I haven't heard of it specifically, but you are likely to get two types of response: 1) All additives are snake oil and unnecessary, or 2) It's OK and unlikely to do any harm.
I tend to the (2) camp for the ones I know about, especially those that make the oil 'stickier', on the grounds that the time the engine needs oil most is when it has all drained off the wearing surfaces, but I'm suspicious of anyone who uses NASA to hang their advertising from. The 'shuttle delivery vehicle' does about 2mph, IIRC, and is an unlikely candidate for extreme lubrication! It sounds as though it's meant to form an association like 'Rocket' WD-40, although that is reasonable stuff, of course...
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I won't comment because the adjudicator won't allow the sort of language I would want to use to describe the people who try to sell this stuff. If you want informed comment, go to www.chris-longhust.com and click on Car Bibles. This has been discussed many times before both here & in the Technical forum
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busker,
for some reason I couldn't open the link, so does it mention specifically X-1R, or does it discuss additives in general?
From the comments so far it sounds like people don't believe its claims, but is that because of the "snake-oil" syndrome or something more concrete?
Sorry if that sounds patronising, but this product has been plugged on TV and all the Repco shops (NZ version of Halfords) are selling the entire range.
It just sounds a bit better than all the other ones I've seen in NZ and England...
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Yes, you can buy this stuff in England.
It is made in China by the 'Yantai Carry On Chemical Company'
I'm not joking......
You could also try used chip fat as a less expensive alternative.
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"for some reason I couldn't open the link"
That's because it's www.chris-longhurst.com
He's a bit opinionated, and can't spell phosphorus or sulphur, but he does appear to have done his homework on oil additives, as well as pulling the rug from under Castrol's 'polarised molecules' which they don't mention in the US, apparently!
He's also used one of those straps-with-magnets for oil filters and pronounced them effective, which is interesting.
I still have a soft spot for STP, but it might just be placebo effect...
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Actually,it does work,at least from my experience. I have used basically 2 products with my oil change,X-1r and Duralube,which both are hard to find in Oklahoma.
The claims from the company are that it bonds moleculerly to the metal all through the engine,piston walls,valves guides,ect.
I don't know what it does,but can give you the results I have.
I do know that between the 2,X-1r and Duralube,the engine seems to run slightly cooler. I get about 1-2 miles per gallon than without it. My last car has over 300,000 miles and still going. Add a little synthetic Oil,and it creates a completely different look and feel to the oil. It may not be the cure-all, but it does improve a car's performance slightly.
In my opinion,the biggest improvement seem to be longevity. The most I ever got out of a car before X-1r was about 150,000 miles when the engine goes. a good improvement to say the least.
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X-1R has been around in the Philippines for a long time. Generally regarded as one of those "here comes another sucker" products.
Put the money towards your next oil change instead.
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My car handbook specifically recommends NOT using any oil additives whatsoever.
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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JML market a similar product called 'motor plus'which can be bought in Woolworths etc. This is 'certified by NASA' and costs £9.99.
Theres no direct link, but just click on cars and motors top left and listen to the video!
www.jmldirect.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1
{"Theres no direct link". There is. DD :- snipurl.com/gvcs }
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"Actually,it does work,at least from my experience. I have used basically 2 products with my oil change,X-1r and Duralube,which both are hard to find in Oklahoma." says cpndan12 above.
Strange: he/she only registered today.. I wonder why? Surely not to answer this question:-)
As for engines doing 300k miles that's fairly unusual with today's technology. Even Peugeot/Citroen ones do:-)
madf
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Sorry "that's not unusual " should replace "that's fairly unusual"
Wot! No edit button!:-)
madf
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Quality oils from reputable companies don't require any additives - the concensus that's there's one born every minute is sound...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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If this is another product with chlorinated hydrocarbons (I think) then there was a thread about them some time ago. Discovered around the 1920s, they do reduce friction, but are incredibly corrosive of the non-ferrous parts of the engine.
Just the tone of the X1-R advertising rang alarm bells with me.
I think it's more snake oil / sucker bait.
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