Oh boy....here goes a diet of snake oil....

[davenay67]

Anyone heard fo XP3 fuel additive..?? I hadn't until my wife came home from one of her Chamber of Commerce meetings last week asking about using XP# in the TrailBlazer. Let me start off by saying that I think these fuel additives are snake oil and that the industry would be using them in their products if they genuinely worked.

So, with my discalimer that I belive this product to be hype and likely to fail, let us proceed. XP3 fuel additive is, like all fuel additives, supposed to clean the fuel system and deliver improved gas mileage. I have researched the stuff on the internet and there is a suprising lack of good informatin about the product.

Against my advice, my wife signed up for the product and we should be receiving it shortly. so, seeing as we (will) have the stuff I might as well be scientific in my testing and prove/disprove the product in an objective fashion.

On a positive note, this is a business expense, so the actual price is roughly 2/3 what she paid when 2012 tax time rolls around. The purchase is a goodwill gesture in her networking group for her local chamber of commerce, always a good thing for a new business owner.

Please let me know if there is anything I should be adding to or considering when doing my tests....

FACTS.

Cost: $50 for enough XP3 treatments for 200 gallons of fuel. By my math, that equates to 25c per gallon.
87 grade gas is $4.19 in our area right now.
TrailBlazer takes around 16 gallons to fill the tank (at the point where we decide we need gas).
TrailBlazer is averaging around 16.5 mpg right now; this is city driving, little to no highway driving in this number.
16 gals @ 25c/gal = $4 cost put XP3 in a full tank of gas.
$4 of gas will take me roughly 16 miles with current mpg numbers, so the XP3 needs to improve tank mileage by 16 miles to break even.

Some of the above are best estimates and I will use hard numbers when doing the calculations for the tests.

I aim to take 3 baseline measurements before I begin the XP3 regime, this should give me a decent idea of the average mpg before entering the test.

Pre XP3
=====
Tank 1:
Start miles - 130,003
End Mileage - TBD
Miles travelled - TBD
Gallons used - TBD
MPG - TBD


With XP3
======
Start miles - TBD
End Mileage - TBD
Miles travelled - TBD
Gallons used - TBD
MPG - TBD
Tank 1:
Start mileage

 

[RayVoy]

so the XP3 needs to improve tank mileage by 16 miles to break even.

I like the way you think

 

[Me007gold]

Ill be keeping an eye on this thread.

 

[Black_tb]

but will not be holding my breath any

 

[Boog2006]

It'd be nice to evaluate the cleanliness of the fuel system also. A dirty system should in theory see improved results greater then that of a new clean system.

Also documenting other factors like tire pressure, loaded weight, and wind direction might be useful.

 

[davenay67]

It'd be nice to evaluate the cleanliness of the fuel system also. A dirty system should in theory see improved results greater then that of a new clean system.

Also documenting other factors like tire pressure, loaded weight, and wind direction might be useful.

Excellent factors. The fuel system should be as clean as it can be. I always run quality gas and put a dose of SeaFoam thru the tank at every oil change. I own a compressor and it's easy for me to check/adjust tire rpessures each week. The car is usually just my wife, but every so often it will also be me and one of the kids. I am not going to worry about wind as that is way too muchg data for me to track, plus the car does not sit on freeways for long periods, so I think that can be taken out of the equation.

Given that we are creatures of habit in our family, I do not see anything that would throw/skew the results in either direction. The one thing I do need to do is make sure that the vehicle is filled up a the same gas station each time, and that came in the instructions form the XP3 company themselves.

Keep your eyes on this thread every so often. It won't be fast moving because my wife only gasses up roughly once per week. Like I said earlier, I don't expect to see any improvement personally, but I am prepared to be shocked (joyed actually) if the hog can get a little extra distance out of a tank of juice.

 

[The_Roadie]

It's high priced, sold by what looks like an MLM network of proselytizers, and includes breathless crapola claims like this:

The product does several important things. There is normally a certain amount of free water in fuel. This water affects the ability of the fuel to burn more completely and efficiently. XP3 disperses the water in fuel much more completely. This allows the fuel to burn more completely. There is more power available to the engine for the same amount of fuel.

No. I've read enough. This stuff gives snake oil a bad name. Total BS and hype.

 

[davenay67]

It's high priced, sold by what looks like an MLM network of proselytizers, and includes breathless crapola claims like this:

The product does several important things. There is normally a certain amount of free water in fuel. This water affects the ability of the fuel to burn more completely and efficiently. XP3 disperses the water in fuel much more completely. This allows the fuel to burn more completely. There is more power available to the engine for the same amount of fuel.

No. I've read enough. This stuff gives snake oil a bad name. Total BS and hype.

Couldn't agree with you more.

BUT, the missus has already bought it. If it don't work then we certainly ain't signing on for more.

And, that is why I am giving it a no-holds-barred test over multiple tanks of gas....

 

[The_Roadie]

High pressure MLM operations often include a monthly AUTO-SHIP order where the crap like vitamins KEEPS COMING. Make sure what she signed up for was a one-time victimization. They often bamboozle you into agreeing to contract terms you'd never agree to if you were allowed the time to research or sleep on it. For a fellow Chamber of Commerce member to do this sort of thing is unconscionable and has a special name (also performed a lot in churches): Affinity Fraud.

 

[RayVoy]

There is normally a certain amount of free water in fuel. This water affects the ability of the fuel to burn more completely and efficiently. XP3 disperses the water in fuel much more completely.

The 10% alcohol in today's fuel will provide the same function.

 

[davenay67]

Pre XP3
=====
Tank 1:
Start miles - 130,003
End Mileage - 130,275
Usage - 50% city driving, 50% freeway towing small motorcycle trailer and small motorcycle.
Tire PSI - 32
Miles travelled - 272
Gallons used - 16.12
MPG - 16.87

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Interesting...

 

[ElAviator72]

The product does several important things. There is normally a certain amount of free water in fuel. This water affects the ability of the fuel to burn more completely and efficiently. XP3 disperses the water in fuel much more completely. This allows the fuel to burn more completely. There is more power available to the engine for the same amount of fuel.

So does Ethanol (which is rather hard to avoid in Gasoline in the USA today...). Just sayin'...

 

[Gump2773]

Someone hold me back... dont let me get started on the craptastic gas mileage my TB gets. And to hear your getting 16.anything city makes me wanna gouge my eyeballs out with a rusty melonballer. I avg 13.