28 May 2020
Car enthusiasts of all makes and models will spend their hard-earned cash making their vehicles work to the best of their ability, but most commonly this comes in the form of engine upgrades, chassis improvements and aesthetic changes.
However, despite all of these improvements, it may be that the type of fuel that you put in your car could be having a detrimental effect on overall performance. Even if the fuel you put into your car is up to EN590 or EN228 standards, there is the risk that carbon build-up, clogged valves or dirty injectors can cause performance issues over time.
That’s where fuel additives come into play. Many claim to provide a whole range of benefits from cleaning internal systems, improving overall performance and fuel economy, lowering emissions and even extending the workable life of your engine.
Most additives are simple enough to use, as they are applied directly into the fuel tank, which then mixes with the fuel and works its way through the fuel lines, pump, injectors and into the combustion chamber.
To test out how effective fuel additives can be on a performance vehicle, we tested a range of products from Millers Oils on our demo car Penny, a 2008 1.6 Turbo Cooper S, using our in-house dyno.
About Millers Oils EPP Additives
Millers Oils have been producing engine oils, lubricants and performance solutions since 1887, and now cover a whole range of sectors from commercial vehicles, passenger cars, classic cars and motorsport. Their products are designed to ensure that the fuel you put into your car provides the level of performance that it was intended to do, without being impeded by build up in your car’s internal systems.
We selected 4 Millers Oil Emission Performance Programme (EPP) products for testing on Penny, to see how the overall performance fared after a thorough cleaning and run out on our dyno.
The EPP is designed to provide garages with high-quality treatments to improve the overall performance of vehicles coming into their workshops and help car owners to lower their emissions in order to pass the stricter limits on MOT tests.
Millers Oils Petrol Injector Cleaner
Over time, injector nozzles may become partially blocked, resulting in a loss of fuel economy, risk of increased emissions and carbon deposits build-up. Millers Oils’ Petrol Injector Cleaner is a highly concentrated cleaning solution that aims to remove unwanted deposits from your injection systems and claims to improve torque, resolve engine issues such as stalling or hesitancy and reduce engine emissions. It’s claimed that a single-use can result in up to 98% restoration to acceleration and overall power whilst increasing fuel economy and protecting against corrosion within the fuel system.Millers Oils Petrol System Clean & Protect
This all in one petrol fuel treatment can be used in all petrol vehicles, with or without PPF (Petrol Particulate Filter). As well as reducing carbon build-up, the product cleans injectors, carburettor jets and inlet valves. The overall result is an engine that performs at a much higher standard, with improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and an overall smoother driver.Millers Oils PPF Turbo & Exhaust Cleaner
Building on the treatment from the Petrol System Clean & Protect, the PPF Turbo & Exhaust Cleaner provides a more efficient clean for cars with PPF. The main benefit of using this product is that trapped soot particles are removed from the system, as well as continuous cleaning throughout the entire turbo and exhaust system.Millers Oils Engine Flush
Ideally used before an oil change, the Engine Flush ensures that your engine is fully cleaned before replacing the oil by removing sludge, deposits and other unwanted build-up. The Engine Flush ensures that oil can flow into the most critical parts of the engine by clearing the most common pathways and provides anti-wear protection.The Test
To carry out our test, we used our in-house dyno to track brake horsepower, torque and compression ratio on Penny, our 2008 1.6 Turbo Cooper S.Pre-treatment dyno run & compression tests
In order to provide some baseline metrics to see how the additives affect the overall performance, we brought the engine up to speed to test its overall output, before carrying out a compression test.Add treatments
After our baseline metrics were set, we started the actual treatment of the fuel tank and engine. Starting with Petrol System Clean & Product, Petrol Injector Cleaner and PPF Turbo & Exhaust Cleaner applied directly into the fuel tank. The Engine Flush was then added into the engine, to allow the product to start to take effect. After all of the products had been applied, the car was left to idle to allow the additives to circulate through the system and for the engine flush to have time to permeate as much of the internal components as possible.Pre-treatment dyno run & Compression tests
Once all of the treatments had taken place and the engine oil changed, we carried out the same tests as before in reverse order to see how effective the additives have been.The results
After all the tests and treatments, it’s pleasing to see that there were some positive improvements. Overall, the maximum output increased from 228 bhp to 231 bhp, and we saw that torque improved from 345 Nm up to 357 Nm.
The Engine Flush seemed to have had a positive effect as well, with the two central cylinders benefiting from an additional 10 psi each.
