Customer Reviews

Red Line SI-1 Fuel System Cleaner - 15 Ounce, Pack of 12

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Short version:

Among all fuel system cleaners I'm aware of, Redline SI-1 contains the highest quantity per dollar (based on manufacturer MSDS) of the critical fuel-system-cleaning compounds known as polyether amines (PEA). Primarily for this reason I believe SI-1 to be the best available and most cost-effective fuel system cleaner product at retail pricing. At the current price per bottle when bought by the case right here on Amazon ($5.30) it is a bargain (12/15/09 edit: the price here has almost doubled since I wrote this and it is now, unfortunately, far from a bargain).

In my case it has not been necessary to use Redline's recommended quantity of approximately 3 oz per fill-up. The effects of 1 oz per fill-up are indistinguishable in terms of tested results (see my basis for this statement below). This results in an approximate cost of $0.35/tank or less than a tenth of a penny per mile. A full case at this usage rate is enough to treat 180 full tanks of fuel or to last approximately 80,000 miles. (Figures based 15gal/tank, 25-35mpg).


Long version:

As far as I know, every effective fuel system cleaner on the market uses a class of compounds known as polyether amines (PEA), in varying proportions, to effectively clean deposits from fuel system components, and particularly from fuel injectors, which can quickly impact engine efficiency and performance when not operating correctly. My understanding is that these compounds were first developed by Chevron and sold under the Techron name, and have since been made available to other blenders of fuel treatment products. Until recently BG 44K, Chevron Techron Concentrate, Gumout Regane Fuel System Cleaner, Amsoil P.I. Performance Improver Concentrate, and Redline SI-1 (among others) listed polyether amines on their Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) in proportions varying from approximately 25% to 50%. Most of these products no longer list PEA on their MSDS, having changed their terminology to disguise the precise nature of their products' constituent components. Whether PEA is still contained in those products is a matter of uncertainty. As of this writing Redline's SI-1 MSDS still specifies that the product contains 30-50% PEA. Consequently it is one of the few remaining fuel system cleaner products that undoubtedly does contain PEA in significant quantity.

I have been able to test the efficacy of fuel system cleaners in one of my own vehicles using a method I stumbled on after having its injectors professionally cleaned while out of the vehicle. The car in question uses a Bosch engine management system that reports fuel injector data to an on-board computer, which then uses that data to calculate and report instantaneous and average mpg to the driver. I noted after the professional cleaning that the accuracy of the reported mpg, when used to measure average mpg over each full tank of fuel, improved suddenly from a prior error of around -3% - -5% (that is, the reported mpg was ~3-5% below the actual mpg, or typically just over 1mpg low) to an error as close to zero as I could measure (that is, usually between -1% and 1%, fluctuating above and below a perfect "match"). This can be explained on the basis that the engine management system will compensate for a dirty injector by holding the injectors open slightly longer during each combustion cycle, in order to admit the proper amount of fuel. The on-board computer interprets that as a slightly higher rate of fuel consumption, reporting a lower-than-actual mpg figure.

After several thousand miles - not long - the perfect mpg accuracy I'd noticed began to deteriorate, likely indicating that the cleaned injectors were beginning to suffer from some sort of renewed impedance to fuel flow. Out of a desire to retain near-perfect injector performance, and also out of curiosity, I started experimenting with various commercially-available fuel system cleaners and keeping records of the results at each fill-up.

Leaving out the long details, I'll simply say here that the results were surprisingly clear and unambiguous. Each time I went several tanks without using a fuel system cleaner (usually as a result of simply forgetting to use it or not taking the trouble), the on-board computer (OBC) accuracy would deteriorate. This would fluctuate from tank to tank, of course, as a result of inevitable measurement errors, but the trend was very clear even over a small number of fill-ups. Returning to the use of a fuel system cleaner (Chevron Techron Concentrate, Gumout Regane or SI-1, all of which at the time did contain PEA), the accuracy would improve again very quickly - within 2-3 fill-ups. I began using the SI-1 exclusively seven months ago based on its apparent cost-effectiveness and since then I have reduced the quantity I use in each tank to the current 1oz per ~15gal fill-up. The results remain unambiguous. If I use this small amount of SI-1 consistently, the accuracy of the on-board computer is excellent, with an average error of below 1%, or a fraction the error rate seen when not using such a product.

Based on the above I feel I can confidently conclude that SI-1 works very well, even at reduced treatment rates, at keeping fuel injectors clean. Fuel system types and injectors will vary, and other parts of the fuel system - for example intake valves and combustion chambers - might benefit from higher treatment rates (or, conceivably, might not benefit at all). Actual engine efficiency will not vary nearly as much as injector cleanliness, since the engine feedback system normally corrects for imperfect injector flow rates. However, as the flow is more greatly impeded, or impeded differentially among the individual injectors, mpg will be affected to some degree. I feel it is well worth the tiny cost to consistently use a small quantity of SI-1. Other benefits, such as to combustion efficiency as a result of combustion chamber cleanliness, to volumetric efficiency as a result of intake valve cleanliness, and to fuel system lubrication, probably exist as well although I can not evaluate them and have not attempted to do so. Other fuel system cleaners may work as effectively, or nearly as effectively, but I do not believe them to be as good in terms of value per dollar spent.

In my experimentation I did try some less expensive fuel system cleaners, those not containing PEA. They appeared to have no effect. I can not categorically state that only PEA-containing fuel system cleaners work, of course, but my observations did match the conventional wisdom on this point. I also experimented with using top-tier fuels only, without any additional fuel system cleaners. The results were the same as when using non-detergent (Costco and others) fuels. I don't doubt that top tier fuels contain small amounts of cleaners and will keep a fuel system functionally and acceptably clean, but the quantities involved are reputed to be tiny and my observations seem to indicate that even a small amount of additional additive is far more effective.

People not into racing don't know that Red line has been making racing oils for about 30 years. They have the best chemists and the best manufacturing techniques. With gas prices on the rise and the possibilty of contaminants in the gas we buy - this is cheap insurance. You cannot depend on even the most expensive gas to contain cleaners. I used to buy Shell thinking they had me covered. I got clogged injectors anyway (twice). Now I by gas from Costco or any discount place and add the cleaner myself. The bottle is marked in 10 gal increments so if you have a 34 gal tank just add 3 10 gal marks from the bottle by pouring a little at a time until you get there. You do this before you fill up so it mixes as you add the fuel. Your vehicle will run smoother than it did when it was new after a few tankfulls. The price is the cheapest I have seen for this product. Pep Boys was selling this for nearly $9. This is the best investment you can make to your fuel injected vehicle. I don't what effect this will have on carbs so if you have an older car try one from a retail store first.

While this fuel system cleaner is pricey compared with many others, it has the highest amount of poly-ethyl-amine (PEA) and as a result it has a very bad smell. However, it is the best fuel cleaner on the market, and I use it every oil change. This is cheaper and is at least equivalent to the other popular fuel system cleaner by Amsoil. It is also about 3x stronger than regular Techron, and it's about the same price when on sale. Excellent product, 5 stars.

Excellent product at excellent price! With continual usage of this product, my fuel injectors in my 1996 Q45 are still operating like new at 255,000 miles.

I started using fuel injector cleaners back in the early 80's. A new Volvo 242 I had purchased new was starting to perform sluggishly. Another owner recommended a f..i cleaner which I tried and it worked pretty well. Over the past 28 years I've tried just about every fuel injection/system cleaner on the market. Some worked well, others didn't. The Red Line SI-1 works better than the others I've tried. My vehicle ran smoother, acceleration improved and I saw about a 2 mpg improvement. I have to add that the BG44K cleaner works very well too, but at three times the cost.

I ran a number of tests before writing this review, because my results are very different from the reviews typical for this product and I wanted to be sure of what I was seeing.

I have a '99 Nissan Altima with the 2.4L gas engine; The car is in good repair and performs within specifications. I buy gas at the same place all the time (Costco Canada) and the fuel quality is consistent. Based on the reviews written here, I purchased a case of this product to see if I could get better fuel economy, following the logic (again from the reviews here) that Costco likely doesn't put any additives/detergents in their gas, to keep costs down. Cases were on sale at the time, and I paid much less (68$) than the current price (107$).

If I put anything near a half bottle in a full tank of regular gas, my car idles rough and runs on (sometimes called "dieseling"). The label suggests using a full bottle at a time. I have used fuel injector cleaners before, and never seen anything even remotely like this. It was so unbelievable I ran the tank out completely and repeated the experiment just to be sure. The problem disappears on "straight" gas, or if there's a trivial amount of the additive left (a 3/4 tank fill up is enough to dilute a tank with a half bottle in it). Either way, adding more than 2-3oz per fill up (I have a 60L tank) has a very detrimental effect. An alternate "continuous use" method suggests using 1 bottle/100 gallons gas, which seems consistent with my findings.

Unless the gas in your area is very bad, I'm not sure this product is worthwhile. Considering what it costs now, if the gas in your area is bad enough, it would probably be cheaper and more effective (in my opinion) to change your fuel filter every couple of months.

Red Line's fuel system cleaner has got to be the best on the market. I have tried just about everything and have been using Red Line for several years with near perfect results. I don't follow the directions, however, as I add the bottle to 1/4 of a tank of gas and run it until the fuel light comes on. This can cause the vehicle to run a little rough but it's worth it! As a side note, if you need this you probably could stand to replace your oxygen sensor(s.) The combination can yield a substantial increase in fuel economy and driveability.

The Red Line fuel injection cleaner is pricier than some of the competition but you can notice an immediate improvement in the way the engine operates when you use it. The engine idles smoother and gets a small but noticeable amount of improvement in mpg.

This is one of the best fuel system cleaner on the market. It was first introduced to me by my machanic. I have been using it for over 3 years and still using it. vehicle runs much smoother after apply one bottle of 15 ounce SI-1. I apply one bottle every month. It sure makes difference. I have been telling my friends about this product and they all agreed that this product is currently the best.

In my honest opinion and based on over a decade of direct experience:

Redline is the single best upper cylinder lubricant, as well as the best cleaning agent for the entire fuel system of your auto that you can buy.

Loaded with system cleaning amines it tops other name brands in overall effectiveness while remaining entirely safe for use in all automobiles.

The best price anywhere for this outstanding product can be had on Amazon.

That is all... :-)