Hey Guys & Ladies,

Was wondering on a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 series Laramie that has only 7k miles was wondering should we start adding fuel additives in to the fuel system like Lucas Oil or Zmax? The truck runs really good still no problems since they fixed the power back window.

- Jamie (RamThisUSMC)

 

I use sea-foam in all gas eng. boat, lawn mowers, .... I also add stabill to the boat , weed eaters,lawn mowers for winters in texas ...

 

I'm pretty big on Sea Foam too, but I don't use it in the oil. I'll do it in the gas about twice a year (which would be about every 3000 miles in my truck) and the air intake about once a year. My grandfather was a lifetime mechanic, retired from the same dealer he started with the week after he got out of WWII service and retired with them 38 years later. He was a Sea Foam & Marvel Mystery Oil nut!!! Nothing wrong with running a good fuel injector cleaner once in a while. Lucas "Tune Up in a Bottle" and Chevron's product with Techron always get good marks when you read the independent tests.
Still, with the PCV dumping into the intake and the EGR dumping right at the back plate of the throttle body, a good TB cleaning every 15k is pretty important. That thing gums up pretty quick (thanks EPA!!!).

I don't put anything in the crankcase though. Today's oils have a pretty extensive additive package as it is and I've seen some tests show that a lot of these additives have chemicals that render the additives in the oil inert, so they don't do what they were put in there for, or worse, chemical reactions take place that can lead to contamination & rust formation. This is also why it's a bad idea to mix different brands of oils, even if the viscosity is the same.
In the old days, oil was just oil and there was a benefit to STP, Lucas and some of the other oil additives but IMO those days are over. I just stick to a good, 100% synthetic and change it every 5000 miles with a high quality filter. Might goto 3000-3500 if I'm up at the farm a lot as I'll use the truck for heavier uses, shorter trips and all the dusty, dirt roads add up to break down oil faster...

 

Shouldn't need any additives. Today's gasoline has plenty of detergents in it as to modern oils. I would add the fuel treatment in situations like Hammer where the vehicle sits a lot.