Just in time for the severe weather in many parts of the US. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and thank you for all of your support over the past year! Looking forward to reading your comments and video ideas. Best regards, Todd Anti-Gel Brands Hot Shot’s Secret: amzn.to/3B6DgtP PEAK: amzn.to/3B2XZPf Archoil: amzn.to/4gfJIxF STA-BIL: amzn.to/41cyBBb Opti-Lube: amzn.to/3ZvhaKK Power Service Diesel: amzn.to/3OzLC0b Howes: amzn.to/3AWDYtJ Stanadyne: amzn.to/4eUeUkY Ford: amzn.to/41cz9a3 Lucas: amzn.to/3Ze5B9B Amsoil: Available online at the Amsoil Store Rescue Brands Hot Shot’s Secret: amzn.to/49itMbn FPPF: amzn.to/4ig0xKE CleanBoost: amzn.to/49hv3j9 Power Service Diesel: amzn.to/3OB5srK Howes: amzn.to/3AWDYtJ Amsoil: Available online at the Amsoil Store
I manage a fleet of 21 school buses and had watched your previous video on Diesel Anti-Gels. You're the reason I switched to Hot Shot's before last winter and never had any gelling issues even when it got down to -25F here. I'm glad that this product still is the best and I will continue using it. Thanks for the videos! Keep up the great work!
It warms my heart to know there are still fleets of Diesel school busses out there. In this dreary world I was starting to think they've all been switched to gas or electrics or making kids peddle by now.
@@Palimino444 I travel the country installing cameras on school bus fleets and have been on probably 3,000+ school buses. I’d say 80% are diesel, 10% are propane, and the rest are gas or electric. Gas powered school buses were mostly phased out in the late 80’s in favor of turbodiesels. Electric buses are about 4x the cost of a diesel bus so most schools can’t afford them even if they want them, which the vast majority don’t.
As with everyting in life what 'works' depends on a number of factors. Diesel for buses around rural arears works a treat - long distances, long running times... nice warm efficient engine that will last and only sip fuel. However in the UK we use diesels in our small cars and over 70% of journies in the UK are less than a mile and many more are under 5 miles - so for a vehicle, usually carrying just one individual, a tiny distance... it's never going to get warm and a huge amount of emmisions occur when diesels are cold and at start up. So battery EVs actually make perfect sense for the majority of UK journies (not that UK drivers will swallow that). We do have electric double decker buses in my city and they are fantastic. Our old diesels were filthy - walk past one when it was setting off from a stop and you were covered is soot (almost). Now there is just silence and no fumes. I visited London where the new hybrids mostly operate on there ICE engine for some reason and it reminded me how filthy our inner city multi-drop buses really are. Of cours cities are rubbish at allowing exhaust to escape too.
Thank you for the quality non biased testing that you do. After your last video, my fire dept switched to treating our fuel tanks with hot shots. So for what its worth, the hard work you're putting in is having far reaching effects. From your chain saw videos, battery saws, chain sharpeners, screw guns, motor oils, and much more. Your work is helping us provide the best services we can for our citizens. So from Indiana, Thank you! Also where you using winter diesel from a gas station? Or summer fuel from an onsite fuel tank?
@rawj1213 Everything is just getting more and more expensive. And unfortunately budgets are tight. So when we purchase equipment or things for Maintenance. We want to stretch that dollar as much as possible. Doing whatever we can to keep the trucks rolling 24/7 365 no matter the weather. At the cost of 1.5 million a fire truck, we want to get the most years of service out of it. Same thing for equipment, there is so much bias on what is best. He provides awnsers and test results. When tax payers are trusting you with their money, they want it spent wisely. And that's the other part of buying the right thing the first time. If you're brand loyal you can end up paying more for a product that isn't the best. But by doing research and with much credit to his work. We're able to maintain the trucks, maintain the equipment and purchase the best equipment. It's what our community deserves and expects from us.
@@evanbaker8825 Everything you just said is basically why I thought it is so awesome you guys take the time to not only find the best stuff but with the consideration that you're using people's tax dollars to do it. I also avoid being brand loyal as well! I want what is best for me! Also. Didn't know that fire trucks cost 1.5 million. Jesus that is insane!
We use bando where I work. Apparently is a supplier for Japanese OEM vehicles. Kinda like denso and ngk for them as well you know. Why buy a Honda or Toyota belt from the dealer at there prices when you can go straight to the manufacturer. Kinda like how I stay off the matco and Cornwell and Mac trucks that come by. I’m not buying rebranded stuff just because it has a lifetime warranty through them. Most of my stuff is gearwrench, Pittsburgh, craftsman, icon, and lisle.
@WOFFY-qc9te When comparing wear scars the unit it's measured in doesn't really matter. Larger is worse, that's all you really need to know. However when talking about temperatures, volumes and weight the unit might be more important. Fortunately -40° is about the same if it's in Celsius or Fahrenheit. When talking about the blend it might be worth using percentages instead of volume as that doesn't change depending on units. Just state if it's by volume or by weight. Weight I have no good solution for. The best I can do is about 0.5Kg per pound. Not good enough for real calculations but close enough for most situations. Feet and meters is another bothersome conversion. but 3.3 feet per meter is about right. It's really closer to 3.28084 but that's to complex for me to calculate on the fly. To be honest I usually just go by dividing the feet by three, yes a yard. It's close enough to get an idea when someone talks about something like 27 or thirty feet. Divide by three and it's a bit less than 10 meters, about 9 meters if i bother to think about it.
@@ProjectFarm i was actually super happy to finally see the two stroke Oil Test compared with normal Diesel and would suggest you post the part with the direct comparison as a youtube short. This is one of the essential questions especially for older cars that where developed before removal of sulfur in the Diesel, which are prone to wear in the high pressure pump. I've never seen a proper scientific experimental comparison like here before.
The lubricity test as ran here is pointless, and so are the other tests that were run on PURE ADDITIVE. You add very little additive by volume to a huge (comparatively) quantity of diesel, so even if in its pure form the additive is amazeballs at lubricating, that's not how you actually use it. And then you have DIFFERENT ADDITIVE DOSE (per the instructions), so you're comparing the same 40oz of pure additive, even though some have doses an order of magnitude higher/lower than another, so even if 2 additives have the same lubricity, one is supposed to be dosed at 1oz/gal and another 3oz/gal. Again, testing the pure additives like this is completely worthless.
Ditto! My fuel gelled up two weeks during a 7 degree morning cold snap with PRE-treated tank (from WaWa) using stanadyne "performance/all season" additive... And I always use 2x-4x the dosage amount and I can attest it gelled up after 5minutes of driving.. I was so annoyed because I stick to my regiment religiously and this was my first and LAST real COLD trusting stanadyne - especially for being a fuel injection manufacturer
@@cowboy41231 I was using Stanadyne too, but it's time to switch to HotShot or Peak diesel treatment. For some reason my vehicles don't like WaWa fuels... They tend to run rougher...
Your videos are more informative and better quality than anything you'll find on consumer reports. Your videos have helped me make a lot of informed purchases of quality products. Keep up the good work!
@@Semperf11along with other sources. Lake speed does in-depth science on oil chemistry and he does very in-depth scientific analysis on products as the “Motor Oil Geek”. Yesterday the repair geek dropped a video with lakes help on this very topic and the lab data tells us a totally different story on which products are better. Totally different conclusion. XDP and Airchoil are far better products then Hot Shots.
As someone who lives on the northern part of Montana, -30° and even lower is very common. While there is no substitute for getting straight #1 diesel in our machinery and trucks before the brutal cold arrives, it seems like we always have a few pieces of equipment that ends up having to much #2 in it to blend out enough with #1. We’ve always used PowerService because a local business sells it. Thank you immensely for your review! This operation will now run HotShots! Your channel is the best review channel out there!
I was pulling a huge trailer load of Amish slab wood home a couple years ago in some -15 weather. The truck is a 99 f350 with the 7.3 powerstroke and on my way home it started gelling up on me to where it would barely run and actually died once, I got it to restart but it idled very low and would not rev up. I had a full jug of that red diesel 911 rescue in my toolbox so I threw it in the tank and within 90 seconds it completely cleared up and ran great and got me home. I really wasn’t expecting much out of the diesel 911 and was completely blown away by how well and fast it worked. There will never not be a jug of that stuff in my toolbox ever again 👍
I had similar. Had my 89 7.3 with ATS turbo in for fuel injector cleaner. Left outside on -10f day. Started great, few miles later power rpm loss. Hit truck stop. Red bottle dumped in up to pumps, some improvement. I then filled tank from truck stop. *underground tanks figure +50F* still running. Since then white PS added early fall on. But I do not use dsl below zero. As semi retired I like temps over 20f.
I used to run a rough terrain forklift and in NW Iowa in the winter...well, you know. Anyway, we parked them outdoors every night and the block heaters were for show. We ran a blend of #1 and #2 with the red diesel treatment and never had a gel issue. I'm a believer
yup, diesel has that characteristic, it will freeze without certain additives, if you buy diesel say on the north slope it already has it in it . . otherwise they cannot pump it out of the tanks
You you use hot shots take a look at the repair geek and oil geeks video released the other day. It’s not far not the best product according to extensive lab tests but what is interesting is that non of the products are remotely close with different carrier fluids and additive packages. Totally different then the gas additive and oil additive market.
I used nothing but hotshots in my 6.0L Ford…never had a fuel issue, but the coldest it ever got around here was -20F. At that point, you needed a jump pack and 2 good batteries to get that old girl going!
I run hotshots on the farm I put in 550 gal worth of treatment for 450 gal of diesel. Worked down to -27f. Pretty important to have everything run when we have cows that need fed
@@dennytuma He measures out the treatment needed for 550 gallons of diesel. But instead of putting it in 550 gallons of diesel, he putts it in 450 gallons. Is that unbelievable?
My fuel jelled up before I received my hot shots order. I used diesel 911 and thawed it out. Using hot shots now and love it. My old school diesel seems a lot happier and I have genuine peace of mind ahead of this ice storm coming! Thanks for a great channel that actually helps!
@@gordonmackison6056 I use 99% isopropyl alcohol, available at most drugstores. It beats what's sold as windshield washer fluid because it doesn't contain any soap, and therefore won't streak the glass. Edit: Also it doesn't freeze!
Hot Shots dominated the field. It will be my go-to from here on out. Just a suggestion: on videos like these the cost per gallon treated would help those of us with large tanks of diesel (eq. Farmers, etc.)
@@ProjectFarm What they said as well as an efficiency number if you can find a Deutz diesel lawn mower for testing. Up here in Canada my neighbor had a nice diesel lawn tractor but he moved then I moved so she gone. BUT they are out there. The smaller fuel tank and engine I think is better than using the full size tractor. Another fantastic video. Thanks Todd!
Watched this shortly after it posted (while trying to get motivated to go plow snow). My tractor hadn't been plugged in before the blizzard hit, so I was happy to see Hot Shot's Secret was top of your list, since that was what I had in the tank. The tractor fired right up at -3°F (was -8° overnight). My real world experience matched your testing for sure. Had to come back to leave a comment today. Learning the lubricity was also good, nice bonus. All the best to you in the new year. Thanks for the many informative videos.
I'm 49 years old, live in Sweden and have never heard that diesel can gel up. Did a Google search and it seems like we get winter diesel in the gas stations here. It depends on where in Sweden we live but for me it's from 16th October to 30th mars. From south Norrland to the north they get it a month earlier and one month longer. I guess I learn something new every day :)
Here in Czechia we get -20C winter blend from first of December until the last day of February. Summer diesel is allowed to be sold only between 15th of April and 30th of September. The rest of the time -10C blend is sold. I use a czech brand of additives called VIF (supposedly its also used in the premium diesels here ) I never put more than the manufacturer says as the winters arent that harsh here and also i have heard that these additives include particles that cannot be recycled out of the DPF but in return help it to burn the soot clean off. ( so if you put too much you shorten the lifespan of your DPF ) (Arctic diesel down to -36c blend is sold here apparently, but not regulated by law as a necessity )
Same in the US, the north has the additives at the pump during winter, the south does not. It gets down to about -20C here and our diesels do not gel without additives. I do run the regular hotshots EDT for the other benefits year round.
in the us we have major extremes. some places like in california allot of stations have number 2 diesel with anti gelling but states like texas not so much. why? because it rarely gets cold enough for long enough.
Diesel formulation changes over the seasons in ALL cold weather locations on Earth. That is not unique to Sweden. Where I live standard pump diesel is mostly Kerosene during the winter months as we get pretty cold weather. In the southern USA winter diesel is no different than summer diesel as they don't have cold weather.
@@knurlgnar24We get winter fuel in Nc. I live in the mountains and it does get cold enough maybe a couple times a winter. But boy I can really tell when they switch over to winter fuel, my mpgs go down by 2. I don’t know about all the stations, but Murpheys stations have winter fuel here.
Both of my vehicles are diesels and have always used Howes...never had any issues even in the brutal South Dakota winters... but that Hot Shots is going to get a run this year... great video as always! Awesome relative information! Keep up the great work... there's a reason you are the standard on RUclips!
I think around 1987 I was on rt 30 in northern Indiana when the Cummins powered Volvo White I was driving started to freeze up the filters. It was probably 10 below and dropping. I got into a truck stop but they didn't have any of the spin on filters that the truck used. I dumped 2 gallon of Power Service into the tanks. I pulled off the filter but it was so frozen I couldn't get hardly any of the fuel additive into it. But I did have a bottle of airline (methanol) antifreeze. I poured that into the filter and gave it a couple good shakes and poured it out. It felt like it lost 5 lbs. Refilled it with straight Power Service and restarted the truck. The engine did hammer hard for a couple minutes until it got the diesel mixed back in. But it did the trick and I was good for the rest of the trip. 😎
@volvo09 It was definitely getting chilly in the cab by the time I got it running. Another annoying thing was it had a water separator that didn't have any form of a heating system whether a line from the coolant system or an electric element. So it was ice fogged too. Just had to keep the additives in every time I filled up.
Thank you for following up and doing a second video on this with some additional products vs 5 years ago. Glad to see that Hot Shots is still a quality product.
I am the most anti snake oil person there is. However I just tried the Hot Shots Anti Stiction oil additive in my 7.3. It runs so much more smoothly now it's unbelievable. It isn't anti-gel but I thought I'd throw this in here.
@@Bacongrease00yeah Repair Geek/Motor Oil Geek did a thing in this a few days ago with actual lab testing. Archoil was 2nd in the rankings and definitely best bang for the buck.
Perfect timing! Flying to our off-grid cabins in SE Alaska in 10 days, and first time using MiniX and Toolcat in winter so need to bring some anti-gel additive!!
Great video Todd, and couldn’t be better timing! 20°F this morning when I dropped the kiddos off at school. I greatly appreciate the wear and tear portions of this video. Seams like I’ll be changing brands of diesel additives. Keep up the great work, I love watching your videos.
Glad to see Hot Shot's is still on top! I have been using it since your last review of diesel treatment fluids. I always use a double dose just to be safe. Great review again!
as a guy with 5 diesels in his yard and living in new Hampshire where it does get quite cold this test was awesome id love to see that first test with a diesel atf mix as the tractors get a qt of atf in the summer for pump lube! keep up the good work
ATF is supposedly a great lubricity enhancer, only on researching its primarily a cleaner and is not designed to be burned/combusted. Seems like 2-stroke definately adds lubricity, is designed to be burned/combusted, and is usually even better as its closer to ashless. ATF is probably decent for cleaning once in a while.
@@boots7859I had sticking injectors after my 96 7.3 powerstroke sat for a while. I dumped half a quart of ATF in each fuel tank and they quit sticking. The next fuel fill up, I added another half quart to each tank. Haven’t had problems since. I also ran Howe’s for years before I did that. Never had fuel gel up with Howe’s.
In my mind ATF is not a good lubricant at all, if you throw a lubricant like motor oil into your automatic transmission what do you think would happen? ATF has friction enhancers in it to help the clutch packs to grab and not slip in your transmission.
I don't have anything diesel, but this is really great info to know! #1 reason youtube was made and Todd is A+ at making it happen! Happy New Years to you and the family
As several others have noted, your superb knowledge of testing has no peers!!! Like many other followers, when it comes to purchasing products that you have tested, the purchases I make are always the ones that have scored the best. Keep up the good work. We are all paying attention! : - )
Glad to see the lubricity tester out and working again! Can’t believe it’s been 5 years already since the last diesel additive test!! Love these videos as always!
We just bought our first Diesel two days ago, and are out here learning. I have followed your channel for years and am stoked you covered this topic helps us out hugely.
Hot shots has always been a go to for me didn't exspect it to do so well though. I sell a ton of power service diesel to customers I'm going to be pushing the hot shots more for my customers thanks for the information. Great video as always 19:45 @Project Farm
My Co-op sells PSD. We do not get blistering cold weather here, so gelling most likely not an issue for me, but all the other aspects certainly do. Good to know that I will be buying HotShots next time as my Power Service Diesel is about empty. I may have to let my local Co-op see this video so they can start carrying a better product.
Drove OTR for 30 years, usually the diesel fuel being sold is blended for their temperature. But on occasion I've added Power Service, FTTP, or when nothing else was available I put a gallon of gasoline in the Diesel, but that was when it was -40°. The only time I really froze up was due to water in the fuel.
Retired after 45 years of diesel truck operation in the upper Midwest. I found that some brands of fuel filter plugged much more easily than others. I used fuel heaters for best winter results; the type which route the coolant lines through the fuel tank so once warmed up the engine heat kept it warm.
Drove OTR 35 myself. The winter blend cutoff used to be right about Virginia. As you say, water is the key to stay running. One truck I had needed not only the fuel separator wrapped in bubble foil insulation but all the lines had the foam tube insulation on them. Found out the hard way the other side of North Bay, ON. Our mechanic shook his head but when my truck was the only one running in wicked cold the next week every truck was done like mine.
I was working for the U.S. military in Korea. I got up one particularly cold morning and started walking to work. I saw a guy sitting in a truck at a stop sign cranking a diesel engine. A little further up the road, I saw it again. We had been ordering winter-grade diesel for several months but something was up. Turned out our supplier had marked the paperwork as being winter diesel, but never actually switched over. The folks over at transportation ordered 800 fuel filters and we dumped jet fuel into our diesel tanks to lower the gel point.
JP8 or mogas is the next treatment. Ether is always the last resort. Don't forget the carbon burn. That and star tron was never completed enough on the 2 strokes either.
@ They stopped doing that because JP8 lacked the lubricity necessary for diesel engine injection systems. Pumps and injectors failed prematurely. We used jet when the mission dictated it but diesel was preferred.
I work on Helicopters, we have to stop flying at -40c/f because the JetA will gel up, never had it flameout but we do get a bunch of high pressure filter bypass warning lights when its around -30c . What is cool though is that we get contrails at ground level at -39C.
We can use jet a1. With anti Ice or jetb down to -40 as stated by the manufacturer. I don't work on fixed wing . Good question cause at 35,000 it's -50 -60. We fly at 500 feet.
Thank you sir, I've been a loyal powerservice user over the last 20 years but your tests are now changing that, HS or Peak like you said are now my choices. I appreciate how real and honest your tests are without all the drama and theatrics or potty mouthed language, I can atleast watch your channel with my fam without having to worry about what we are going to see or hear, thank you, may the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and your family.
HotShot's products have been my go-to for the last 7-8 years out of the 12 I've owned a diesel. His test from a few years ago helped me know I was making the right choice. A few years later, it's still outperforming.
Your videos are cut so precise and to the point, which is what makes your channel the best! But i would really love to see some outtakes! Out of the hundreds of hours of footage you have, you must have a bunch of clips of tools flying through the air, knocking over cameras, small explosions etc..
Another supe video Todd. One idea would be to test Break discs (OEM v/s Auto brands like O Reiley/Autozone etc) v/s the high performance ceramics and semi metallics. There are so many options and would be good to know how they fare in stopping power, fading due to heat, water, etc & temperatures generated for a certain braking force applied.
There's an interesting video here on RUclips from "Dave's Auto Center" where a guy brought in a 6.7L Powerstroke diesel with 900,000 miles on it, and they tear it down to inspect the engine and it was pristine. The owner reportedly changed his oil regularly but also added some kind of additive to add lubricity to the fuel to prevent wear on the CP4 pump which also was in immaculate condition. I recommend checking them out as it's a two-parter. It only failed because of a design flaw in the lifters which were using needle roller bearings instead of a solid bushing.
And Dave is too money hungry to reveal which additive was used. Nothing but a salesman wanting to sell his own snake oil. Lost me as a viewer after that one. My speculation is hot shots. Also pretty certain he has a Frants oil bypass?
The needle bearings in the roller lifters wasn't a design flaw. They were never designed to last 900,000 miles to begin with. If you think a bushing would be better look at what is happening to the Cummins. 2019 they went to a hydraulic roller lifter with a bushing and some aren't even making it to 100,000 before wiping out the cam with the roller seizes up because they don't get enough lubrication. Nothing made today is designed to last much longer than the warranty period.
Watched that also. Dave's Auto Center is the go to place on YT if you own a diesel. He explains the how and why in every video of what to and not to do for the current situation. He mentions all the time why a lubricant is necessary with the low sulfur diesel of today.
Thanks for the video. The Repair Geek and the Motor oil geek here on RUclips just tested diesel additives using the actual HFFR test. They found that Opti-lube XPD and Archoil outperformed hot shot’s. These were the regular products though, not the winter versions. On the Opti-lube website they show that their winter product has less lubricity enhancers compared to XPD. Would be great to see how XPD performs in this line up, since it also has anti-gel.
I was similarly slightly disappointed after watching the Geeks video not to see XPD in the lineup. I understand Todd here can’t test everything and he does such a wonderful job this video is still much appreciated. So….now do I mix start mixing fuel additives?
@@waitercheckplease I plan to finish up using the Hot shot’s secret EDT I have and I ordered opti-lube XL since it says it has the best protection for wear. If fuel economy drops I’m going to order the opti-lube Summer and add in about half the dose and see if fuel economy goes back up. The math says it would still be cheaper than using XPD alone
@@lukevillareal6243 I typed up a response on a few videos about diesel fuel additives as well as anit-gel additives so I'll just copy and paste what I typed here and revise as needed. I also watched the same video on Repair Geek's channel with Lake Speed and I think you should read what I type as it will give you some insight or other things to consider BEFORE you go ordering XPD or Archoil over Hotshot's Secret. The wear mark results are on the left and additional Cetane levels on the right. The first one is the base of just diesel fuel by itself out of a pump from a Valero fuel station. **Just so everyone knows, the baseline for the scar or wear mark was 520 so any number lower would be better and any number higher would be worse.** Valero (brand) diesel fuel - 490 (I know they said the baseline was 520 so I don't know why they have this number as 490 but I'm using the numbers off of their video) / Cetane 57.6 Hotshot's Secret - 450 / 61.4 Archoil - 360 / 62.6 Power Service Diesel Kleen+ - 430 / 63.8 XPD (Opti lube) All-in-one - 240 / 63.0 Stanadyne PF - 500 / 60.2 **(when they discussed the lubricity tests with Stanadyne, they said that it actually increased during the wear or scar test by roughly 20 points so that's why it's 500 here compared to the 490 of the regular diesel fuel out of the pump as the first one in these results. So, this would actually be a bad product similar to the Howe's diesel additive I mentioneed earlier)** As you can see from the results, the XPD All-in-one tested the best in terms of lubricity capabilities but also had some decent Cetane boost numbers. However, there is a big thing to consider here which is CPG or (Cost Per Gallon). Before I type this, I'll admit that my comments will seem biased since it is going to discuss Hotshot's Secret and have support for them. But, before you go thinking I'm a salesperson or associate for them, I'm not. This is about numbers plain and simple. Anyway, although the XPD everyday diesel treatment/additive did provide the best wear results by having the smallest wear mark or "scar" (like similar to this one where Project Farm tests the lubricity by using a wheel) as well as increasing the Cetane level a good amount, there are some other things to consider here. For one, the XPD diesel treatment was NOT $0.25 per gallon like Andrew claimed in his example of doing 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel over 300k miles at 10 mpg where he said it would be $7500 based on what he claimed in the video. I did the calculations based on having a bottle shipped to my address and it came out to be $78.92 before tax which is how all of these things are calculated. It actually came out to be $0.1541 per gallon or essentially $0.15.4 per gallon for a bottle that treats 512 gallons. In comparison, the Archoil that he was recommending as the 2nd place alternative was about $0.1123 or $0.11.2 per gallon of treatment based on pricing of ordering it directly from their website (which I believe is what most people would do) at $44.95 per bottle with shipping and it treats up to 400 gallons of diesel fuel. In contrast, Hotshot's Secret that also comes in a bottle that treats 400 gallons was only $0.0448 or $0.045 per gallon based on pricing at Walmart of $17.95 per bottle. Now, here's what I think would be interesting to know: If you doubled the recommended dosage of the Hotshot's Secret, what would the results be? Or, what if you tripled the dosage? As Lake Speed mentioned in the video, "adding more chemical does not "typically" guarantee better results". So, I'll admit that the Hotshot's Secret lubricity capability may NOT necessarily "double" or "triple" the original results but, I'll bet it would improve significantly. Hotshot's Secret does have a "performance" dosage if you double it so it would interesting to know what the difference would be. If you look at the numbers, although Hotshot's Secret was a little far off of Archoil in terms of the "wear" or scar mark test at 450 compared to 360, I don't think it was completely horrible if you consider the price as well as another option I am getting to. Now sure, that's a 90 number difference but what would happen if the dose was doubled? Surely that number would go down right? Now, I don't know if it would get down as low as the 240 that the XPD treatment showed but I'll bet it would be better than the 360 from Archoil. The other thing to consider was the Cetane increase of 61.4 for Hotsho'ts Secret and 62.6 for Archoil for a difference of about 1.2 between them. Again, I can't imagine that the Cetane number wouldn't increase even more if you doubled the dose in which case, it may be even more than the number that XPD had of 63.0. It may not quite get to the level of the PowerService Diesel Kleen + at 63.8 but what if it did do better than this for Cetane? A double dose of Hotshot's Secret comes out to $0.08975 per gallon or essentially $0.09 per gallon. THAT'S STILL $0.02.2 cheaper than Archoil and $0.06.4 cheaper than XPD. Even if you tripled the dose of Hotshot's Secret, it WOULD STILL be less expensive at only $0.13.4 or $0.13.5 per gallon of treatment WHICH IS STILL $0.019 cheaper than XPD per gallon. What I'm saying is that if you figure it out by CPG (Cost per gallon), Hotshot's Secret comes out ahead of Archoil even if you have to double the dose and even if you triple the dose, it would still be better than XPD. Now, what we don't know UNFORTUNATELY is what the difference of the numbers would be if the Hotshot's treatment was doubled or tripled. Again, I understand that the numbers probably wouldn't be cut in 1/2 just from doubling the dose but what if it could reduce the number by 25% to 30% and go from 450 down to around 340 or even 315 to 320ish? What if tripling the dose brought the number down to 50% and it actually did get down to 225 or possibly less? Plus, let's not forget that the Cetane levels would increase as well. What if doubling it bumped the Cetane to 63 or a little more? What if tripling it bumped it to 64 or maybe 65? My point is that when you sit down and figure it by CPG (Cost per gallon), Hotshot's is coming out ahead even when doubling or tripling the doses. I would rather do a double dose and still be ahead of the rest of them in terms of cost and results. ***(I know I don't have ANY ACTUAL results to back up my claims or "theories" here but I think it's hard to argue that the numbers would HAVE TO get better even if only slightly.)*** Also, keep in mind that although this test was meant to show the product's anti-gelling capabilities, Hotshot's Secret tested very well in the lubricity area as well as the flame / heat portion of this video. To me, that would indicate that they've got a pretty good product especially when you consider the CPG. One other thing that people aren't keeping in mind with this discussion is that Archoil and XPD are NOT widely distributed like the other ones are. Although Hotshot's Secret may not be quite as widely distributed as Stanadyne or PowerService Diesel Kleen+ and some other additives out there, I know Walmart carries it at "most" of its stores and they also have it in many other stores like Menards (it's like a large home improvement store like Lowes or Home Depot), Runnings, TSC, O Reilly's, and many other parts stores. So, you don't have to worry about ordering it and having to be at your home to get it. You can just pick it up at many locations on the road as you need it. But, if you're like me and like to save money, just stop at a Walmart and get a couple bottles unless you're a regulara transporter and just get it as you're traveling once a week at your regular stop at Walmart. -------------------------- When I had typed all of this up, I had NOT watched this video on Project Farm's channel because I kept referring to the older "anti-gel" video he did about 5 years ago. I "assumed" he wouldn't do another one since he already did one. HOWEVER, I'm so glad he did an update BECAUSE I think it just reaffirms that Hotshot's Secret is the way to go no matter what. Even in this video, you see that Hotshot's lubricity test is extremely good and excels in EVERY CATEGORY with the exception of essentially tying with Peak for the colder test. Overall, it is far superior though. Again, although I don't have any concrete evidence or testing to back up my claims, based on this video, his past video, and other videos I've watched, I think Hotshot's would perform very well even if you did a double dose of it and overall be a better value than XPD and definitely Archoil especially if it were doubled. Heck, even in this video alone you can see that it outperforms Archoil. Plus, availability helps a lot.
As a truck driver, this is actually very helpful. I've always used Howes and have never had an issue with my fuel gelling up. I also pull a chemical tanker and have delivered a product to Power Service in Weatherford Texas, guy gave me 2 or 3 bottles of Anti-gel, claiming it was better than Howes.
I was in the diesel trucking industry for over 35 years and all the truckers insisted on Power Service, they all swore by it. I really had no clue. back in the day we used to mix#1 & #2 diesel to keep it from gelling, one company we contracted service with used a powdered additive called Primrose and they had to stop using it because it turned thee fuel red, they had a time in court over that one.
@@Crodgers88 It worked usually never had a problem, ask your dad if he's still with us if he ever lit a cutting torch and dropped it in a tank of gelled fuel? craziest thing I ever witnessed, it won't ignite because it cant emit any fumes.
As some one who never had anything with a diesel engine I learned you must really take care of diesel fuel in cold winters. Thanks for another entertaining and educational video!
Video suggestion: Test coffee bean grinders to see which do the best job for consistency, choice of grind size, noise, etc. Thanks for all your great videos.
As always, we greatly appreciate your hard work and dedication. Thank you so much!! I only wish there was a channel for aimed for EU consumers, testing products and brands available to us here.
@@g.tucker8682 True! This channel is doing fantastic, and it's only growing bigger and bigger. Huge potential there for someone to cash in on this, all while providing a great service for the people.
Thank you project farm! I can confidently head to the store and choose the best product for my diesel pickups thanks to you! Been watching your videos for a couple years and you never dissapoint!
Sulpher compounds are now removed from diesel and gasoline products. The source is " sour crude " from many wells especially in the west. The sulphur when combusted causes acid rain as well as eating up your cars exhaust. So adding an lubricant can help. One lubricant I have used successfully is Boron Nitried. Isolated as a powder it feels like fine graphite on the fingers. Shell used it as an additive in the " Nitro " branded fuel. ARCO used it back in the 60's. It works good to lubricate the pintle valve in fuel injectors and fuel pump. My 03 ford ranger has 346K miles and still runs good. So Google boron nitride and see if its right for your needs. Thank you Todd. You have the best review of products on the Internet. Project Farm rocks !!!!
How do you add this powder and at what sort of ratio? Just curious as a starting point to learn more about it. Not going to run out and try it without researching it. 🙂
About 25 years ago I bought a bottle of treatment at a station in Rockville IN. on the way home from work and added it with a fill up. Plugged in the truck that evening. The next morning on the way to work I parked next to the same station, it was closed that early, as the truck just about had died and I called my son to take me to work. He came and got me when I got off and the station was then open and I caught hell from the owner for parking in his lot without asking. I informed him the reason for parking there and then I then showed him the remaining half of the bottle in the back of my truck which had frozen itself in the bottle. He did say he was sorry for yelling at me but didn't refund the money for the additive. Last time I bought fuel there.
Thank you for making your old additive video and following up with this one. In the past 6 months I’ve been using Hotshot in my diesel trucks for my small construction business and I’ve seen an increase in fuel economy. The videos give me confidence that it’s an excellent protection as well, almost no black smoke out of my deleted Duramax. I also live in freezing temperatures and continued using hotshot but switching to the winter+EDT mix, it’s been an incredible performance and value. Thank you for the content
Back in the early 80's I did some cold weather fuel testing in a reefer trailer set to -20 F. I did a lot of research on what happens to diesel fuel at low temperatures. I visited some labs that were also doing research. The two things about diesel that cause problems are pour point (where diesel will no longer pour out of a container) and cloud point (where you just begin to see wax crystals). All these products are pour point depressents. The problem in diesel engines is that when wax crystal start to form they get trapped in the fuel filters and starve the engine. So diesel engines are shut down long before the fuel reaches pour point. At the time I did the research there really wasn't anything that affected cloud point. I tested all kinds of products plus fuel warming devices. My conclusions is that the most effective treatment is fuel blending of number 2 with number 1. Our fuel supplier was already doing this.
Up here in Canada, my grandpa used gasoline in the diesel to act as a solvent and keep the diesel from 'waxing'. Usually a 10-20% gas mixed into the diesel. Fuel type kerosene was used at times, but a lot more expensive.
@@ng-ht1vx Yes, GM even recommended using gasoline on their deisel powered cars. However, you now have a fuel with a lot more btu than gasoline that has the volatility of gasoline.
I had a 1982 Volkswagen rabbit diesel , it had 10 gallon fuel tank . The owners manual said to use 1 gal. of gas to 9 gallon of diesel for below 0 operation .
10% gas is far beyond anything I have ever heard. I never added any gas to diesel but I know some guys who put a gallon or two in a 100 gallon fuel tank and seemed to get away with it.
Thank you, hero. You save us a lot of money. Can you do kitchen knives sets? I bought a $470.00 set and it’s nowhere near the advertised. I refuse to mention the German Brand. I shouldn’t have allowed be talked out of the set I wanted. No rust my ASSet. Hand washed
The one that he didn't test from Germany, which all of the chefs use as it's inexpensive and durable, is Forschner/Victorinox. But it doesn't come in sets. I've never had rust issues with them as it is the same steel they use in the famous Swiss Army knives. Originally there were all made in Solingen Germany not too far from that brand you won't mention (I'm sure we know what it is, though, given the silly price ) and Victorinox eventually bought the Forschner factory out.
Thanks Todd. In my old LML I was using local stuff called LubeCorp which was really best IMO. Never a problem with CP4. July last year I got new AT4X HD and my local lube corp was out of some chemicals to manufacture it. I tried Hot Shot EDT. To be honest I had horrible mpg and regen to regen distances were like 160-180 miles. CRAZY. Then I decided to check Archoil which improved my mpg by solid 150 miles from full tank and my regen to regen distances are about 500miles. I use Edge CTS 3 for monitoring. Could be subjective to the quality of fuel we purchase, but I will stick with Archoil now
@@T51B1 In theory you are correct. In real life it looks like fuel burns cleaner that's why I see better MPG and also less frequent regens. Also when cleaning MAP sensors I see less soot build ups.
I don’t own a diesel. I will never own a diesel, and yet I watched every second of this video. Idk how you do it but your videos are the best and very informative, keep it up 🙏🏻🙏🏻
@@BigMOBBOByeah never understood why he does shit like that. Technically it's still should be a 1:1 comparison if their products hold up at dilution but we'll never know
It's obviously too hard for people to use their brains these days - The sizes of the wear scars are more easily discernable by testing only the product, rather than the product diluted with fuel.
Thanks for taking the time to do these tests. It’s some very useful information for VW diesel owners whose cars were manufactured before the low-sulfur mandate.
can you test if preheating the engine block and oil reduces engine wear by a noticeable amount? I keep being told 80% of engine wear occurs at startup because the engine is cold and not at operating temperature. Can you test that? does it matter even in warm weather or only when its -40C?
Come on now, that would be a long, probably expensive and hell of a lot of time to invest pulling apart to baseline and then pulling apart to determine wear, and multiple times with diff. products. You use a heater if its going to be too cold to start for various reasons. Few people are going to go to the trouble to try and extend their engine life this way unless they're a little nutz.
@@boots7859 either you measure the piston rings after X amount of cold starts, or metal in the oil after x amount of cold starts, plus a engine doing the same thing with a warmed block and oil.
I'll save ya the wait time. YES better to have a warm motor. Oil flows better things run smoother. But ya don't have to plug in all night. Use a smart plug set on a timer for 2-4 hrs before leaving. Get one with energy monitoring and you can see block heater power draw and check operation
@ yes, but what about oil pan heater, transmission oil heater. block heater vs Circulating Coolant Heater. On large generators they have/use circulating coolant Heaters. These actually get the whole engine warm not just where the block heater plug is. how much difference does that make for engine wear? and yeah block heaters "warm" the engine but the circulating ones used on generators get them actually up to operating temps. I want to know how much difference that makes for engine/transmission life.
@keith3761 What about them? block heater warm the whole thing...then natural temp moves it around. Heat rises colder falls so it circulates. Pan heaters can burn the fluid if they get too hot. But some are temp regulated to 195⁰ so use those. Sure use a coolant heater with pump...it's the same thing as a block heater except more expensive. It will work the same. Yes heat the fluids...they work better. If you want specifics you can research the science of thermodynamics of fluids. The real world testing for that is nearly impossible with hundreds of variables. Plug the truck in and set it on a timer. People have never heated anything get in start it drive it get hundreds of thousands of miles with no issues. Anything you do improves it. It's not necessarily for wear but more for comfort of temperature as in faster heat up. HOW you drive and fluid changes will make more difference. Change your fluids frequently
I’ve been using hotshots secret sense I bought my truck, 6.5 diesels are known to have weak injection pumps and I’m really glad to see that I picked the right product for my truck!
@ 19:52 you show the final chart. But I think your math is wrong on the "corrosion resistance rating" it's supposed to be rated 1-5 but you put the order of rank number in instead which throws off the average for all of the end averages... love the videos keep up the great work.
@@2gd532I understand that. But in a category with a max of 5 how can you have 13. That will throw off the end average. For each category with a number over 5. It may not even change the ranking of any of the additives but I figured he would want to know that each one of his averages are wrong... At least the ones with a score over the maximum rank of 5.
Suggested video: I needed a new hair trimmer/clipper, and you're the first thing that popped in my mind. Unfortunately you don't have a video on hair trimmers yet, so I'll have to do my own research without the testing.
Demulsify is the opposite of emulsify. Emulsify means it causes water to mix with fuel, pass through the filter and be vaporized in the combustion chamber, while a demulsifier encourages water to drop out of suspension, where it can then be drained off the tank. Big difference.
i use archoil. what i know from testing is it keeps me from going into regen. it keeps the gauge at 0% at all times. you dont even have to use it every tank. once you start to see the gauge climb, if you add some, a few minutes later the gauge will drop to zero again. that to me is pretty amazing that it kills soot that well.
Very well done looks like I’m going to switch my choice after this review. So glad I am a small monthly contributor to your channel. Very good non bias information always an educational resource
I can only imagine how much money you have saved truckers around the world from getting stuck. It was good to see our old friend the lubricity tester again. Keep up the good work Todd. I still tell everyone about your channel.
My diesel specialist here in Australia ( where we do not have to worry about the cold weather) recommends putting a very small amount of two-stroke oil every time you fill your tank. Like 25 millilitres per tank. Diesel fuel here is 50ppm sulfur or less.
I know a guy who hauls soybean oil for a living. He also runs 2 trucks an older manual peterbuilt and a newer truck too. He saves leftover oil from his hauls and adds it to his fuel in the old manual truck and his farm tractor and says it does a better job that any additive he can buy. He says that truck never gives him any trouble. Can’t use it in the newer truck because it will mess with all the sensors. We did live in Alabama so freezing is not our biggest problem most of the time however this week it may be an issue. Good video as usual Todd. Thx
Just in time for the severe weather in many parts of the US. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and thank you for all of your support over the past year! Looking forward to reading your comments and video ideas. Best regards, Todd
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I was first giving this a like 😅😆 // sweden
Next time, please try raw gas mix and some variations of gas and 2 stroke oil like 75 to 1, 50 to 1 mixed with the diesel, and so on
Thank"s Todd.👍🇺🇸
Could you test these cheap plasma cutters Im seeing ads for everywhere?
Why do you never tested sockets for ratchets and the like?
All the companies that sell us things, quake in their boots, when Project Farm takes on their products.
Well done Todd.
Thanks!
All the execs must hear the Jaws 2-note signature theme just before a new PF video drops.
@@JJpoint34 😆
If this was true, this just means they need to make their products better. WIN-WIN
Probably about as much as when LPL makes another lock video.
Many a marketing department shudder when they hear “we’re gonna test that”. Another brilliant real world review 👍
Thanks!
I imagine them whistling and looking around/up at the sky like they had nothing to do with it.
The single most impressive thing about these videos is that Todd hasn't ever lost that silver ballpoint pen.
Lol. Good Point!
Very Impressive!
....Or cousin Eddie.
That space pen is pricey
He buys those by the case, dude.
I manage a fleet of 21 school buses and had watched your previous video on Diesel Anti-Gels. You're the reason I switched to Hot Shot's before last winter and never had any gelling issues even when it got down to -25F here. I'm glad that this product still is the best and I will continue using it. Thanks for the videos! Keep up the great work!
It warms my heart to know there are still fleets of Diesel school busses out there. In this dreary world I was starting to think they've all been switched to gas or electrics or making kids peddle by now.
@@Palimino444 Diesels are pretty clean now days. Propane is also catching on for school buses.
Thanks, will do!
@@Palimino444 I travel the country installing cameras on school bus fleets and have been on probably 3,000+ school buses. I’d say 80% are diesel, 10% are propane, and the rest are gas or electric. Gas powered school buses were mostly phased out in the late 80’s in favor of turbodiesels. Electric buses are about 4x the cost of a diesel bus so most schools can’t afford them even if they want them, which the vast majority don’t.
As with everyting in life what 'works' depends on a number of factors. Diesel for buses around rural arears works a treat - long distances, long running times... nice warm efficient engine that will last and only sip fuel. However in the UK we use diesels in our small cars and over 70% of journies in the UK are less than a mile and many more are under 5 miles - so for a vehicle, usually carrying just one individual, a tiny distance... it's never going to get warm and a huge amount of emmisions occur when diesels are cold and at start up. So battery EVs actually make perfect sense for the majority of UK journies (not that UK drivers will swallow that).
We do have electric double decker buses in my city and they are fantastic. Our old diesels were filthy - walk past one when it was setting off from a stop and you were covered is soot (almost). Now there is just silence and no fumes. I visited London where the new hybrids mostly operate on there ICE engine for some reason and it reminded me how filthy our inner city multi-drop buses really are. Of cours cities are rubbish at allowing exhaust to escape too.
Thank you for the quality non biased testing that you do. After your last video, my fire dept switched to treating our fuel tanks with hot shots. So for what its worth, the hard work you're putting in is having far reaching effects. From your chain saw videos, battery saws, chain sharpeners, screw guns, motor oils, and much more. Your work is helping us provide the best services we can for our citizens. So from Indiana, Thank you!
Also where you using winter diesel from a gas station? Or summer fuel from an onsite fuel tank?
That's awesome that your entire fire department is using his videos to find better stuff to help people!
@rawj1213 Everything is just getting more and more expensive. And unfortunately budgets are tight. So when we purchase equipment or things for Maintenance. We want to stretch that dollar as much as possible. Doing whatever we can to keep the trucks rolling 24/7 365 no matter the weather. At the cost of 1.5 million a fire truck, we want to get the most years of service out of it. Same thing for equipment, there is so much bias on what is best. He provides awnsers and test results. When tax payers are trusting you with their money, they want it spent wisely. And that's the other part of buying the right thing the first time. If you're brand loyal you can end up paying more for a product that isn't the best. But by doing research and with much credit to his work. We're able to maintain the trucks, maintain the equipment and purchase the best equipment. It's what our community deserves and expects from us.
My tax dollars going to something that actually works
@@evanbaker8825 Everything you just said is basically why I thought it is so awesome you guys take the time to not only find the best stuff but with the consideration that you're using people's tax dollars to do it. I also avoid being brand loyal as well! I want what is best for me! Also. Didn't know that fire trucks cost 1.5 million. Jesus that is insane!
@@rawj1213ALL specialty vehicles cost a fortune. Look up how much a 50 ton rotator tow truck costs.
Suggested video: Best SERPENTINE BELT. Continental vs Goodyear vs Bando vs Gates vs Dayco vs ACDelco
Thank you for the video idea!
Don't forget motorcraft/other OEM's
We use bando where I work. Apparently is a supplier for Japanese OEM vehicles. Kinda like denso and ngk for them as well you know. Why buy a Honda or Toyota belt from the dealer at there prices when you can go straight to the manufacturer. Kinda like how I stay off the matco and Cornwell and Mac trucks that come by. I’m not buying rebranded stuff just because it has a lifetime warranty through them. Most of my stuff is gearwrench, Pittsburgh, craftsman, icon, and lisle.
Today's standards you have to get what you get and don't throw a fit! There isn't any competition anymore they are all owned by one company.
@@Fortheloveofjdm Mitsuboshi (yes, spelled like that) is also a major long-time supplier of belts for Toyota.
wow, the lubricity tester is back. It's like seeing an old friend again :)
Thanks for sharing!
And its Metric with decimal point accuracy.
@WOFFY-qc9te When comparing wear scars the unit it's measured in doesn't really matter. Larger is worse, that's all you really need to know.
However when talking about temperatures, volumes and weight the unit might be more important. Fortunately -40° is about the same if it's in Celsius or Fahrenheit.
When talking about the blend it might be worth using percentages instead of volume as that doesn't change depending on units. Just state if it's by volume or by weight.
Weight I have no good solution for. The best I can do is about 0.5Kg per pound. Not good enough for real calculations but close enough for most situations.
Feet and meters is another bothersome conversion. but 3.3 feet per meter is about right. It's really closer to 3.28084 but that's to complex for me to calculate on the fly. To be honest I usually just go by dividing the feet by three, yes a yard. It's close enough to get an idea when someone talks about something like 27 or thirty feet. Divide by three and it's a bit less than 10 meters, about 9 meters if i bother to think about it.
@@ProjectFarm i was actually super happy to finally see the two stroke Oil Test compared with normal Diesel and would suggest you post the part with the direct comparison as a youtube short. This is one of the essential questions especially for older cars that where developed before removal of sulfur in the Diesel, which are prone to wear in the high pressure pump. I've never seen a proper scientific experimental comparison like here before.
The lubricity test as ran here is pointless, and so are the other tests that were run on PURE ADDITIVE. You add very little additive by volume to a huge (comparatively) quantity of diesel, so even if in its pure form the additive is amazeballs at lubricating, that's not how you actually use it. And then you have DIFFERENT ADDITIVE DOSE (per the instructions), so you're comparing the same 40oz of pure additive, even though some have doses an order of magnitude higher/lower than another, so even if 2 additives have the same lubricity, one is supposed to be dosed at 1oz/gal and another 3oz/gal.
Again, testing the pure additives like this is completely worthless.
I don't own a diesel or have any plans to own one, yet I still felt compelled to watch this video. Great work as always!!
Get a W123 Mercedes. Worth.
Thanks! Thanks for watching!
Same lol. I used to watch power stroke help all the time too. Rip bill hewitt
I just bought my first diesel at 62 and I will never own gas again!Its incredible.GMC 1500 Denali 3.0 Duramax!
Yesterday, I was looking at your Fuel additives from 5 years ago! Today, you updated it, and I appreciate it!!!!
Thanks!
Ditto! My fuel gelled up two weeks during a 7 degree morning cold snap with PRE-treated tank (from WaWa) using stanadyne "performance/all season" additive... And I always use 2x-4x the dosage amount and I can attest it gelled up after 5minutes of driving.. I was so annoyed because I stick to my regiment religiously and this was my first and LAST real COLD trusting stanadyne - especially for being a fuel injection manufacturer
@@cowboy41231 I was using Stanadyne too, but it's time to switch to HotShot or Peak diesel treatment. For some reason my vehicles don't like WaWa fuels... They tend to run rougher...
Your videos are more informative and better quality than anything you'll find on consumer reports. Your videos have helped me make a lot of informed purchases of quality products. Keep up the good work!
Thank you!
This is our consumer report 😅
Amen
yes i like the way Todd points out which tests are subjective, and the faults in his own method... true scientific thinking!
@@Semperf11along with other sources. Lake speed does in-depth science on oil chemistry and he does very in-depth scientific analysis on products as the “Motor Oil Geek”. Yesterday the repair geek dropped a video with lakes help on this very topic and the lab data tells us a totally different story on which products are better. Totally different conclusion. XDP and Airchoil are far better products then Hot Shots.
As someone who lives on the northern part of Montana, -30° and even lower is very common. While there is no substitute for getting straight #1 diesel in our machinery and trucks before the brutal cold arrives, it seems like we always have a few pieces of equipment that ends up having to much #2 in it to blend out enough with #1. We’ve always used PowerService because a local business sells it. Thank you immensely for your review! This operation will now run HotShots! Your channel is the best review channel out there!
Thanks so much!
As a truck driver, this is some very good information. Thanks for all your hard work!
I believe Hot Shot's came in first last time too, based on that review that is what I have been using. So glad to see they are still rockin' it!
Thanks for the feedback.
That's what I use.
I was pulling a huge trailer load of Amish slab wood home a couple years ago in some -15 weather. The truck is a 99 f350 with the 7.3 powerstroke and on my way home it started gelling up on me to where it would barely run and actually died once, I got it to restart but it idled very low and would not rev up. I had a full jug of that red diesel 911 rescue in my toolbox so I threw it in the tank and within 90 seconds it completely cleared up and ran great and got me home. I really wasn’t expecting much out of the diesel 911 and was completely blown away by how well and fast it worked. There will never not be a jug of that stuff in my toolbox ever again 👍
Thanks for sharing.
I had similar. Had my 89 7.3 with ATS turbo in for fuel injector cleaner. Left outside on -10f day. Started great, few miles later power rpm loss. Hit truck stop. Red bottle dumped in up to pumps, some improvement. I then filled tank from truck stop. *underground tanks figure +50F* still running. Since then white PS added early fall on. But I do not use dsl below zero. As semi retired I like temps over 20f.
I used to run a rough terrain forklift and in NW Iowa in the winter...well, you know. Anyway, we parked them outdoors every night and the block heaters were for show. We ran a blend of #1 and #2 with the red diesel treatment and never had a gel issue. I'm a believer
yup, diesel has that characteristic, it will freeze without certain additives, if you buy diesel say on the north slope it already has it in it . . otherwise they cannot pump it out of the tanks
@ I run straight #1 in the winter which is supposed to be for the cold but I’ve still gelled up a couple times in extremely cold weather
Been following your channel for years now. Really happy you’re still making good no bs content!
Thanks!
I use hotshots based off your last video several years ago and it looks like that’s still the one to beat. Thank you!
Thanks for the feedback.
You you use hot shots take a look at the repair geek and oil geeks video released the other day. It’s not far not the best product according to extensive lab tests but what is interesting is that non of the products are remotely close with different carrier fluids and additive packages. Totally different then the gas additive and oil additive market.
I used nothing but hotshots in my 6.0L Ford…never had a fuel issue, but the coldest it ever got around here was -20F. At that point, you needed a jump pack and 2 good batteries to get that old girl going!
@@ChrisS-oo6flthen what was better?
@@pineappleboi27optilube
I don’t even have a diesel and I’m stoked to watch this
LOL! You got that right!
I run hotshots on the farm I put in 550 gal worth of treatment for 450 gal of diesel. Worked down to -27f. Pretty important to have everything run when we have cows that need fed
550 gal to 450 gal? you sure?
@@dennytuma he means he treats the 450 gallons as if it was 550 gallons.
He's not adding 550 gallons of the treatment.
@@dennytuma
He measures out the treatment needed for 550 gallons of diesel. But instead of putting it in 550 gallons of diesel, he putts it in 450 gallons. Is that unbelievable?
@@christopherbiomass7155 you'd think it be obvious 😒
@@ExcavationNation he said he treats 450 gal of diesel with 550 gal of treatment
Thanks!
Thanks for supporting the channel. I really appreciate it!
My fuel jelled up before I received my hot shots order. I used diesel 911 and thawed it out. Using hot shots now and love it. My old school diesel seems a lot happier and I have genuine peace of mind ahead of this ice storm coming! Thanks for a great channel that actually helps!
You are welcome! Thanks for sharing.
A windshield washer fluid video would be super neat. Thanks for all you do.
He did one on bugwash years ago
@@gordonmackison6056 I use 99% isopropyl alcohol, available at most drugstores. It beats what's sold as windshield washer fluid because it doesn't contain any soap, and therefore won't streak the glass.
Edit: Also it doesn't freeze!
@@PetesCreativeRecyclingyeah I was wondering about windshield washer fluid video thanks
no point, RainX... by far
especially how they do in cold weather. Many are getting cheap and using less alcohol and freezing up in severe weather.
Hot Shots dominated the field. It will be my go-to from here on out.
Just a suggestion: on videos like these the cost per gallon treated would help those of us with large tanks of diesel (eq. Farmers, etc.)
Thanks for the suggestion.
@@ProjectFarm What they said as well as an efficiency number if you can find a Deutz diesel lawn mower for testing. Up here in Canada my neighbor had a nice diesel lawn tractor but he moved then I moved so she gone. BUT they are out there. The smaller fuel tank and engine I think is better than using the full size tractor.
Another fantastic video. Thanks Todd!
Cost per gallon treated is a great suggestion
You have been given the cost of product, so it's a sad day when a farmer can't figure his sums.
Go watch the repair geek video on diesel fuel additives. He does lab testing on them!
Watched this shortly after it posted (while trying to get motivated to go plow snow). My tractor hadn't been plugged in before the blizzard hit, so I was happy to see Hot Shot's Secret was top of your list, since that was what I had in the tank. The tractor fired right up at -3°F (was -8° overnight). My real world experience matched your testing for sure. Had to come back to leave a comment today. Learning the lubricity was also good, nice bonus. All the best to you in the new year. Thanks for the many informative videos.
You are welcome! Thanks for sharing.
I'm 49 years old, live in Sweden and have never heard that diesel can gel up.
Did a Google search and it seems like we get winter diesel in the gas stations here. It depends on where in Sweden we live but for me it's from 16th October to 30th mars. From south Norrland to the north they get it a month earlier and one month longer. I guess I learn something new every day :)
Here in Czechia we get -20C winter blend from first of December until the last day of February. Summer diesel is allowed to be sold only between 15th of April and 30th of September. The rest of the time -10C blend is sold. I use a czech brand of additives called VIF (supposedly its also used in the premium diesels here ) I never put more than the manufacturer says as the winters arent that harsh here and also i have heard that these additives include particles that cannot be recycled out of the DPF but in return help it to burn the soot clean off. ( so if you put too much you shorten the lifespan of your DPF ) (Arctic diesel down to -36c blend is sold here apparently, but not regulated by law as a necessity )
Same in the US, the north has the additives at the pump during winter, the south does not. It gets down to about -20C here and our diesels do not gel without additives. I do run the regular hotshots EDT for the other benefits year round.
in the us we have major extremes. some places like in california allot of stations have number 2 diesel with anti gelling but states like texas not so much. why? because it rarely gets cold enough for long enough.
Diesel formulation changes over the seasons in ALL cold weather locations on Earth. That is not unique to Sweden. Where I live standard pump diesel is mostly Kerosene during the winter months as we get pretty cold weather. In the southern USA winter diesel is no different than summer diesel as they don't have cold weather.
@@knurlgnar24We get winter fuel in Nc. I live in the mountains and it does get cold enough maybe a couple times a winter. But boy I can really tell when they switch over to winter fuel, my mpgs go down by 2. I don’t know about all the stations, but Murpheys stations have winter fuel here.
Both of my vehicles are diesels and have always used Howes...never had any issues even in the brutal South Dakota winters... but that Hot Shots is going to get a run this year... great video as always! Awesome relative information! Keep up the great work... there's a reason you are the standard on RUclips!
I think around 1987 I was on rt 30 in northern Indiana when the Cummins powered Volvo White I was driving started to freeze up the filters. It was probably 10 below and dropping. I got into a truck stop but they didn't have any of the spin on filters that the truck used. I dumped 2 gallon of Power Service into the tanks. I pulled off the filter but it was so frozen I couldn't get hardly any of the fuel additive into it. But I did have a bottle of airline (methanol) antifreeze. I poured that into the filter and gave it a couple good shakes and poured it out. It felt like it lost 5 lbs. Refilled it with straight Power Service and restarted the truck. The engine did hammer hard for a couple minutes until it got the diesel mixed back in. But it did the trick and I was good for the rest of the trip. 😎
Thanks for sharing.
Must have been a nail biter hoping it wouldn't gel up again and leave you stranded!
@volvo09 It was definitely getting chilly in the cab by the time I got it running. Another annoying thing was it had a water separator that didn't have any form of a heating system whether a line from the coolant system or an electric element. So it was ice fogged too. Just had to keep the additives in every time I filled up.
Just came across your channel a couple days ago and LOVE to see real world results, not just claims on a bottle. Keep up the great work!
Thanks, will do!
Thank you for following up and doing a second video on this with some additional products vs 5 years ago. Glad to see that Hot Shots is still a quality product.
You are welcome!
I am the most anti snake oil person there is. However I just tried the Hot Shots Anti Stiction oil additive in my 7.3. It runs so much more smoothly now it's unbelievable.
It isn't anti-gel but I thought I'd throw this in here.
Try Archoil makes a big difference in the 6.0 power strokes especially with high mileage injectors
@@Bacongrease00yeah Repair Geek/Motor Oil Geek did a thing in this a few days ago with actual lab testing. Archoil was 2nd in the rankings and definitely best bang for the buck.
Archoil ar9100 is much better for 7.3/6.0 engines, but Hot Shots is the better fuel additive.
in summer you should always run 2 stroke oil, just a cup on a full tank makes a world of a difference.
@@firebladeflow Very true my friend. Peace and goodwill
Perfect timing! Flying to our off-grid cabins in SE Alaska in 10 days, and first time using MiniX and Toolcat in winter so need to bring some anti-gel additive!!
Have fun!
Great video Todd, and couldn’t be better timing! 20°F this morning when I dropped the kiddos off at school. I greatly appreciate the wear and tear portions of this video. Seams like I’ll be changing brands of diesel additives.
Keep up the great work, I love watching your videos.
Thanks and you are welcome! Thanks for sharing.
Hot Shots got me through many cold days and nights in Utah and driving cross country in the winter
Thanks for sharing!
Great job yet again. Consistently exposing overinflated manufacturer's claims if not outright lies.
Thanks!
So Hot Shots for everything. Good to know!
Thanks for the feedback.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video, I shall continue using Hot Shot for all my oil customers with outdoor tanks.
You are welcome!
Glad to see Hot Shot's is still on top! I have been using it since your last review of diesel treatment fluids. I always use a double dose just to be safe. Great review again!
as a guy with 5 diesels in his yard and living in new Hampshire where it does get quite cold this test was awesome id love to see that first test with a diesel atf mix as the tractors get a qt of atf in the summer for pump lube! keep up the good work
Thanks for the video idea!
ATF is supposedly a great lubricity enhancer, only on researching its primarily a cleaner and is not designed to be burned/combusted. Seems like 2-stroke definately adds lubricity, is designed to be burned/combusted, and is usually even better as its closer to ashless. ATF is probably decent for cleaning once in a while.
@@boots7859I had sticking injectors after my 96 7.3 powerstroke sat for a while. I dumped half a quart of ATF in each fuel tank and they quit sticking. The next fuel fill up, I added another half quart to each tank. Haven’t had problems since.
I also ran Howe’s for years before I did that. Never had fuel gel up with Howe’s.
@@boots7859i was told by my parts house, the only ATF now that is made to burn is Ford Type F.
In my mind ATF is not a good lubricant at all, if you throw a lubricant like motor oil into your automatic transmission what do you think would happen? ATF has friction enhancers in it to help the clutch packs to grab and not slip in your transmission.
I don't have anything diesel, but this is really great info to know! #1 reason youtube was made and Todd is A+ at making it happen! Happy New Years to you and the family
Thanks and Happy New years!
As several others have noted, your superb knowledge of testing has no peers!!! Like many other followers, when it comes to purchasing products that you have tested, the purchases I make are always the ones that have scored the best. Keep up the good work. We are all paying attention! : - )
Thanks, will do!
Glad to see the lubricity tester out and working again! Can’t believe it’s been 5 years already since the last diesel additive test!! Love these videos as always!
Thanks!
I've been waiting for this one for a few years! Perfect timing, it's -20C today until next week.
We just bought our first Diesel two days ago, and are out here learning. I have followed your channel for years and am stoked you covered this topic helps us out hugely.
Thanks for watching, glad to help!
Get the Hot Shots. It works great. Been using it in my 6.7 Ford since day one.
Hot shots has always been a go to for me didn't exspect it to do so well though. I sell a ton of power service diesel to customers I'm going to be pushing the hot shots more for my customers thanks for the information. Great video as always 19:45 @Project Farm
Thanks! Thanks for sharing.
My Co-op sells PSD. We do not get blistering cold weather here, so gelling most likely not an issue for me, but all the other aspects certainly do. Good to know that I will be buying HotShots next time as my Power Service Diesel is about empty. I may have to let my local Co-op see this video so they can start carrying a better product.
Drove OTR for 30 years, usually the diesel fuel being sold is blended for their temperature. But on occasion I've added Power Service, FTTP, or when nothing else was available I put a gallon of gasoline in the Diesel, but that was when it was -40°. The only time I really froze up was due to water in the fuel.
Thanks for sharing!
My great uncle was a chemical engineer. He only ever used gasoline as anti gel in his fuel
Retired after 45 years of diesel truck operation in the upper Midwest. I found that some brands of fuel filter plugged much more easily than others. I used fuel heaters for best winter results; the type which route the coolant lines through the fuel tank so once warmed up the engine heat kept it warm.
@@LARRYTHECARGUY Yeah. But don't do that with modern diesel emission system anymore
Drove OTR 35 myself. The winter blend cutoff used to be right about Virginia. As you say, water is the key to stay running. One truck I had needed not only the fuel separator wrapped in bubble foil insulation but all the lines had the foam tube insulation on them. Found out the hard way the other side of North Bay, ON. Our mechanic shook his head but when my truck was the only one running in wicked cold the next week every truck was done like mine.
I was working for the U.S. military in Korea. I got up one particularly cold morning and started walking to work. I saw a guy sitting in a truck at a stop sign cranking a diesel engine. A little further up the road, I saw it again. We had been ordering winter-grade diesel for several months but something was up.
Turned out our supplier had marked the paperwork as being winter diesel, but never actually switched over. The folks over at transportation ordered 800 fuel filters and we dumped jet fuel into our diesel tanks to lower the gel point.
Thanks for sharing!
JP8 or mogas is the next treatment. Ether is always the last resort. Don't forget the carbon burn. That and star tron was never completed enough on the 2 strokes either.
When I was in Germany all that we ran was JP8 in everything that took diesel
@ They stopped doing that because JP8 lacked the lubricity necessary for diesel engine injection systems. Pumps and injectors failed prematurely.
We used jet when the mission dictated it but diesel was preferred.
Excellent as always, Thank You Todd! 👍🇺🇸
Thanks and you are welcome!
@@ProjectFarm You"re the best period!👍🇺🇸
This video is definitely going to help someone on a cold night out in the middle of nowhere! Great video. This is by far my favorite channel.
Thanks!
I work on Helicopters, we have to stop flying at -40c/f because the JetA will gel up, never had it flameout but we do get a bunch of high pressure filter bypass warning lights when its around -30c . What is cool though is that we get contrails at ground level at -39C.
Thanks for sharing!
AFAIR airliners fly at 10km and temps are -50C, those still use JetA? Do they just constantly heat the fuel in wings?
@@VEC7ORlt They use a special grade of Jet-a. Believe it's called Jet A-1 or something like that.
We can use jet a1. With anti Ice or jetb down to -40 as stated by the manufacturer. I don't work on fixed wing . Good question cause at 35,000 it's -50 -60. We fly at 500 feet.
Jetfuel is also cycled through a heat exchanger to warm the fuel and cool the engines, both in flight and on the ground.
Project Farm is my trusted QC, I love this channel
Thank you sir, I've been a loyal powerservice user over the last 20 years but your tests are now changing that, HS or Peak like you said are now my choices. I appreciate how real and honest your tests are without all the drama and theatrics or potty mouthed language, I can atleast watch your channel with my fam without having to worry about what we are going to see or hear, thank you, may the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and your family.
You're welcome!
HotShot's products have been my go-to for the last 7-8 years out of the 12 I've owned a diesel. His test from a few years ago helped me know I was making the right choice. A few years later, it's still outperforming.
Your videos are cut so precise and to the point, which is what makes your channel the best! But i would really love to see some outtakes! Out of the hundreds of hours of footage you have, you must have a bunch of clips of tools flying through the air, knocking over cameras, small explosions etc..
Thanks for the suggestion.
That was an eye opening video, Thanks for putting that together. I have some changes to make.
Glad it was helpful!
Nice to see this video. I've used power service for years now. But wanted to see how well Archoil does. Great video.
Thanks!
Excellent timing again, great review!
Thank you!
Todd, you learned a lot from the test 5 years ago and it shows! Thank you for testing these products in so much depth, this was fantastic.
Thanks! I appreciate you watching.
Another supe video Todd.
One idea would be to test Break discs (OEM v/s Auto brands like O Reiley/Autozone etc) v/s the high performance ceramics and semi metallics. There are so many options and would be good to know how they fare in stopping power, fading due to heat, water, etc & temperatures generated for a certain braking force applied.
There's an interesting video here on RUclips from "Dave's Auto Center" where a guy brought in a 6.7L Powerstroke diesel with 900,000 miles on it, and they tear it down to inspect the engine and it was pristine. The owner reportedly changed his oil regularly but also added some kind of additive to add lubricity to the fuel to prevent wear on the CP4 pump which also was in immaculate condition. I recommend checking them out as it's a two-parter.
It only failed because of a design flaw in the lifters which were using needle roller bearings instead of a solid bushing.
And Dave is too money hungry to reveal which additive was used. Nothing but a salesman wanting to sell his own snake oil. Lost me as a viewer after that one. My speculation is hot shots. Also pretty certain he has a Frants oil bypass?
The needle bearings in the roller lifters wasn't a design flaw. They were never designed to last 900,000 miles to begin with. If you think a bushing would be better look at what is happening to the Cummins. 2019 they went to a hydraulic roller lifter with a bushing and some aren't even making it to 100,000 before wiping out the cam with the roller seizes up because they don't get enough lubrication. Nothing made today is designed to last much longer than the warranty period.
900K miles seems a solid design to me :)
Watched that also. Dave's Auto Center is the go to place on YT if you own a diesel. He explains the how and why in every video of what to and not to do for the current situation. He mentions all the time why a lubricant is necessary with the low sulfur diesel of today.
i bet that engine was overhauled and needle bearings are always better then bushings.
Thanks for the video. The Repair Geek and the Motor oil geek here on RUclips just tested diesel additives using the actual HFFR test. They found that Opti-lube XPD and Archoil outperformed hot shot’s. These were the regular products though, not the winter versions. On the Opti-lube website they show that their winter product has less lubricity enhancers compared to XPD. Would be great to see how XPD performs in this line up, since it also has anti-gel.
I was similarly slightly disappointed after watching the Geeks video not to see XPD in the lineup. I understand Todd here can’t test everything and he does such a wonderful job this video is still much appreciated. So….now do I mix start mixing fuel additives?
They didn't test against plain old cheap 2 stroke oil.
@@waitercheckplease I plan to finish up using the Hot shot’s secret EDT I have and I ordered opti-lube XL since it says it has the best protection for wear. If fuel economy drops I’m going to order the opti-lube Summer and add in about half the dose and see if fuel economy goes back up. The math says it would still be cheaper than using XPD alone
Wow, someone actually trusts the motor oil geek? The most unscientific and biased automotive entertainer on RUclips besides Kilmer?
@@lukevillareal6243 I typed up a response on a few videos about diesel fuel additives as well as anit-gel additives so I'll just copy and paste what I typed here and revise as needed. I also watched the same video on Repair Geek's channel with Lake Speed and I think you should read what I type as it will give you some insight or other things to consider BEFORE you go ordering XPD or Archoil over Hotshot's Secret.
The wear mark results are on the left and additional Cetane levels on the right. The first one is the base of just diesel fuel by itself out of a pump from a Valero fuel station. **Just so everyone knows, the baseline for the scar or wear mark was 520 so any number lower would be better and any number higher would be worse.**
Valero (brand) diesel fuel - 490
(I know they said the baseline was 520 so I don't know why they have this number as 490 but I'm using the numbers off of their video) / Cetane 57.6
Hotshot's Secret - 450 / 61.4
Archoil - 360 / 62.6
Power Service Diesel Kleen+ - 430 / 63.8
XPD (Opti lube) All-in-one - 240 / 63.0
Stanadyne PF - 500 / 60.2
**(when they discussed the lubricity tests with Stanadyne, they said that it actually increased during the wear or scar test by roughly 20 points so that's why it's 500 here compared to the 490 of the regular diesel fuel out of the pump as the first one in these results. So, this would actually be a bad product similar to the Howe's diesel additive I mentioneed earlier)**
As you can see from the results, the XPD All-in-one tested the best in terms of lubricity capabilities but also had some decent Cetane boost numbers. However, there is a big thing to consider here which is CPG or (Cost Per Gallon).
Before I type this, I'll admit that my comments will seem biased since it is going to discuss Hotshot's Secret and have support for them. But, before you go thinking I'm a salesperson or associate for them, I'm not. This is about numbers plain and simple.
Anyway, although the XPD everyday diesel treatment/additive did provide the best wear results by having the smallest wear mark or "scar" (like similar to this one where Project Farm tests the lubricity by using a wheel) as well as increasing the Cetane level a good amount, there are some other things to consider here.
For one, the XPD diesel treatment was NOT $0.25 per gallon like Andrew claimed in his example of doing 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel over 300k miles at 10 mpg where he said it would be $7500 based on what he claimed in the video. I did the calculations based on having a bottle shipped to my address and it came out to be $78.92 before tax which is how all of these things are calculated.
It actually came out to be $0.1541 per gallon or essentially $0.15.4 per gallon for a bottle that treats 512 gallons. In comparison, the Archoil that he was recommending as the 2nd place alternative was about $0.1123 or $0.11.2 per gallon of treatment based on pricing of ordering it directly from their website (which I believe is what most people would do) at $44.95 per bottle with shipping and it treats up to 400 gallons of diesel fuel. In contrast, Hotshot's Secret that also comes in a bottle that treats 400 gallons was only $0.0448 or $0.045 per gallon based on pricing at Walmart of $17.95 per bottle.
Now, here's what I think would be interesting to know:
If you doubled the recommended dosage of the Hotshot's Secret, what would the results be? Or, what if you tripled the dosage? As Lake Speed mentioned in the video, "adding more chemical does not "typically" guarantee better results". So, I'll admit that the Hotshot's Secret lubricity capability may NOT necessarily "double" or "triple" the original results but, I'll bet it would improve significantly. Hotshot's Secret does have a "performance" dosage if you double it so it would interesting to know what the difference would be.
If you look at the numbers, although Hotshot's Secret was a little far off of Archoil in terms of the "wear" or scar mark test at 450 compared to 360, I don't think it was completely horrible if you consider the price as well as another option I am getting to. Now sure, that's a 90 number difference but what would happen if the dose was doubled? Surely that number would go down right?
Now, I don't know if it would get down as low as the 240 that the XPD treatment showed but I'll bet it would be better than the 360 from Archoil. The other thing to consider was the Cetane increase of 61.4 for Hotsho'ts Secret and 62.6 for Archoil for a difference of about 1.2 between them. Again, I can't imagine that the Cetane number wouldn't increase even more if you doubled the dose in which case, it may be even more than the number that XPD had of 63.0. It may not quite get to the level of the PowerService Diesel Kleen + at 63.8 but what if it did do better than this for Cetane?
A double dose of Hotshot's Secret comes out to $0.08975 per gallon or essentially $0.09 per gallon. THAT'S STILL $0.02.2 cheaper than Archoil and $0.06.4 cheaper than XPD.
Even if you tripled the dose of Hotshot's Secret, it WOULD STILL be less expensive at only $0.13.4 or $0.13.5 per gallon of treatment WHICH IS STILL $0.019 cheaper than XPD per gallon.
What I'm saying is that if you figure it out by CPG (Cost per gallon), Hotshot's Secret comes out ahead of Archoil even if you have to double the dose and even if you triple the dose, it would still be better than XPD.
Now, what we don't know UNFORTUNATELY is what the difference of the numbers would be if the Hotshot's treatment was doubled or tripled. Again, I understand that the numbers probably wouldn't be cut in 1/2 just from doubling the dose but what if it could reduce the number by 25% to 30% and go from 450 down to around 340 or even 315 to 320ish? What if tripling the dose brought the number down to 50% and it actually did get down to 225 or possibly less?
Plus, let's not forget that the Cetane levels would increase as well. What if doubling it bumped the Cetane to 63 or a little more? What if tripling it bumped it to 64 or maybe 65?
My point is that when you sit down and figure it by CPG (Cost per gallon), Hotshot's is coming out ahead even when doubling or tripling the doses.
I would rather do a double dose and still be ahead of the rest of them in terms of cost and results. ***(I know I don't have ANY ACTUAL results to back up my claims or "theories" here but I think it's hard to argue that the numbers would HAVE TO get better even if only slightly.)*** Also, keep in mind that although this test was meant to show the product's anti-gelling capabilities, Hotshot's Secret tested very well in the lubricity area as well as the flame / heat portion of this video. To me, that would indicate that they've got a pretty good product especially when you consider the CPG.
One other thing that people aren't keeping in mind with this discussion is that Archoil and XPD are NOT widely distributed like the other ones are. Although Hotshot's Secret may not be quite as widely distributed as Stanadyne or PowerService Diesel Kleen+ and some other additives out there, I know Walmart carries it at "most" of its stores and they also have it in many other stores like Menards (it's like a large home improvement store like Lowes or Home Depot), Runnings, TSC, O Reilly's, and many other parts stores.
So, you don't have to worry about ordering it and having to be at your home to get it. You can just pick it up at many locations on the road as you need it. But, if you're like me and like to save money, just stop at a Walmart and get a couple bottles unless you're a regulara transporter and just get it as you're traveling once a week at your regular stop at Walmart.
--------------------------
When I had typed all of this up, I had NOT watched this video on Project Farm's channel because I kept referring to the older "anti-gel" video he did about 5 years ago. I "assumed" he wouldn't do another one since he already did one.
HOWEVER, I'm so glad he did an update BECAUSE I think it just reaffirms that Hotshot's Secret is the way to go no matter what. Even in this video, you see that Hotshot's lubricity test is extremely good and excels in EVERY CATEGORY with the exception of essentially tying with Peak for the colder test. Overall, it is far superior though.
Again, although I don't have any concrete evidence or testing to back up my claims, based on this video, his past video, and other videos I've watched, I think Hotshot's would perform very well even if you did a double dose of it and overall be a better value than XPD and definitely Archoil especially if it were doubled. Heck, even in this video alone you can see that it outperforms Archoil. Plus, availability helps a lot.
As a truck driver, this is actually very helpful. I've always used Howes and have never had an issue with my fuel gelling up. I also pull a chemical tanker and have delivered a product to Power Service in Weatherford Texas, guy gave me 2 or 3 bottles of Anti-gel, claiming it was better than Howes.
Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear!
I don't even own a diesel vehicle and I still watched the whole thing all the way through!
Thanks for watching!
Remember to watch the whole ads to support this guy's channel.
Thanks!
Never knew it made any difference, but if it does, I'm happy to help by doing so.
And don't just hit the Like button, wait till the end. Google knows all.
You are kidding right.
It's true... Hence why most channels ask for you to like and comment... It's so the algorithm can record all the details.
I was in the diesel trucking industry for over 35 years and all the truckers insisted on Power Service, they all swore by it. I really had no clue. back in the day we used to mix#1 & #2 diesel to keep it from gelling, one company we contracted service with used a powdered additive called Primrose and they had to stop using it because it turned thee fuel red, they had a time in court over that one.
I commented that my dad was a diesel mechanic for 35 years and they did the same just added kerosene
Thanks for sharing.
@@Crodgers88 It worked usually never had a problem, ask your dad if he's still with us if he ever lit a cutting torch and dropped it in a tank of gelled fuel? craziest thing I ever witnessed, it won't ignite because it cant emit any fumes.
@@timrobertson299diesel won't ignite like that anyway.
@@Crodgers88kerosene is basically the same thing as diesel.
As some one who never had anything with a diesel engine I learned you must really take care of diesel fuel in cold winters. Thanks for another entertaining and educational video!
You are welcome!
Video suggestion: Test coffee bean grinders to see which do the best job for consistency, choice of grind size, noise, etc. Thanks for all your great videos.
Thanks for the video idea!
As always, we greatly appreciate your hard work and dedication. Thank you so much!!
I only wish there was a channel for aimed for EU consumers, testing products and brands available to us here.
Really good opportunity for someone over there…
I approve of this idea. I live in France.
@@g.tucker8682 True! This channel is doing fantastic, and it's only growing bigger and bigger. Huge potential there for someone to cash in on this, all while providing a great service for the people.
1:43 Can you review the coffee you drank before writing diesel on the test pin…😂
Thank you project farm! I can confidently head to the store and choose the best product for my diesel pickups thanks to you! Been watching your videos for a couple years and you never dissapoint!
Thanks and you are welcome!
Cant believe i finally see an archoil product on here...its about time
Best in lubricity and if super cold temps aren’t an issue, it’s Archoil for me.
@@jonathanarcher8531 Nowhere near best in Lubricity. Opti Lube XL has near half the wear scar of Archoil.
Sulpher compounds are now removed from diesel and gasoline products. The source is " sour crude " from many wells especially in the west. The sulphur when combusted causes acid rain as well as eating up your cars exhaust. So adding an lubricant can help. One lubricant I have used successfully is Boron Nitried. Isolated as a powder it feels like fine graphite on the fingers. Shell used it as an additive in the " Nitro " branded fuel. ARCO used it back in the 60's. It works good to lubricate the pintle valve in fuel injectors and fuel pump. My 03 ford ranger has 346K miles and still runs good. So Google boron nitride and see if its right for your needs. Thank you Todd. You have the best review of products on the Internet. Project Farm rocks !!!!
How do you add this powder and at what sort of ratio? Just curious as a starting point to learn more about it. Not going to run out and try it without researching it. 🙂
acid rain LMAO go back to your hippy tree circle. Cars are for real people.
Isn't boron nitride an abrasive?
About 25 years ago I bought a bottle of treatment at a station in Rockville IN. on the way home from work and added it with a fill up. Plugged in the truck that evening. The next morning on the way to work I parked next to the same station, it was closed that early, as the truck just about had died and I called my son to take me to work. He came and got me when I got off and the station was then open and I caught hell from the owner for parking in his lot without asking. I informed him the reason for parking there and then I then showed him the remaining half of the bottle in the back of my truck which had frozen itself in the bottle. He did say he was sorry for yelling at me but didn't refund the money for the additive. Last time I bought fuel there.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for making your old additive video and following up with this one. In the past 6 months I’ve been using Hotshot in my diesel trucks for my small construction business and I’ve seen an increase in fuel economy. The videos give me confidence that it’s an excellent protection as well, almost no black smoke out of my deleted Duramax. I also live in freezing temperatures and continued using hotshot but switching to the winter+EDT mix, it’s been an incredible performance and value. Thank you for the content
You are welcome! Thanks for sharing.
Back in the early 80's I did some cold weather fuel testing in a reefer trailer set to -20 F. I did a lot of research on what happens to diesel fuel at low temperatures. I visited some labs that were also doing research. The two things about diesel that cause problems are pour point (where diesel will no longer pour out of a container) and cloud point (where you just begin to see wax crystals). All these products are pour point depressents. The problem in diesel engines is that when wax crystal start to form they get trapped in the fuel filters and starve the engine. So diesel engines are shut down long before the fuel reaches pour point. At the time I did the research there really wasn't anything that affected cloud point. I tested all kinds of products plus fuel warming devices. My conclusions is that the most effective treatment is fuel blending of number 2 with number 1. Our fuel supplier was already doing this.
That's awesome for you to share your research and experience. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing.
Up here in Canada, my grandpa used gasoline in the diesel to act as a solvent and keep the diesel from 'waxing'. Usually a 10-20% gas mixed into the diesel. Fuel type kerosene was used at times, but a lot more expensive.
@@ng-ht1vx Yes, GM even recommended using gasoline on their deisel powered cars. However, you now have a fuel with a lot more btu than gasoline that has the volatility of gasoline.
@@joealbert7773 But the cold slows the volatility way down.
I had a 1982 Volkswagen rabbit diesel , it had 10 gallon fuel tank . The owners manual said to use 1 gal. of gas to 9 gallon of diesel for below 0 operation .
Thanks for sharing!
it was for operations below 20 degrees
10% gas is far beyond anything I have ever heard. I never added any gas to diesel but I know some guys who put a gallon or two in a 100 gallon fuel tank and seemed to get away with it.
@@freeyesmaybe yes. Just don't add gas to new emission equiped engines
@@MrTruckerfI would think a 9:1 ratio would cause detonation and a lot of knocking.
Thank you, hero. You save us a lot of money.
Can you do kitchen knives sets?
I bought a $470.00 set and it’s nowhere near the advertised. I refuse to mention the German Brand. I shouldn’t have allowed be talked out of the set I wanted. No rust my ASSet. Hand washed
I tested them a while back but there are more brands to review: ruclips.net/video/AcLD4SKY9Js/видео.html
Please mention names. How else are we going to know what’s bad?
The one that he didn't test from Germany, which all of the chefs use as it's inexpensive and durable, is Forschner/Victorinox. But it doesn't come in sets. I've never had rust issues with them as it is the same steel they use in the famous Swiss Army knives. Originally there were all made in Solingen Germany not too far from that brand you won't mention (I'm sure we know what it is, though, given the silly price ) and Victorinox eventually bought the Forschner factory out.
I use HotShot in all my diesel trucks and equipment, after this video I feel more confident as a consumer. Great video as always! Keep them coming
Thanks, will do! Thanks for the feedback.
Thanks Todd. In my old LML I was using local stuff called LubeCorp which was really best IMO. Never a problem with CP4. July last year I got new AT4X HD and my local lube corp was out of some chemicals to manufacture it. I tried Hot Shot EDT. To be honest I had horrible mpg and regen to regen distances were like 160-180 miles. CRAZY. Then I decided to check Archoil which improved my mpg by solid 150 miles from full tank and my regen to regen distances are about 500miles. I use Edge CTS 3 for monitoring. Could be subjective to the quality of fuel we purchase, but I will stick with Archoil now
You are welcome! Thanks for sharing.
Too much detergent additives can cause more regens.
Additives make little to no difference to mpg and regen
@@T51B1 In theory you are correct. In real life it looks like fuel burns cleaner that's why I see better MPG and also less frequent regens. Also when cleaning MAP sensors I see less soot build ups.
@@T51B1lake speed recently did a video where he said when you go above additive dose it causes more frequent regens.
I don’t own a diesel. I will never own a diesel, and yet I watched every second of this video. Idk how you do it but your videos are the best and very informative, keep it up 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thanks, will do! Thanks for watching!
I just bought my first diesel at 62 and I will never own gas again!Its incredible.GMC 1500 Denali 3.0 Duramax!
Good morning everyone!!!!!
Have a bless day!!!
Thank you and I wish you the same!
Likewise. Likewise to all.
As a business owner of a trucking company, your channel has helped so much!
Thanks for sharing!
Finally! Thanks!
You're welcome!
Lubricity testing should be done with the products mixed into the diesel at the manufacture's recommended concentration. Good video though!
Wait you mean you DONT run your truck on straight additive? 😂 Stuff like this is why the "data" on this channel is a joke.
Yes
@@BigMOBBOByeah never understood why he does shit like that. Technically it's still should be a 1:1 comparison if their products hold up at dilution but we'll never know
It's obviously too hard for people to use their brains these days - The sizes of the wear scars are more easily discernable by testing only the product, rather than the product diluted with fuel.
Thank you 🎉😊
You’re welcome
Thanks for taking the time to do these tests.
It’s some very useful information for VW diesel owners whose cars were manufactured before the low-sulfur mandate.
You are welcome! Glad to hear!
Missouri certainly has some winter weather to test with today.
Great point!
can you test if preheating the engine block and oil reduces engine wear by a noticeable amount? I keep being told 80% of engine wear occurs at startup because the engine is cold and not at operating temperature. Can you test that? does it matter even in warm weather or only when its -40C?
Come on now, that would be a long, probably expensive and hell of a lot of time to invest pulling apart to baseline and then pulling apart to determine wear, and multiple times with diff. products.
You use a heater if its going to be too cold to start for various reasons.
Few people are going to go to the trouble to try and extend their engine life this way unless they're a little nutz.
@@boots7859 either you measure the piston rings after X amount of cold starts, or metal in the oil after x amount of cold starts, plus a engine doing the same thing with a warmed block and oil.
I'll save ya the wait time. YES better to have a warm motor. Oil flows better things run smoother. But ya don't have to plug in all night. Use a smart plug set on a timer for 2-4 hrs before leaving. Get one with energy monitoring and you can see block heater power draw and check operation
@ yes, but what about oil pan heater, transmission oil heater. block heater vs Circulating Coolant Heater. On large generators they have/use circulating coolant Heaters. These actually get the whole engine warm not just where the block heater plug is. how much difference does that make for engine wear? and yeah block heaters "warm" the engine but the circulating ones used on generators get them actually up to operating temps. I want to know how much difference that makes for engine/transmission life.
@keith3761 What about them?
block heater warm the whole thing...then natural temp moves it around. Heat rises colder falls so it circulates. Pan heaters can burn the fluid if they get too hot. But some are temp regulated to 195⁰ so use those. Sure use a coolant heater with pump...it's the same thing as a block heater except more expensive. It will work the same.
Yes heat the fluids...they work better. If you want specifics you can research the science of thermodynamics of fluids. The real world testing for that is nearly impossible with hundreds of variables. Plug the truck in and set it on a timer.
People have never heated anything get in start it drive it get hundreds of thousands of miles with no issues. Anything you do improves it. It's not necessarily for wear but more for comfort of temperature as in faster heat up. HOW you drive and fluid changes will make more difference. Change your fluids frequently
I was juat watching your first video on this. Then i got the notification for the this one
Perfect timing!
I’ve been using hotshots secret sense I bought my truck, 6.5 diesels are known to have weak injection pumps and I’m really glad to see that I picked the right product for my truck!
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the weather update... I stopped watching news years ago.
Can you make the best fishing hook video?
Thanks for the idea!
@ 19:52 you show the final chart. But I think your math is wrong on the "corrosion resistance rating" it's supposed to be rated 1-5 but you put the order of rank number in instead which throws off the average for all of the end averages... love the videos keep up the great work.
But the end score is not highest = best. Its the lowest score wins
@@2gd532ya but counting the place instead of 1-5 throws off numbers. Eg Power Service Diesel has a 5.4 when it should have a 4.0.
@@2gd532I understand that. But in a category with a max of 5 how can you have 13. That will throw off the end average. For each category with a number over 5. It may not even change the ranking of any of the additives but I figured he would want to know that each one of his averages are wrong... At least the ones with a score over the maximum rank of 5.
Suggested video:
I needed a new hair trimmer/clipper, and you're the first thing that popped in my mind. Unfortunately you don't have a video on hair trimmers yet, so I'll have to do my own research without the testing.
Thanks for the suggestion.
You're looking at it
Thank you and hope you enjoy the review!!
People Who Didn't Come From TikTok Are Allowed to like this
Fjuk TikTock
Demulsify is the opposite of emulsify. Emulsify means it causes water to mix with fuel, pass through the filter and be vaporized in the combustion chamber, while a demulsifier encourages water to drop out of suspension, where it can then be drained off the tank. Big difference.
i use archoil. what i know from testing is it keeps me from going into regen. it keeps the gauge at 0% at all times. you dont even have to use it every tank. once you start to see the gauge climb, if you add some, a few minutes later the gauge will drop to zero again. that to me is pretty amazing that it kills soot that well.
Very well done looks like I’m going to switch my choice after this review. So glad I am a small monthly contributor to your channel. Very good non bias information always an educational resource
Thanks!
I can only imagine how much money you have saved truckers around the world from getting stuck. It was good to see our old friend the lubricity tester again. Keep up the good work Todd. I still tell everyone about your channel.
Thanks, will do!
My diesel specialist here in Australia ( where we do not have to worry about the cold weather) recommends putting a very small amount of two-stroke oil every time you fill your tank.
Like 25 millilitres per tank.
Diesel fuel here is 50ppm sulfur or less.
Thanks for the feedback.
I know a guy who hauls soybean oil for a living. He also runs 2 trucks an older manual peterbuilt and a newer truck too. He saves leftover oil from his hauls and adds it to his fuel in the old manual truck and his farm tractor and says it does a better job that any additive he can buy. He says that truck never gives him any trouble. Can’t use it in the newer truck because it will mess with all the sensors. We did live in Alabama so freezing is not our biggest problem most of the time however this week it may be an issue. Good video as usual Todd. Thx
Thanks! Thanks for sharing.