Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Engine cleaners Redex etc - YES or NO?

[Iconic944ss]

Just searched for Redex on the board and nothing came up.

Just wondering about about the use of this type of petrol additives in bikes....I've had mixed results in cars fro OK to rubbish (ie it made the performance WORSE and ruined a set of plugs in the process).

I used to use it in my two-stoke days but how about a thumping big Vee-Twin.

Surely getting rid of some for that Carbon gum from the cylinders etc can only be a good thing????

Shazzam ...............................

Regards - Frank

[Nigel C]

tried one once that you put in the plugholes turn over the engine put the plugs back in and off you go it then left a huge white smokescreen for the next 50 or so miles as the stuff burnt off not a clue if it worked as it was a 250 superdream and had no performance in the first place i have used injector cleaners in my car to no ill effect never noticed any difference either in performance or mpg

[weeveetwin]

A mate of mine had a 'customised' Reliant Regal (Fools & Horses type thingy) a lot of years ago with a furry dash etc. Anyway, he rigged up a screenwasher pump to a plunger on the dashboard so he could pump this stuff straight into the top of the carb whilst driving. Blinkin' 'eck! The fun we had pumping this at the traffic light grand prix! We'd be 200yds away from the lights before anyone else could see well enough to even move. 'Twas bl**dy hilarious! Still makes me laff!

[brownrigby]

Forget that and use SHELL OPTIMAX petrol, i know it sounds hard to believe but it's very good with built in cleaners.I try to use it everytime but every 4th tankfull is ok.The race team i have contact with use it and are sponsered by them.

[Mr_S]

I use Optimax all the time (in the car as well) and used Redline Oils SI-2 injector / cylinder cleaner at every fill up for a month after picking up the bike ( 600 miles or so) and got 93BHP on MotoRapido's Dyno a week or so after the DSC Dyno Day.

I now add a small amount every month

The injector Cleaner is used by BMW as it leaves no residue, and has a BMW partcode (Which is why I chose it) but I got mine from Demon Tweeks for about £7 / bottle.

[Shazaam!]

If you’ve got a sick engine that allows oil to get past the valve guides or piston rings, or you’re running a two-stroke that is lubricated with oil mixed-in with its fuel, carbon build-up can be an issue. Also, burning a too-high octane fuel in an engine designed to operate at a lower octane rating will produce carbon deposits secondary to partially unburned (higher octane = slower burning) fuel. However, in a healthy V-twin the carbon deposit control additives/detergents contained in ALL gasolines will keep your engine clean.

The main concern with carbon deposits is that they reduce combustion chamber volume and thereby raise the combustion ratio of the cylinder, the octane requirements of the engine, and the NOx emissions of the vehicle. In the real world it doesn't happen in a healthy engine. Carbon deposits tend to break or burn off when they reach a thickness above 0.5mm. So low mileage and high mileage healthy engines have essentially the same amount of deposits.

One thing that contributes to carbon build-up is running at a light throttle for extended periods because flow velocities aid in the removal of the deposits. That’s why old-timers developed a low-tech (more fun) approach to this problem called Blowing Out The Carbon. If you’re not convinced that it works, put on a white shirt and go down to your local dyno shop. Stand behind a bike as it makes it’s run.

[Felix]

Having own a few Fiats and Lancias, we used to call this an Italian tune-up!!

[rcgbob44]

I agree with Shazaam

Take a bike for a ful on blast and it always runs well....................nuff said!