STP in the HST?

[BlacknTan]

For myself, I would not mess with the chemistry of any purpose designed oil. At one time, perhaps these additives had a useful function, but present day additive packages that are designed into oils are just far superior, IMHO. No STP, or any other off the shelf additive for this kid anymore, just high quality lubricants.

 

[Jim Miller]

I also used STP to coat all my parts (especially pistons, rings, valve stems etc.) when I rebuilt an engine because I knew there would be no oil flow during those critical first seconds of initial turn-over and I felt like the sticy coating of the STP would prevent scuffing and scoring during that time. I never used it for anything else. I am guilty of using MMO as an oil and fuel additive in my Continental IO-360 aircraft engine because of a notorious sticking valve problem in that engine. I don't use any additives in my Kubota L39 TLB.

 

[big bubba]

think bl & tan got it right...today's lubricants are far superior to the days when additives were thought to compliment straight off the shelf oils. no need for it. & in some cases, counterproductive depending on it's application. interesting point re: wet brakes/clutches.

 

[MHarryE]

If any of the old timers like me remember Smokey Yunick, a guy who thought all kinds of tricks, legal and not quite legal, to get more speed out of a car used STP. He said it was because the company paid him a big wad of money to put the sticker on his car. It never reduced friction to make it go faster, changed any qualities to let him tune the engine higher, but he said it also didn't screw things up for the few hours he needed an engine to in so he took the money they gave him and spent it on something useful.

 

[Bird]

think bl & tan got it right...today's lubricants are far superior to the days when additives were thought to compliment straight off the shelf oils. no need for it. & in some cases, counterproductive depending on it's application. interesting point re: wet brakes/clutches.

Do you think additives were even needed many years ago? My Dad owned an auto parts store and a service station in the mid-'50s to mid-'60s. Most of the oil companies such as Mobil, Texaco, etc. had small (8 oz.) cans of "upper cylinder lubricant", usually just referred to as "upper lube". It was sometimes poured into the gas tank, sometimes poured slowly through the carburetor with the engine at a fast idle.

I know that Mobil engineers claimed that NONE of the additives would do you any more good than the upper lube and only two (Alemite CD2 and Bardahl) would do no harm. Now we stocked all those additives, told customers we did NOT recommend them but had them if you want it, and we always had a money back guarantee on our products. We did finally quit handling any Wynn's friction proofing products because we had customers who wanted their money back, and we gave them their money back, but Wynn's would not refund our money.

 

[Egon]

Right on Bird.:thumbsup:

But they are a good money maker for the manufacturer.

 

[crazyal]

I was once given an old taxi for a demolition derby car. The owner of the cab company swore by the stuff. The car had 200k miles on it. I pulled one of the valve covers off and there was so much grease like sludge and sticky stuff that I couldn't see the valves or springs. Never seen anything like it. I asked one of the drivers and he said they put a can in every other week. Back in the day when you were lucky to get 100k out of a motor I could understand the need but that hasn't been the case in decades.

 

[WilliamBos]

It's been some years since I've seen a car engine torn down after the owner used STP, so maybe things have changed, but I agree with you. I not only would never put STP in anything I own, but I'd also never buy any used vehicle if I knew it had ever had STP in it.

I remember when a snake oil in a can came out(cant remember the name of it, was out long before Duralube.), claimed you could run your engine dry and not seize. The key ingredient was Teflon, but no one ever thought about it plugging small oil gallies. Dupont sued to prevent them from using it, as they were well aware of what could happen. Dupont lost, but the bigger loosers were the ones that fell for it, and had a major failure.

 

[EE_Bota]

I remember when a snake oil in a can came out(cant remember the name of it, was out long before Duralube.), claimed you could run your engine dry and not seize. The key ingredient was Teflon, but no one ever thought about it plugging small oil gallies. Dupont sued to prevent them from using it, as they were well aware of what could happen. Dupont lost, but the bigger loosers were the ones that fell for it, and had a major failure.

There was a product called Slick-50 that claimed to have teflon.

I used a product called Restore that is still for sale, and I do believe it worked. And most everyone I know who tried it claimed they think it worked. Did it REALLY work? I don't know for sure..but I do believe (I do believe, I do I do I do.)

 

[k0ua]

There was a product called Slick-50 that claimed to have teflon.

I used a product called Restore that is still for sale, and I do believe it worked. And most everyone I know who tried it claimed they think it worked. Did it REALLY work? I don't know for sure..but I do believe (I do believe, I do I do I do.)

Is still a host of products called Slick-50.. I have always gotten along without those kinds of additives somehow.