Pittsburgh Power Max Fuel

I ran 4 gallons of it through my truck and I stopped using it in April. The thing I could track, DEF consumption, did not change at all so it became hard for me to take their word on everything else it’s supposed to do.

 

But also you go to any truck stop in the country and they have a shelf full of different fuel catalysts doing the same thing. If they actually saved a few cents even, it surprises me that Swift isn't putting them in every one of their 22,000 trucks to save a few million every month.

 

great read BUT things have changed A LOT in 57 YEARS. the paper is DATED 1963.....!!

sorry but if you track your def mileage as you do your fuel would see this is wrong.

the purpose of the epf is to catch the soot

no the doser DOES NOT SPRAY FUEL THRU THE TURBO..! If it did the Exhaust would ignite it in the Turbo Long before it ever got to the DPF.. The doser is in the dpf box

 

I’ve been running it over a year. The stuff is made by a company called Better Diesel FBC. PP buys it in large quantities and sells it in gallons or smaller, they’re buying large totes of it. The name is misleading. They’ve had the owner of the company, Jane, on a few times with Rutherford to talk about. It isn’t really about mileage. It’s about reducing the temperature of combustion and reducing soot and Nox. I didn’t notice any difference in fuel consumption, noise, smoothness, etc. However, my DEF consumption did decrease from around 200mpg to 225mpg. That’s an indication it’s doing what it says it does. I do a passive regen once a month, sometimes as long as 6 weeks, depending on terrain.
It is not a typical fuel additive. It is an iron magnesium fuel catalyst, and, if you’re doing oil samples, you will see artificially high iron as a result. This technology has been around for decades but hasn’t caught on at the consumer level. I read several scientific papers on its use in industrial boilers and very large generator engines. Those typically have poor combustion processes and running a catalyst resulted in huge reductions in soot and decreased fuel consumption. A modern diesel has very efficient combustion, so the effect of reduced fuel consumption isn’t as strong. In a pre emission 1998 or older, you will see a decrease in fuel consumption. The less efficient the combustion process the greater the catalyst effect on fuel mileage.
I also run a pure cetane additive, no fancy stuff. It’s made by Primrose, 405C. It’s concentrated l, like the catalyst, at 1oz per 25g. Joel Morrow has talked a lot about cetane additive he runs in their bulk fuel, so I figured I’d try it out. He runs Hot Shot Secret, but a product that tries to be so many things at once gives me snake oil vibes. Again, nothing noticeable, but I really see it with my APU. It definitely runs smoother than before. I put a half empty bottle of water on top of it, and it doesn’t even make ripples on the water. So, it works, but with modern, efficient engines, these benefits aren’t as apparent. You can also find real science research on the benefits of increasing cetane. Dosing the tanks at the recommended level is a 4 point increase in cetane with the Primrose. It’s 45.00 or so a gallon.
Between the two of them, I was holding steady at 8.8x mpg, and now I’m holding steady at 9.0x mpg. Two tenths mpg increase running both. I have 4 quarters of IFTA showing 9-9.1 each quarter.
Is it worth it? Maybe, but I like knowing that these two additives dramatically reduce soot and Nox.

 

The catalyst causes a chemical reaction with by products of combustion. It does work. There are other science papers on the subject. The more efficient the combustion process, the less pronounced these benefits are. In a modern diesel, soot and Nox will decrease. By lowering the temperature of combustion, you decrease Nox, whic decreases DEF consumption. It’s not only based on fuel rate. Manufacturers express it as a function of fuel rate, but that’s only based on certain baseline conditions that were tested, not all conditions.
https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/03/f9/2005_deer_hirs.pdf

 

The DPF collects the soot. The regeneration process is what breaks down and catalyzes the soot. The high heat is what is needed to start the catalyzation process between the soot particles and the precious metals in the DPF. The DOC (diesel oxidation catalyst) is located ahead of the DPF. The DOC is what gets dosed with the fuel during a regeneration. The reaction of the diesel being dosed into the DOC is what makes the heat needed to regenerate the DPF.

When the DPF gets pulled for cleaning, it is actually the ash that is getting removed. Ash is not combustible and will continue to build up until the DPF is removed. When you see regeneration taking place too frequently, chances are the ash level is too high, meaning less capacity to store the soot between regenerations.

 

Kevin Rutherfrauds Pittsburgh power ?? Or is this something different ?

 

Been using the catylast for 3 months my mpg has jumped from 5.8,6.2 to 7 and 8 my def usage i burn 3 to 4 gallons every thousand miles or so

 

Every time fuel price goes up these miracle snake oils start appearing.I think the funniest one I’ve seen is turbo 3000 2 or 3 hundred dollars for a tube that did nothing.

 

Thanks for the lengthy, detailed reply. I clears up a few things from just hearing about it randomly. Additionally, Rutherford and Mallinson pitching it side by side has my skepticism meter pegged on 11 after how artfully they made their Signature Truck fiasco turn into a foggy memory by blaming it all on the guy that bought it. Less than zero integrity when those two are together.

Having said that, your functional description brings to mind a fuel additive my Dad mentioned he swears by. Possibly it's the same thing, or something close to it.

We were talking about fuel stabilizers (I know, a different animal) and he brought it up like it was Jack's magic beans. Something he absorbed from the other 80 year old car club hot rodders who were whispering about it in their sewing circle. The product is called Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment. No joke. You can find it on Amazon. The comments are full of chain saw and lawn mower miracles. Now I love my Dad, and he's never been one to fall for marketing hype or offer bee-ess advice. But he is beyond that age when the edge gets a little dull. However, I have yet to order any and try it. I was just treating gas in my stationary junk too keep it from turning into glue, not looking for a rebuild in a bottle.

That's the best, most concise functional description I've ever seen. Thanks for posting that. I already kind of knew that stuff, but have only had newer emissions trucks recently. That cleared up a few loose ends I wasn't sure of.