Can Redex actually work?

[lamcote]

I saw a Fifth Gear video about Redex adding several bhp to a leggy VW VR6 engine. They did dyno tests before and after. I have never bought anything like this before because I have never believed it could possibly work, but, I thought, it won't do any harm, so tried it at the last fill up.

I am now really struggling to convince myself that it didn't work because it really does feel more nippy.

Surely it's the placebo effect, isn't it? Anyone else tried it?

[Carolyn]

You might have cleaned your injectors.

[s12vea]

I think it's all in the mind, I have done this in the past and in my head the car seems like it's running better but as mentioned above at best you will have cleaned your injectors.

[lamcote]

That would be amazing. It kind of feels like the difference I think I felt when I changed the spark plugs last. Probably unmeasurable but definitely seems to be just noticeable. Not bad for a couple of quid.

[s12vea]

We all have a fine ear for our cars and you can just tell when its running just right.

I doesn't stop me putting some in every few months lol

[Essex2Visuvesi]

Personally I prefer CataClean

Drive car until fuel light comes on.
Go to petrol station
Add cataclean
Add a fivers worth of petrol
Thrash the bejesus out of it using all the rev range until petrol light comes on again
Fill up
Done

[lamcote]

Maybe I'll give that a go too. I won't need a turbo at this rate..

[JoeCool]

I prefer a tank of SHell Optimax Nitro V-Power XXXtreme or BP Ultimate, and then bouncing it off the reve limiter for most of the time. Treat em mean, keep 'em clean.

My engine internals are sparkling at 100k+ miles.

[delhusband]

Spooky, i bought some redex advanced fuel system cleaner yesterday, same reason (plato, vr6)
Ill see how it goes...probably wont notice, but hey ho why not

[ilovejapcrap]

odd I watched the vr6 plato thing last night on youtube !

[delhusband]

Did you ever see video of plato handbrake parking a Volvo V40? Awesome!

[Call the midlife!]

And it's only £2 in Tesco!


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[Gaz mr-s]

I used it on an old diesel Mondeo... it improved the fuel consumption.  A local (somewhat arrogant) garage owner sells stuff @ £10 a bottle. It didn't improve on the Redex.

[delhusband]

Stuck my bottle of Redex advanced fuel system cleaner in the tank last night followed by a fresh top up. Did an hours drive last night, then 2 hours today. I'm a 1/4 tank, and maybe (maybe?) throttle response is a wee bit faster/smoother? Could be placebo effect -

[lamcote]

Interesting to hear others' thoughts. I reckon I will use it occasionally from now on.

[shnazzle]

Im in JoeCool's camp of engine maintenance

[deviantmr-s]

Improves the fuel consumption on my SUV, strangely not tried it in my 2!

[Jacobsprky]

if im feeling generous every once in a while ill chuck some in or similar product. put some in the wifes old car once (always run on the petrol light!) felt like a coil pack going, put some in and the ten mile journey home it seemed to clear it out. i feel it does do some cleaning. Worth it.

[mulaz]

I got an extra 50BHP using Redex but it only lasted until i woke up ... snake oil?

[Joesson]

I remember when Redex was a 1d ( an old penny) a shot from a cone shaped can.
I used to do a Redex 'Tune Up' by trickling a good dose through the carburettor, all sorts seemed to blow out of the silencer and the real or imaginary effects were sufficiently ' beneficial' for me to have done this more than once.
However, those were the Pre Cat days, i.e. Before Catalysers were mandatory.
Today, the Catalyser is intended to filter out noxious particles and I would suggest that whatever comes out of the exhaust ports is filtered through the Cat and so any Redex or other applied product or dislodged carbon particles would stay in the Cat. An excess of such particles would be little different to the results of excess oil usage, which on our 2' s  destroyed the Pre Cats, with these removed or absent with a ' straight through' manifold the blockage would surely  happen further downstream in the main Cat.

[MisterK]

So are you saying that using Redex could FUBAR your Pre Cats if you still have them, or if not, do the same to the main Cat?  Didn't the VW Corrado on 5th Gear have a Cat fitted as standard?

[Joesson]

It's my understanding, fortunately not from personal experience, that the products of excessive oil consumption ( caused by poor lubrication of the pistons accelerating wear in that area) that are evacuated via the the exhaust system are firstly contained in and damage/ destroy the pre cats. It has also been reported that the precat material and exhaust particles then pass on down the exhaust system to the main catalyser where that is eventually blocked and the engine is effectively blocked and stops functioning.

Again, my understanding is that any particulate that enters the exhaust system is ' filtered' by the catalyser and any filter will eventually block.

All that being correct it would seem that it is not a good thing to add anything to the combustion system that would become a particulate, nor to ' free up' any products of combustion burnt on to the internal components.

I suggest that the only way the above could be considered is with pre and main cats ( temporarily' removed while the ' cleaning' process is carried out.
Such a process may appear to work and give some positive initial test result  but nevertheless the blocking process will have started and will be exacerbated over time and with repeated procedures.

The opinions expressed above are those of the writer and are based on simple logic and have not been tested or validated and should be used only for consideration and discussion  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[Carolyn]

Cats have quite big pores. They will only catch quite large particles.  Which is why we can use stuff like 'Cataclean.'

[ilovejapcrap]

I'd be more interested in this :


 m https://youtu.be/wiViPKIoG68 m

[Joesson]

[