This is a question I have regarding additives. I know most of them are pointless, redundant, or even detrimental, but I'm seeking opinions specifically about Prolong. I know there was a lawsuit that they lost about making false claims...but that doesn't mean it doesn't do any good, I suppose. My dad has a riding lawnmower that is over 13 years old and has had Prolong used in it, and the things were far from known to last that long. That's bordering on empirical data, and that's the only reason I've even tried it. I know the teflon and zinc-based additives are stupid... Just wondering if anyone has knowledge of if Prolong is superior enough to warrant usage...and if the evidence that seems to support it is coincidence.

I know nothing about prolong, but I have a 26 year old garden tractor that is still running strong with no addatives of any type. Just yearly oil changes for what that's worth.

I've only used the prolong paint sealers/polish and I was impressed with the results. I've never used any additives inside the engine for friction reduction.

Paul

Well, at this point, I guess it's just up to my faith in them. I didn't know they made paint sealers though... Good to know, as I've been thinking of busting out my sander and doing away with the present body color... I got a good deal on the car a couple years ago...but God...I hate white :ill:

I tried it roughly 8-9 years ago when I didn't know better in my 84 fleetwood. I saw ZERO improvements. No MPG change, no change in motor pitch, no additional power, nothing. I also tried another product back then... forgot the name, but that product was also advertised on TV alot. Also zero improvement. In addition... that piece of crap ended up being a disaster. A few months later, it fouled up my engine. Ended up costing me a few hundred bucks to clean out the engine, new plugs, etc.

The only product that I notice a change in improvement is putting Mobil1 synthetic 10W-30 in my 99 deville. Starts up better in winter time, decreased oil consumption, and the engine parts look cleaner inside. Other than that, I don't notice any difference between regular dino motor oil and synthetic.

Don't bother putting snake oil in your caddy. It's your baby... why feed it crap?

I totally agree on the snake oils... Believe me, I know the lot of them are rubbish. I had just heard different about this is all. However, I don't think its aim is to make a noticable real-time difference, but to prevent degrading and make the engine last much longer, hence the name....but your instincts are probably correct. What better BS story could they create in order to not allow their performance to be evaluated? I'm definitely leaning away from it... It was mainly curiosity.

On that synthetic note though... My father once told me that a mechanic had told him synthetic oils are good, but only if they have always been used in a car...and that using synthetic oil would be no help if normal oil had been used in the car's past... Now maybe I'm being ignorant, but that sounds like bovine excrement to me... but if there's truth to that, I'd be grateful for an explanation :D

Yes. What is the overall snake content in the Prolong? Probably at least 95%?

As for the cow poop question, it is just that. You can always switch to synthetic oil, and you can also always switch back to regular oil, provided your engine doesn't require synthetic. I always loved idiotic rumors like that, or that it will make it burn oil, or leak more, or other stupid things.