Fuel Stablizer For Truck That Sits

My truck sees lots of driveway time due to a company car that I am allowed to drive for personal use. As a result I have not put fuel into it since August. Is it worth dumping in a bottle of Lucas fuel stabilizer or something similar? Or do I just go out a few gallons of new fuel in it?

 

It wouldn’t hurt

 

Seafoam

 

Anything you can put under the tires to try and prevent them from getting a flat spot?

 

I use Sta-bil in my Camaro’s.

 

Not sure what I could do about that. I did drive it last weekend and did notice a bit of a weird bump sensation from the tires. I figured it was a bit of flat spot. It seemed to go away after a dozen miles or so.

 

I use Stabil in my old GMC that sits. With the way gas is now days I use it in anything that is used infrequently.

 

Stabil or similar with ethanol free gas...

 

Same issue - had my Tundra a year and a whopping 1k miles - why use my gas for running errands when company gas is free ?!?

My solution - for the Tundra - ethanol free fuel and topping off every month or so to keep a little fresh in the tank.

For the tundra - the 2 biggest concerns I have (as it does get semi regular use weekends with 10-25 mile trips) is moisture being attracted by corn based ethanol and destruction of lines. Yes - the fuel lines are ethanol safe - but why test this as they are designed to allow its use - not so much as “storing” fuel over a longer period of time. Using fuel that doesn’t attract condensation and keeping tank full helps address that concern.

Similar on my small equipment and the farm truck. Ethanol free, full tanks prior to storage and a healthy dose of Stabil in the tanks. I’ve used sea foam - but kind of agree it’s not much more than snake oil - at least in the fuel tank. But it a little in the oil and it does clean things up a little - but as a fuel preservative - Stabil - and for what little fuel I use it’s just better doing pure gas over pouring a 1/4 of a bottle of sea foam in a 2.5 gallon tank on a mower. Works out to be about 2 dollars either way and all seafoam does is attach to the excess moisture - better to eliminate it to start with in my opinion.

 

If it is snake oil, it is the best I have ever bought. I had 10 year old fuel that still ran my generator. Here is what I said in another post on the same subject....https://www.tundras.com/threads/fall-is-here-winter-is-coming.113609/page-2#post-2940162

 

Have had good results with my motorcycles, tractor, generator and other power equipment with Startron:


http://www.starbrite.com/item/star-tron-gasoline-additive

 

First thing, make sure you fill off Truck with non-ethanol fuel and then add the stabilizer...I always use Stabil as suggested above, but good fuel will make it works less hard!

 

Again personal opinion - YMMV. I wouldn’t run 10 year old fuel economy n anything/ but that’s me.

I think it’s important to consider the application here - there’s a difference in running stuff through a carbureted small engine and a injected auto engine. Cleaning gunk out of the carb is not needed here. As a fuel stabilizer - there are other products that are designed solely for that purpose and last longer. Sea foam is a “cure all” - and in the right application I use it - but not for fuel storage solely. The amount of smoke after starting any engine that’s been fueled with a tank fuel treated with it tells me I’m burning off something.

Again - pouring a little into the crankcase helps keep things clean - just like using certain oils and synthetics. Putting a little in the air ush mower at the start of the season helps clean out deposits too - but as fuel storage - not my first choice.

 

Some testing on fuel stabilizers. Granted it's done on motorcycles, but it should still be useful info.

https://youtu.be/chsGBhB5g7o

 

Sta-bil 360

 

Non-oxy premium (also called ethanol free) for infrequent use or lead free aviation gas for storage up to 10 years in collector vehicles. I had some av-gas in my old 47 International pick-up that was 15 years old and the truck still fired right up.