What is Z-MAX?

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Originally Posted By: badtlc
Originally Posted By: shell_user
What is this Z MAX I hear so much about, and is it good? Any advice, thoughts and help is appreciated. My father was asking me about it.


Thank you in advance,

Adam


I haven't used it but they are the only additive I have seen that had to put up or shut up in a court of law and were able to put up enough to validate making their claims.


Good point.
Now that I think about it I did use it once. I never saw any difference in fuel economy or how the car ran so I never bought it again.
Didn't Carroll Shelby endorse it? I think I saw a program where he stated he put in the sump of every car they build.
I may be mistaken though.
 
This is part of the Z MAX web site I agree with:
Today, the wholesalers, distributors and counter people have to face Chemical Roulette: Engine, radiator and transmission flush products, friction-lowering engine additives, detergent and solvent chemicals that de-carbonize the engine along with fuel tank and injector cleaners; all to aid in better mileage. A lot of so-called problem solving additive products.

When the consumer approaches the automotive chemical isle, vertigo is easily experienced. Whatever sells the best gets front row position. Rarely does the question, does it work, come into play. Does the counter person know the quality of these products? In most cases the answer is, NO.

The counter person rarely knows the facts for 50 different products. Whichever product has the best advertising, the best sales force, the best shelf position, is the winner, regardless of whether or not the product really works.

Today's engine oils are excellent performers. Synthetics and engine oil packages such as GF-4 and now GF-5 API approved categories have almost eliminated the need for the use of aftermarket engine additives.

The rest is classic snake oil advertising!
 
Originally Posted By: skyship
There is no comparison between an aero engine and a modern car one. Different compression ratios, fuel type, injection system and even ignition control. I wonder what the chances are that it was tested in all the different engine types to see if it worked and to check for long term damage to seals and bearings etc. Close to nil is my guess as it takes years and big bucks to test a new lubricant additive.


The exact same problems as a car only WORSE! Carbureted, no injection. Lousy weak ignition system with poor spark intensity. Air cooled with horrific hot spots based on airflow and power demands.

Every piston airplane engine I have seen apart on a bench (my FIL was a helicopter pilot and FAA licensed inspector) has had horrific carbon buildup and tons of coke in the rings and the heads.

With Avblend (Zmax in a different bottle-http://www.avblend.com/faa/faa.html) the difference is almost miraculous. So it does offer some very unique cleaning properties at the least.

The FAA did not approve snake oil, and would not ever do so.
 
Originally Posted By: shell_user
What is this Z MAX I hear so much about, and is it good? Any advice, thoughts and help is appreciated. My father was asking me about it.


Thank you in advance,

Adam


Adam,

Be careful of these products. Check out the FTC's website about this Z- MAX stuff before you buy it.

Durango
 
Read the really long thread started by Johnny. He had been using this stuff in one form or another since the mid 1940s, and it is a widely used aircraft additive with FAA approval.

It is indeed highly refined pharmaceutical grade mineral oil. They do a chemical recombination on it to make the molecules all the same shape and form, and claim it better impregnates into the voids and pores of metals in the engine.

There may be something to that theory, but volitility if really small molecules, and practical assessment of this being a valid effect are highly questionable. They did a bunch of fancy sounding tests, but they dont appear conclusive to me. Still it may be a useful solvent with some lubricity, and aircraft results seem to indicate that it does something...
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8


The FAA did not approve snake oil, and would not ever do so.


That depends on how you define snake oil.

The only thing the FAA does is make sure it does NOT HARM the engine. The do not check to see if it benefits the engine.

If I re-bottle SN 5w-30 oil, call it "super double-duper oil", and charge $50 a quart, it can be considered snake oil even though it is regular 5w-30.
 
You get to call it whatever you want.

I am not a user, but I HAVE seen direct evidence on more than one engine of its efficacy with regards to cleaning pistons and ring packs.

It is no different than group III "synthetic" oil. Highly re-refined mineral oil that behaves very differently than the general public has been taught.
 
I thought Cadillac was recommending Z-max in an official TSB for carbon removal in their northstar engines.

I will try and find it. I think most people pass it off for snake oil.
 
Nicholas, I wouldn't assume ZMAX works just because of that. All of the factory fill or service fill fluids are chosen based on the highest bidder...
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Zmax actually prevailed in their FCC lawsuit, the product does some things very well despite the hoo-hah.


I guess that depends on what you mean by 'prevailed' (and actually it was an FTC lawsuit)... The FTC ordered them to pay one million dollars in refunds to their prior customers, due to misleading claims of increasing gas mileage by a certain percent. The FTC did allow them to continue to use some claims such as 'soaks into metal', 'reduces friction', 'reduces engine deposits', etc, since those claims, apparently, were scientifically substantiated.

Personally I suspect that z-max is able to reduce friction and increase mileage by virtue of decreasing the viscosity of the engine oil. I could accomplish the same thing by switching to a thinner oil.
 
Originally Posted By: nicholas
I thought Cadillac was recommending Z-max in an official TSB for carbon removal in their northstar engines.

I will try and find it. I think most people pass it off for snake oil.


Give it a shot. I doubt it will hurt anything.
Iirc there is a member here who has a vw. He is running extended oci using a 20 grade oil and zmax in the sump. There is a thread here somewhere. I forget the members name but he is getting uoa done so he might be the guy to talk to.
I trust Steve's opinion. If he says there is something to this stuff I believe him.
 
Originally Posted By: hardcore302
Mineral oil and food coloring.
I was beyond upset when Shelby did ads for Z-MAX. Money will do that to people, I guess.


Food coloring? The Z-Max I saw was clear as water, did they change anything?
 
As a current user of ZMAX, I have documented mileage improvement in three different vehicles. We also use them when we rebuild aircraft engines per the request of the owners. Most of the people in this forum have never put their hands on a bottle of ZMAX much less see it in action. Yet, they are more than happy to offer their worthless opinions.

I vote YES on ZMAX based on documented usage.
 
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