What is different about Max Mileage FBC and other fuel additives – and why do I need both?

Max Mileage® FBC contains a catalyst chemistry as an active ingredient. This catalyst is approved by the US EPA for use in all road fuels. Max Mileage FBC has been independently tested using EPA certified methods for measuring fuel consumption and was shown to increase engine efficiency by 12-14% (1). Yes, that’s correct, under controlled engine conditions of fixed speed and applied load, a 15L Cummins test engine produced the same amount of horsepower while using 12-14% less diesel fuel. This is the direct result of the Max Mileage FBC causing the combustion reaction to proceed faster and burn fuel more completely thus releasing more heat during the power stroke of the piston. More force is produced while the piston is still moving. This translates to more work being produced by the engine for the same amount of fuel burned. And because the fuel is being burned more completely, Max Mileage FBC also results in far fewer toxic emissions being generated in the form of unburned fuel, soot, smoke and engine carbon deposits all which cause problems with premature engine wear, DPF clogging and more frequent engine component repairs and/or replacement.

 Max Mileage FBC is widely available as an aftermarket product for the truck transport industry and stands alone as the proven leader for all but eliminating DPF regeneration problems. In contrast, there are perhaps hundreds of “other” types of fuel additive retail products available. These come in the form of cetane or octane improvers, fuel lubricants, detergents or anti-stiction agents, emulsifiers or surfactants, anti-gelling or de-icing agents, anti-oxidants or fuel stabilizers. It’s important to recognize that each is a different type of chemical that target different aspects of fuel properties. Most are aimed at improving a specific fuel property as a remedy for related issues. As a simple example, emergency de-ice products will melt any ice crystals that block fuel filters.

 Many of these additive chemicals are combined in formulas that are marketed as multi-functional blends. The product advertising often includes claims of better fuel economy. Indeed, a number of these multi-functional fuel additive blends may indirectly improve fuel efficiency either by improving fuel ignition properties, or by reducing friction, or by simply restoring the gradual loss of fuel economy that occurs with the formation of engine and fuel injector deposits. All of these products can and should be used along with Max Mileage FBC for even better protection against problems caused by today’s fuels. However, unlike Max Mileage FBC, none of these other types of additives, when used alone, will likely show any statistically significant increase fuel economy under a controlled engine test. That comes down to one reason and one reason only, these other types of fuel additives, while beneficial, they do not work to increase the rate of the combustion reaction directly. That is something that can only be accomplished through the use of Max Mileage FBC.

Help us, help you.

Hi, I’m Brian from Pittsburgh Power. I’ve been with the company for over 35 years and have been working with the Big Cam Cummins since the beginning. I get a lot of calls from people who want to upgrade the power of their Big Cam, but they do not have any details on the engine other than that it is a Big Cam Cummins. If you do not know the engine's specifics, then there is no way I can tell you what Pittsburgh Power can do for you. The more information you can give me about the engine, the better!  The two most important pieces of information from these engines are the Control Parts List (CPL) or Engine serial number (ESN).  We can get the CPL number from the Engine serial number if you don't have it. Both the CPL and ESN are on a tag that is the part of the block that the accessory drive mounts to (See Picture). If you don’t have a tag in that location, which happens often, you can get the engine serial number off the block on the left side of the engine below the 3rd head.

With the ESN, we can pull up the CPL and get everything we need to direct you to the best solution for your engine. The CPL stands for Control Parts List.

The top picture is a page out of our CPL book with notes that we’ve gathered over the last 40-plus years of different parts that work best for this specific CPL. In the lower picture, you can see that this engine is a Big Cam 3.  The CPL tells us what Injectors, Pistons, Turbo, Cam and the Timing that are specific to this engine. These are the things that make a difference in what we can do with your engine. Depending on how deep you want to go also affects what we can do. If you have a lower-power CPL and are rebuilding it, we can put together a kit of parts to make your engine a GREAT running Big Cam. It can get tricky if you are not doing a rebuild. If your CPL has the wrong piston compression ratio, wrong timing, turbo, and injectors, we can only do up to what you are willing to change. If you are willing to change these parts, we have a large collection in stock to choose from that can increase power. If you don’t want to change these parts, we can only go so far safely. I am more than willing to answer your questions, but please be prepared with the information we need to help you. No matter what you have, we can make an improvement you will be happy with.

Written by: Jane Gates and Brian Moan; Pittsburgh Power inc., 3600 S. Noah Drive, Saxonburg, PA, 16056 Phone (724) 360-4080 Email: [email protected] Website: www.PittsburghPower.com