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The Difference Between Summer and Winter Gas

The Difference Between Summer and Winter Gas & the Need for Fuel Additives.

Summer has its benefits: Fishing season. Dirt-track racing. Wrenching in the garage with the door open and the tunes blaring.

Another benefit is a slight fuel-economy boost. That’s because refiners alter their gasoline and diesel formulations depending on the season, and summer gasoline contains about 1.7 percent more energy than winter-blend gas. Regardless of the time of year, it pays to know a little about what’s going in your tank to ensure you’re properly maintaining your fuel system.

Under Pressure

A primary difference between summer and winter fuels is their Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). RVP is a measure of how easily the fuel evaporates at increased temperatures. The higher the fuel’s RVP, the more easily it evaporates.

Winter-blend fuel requires increased RVP. If the fuel doesn’t evaporate readily in cold temperatures, the engine will start hard and run rough at cold temperatures.

To achieve this, refiners often blend winter gasoline with butane, a relatively inexpensive additive with a high RVP. They adjust the RVP of the final formulation to as high as 15.0 psi to help the gasoline ignite readily in the cold. 

The Law Restricts Sales

Once the temperature warms up in summer, however, high-RVP gasoline can volatilize more easily, which contributes to increased emissions and air pollution. For that reason, federal law restricts sale of gasoline with an RVP greater than 9.0 from June 1 through Sept. 15. To comply, refiners reduce the amount of butane in the gasoline and instead use pricier additives, hence one reason gas prices generally increase in summer. The blending process also takes longer, adding to the cost. 

Some areas set even lower RVP standards in summer to further limit emissions. California, for example, has a 7.0-psi limit. Given the state’s climate, refiners may sell summer-blend gas as early as April 1 and as late as Oct. 31.

For the most part, the semi-annual switch from winter to summer gas and vice versa happens seamlessly and goes unnoticed by drivers. 

Lowest Additive Concentration 

Regardless of the season, gasoline contains detergent additives designed to keep fuel injectors and other fuel-system components clean.

Some automakers, however, think the additive content, called the lowest additive concentration (LAC), is insufficient for modern vehicles. It takes a low level of additive to pass the tests, and most gasoline on the market contains as little as 123 ppm of additive.

The low levels of detergent additives in modern gasoline allow deposits to build up on critical fuel-system components, and most motorists are unaware of how dirty the insides of their engines are. This provides a great opportunity to sell the benefits of AMSOIL fuel additives.

P.i.® and Upper Cylinder Lube

P.i. Performance Improver (API) is a potent, one-tank additive that deep-cleans your fuel system.

• Cleans fuel injectors, intake valves and combustion chamber deposits

• Reduces emissions and increases fuel economy up to 5.7 percent

• Use every 4,000 miles (6,437 km)

Upper Cylinder Lubricant (UCL) preserves and builds upon those gains. It also provides vital lubrication to the upper part of the cylinders. 

• Lubricates upper cylinders to fight wear

• Inhibits ethanol-related corrosion

• Keeps injectors clean

• Delivers 18 percent more lubricity than Lucas* and 20 percent more than Sea Foam* for better retention of horsepower and fuel economy.

For more information:
AMSOIL Fuel Additives.

AMSOIL Upper Cylinder Lubricant

Upper Cylinder Lubricant

Preserves Horsepower and Performance

Upper Cylinder Lubricant, 6 oz. bottle

Product Highlights

Your engine’s top-end is sparsely lubricated and prone to the development of performance-robbing deposits. It’s also highly susceptible to corrosion, an issue compounded by the prevalence of ethanol in today’s fuel. AMSOIL Upper Cylinder Lubricant is designed to solve those issues. Its AMSOIL-exclusive, powerful formulation helps maximize engine power and performance while increasing engine life. And unlike competing fuel additives, AMSOIL Upper Cylinder Lubricant works.

Lubricates Top-End Components

The intense heat of combustion and limitations of the oil-control piston ring result in a lack of oil at the top of each cylinder. AMSOIL Upper Cylinder Lubricant's unique additives provide that missing lubrication to fight piston-ring and cylinder wear, maximizing engine compression and horsepower. Its lubricity improvers also aid in protecting fuel injectors and other fuel-system components from wear, helping ensure excellent performance and long-life. AMSOIL Upper Cylinder Lubricant delivers 18 percent more lubricity than Lucas* and 20 percent more than Sea Foam* for better retention of horsepower and fuel economy (see chart below).*

Lubricity Performance ASTM D6079

Inhibits Corrosion

Upper Cylinder Lubricant uses potent corrosion inhibitors to coat metal surfaces, block out moisture and stop deterioration before it starts. This is particularly important when using gasoline that contains ethanol due to its propensity to attract water and hasten corrosion. Inhibiting corrosion maximizes component life and reduces wear in the engine's top-end to guard against compression loss and maintain optimum power.

• Lubricates fuel system and upper cylinders
• Fights ethanol-related corrosion
• Helps keep injectors clean
• Compatible with capless fuel systems

Keeps Injectors Clean

Upper Cylinder Lubricant contains detergent additives designed to maintain injector cleanliness. While AMSOIL P.i. Performance Improver is designed to attack and remove stubborn injector deposits that can reduce power and fuel economy, Upper Cylinder Lubricant helps preserve injector and combustion-chamber cleanliness. Using it with every tank of fuel helps retain fuel-economy and performance gains and maximizes component life.

Capless-Compatible Packaging

Many new vehicles have replaced traditional fuel caps with capless systems. The threads on most bottles restrict them from opening the flap inside the fuel neck and make removing the bottle difficult. The AMSOIL Upper Cylinder Lubricant bottle is fully compatible with capless fuel systems. It’s easy to insert, pour and remove the bottle.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• For use with cars and trucks.
• For best results, use with every tank of fuel. Do not refill tank until almost empty.
• Treats up to 25 gallons. Add entire bottle to tank at fill-up.
• Treat large gas tanks with two bottles of Upper Cylinder Lubricant. Using more than two bottles is not recommended.
• Safe for use with catalytic converters, oxygenated gas and up to 15 percent ethanol-blended fuels. Do not use with E85 fuel.
• Do not use with two-stroke or diesel engines.

AMSOIL PRODUCT WARRANTY

AMSOIL products are backed by a Limited Liability Warranty. For complete information visit https://www.amsoil.com/about/guarantee/.

HEALTH & SAFETY

This product is not expected to cause health concerns when used for the intended application and according to the recommendations in the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). An SDS is available at www.amsoil.com or upon request at (715) 392-7101. Keep Out of Reach of Children.

* Based on independent testing of AMSOIL Upper Cylinder Lubricant, Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant and Sea Foam Motor Treatment obtained on 02/13/2019 using the ASTM D6079 modified for use with gasoline. *All trademarked names and images are the property of their respective owners and may be registered marks in some countries. No affiliation or endorsement claim, express or implied, is made by their use. All products advertised here are developed by AMSOIL for use in the applications shown.

UpMPG.com

AMSOIL Injector Clean

BAD FUEL FOULS INJECTORS

Keep them clean with Diesel Injector Clean

AMSOIL Diesel Injector Clean (ADF) removes performance-robbing deposits from diesel fuel injectors to restore horsepower and improve fuel economy. It is formulated for all types of diesel engines, including high-pressure common-rail designs.