Worth it or just good advertising?
 

I was just wondering about some products you hear about all day long on XM. I'd love to hear some real-world experience about them. If you can think of others, feel free to mention them here.

• Turbo 3000D
• Bypass Oil Filters (such as the Gulf Coast)
• Centramatics (tractor only, steer & drive axles)
• Air-tabs (or whatever those triangle things are called that are attached to the fairings on some trucks)

Also, if going with (or without) a bypass oil filter, is it worth the extra cost of switching to 100% synthetic oil in the engine?

I can definitely understand using synthetic in the gears/tranny because they don't have the byproducts produced by the engine itself. The engine will create the byproducts with or without synthetic. I was thinking that it probably wouldn't be worth the extra cost unless a bypass oil filter was used in order to extend the life of the oil itself. If it's the same time period for the oil change with organic vs synthetic, it would have to extend the life of the engine itself before it would be worthwhile. At least that's what I was thinking.

Forgot a biggie to ask about:

APU's

Seems like a no-brainer to me, but thought I'd ask anyway.

Also, is it worth getting a more "automatic" APU that does the voltage and outside temperature monitoring for times when I may be out of the truck for a couple of days?

My friend who has the Gulf system doesn't change his oil that often. He usually just adds to the oil that is already in the system and then periodically changes the filter. I don't recall the interval where he actually changes the oil. I change my organic oil at 15,000 miles. If that interval could be doubled without damaging the engine then it might be worth changing to synthetic. I have done well using organic so I will probably not want to make the change unless I could be assured of better fuel economy or much longer oil change intervals.

TURBO3000D
Also not-so-affectionately referred to as the “TurdBlower” by many folks. I put one (I got it at one hell of a deal, so I figured “why not?”) on my ’03 C15 535HP motor and saw absolutely NO difference over the course of two years and 500,000 miles.

From everything I’ve seen and heard from acquaintances who use them, bypass filters work extremely well, but I have my reservations if they are really worth it when you look at the hassle and cost of make-up oil in addition to the filters. They probably save a little money, but I haven’t been able to ever justify putting one on. Not only that, but I run even dino oil to 60k miles just by changing the stock filter every 15k miles or so and even then oil analysis indicates it could go further. I just don’t see bypass filters (in my operation) being worth the trouble.

Centramatics absolutely kick butt. I bought my first set six years ago and will never run a truck again without them. I’ve actually been considering running them on my trailer as well.

You failed to mention, but I run and love them as well: Tru-Balance wheel and drum centering sleeves.

Air Tabs: I have been intrigued with but have been skeptical whether or not they would really save enough fuel to justify their use. That and IMHO they’re ugly.

Synthetic Motor Oil: I switched from Rotella a few months ago to Valvoline Blue Extreme Full Synthetic ($21 a gallon from my local dealer) and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner. We’ve actually been running heavier loads than in the past since about the time we switched and my economy it still up from 6.9 lifetime on dino oil to 7.32 in the 65k miles with the synthetic so far. Oil analysis shows comparable wear between the two oils (maybe a tic lower with the synthetic) and it is a much better flowing oil which is great for cold starts. I don’t think I’d ever consider switching back to non synthetic.

You also didn’t mention a tire inflation and monitoring system like the Meritor Tire Inflation System (MTIS) by PSI that I had installed on my new trailer. They also kick butt. Every tire is kept at exactly the same pressure (which you can easily change) and if you ever get a leak, an indicator light on the front of the trailer comes on to alert you. I’ll be putting one of these on my tractor as well as soon as I get the time.

APUs are a no-brainer in my opinion. You just can’t argue with a device that saves you about a gallon per hour over idling and (with some units) even offer a shore power hook-up that will keep your batteries charged when you park your truck for an extended time. Not to mention the priceless advantage of being comfortable and legal when forced to sit in wonderful locations like CA or NYC.

I agree about the Centramatics and the Tru-balance, both worth the $$$$

As far as the Turbo 3000D , when a big fleet endorses it, maybe, jsut maybe I would consider it, that goes fro all the other snake oil products as well.

Anybody seen air tabs on a large fleet truck??

I have a 3000D on my FLD, I ran local so I couldn't tell a difference even if I tried LOL

I have Centramatics on the steers of my IH and I didn't notice a change. However, I bought a full set of Yokohama drives the same time as my best friend and he put centramatics on his drives, but I have more tread left on mine and more miles too??? No idea, I think it is just how you drive it.

I do however get a 3 axle alignment every 6 mos and this has saved me money in the long run. I never did one for 3 years, then finally I did and found out my drives were only 3% off, but that made a 1mpg difference in my fuel. Plus, I've got 375k on my yokohama's and they are still at 12/32 depth..... just some FYI

The problem with some of the APU's is that they still may not be legal in California. It is a big investment to spend $8,000 for an APU to comply with anti idling laws and then find out that your APU may not be compliant. I considered getting one but will wait until the dust settles on some of these states as to what they want or will accept. There are supposed to be other options which may work as well or better for air conditioning and heating. Bunk heaters have been around for years and cost around $800. I don't know about the battery powered air conditioning units.

Don't have a lot to offer except that the Espar bunk heaters are the ticket BUT we have one battery powered (I believe) stand alone air conditioning unit and the driver says it seems quite noisy and doesn't cool very good. It's a kind of tall plastic unit that stands upright on the back wall. We have a truck with some air tabs on and there was no difference with fuel mileage. I've spoken to a couple O/O that have them and they said that they notice the cab is more stable in winds if that is possible.