Sunday, September 27, 2009

Test results: Microlon engine treatment and joint juice

No, dammit, they're not the same stuff.

First, about a year ago I decided to give my truck engine the Microlon treatment, and I've been watching mileage ever since.

Not the best of tests because my tracking of mileage had been kind of sketchy prior to this. But here's what I came up with:
There is a bit of mileage difference. I'm guessing 1-2 mpg in the city, as much as 3-4 highway. Not dramatic but a real difference. On highway I say 'as much as' because on some of the trips I'd have strong headwinds, and a truck doesn't have the most aerodynamically efficient shape; not much the engine does can make up for that.

So I didn't get a large boost, but I did get one. Realistically, about all I could ask for. As I recall the motorcycle got about a 3-5 mpg boost, city & highway. One thing I noticed is real subjective but I'll pass it along anyway; seems like the oil doesn't look as dirty when I change it, usually around 4,000 miles. I have no way to test the oil for dirty at that point so I'm just throwing it in as an oddity.

I did say it was subjective.


The other test is a very short-term at this time: Elations. Og wrote about the stuff and said it really helped his knees. Well, even taking glucosimine/chondroitin pills every day mine have been getting worse(maybe they want to match with my hands?), so decided to try it. Happily I found out Sam's* carries it, so got some to try.

I've been taking it about a week now, which is too short a time to say much, but I really noticed one thing this morning: after all the shovel/walk/carry work yesterday, my knees should have been awful, and they weren't. I was a touch sore, but nothing like what I expected.

So I'll keep taking the stuff and see how it goes.


*Yes, I know Sam's is directly connected to Wal-Mart; I can't give up every damn place. I have been pretty good about not going to Wally World unless there's something nobody else around carries, and that'll have to do. If you're new to this place, when W-M decided to suck up to Bloomberg's Mayors Who Want To Ban Guns But Don't Have The Integrity To Say It Flat-Out group, I wrote to them saying I had a problem with their actions on this; I got back a fairly insulting form letter blowing me off. 'Fairly insulting' as it included the line "...we don't think our honest customers will mind" near as I can recall the wording; someone hints that objecting to their decision means I'm not an honest customer, they're cordially invited to kiss my ass. And I won't give them any more of my money if I can avoid it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been using "Elations" for three weeks. I dunno if it's a placebo effect, but my shoulders and back seem to be improving a bit.

The stuff still tastes horrible, though. The white grape and raspberry taste somewhat less crappy to me than the Apple and cranberry.

Gerry N.

og said...

I have tried a couole of the flavors, and I have to say, they all taste like freshly squeezed marmoset ass.

Firehand said...

I shall have to bow to your wider experience on that, as I very happily have no damned idea what marmoset ass- freshly squeezed or not- tastes like.