FAQ

If you have an unopened bottle of Hot Shot’s Secret products, it will be guaranteed effective for up to five years. Then, once opened, we recommend using it within a year for best results. To determine the age of your product, look for the stamp/code on the bottle to determine the date it was manufactured.

For example: 24110513. Analyzing the code, this particular bottle was made on the 110th day of the year 2024. Within the first five numbers, the first two numbers determine the year (in this case 24), and the following three numbers (110) specifies what day in the year, of the JULIAN Date Calendar.

All diesel fuels behave differently. Some fuels have higher CP, CFPP, and PP’s than others, and some winter fuels already contain cold flow additives. Different additive packages react differently with other additive packages, so we can’t give EXACT numbers for this question. Generally speaking, Diesel Winter Anti-Gel lowers the Cloud Point, Cold Filter Plugging Point, and Pour Point up to 25 degrees from the baseline fuel.

While Diesel Extreme is a good cleaner, cetane booster, and moisture disbursement, it would not make a good anti-gel in severe cold climates. Our Diesel Winter Anti-Gel will provide excellent anti-gel protection while providing some cleaning properties. The best practice is to use Diesel Extreme both before and after winter.

Just use Diesel Winter Anti-Gel. You don’t need to do any flush between products, but the best practice would be to use one product at a time.

You should just swap over to Diesel Winter Anti-Gel, it provides all the same protections and benefits of Everyday Diesel Treatment -EDT with the addition of an anti-gel.

Once added to fuel Diesel Winter Anti-Gel will protect the fuel to -65° F, even while in a bulk tank. We recommend adding while the product is above 20° F.

Diesel Winter Anti-Gel will freeze in low temperatures as the plain product. Once added to diesel a chemical process happens that protects fuel to -65° F. We recommend adding while the product is above 20° F.

Diesel Winter Anti-Gel provides “Premium Diesel” qualities to standard diesel fuels in terms of detergency, stability, lubricity, winter operability, and cetane number. Diesel fuel contains wax, as temperatures drop these wax crystals clog fuel lines and cause problems for diesel engines. Our effective anti-gel additive greatly improves cold temperature performance and helps prevent the wax in the fuel from clogging lines. Lowers Pour Point to -65° F. Additional properties provide further winter protection against freeze-ups down to -40°F. In addition, Diesel Winter Anti-Gel contains a powerful cetane improver for quicker cold starts and a maximum boost in power and performance. Diesel Winter Anti-Gel is recommended for ALL diesel engines.

For any diesel engine, high-quality fuel is key to protecting and getting the most performance from it. We like to start with Diesel Extreme every 6000 miles to deep clean the injectors and entire fuel system. Then use Everyday Diesel Treatment (EDT) at each fill-up. It provides a cetane boost, injector maintainer, water dispersant, rust, and corrosion inhibitor, plus lubricity and fuel stabilizer.

For the oil system, we offer two products that contain a nanocarbon to reduce wear and friction, which increases engine life and fuel economy. Stiction Eliminator cleans the burnt oil “Stiction” in the engine and is recommended first. Then we can protect with FR3.

Our products are available at most major auto parts and farm stores as well as truck stops. We also have 5,000 plus independent dealers. See all locations or shop online at /resources/find-a-store

Hot Shot’s Stiction Eliminator for gas and diesel engines safely removes and prevents the gummy, sticky residue that builds up inside engines over time. It cleans and lubricates the entire oil side of the engine: HEUI injectors, turbo, rings, oil pump, everything the oil touches. Safe and effective for both gas and diesel engines.

Stiction Eliminator can be used for the entire life of your oil. No need to drain earlier than normal.

Yes, you can use Stiction Eliminator in gas engines. It is proven to clean and lubricate everything that comes in contact with the oil. Piston rings will free up, causing a better seal for better economy and power with less oil consumption. Oil galleries clean up and wear decreases, which increases the life of your engine.

There are no dangers. In fact, Stiction Eliminator helps to clean and lubricate everything that comes in contact with the oil. You will notice a quicker turbo spool time that results from the removal of stiction on the turboshaft. Piston rings will free up, causing a better seal for better economy and power with less oil consumption. Oil galleries clean up and wear decreases, which increases the life of your engine.

There are many factors that can influence performance. If your vehicle has HEUI injectors, Stiction Eliminator will clean the oil side of the injectors and restore performance to factory specifications. Your turbo may have residue on the bearings which may slow the spooling of the turbo. Stiction Eliminator will help in this case, also. Diesel Extreme will help clean the fuel side of your injectors and restore performance. The Cetane booster will also give an additional performance benefit.

While using Stiction Eliminator customers have reported 50 miles and others it takes the entire oil change cycle. It will eventually clean up the deposits and restore your performance to normal. (Think of it like saying how long will it take to do this sink full of dishes, if dirty it will take a while, but if mostly clean – only a few minutes) Each vehicle operates under different conditions and has had different variables in operation and maintenance routines, so unfortunately there are no “exact” answers for how the product will perform. Stiction Eliminator works quicker when you load the engine by pulling heavy loads or spirited driving. Short, quick in town drives do not allow the Stiction Eliminator to work as quickly. On rare occasions, when the injectors are really gummed up, we have done a second round of Stiction Eliminator in the next oil change and it has taken care of the problem.

Everyday Diesel Treatment is a concentrated 6-in-1 fuel treatment. This powerful cetane improver significantly upgrades power and performance in all diesel equipment while increasing fuel economy. EDT Improves diesel fuel’s lubricity to improve protection while also stabilizing the fuel. EDT also disperses moisture and protects against rust and corrosion. EDT is recommended for all diesel engines because it is completely ash-less and has no adverse effects on engine components. This diesel fuel additive complies with the federal low sulfur content requirements for use in diesel motor vehicles and non-road engines.

Diesel Extreme is a fully formulated concentrated cleaner that removes all internal diesel injector deposits (IDIDs) including waxy and polymeric deposits. In addition, Diesel Extreme contains a top tier level of cetane booster, lubricity additive, and fuel stabilizer to provide maximum performance while cleaning the fuel system.

FR3 Friction Reducer is a lubricity enhancing oil additive that increases the lubricating & wears reduction properties of the host oil. The product contains three proprietary synthetic lubricants that have unique lubricating properties even compared to PAO or mPAO synthetics of the same viscosity. The anti-wear component of the formula is an exclusive carbon nanoparticle that fills in microscopic irregularities on the machined surface. The synergy of these components extends the base oil performance in shear stability, oxidation stability, film strength & especially friction reduction.

You can absolutely use Friction Reducer (FR3) with the correct base oil recommended by the manufacturer.

None is necessary.

Stiction Eliminator can be used to slowly remove burnt hydrocarbons from your piston lands and rings. After cleaning, the rings will move more freely and seal the cylinders more efficiently reducing blow-by, increasing dynamic compression, and reducing oil consumption. There may also be other mechanisms for your oil consumption including worn-out valve guides and/or seals and worn out cylinder walls and/or piston rings. Stiction Eliminator will not help with these mechanisms.

There are no downsides to adding Shift Restore to your Cadillac SRX transmission. Shift Restore will help clean the valve body for smoother shifts, reduce operating temperature, and decrease transmission fluid oxidation.

While you can use Stiction Eliminator in every oil change with no harmful side effects. We recommend 4 oz per quart of oil Stiction Eliminator in the first oil change. All others can be FR3 with every third using Stiction Eliminator for deep cleaning.

Everyday Diesel Treatment (EDT) will be the main product you use at most fill-ups, to provide the best performance and protects your diesel. Use Diesel Extreme every 6,000 miles to deep clean the injectors and fuel system. In cold climates replace EDT with Diesel Winter Anti-Gel for gelling protection plus the regular benefits of EDT. LX4 is just for lubricity use alone or on top of our other fuel additives for extra protection.

Deep clean the fuel system and injectors first with Diesel Extreme. Everyday Diesel Treatment (EDT) fuel additive every tank, and FR3 Friction Reducer every oil change. Also known as our Pick-Up PERFORMANCE Pack.

You can absolutely use TBN Booster with Stiction Eliminator! It’s simply replenishing the detergent from fresh oil if used as directed.

Gasoline Extreme was formulated mainly for injected engines but will certainly help carbureted engines as well.  Will clean the fuel lines and clean out passageways in the carburetor.

Shelf life for our products is a minimum of two years when sealed and one year opened. If sitting for a long time period, just shake up before using it.

Correct, you can remove an equal amount of oil that will be replaced by Stiction Eliminator. We would recommend changing the oil if over 500 miles.

Due to the EGR mechanism, no oil additive will completely fix the soot issue in the EGR and EGR cooler. That being said, Stiction Eliminator will help to control the soot by bringing it into solution. Diesel Extreme and Everyday Diesel Treatment in your fuel system will also help reduce the amount of soot produced by improving the efficiency of combustion with the cetane boosters that are in both fuel products.

The piston to wall clearance and ring end gap is actually spec’d with a touch more tolerance on the 6.4L than on previous designs. This design was due to more boost needed for the higher power ratings and the higher combustion chamber temperatures causing the pistons to expand slightly more than older designed engines. In doing so, the 6.4L will actually have a bit of blow-by, but not excessive amounts.

Our 85W-140 will work for your differential. Since our gear oils do not contain a friction modifier, please use the recommended OEM limited-slip additive with our gear oils.

It makes no difference when you add Everyday Diesel Treatment as driving around will mix the tank quickly.

You will stop using Everyday Diesel Treatment for that tank of fuel while using Diesel Extreme. Use Diesel Extreme Every 6000 miles to deep clean the injectors. You do not need to flush the tank between products, they are compatible with each other.

TBN Booster during an oil change interval after an oil analysis indicates that the total base number should be boosted.  Stiction Eliminator should be used at the beginning of an interval.  Introducing TBN during an interval that started with Stiction Eliminator is fine.

If it does not have an emissions system yes you can use our TBN Booster, if it still has the emissions system it cannot be used due to the possibility of clogging up the catalytic converter if you are experiencing oil consumption or blow-by.

You would not need FR3 with our oil. You can still do maintenance does of Stiction Eliminator every fourth oil change. 

Blue diamond 5w40 is a full synthetic PAO group 4 oil. (longer drain intervals) The Green Diamond is a full synthetic group 3 oil. (daily driver’s)

Blue Diamond for the extended oil change potential and the fact that it’s 100% pure PAO synthetic, which never breaks down, even under high demand towing etc. 

Diesel Extreme and Everyday Diesel Treatment (EDT – 6 in 1) are similar products and complement each other. Both provide cetane boost, injector cleaner (but much more on DE), water dispersant, rust and corrosion inhibitor, plus lubricity and fuel stabilizer. Diesel Extreme is a fully formulated deep injector cleaner designed to be used every 6000 miles. While EDT is made for every fill-up and contains an added lubricity agent over Diesel Extreme. EDT is also more affordable per gallon treated, making it a product you can use on every tank.

Green Diamond Semi-Synthetic: Normal Oil Change Interval.Gray Diamond 1.5 times longer. Green Diamond Full Synthetic up to two times longer, Blue and Black Diamond up to three times longer. Always change your oil filter at a normal oil change interval.

Generally order ship within 48 hours of receipt. Among the carriers we use are FedEx, UPS and USPS. A tracking number is emailed to you once your order has shipped. Use the tracking number and link provided to track your package.

FR3 can be used in 2 cycle engines and keeps them running great. FR3 will replace 10% of the oil in your fuel mixture.

FR3 works great in powersports equipment. Also, look at the RV gas treatment for your gasoline to help with long term storage issues.

Yes, you can. Farm engines (tractors, combines, etc.) are no different than their gas or diesel counterparts in other service areas. Diesel in agriculture benefits greatly from our diesel products. Everyday Diesel Treatment and Diesel Extreme both contain a fuel stabilizer and water disbursement to deal with the issues when not using equipment for long periods of time.

FR3 is compatible with almost all base oil, both conventional (mineral) and synthetic. You can use FR3 in motor, gear, transmission, and hydraulic oils. Power steering and two-cycle systems also run great on FR3.

Stiction Eliminator and FR3 are complementary products that are used in a two-step process. Stiction Eliminator cleans out the burnt oil “stiction” while lubricating. FR3 is a powerful lubricant that reduces wear and increases efficiency, helps in fighting stiction from forming. Clean with Stiction Eliminator every third oil change with FR3 in the others.

Yes LX4 can be added with Everyday Diesel Treatment for extra lubricity protection, in fact, all new bottles of EDT are infused with LX4.

You can use Diesel Extreme in every tank with no harm or side effects. Our Everyday Diesel Treatment would be a more economical option, as it gives you the same cetane boost and protections as Diesel Extreme, but with less injector cleaner. One 16 oz bottle treats 400 gallons.

Every 6000 miles to deep clean the injectors.

We do not recommend mixing additives, not even our own. For best results, we recommend using Stiction Eliminator first oil change and the next two oil changes using FR3. 

Additives used in the proper fluids cannot void your warranty. Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, manufacture cannot void a warranty by using our products.

Read more on additives and car warranties in this blog, Do Oil and Fuel Additives Void Car Warranties?

While Stiction Eliminator oil additive is compatible with Rev-X, we do not recommend mixing additives.

There are no major precautions with either product. Diesel Extreme fuel additive is a very intense fuel additive cleaner that we recommend using every 6K miles. In most cases, yes, Stiction Eliminator will resolve the stiction symptoms you’re experiencing. Noises like that are tough to diagnose sometimes; we have also heard that this type of noise could come from injectors with internal varnish deposits. The Diesel Extreme will remedy internal deposits. If you have ruled out any mechanical problems, try our product — we offer a money-back guarantee if it doesn’t fix your problem.

Fuel additives can be used right away to protect your new vehicle. We recommend waiting until there are at least 10K miles on your truck, then use a maintenance-level treatment of Stiction Eliminator or the regular dose of FR3 on the oil side. Because of the way these two products reduce friction, we want to ensure the engine is completely broken in.

Stiction Eliminator, FR3, Diesel Extreme and Everyday Diesel Treatment can be used in any diesel engine. All our diesel fuel additives meet the latest Tier 4 specifications.

No, Blue Diamond oil and all Hot Shot’s Secret oil additives are fully compatible with all oils.

Stiction Eliminator is compatible with any Group II conventional, Group II and III semi-synthetic, Group III synthetic and Group IV PAO full synthetic oil.

There are no dangers. In fact, Stiction Eliminator helps to clean and lubricate everything that comes in contact with the oil. You will notice a quicker turbo spool time that results from the removal of stiction on the turboshaft. Piston rings will free up, causing a better seal for better economy and power with less oil consumption. Oil galleries clean up and wear decreases, which increases the life of your engine.

There are no long-term concerns with the use of Stiction Eliminator. Every Hot Shot’s Secret product has gone through an intense testing regimen that includes no-harm testing. When used as directed, the longevity of your engine will increase dramatically.

If, after 4,000 miles, you feel that the product did not eliminate stiction or improve your truck’s stiction symptoms, send in your receipt and/or UPC code from the label, along with your address and phone number. We will mail you a check with a full refund. If you feel that the product helped somewhat but you are still having stiction symptoms, you may request a second bottle free of charge, instead. Please allow 2 – 3 weeks for processing.

The Stiction Eliminator and FR3 can be used in any oil system that uses either synthetic or conventional oil. We have found that the performance benefits in gasoline applications are similar to those in diesel applications. Many gasoline engines use the oil as hydraulic fluid for engine functions. Engines equipped with hydraulic lifters or turbos have benefited the most from using Stiction Eliminator and FR3.