There is a MUST READ article in the August 1992 issue of Road Rider magazine. The article is entitled, "Snake Oil! Is That Additive Really a Negative?" I will not retype the whole article here as it is rather lengthy, however, suffice it to say that after reading the article I will not let the stuff anywhere near ANY of my engines. The article bases it's statements on test results from the following very reputable research institutions: University of Nevada Desert Research Center, Avco Lycoming (aircraft engine manufacturerers), Dupont Chemical Company (the creator of PTFE which is the main ingredient in Slick 50 and other similar products), North Dakota State University, Briggs and Stratton (of lawn mower engine fame), the University of Utah Engineering Experiment Station, California State Polytechnic College and NASA Lewis Research Center. Quite an impressive list. Each of these institutions spoke out AGAINST using Slick 50 in your engine. In fact, ROAD RIDER was unable to find any independent testing organization that would support the findings that Slick 50 brags about. When you ask the Slick 50 folks about who did their testing, they will not tell you. Here's one quote from the article I think you'll want to read,

"... By far the most damning testimonial against these products originally came from the DuPont Chemical Corporation, inventor of PTFE and holder of the patents and trademarks for Teflon. In a statement issued about ten years ago, DuPont's Fluoropolymers Division Product Specialist, J.F. Imbalzano said, "Teflon is not useful as an ingredient in oil additives or oils used for internal combustion engines."

At the time, DuPont threatened legal action against anyone who used the name "Teflon" on any oil product destined for use in an internal combustion engine, and refused to sell its PTFE powders to anyone who intended to use them for such purposes.

After a flurry of lawsuits from oil additive makers, claiming restraint of trade, DuPont was forced, reluctantly, to once again sell their PTFE to the additive producers." - ROAD RIDER/August 1992

Here are a couple of the things mentioned in the article as possible failure modes for Slick 50 style products:

1) PTFE is a solid. The additive makers claim this solid "coats" the moving parts in an engine. The article states, however, that, "such solids seem even more inclned to coat non-moving parts, like oil passages and filters. After all, if it can build up under the pressures and friction exerted on a cylinder wall, then it stands to reason it should buid up even better in places with low pressures and vitually no friction."

2) Additive manufacturers will claim that they use "sub-micron" sized particles that will pass through your oil filter. The only problem is that, "PTFE expands radically when exposed to heat." So when your engine reaches normal operating temparatures, the particles may not longer pass through your filter, but instead will clog it!

The above quotes and data are just small tidbits from an article filled with such information. Briggs and Stratton has done testing on it's engines with and without the stuff and found the an engine using the stuff actually showed more wear than an engine using conventional motor oil. Do read the article. It does not come out and tell you that you should not use Slick 50 and other products like it, but it gives you lots of data for you to make your own decisions. For example, if I was someone with a racing motor that was torn down and rebuilt after each race, I might consider using the product as there are some results that have shown there to be less friction within the engine, thus resulting in an increase in horsepower. Again, read the article and make your own conclusions. I will not use any Slick 50 style products in my engines, but that is just my conclusion after reading the article.

Good food for thought. Happy racing!

Roger Goff

Read more about this here and here and here and here and here and here.