Here's another good Archoil review from Bearded Ford Tech

 

 

Didn't regen in 3k miles??????????????

Did I hear that correctly?

Wonder if it was being towed.............

 

Pretty sure it was regenning automatically

 

Some time back I decided to give the AR6500 a try. I had been running HS EDT+ and Better Diesel FBC for a couple years and had great results with it, but there was a lot of hype a couple months back about the Archoil AR6500. Honestly, the 2 things about it that attracted me was the long neck bottle that made pouring easier, and that I could just pour from 1 bottle rather than 2. So, I gave it a try... Of course there are still a number of variables that could change the outcome... but, I basically compared the last 6300 miles of running the AR6500 to the previous 6,300 miles running the HS and FBC. Over the course of those miles, about 1,500 of each was towing my camper, and the rest consisted of my normal driving habits. It's about as real as it is going to get... so here is what I found:

Hot Shots EDT+ and Better Diesel FBC

• Total miles: 6,356.3
• Total average MPG according to truck (LOM): 16.0
• Total average MPG according to hand calculation: 16.0
• Regens: 7
• Average Regen Mileage: 941.2

Here are the mileage between regens:

1. Regen 1: 1,785.5
2. Regen 2: 896.1
3. Regen 3: 778.1
4. Regen 4: 826.8
5. Regen 5: 751.5
6. Regen 6: 757.5
7. Regen 7: 792.6

Archoil AR 6500

• Total miles: 6,277.9
• Total average MPG according to truck (LOM): 15.91
• Total average MPG according to hand calculation: 16.03
• Regens: 7
• Average Regen Mileage: 868.5

Here are the mileages between regens:

1. Regen 1: 746.8
2. Regen 2: 766.8
3. Regen 3: 749.1
4. Regen 4: 696.1
5. Regen 5: 791.2
6. Regen 6: 812.5
7. Regen 7: 1,516.7

A couple of notes:

MPG: When I first got my truck I adjusted the AFE on the 21st fill up. This has resulted in a fairly close reading from the truck, however, it's still not perfect. I have found that it seems like it is most off is when I go from lots of towing back to normal everyday driving. Of course too, my "hand calculations" could also be less than perfect simply due to the fact that I can't know for certain that I fill the tank to the exact same level every single time. What I can say is that I always pump my fuel slow, and as soon as it clicks off I wait a couple of seconds and put another squeeze into the tank. Regardless, this is about as close as I feel I can get it.

As for the Hot Shots vs Archoil, I have found that there is no real difference in mpg. They have been almost dead equal in this respect. Even in the video posted above, he guesstimated there was about a .3 mpg difference after using the AR6500, and this was based on really rough, wide guesses, as well as the assumption that the trucks LOM is exactly right. That slight difference could have been from going from winter blend to summer blend... or simply idle times. Either way, neither product seems to outshine the other in this regard.

Regens: Since the first time I pulled my camper with my truck, I noticed that it was enough to cause my truck to immediately go into a passive regen and I would watch the DPF% drop back to 0. Not only that, but as long as the camper was hooked up and the truck was driving, it would never move from 0%. So when he says his trucks never went into a regen, that tells me they were likely pulling a trailer the whole time, and that he had OCR turned on, in which case, that is easily expected. (If he has not enabled the OCR then his trucks would automatically go into a regen whether it needed it or not around every 500 miles.) And it doesn't even have to be a big trailer... mine is only GVR 6000 lbs, however, it's a huge windsail, so it gets the temps up, and the passive regens take care of keeping the filter clean.

As for the additives, Hot Shots does nothing for extending regens. This is why I used the Better Diesel FBC. This is the one advantage that the AR6500 has over the EDT+, and it would also explain the higher iron levels from the AR6500 on the oil analysis sheet. So, the comparison here would be between the Better Diesel FBC and the AR6500, in which case, it's about a wash as well. Unfortunately, I stopped getting oil analysis 2 oil changes ago simply due to the fact that the price keeps going up. However, it would have been interesting to compare an analysis from a run with the Better Diesel to one with the AR6500. Oh well...

So, final thoughts about using Hot Shots EDT+ and Better Diesel FBC as compared to AR6500 from my personal experience:

1. One of the biggest exaggerations I see about the AR6500 is the increased mpg. In my findings, there is none... at least when compared to Hot Shots EDT+. However, as far as I am concerned I am happy with the results of both. Saying that, I have experienced the lowest mpg recently when towing and using AR6500. In May 2022 I had a low of 10.03 mpg while towing my camper on Hot Shots EDT. Then, a few weeks ago in May 2025 while towing the same camper (but lighter than before) I bested that with a record low of 9.82 mpg while towing on AR6500! So, I thought it was funny that so many talk about how much better their mpg's are with AR6500 and I experienced my lowest mpg tank yet on it... lol!
2. The AR6500 has seemed to be just as effective at keeping my DPF as clean as the Better Diesel FBC. I was most curious about this, and it honestly surprised me.
3. The price is a wash between the Hot Shots EDT+ and Better Diesel FBC and the AR6500. But.....
4. I much prefer the AR6500 when it comes to purchasing and pouring the product. It's nice to buy it all in one bottle, and then pour it from one bottle. This is a definite win for AR6500.

Overall, I have enjoyed using the AR6500 and I seem to be getting the same results as when using the Hot Shot/Better Diesel combo, but... there may be 1 area that Hot Shot's does shine brighter than the Archoil.

Hot Shots EDT+ includes a demulsifier, which according to their site: "aids in settling the water to the bottom of the mixture (so) the fuel filter and water separator (can) do their jobs effectively to eliminate the water from the equation." Archoil adds neither an emulsifier or a emulsifier to AR6500, and says this about it:

I am glad that they did not include an emulsifier, and it sounds like their reason for not adding either is to simply let the trucks system handle water separation as it was intended to. In a sense, this is Hot Shot's theory too, however, they did go as far as adding a demulsifier to their EDT+ which should give the truck a leg up and help separate the water from the fuel. As terrifying as water is to the fuel systems on these trucks, I like the idea of any extra help removing water from the system as we can get.

So... I have recently swapped back to the Hot Shots/Better Diesel combo for now, but to be fair, this is because I still had a bottle of each that I needed to use, so I am. After I finish these bottles, I have one more bottle of AR6500 that I will use up. After that.. I don't know... If Archoil would add a demulsifier to the AR6500, it would be a no brainer to me... however, the Hot Shots/Better Diesel does everything the AR6500 does but 1 ups the AR6500 with the demulsifier. Then again, the AR6500 is just easier to get and easier to use...

tldr: AR6500 is easy to buy and use, but doesn't include a demulsifier, which gives Hot Shot's EDT+/ Better Diesel FBC combo a leg up.

 

Thanks for sharing your report. Since you brought up Hot Shots, we now know via an independent study performed by Southwest Research Institue that Hot Shots doesn't perform so well with the SCAR tests which directly contradicts their own marketing.

 

I have to give it to you Chad... great record keeping and very detailed comment. I'm impressed.

I have a few opinions on this subject.

One is the mpg claim of any additive. I don't use mine for any gain in mileage and have no idea if they help. IMO, unless the truck was driven in the same manner over the course of many refills of the fuel tank, both with no additives and additives added to be compared, there's too many variables involved from different driving conditions, temperature and other weather fluctuations to winds affecting the drag of the truck. Just the way I see it.

The other one is the addition of a demulsifier. On a stationary fuel tank, I'd say sure. But on a moving vehicle where the motion will stir up any free water, if it's present, it will be broken up into smaller particles by the movement and vibration of the truck causing it to be dispersed through out the fuel. Sure, some may be picked up and sent to the primary filter to be separated by the coalescing layer of filtering media to be separated and sent to the bottom of the primary filter housing. But I'd imagine that most of it would be dispersed when the truck started to move.

Also, when I fill my tank, I borrowed what the TFL Truck channel guys do on mileage and road tests. After the first click, I wait 30 seconds then fill it until it clicks again. Been doing that consistently now for years. I add my additives prior to fill up, then pump fuel.

My two cents. Great comment...

 

Have yet to try Archoil. Not a fan of hotshot EDT, didn't notice any change from running untreated diesel. Switched over to opti-lube and it's a bit quieter, slightly improved mpg ~0.5 and doesn't regen until the 500 mile mark.

 

@FishOnOne I know you don't like the Hot Shots and it is not my intention to argue that. However, the video that Project Farm put out several months ago shows that the Hot Shots and Archoil was neck and neck with wear scar, and Archoil only minutely beat it out. I know that it will be said that his testing wasn't as precise as the testing done by Southwest though. And it has been a while since I have seen the video that presented the data from Southwest, but if I remember correctly, it put OptiLube at the top.

@Overkill2 When it comes to the mpg claims from any of these additives, I don't really pay them much attention. Sure, I get it that the additives have potential to increase mpg's due to their additives, but that doesn't mean they will. Also, when I see comments or videos claiming huge mpg increases, I discredit them. Not trying to call them out, but it makes me wonder how much effort and truth actually went into coming up with that claim, as well as the need for presenting the product due to product placement or YT hits. And to be clear, I am not claiming that my results are absolute or definitive, but instead is a result of my own real world use based on recorded data that is about as close as I can get it. And honestly, when looking at my own data, most of it is about the same, which makes me wonder if the additives are actually doing anything for mpg's or is it just the truck itself. Regardless, if increased mpg's are the goal, I have found that the best way to get this is to let off a little with my right foot!

And that is a good point about the demulsifier and movement of the truck, which I guess kind of makes it a moot point. Considering this, maybe draining the water separator often is the best option for keeping water out of the system? And it does make me lean a little more towards the continuing with Archoil once I finish off what I have on hand, again, simply because it is nice to buy it in one bottle and pour it from one bottle. I guess I will need to break down and get another oil sample sometime if I do go back to Archoil and compare the iron levels...

Also, it sounds like our fill ups are done the same way, except I don't wait 30 seconds between the first time it clicks off... instead I just wait a few seconds, then pull the trigger again slowly until it clicks off again. But I do it this way every time, which I think is key. I also add the additives after I fill up, but that is because I am usually waiting to see exactly how many gallons I get at each fill up. I have filled it up enough now though to be able to tell when I first pull up about how much I will get based on how much fuel is left in the tank. There has been a couple of times though that I recall pulling into a fuel stations and getting ready to fill up but the stations internet was down so they couldn't take payment via card, and of course I didn't have cash. Mostly, this has been in the truckers lane when using my EFS card, but this caused me to have to drive to another station, so I wouldn't want all the additive to be mixed in with a little bit of fuel while driving.

Edit to add: Concerning the sound, I was curious to see if the sound of my engine would change with the Archoil, alas, the engine sounded the exact same as when I used Hot Shot's. That is not to say that my engine doesn't sound right... it sounds pretty good I think!

 

Love your deep comments bud... keep it up.

The TFL truck boys stated they let the air bubbles dissipate by doing this, hence the 30 seconds, so I liked that approach and do it that way.

As to me adding additives before fueling, I go off of gallons used by the truck, which are actually higher than the amount of fuel filled up, oddly enough... so thats what I base my additive on.

So its usually overdosed a little but not always. Been doing it that way for a long time now. Then I zero out the MPG PID on the dash and start over. So my hand calculated MPG is always more than the truck, usually between 0.5 and 1.0 but can be a little closer than 0.5 at times.

Good luck.

 

Rules to live by:
1. Always use a fuel additive, most importantly Cetane boost and lubricity enhancer.
2. Never use an oil additive. Change oil type based on use case scenario.

 

Just for kicks I used the same dosage of EDT that Archoil uses, and my MPG went up 2 MPG. I only did it to use up what was left in the bottle, but its sitting at 18.2 where it usually sits around 16.5. I noticed a bit more Oomph too, must be the cetane boost.
As far as regens, until I can turn mine off, it makes zero difference which one I use, regens are the same. Soot levels are identical between Archoil and EDT. Once I burn through this tank, the next will get no additive, then the following will get the next batch of Archoil for my summer tests.
Also EDT claims exactly what the tests shows on scar wear.

That wear test done, 72276, verified EDT's claims with a 450 wear scar. Keep in mind this is based on the dosage. Double, or triple the dosage and that wear scar will get smaller. 1 ounce per 25 gallons. I use 2 ounces on a 48 gallon tank, this last fill I put in 5 ounces to empty the bottle.

Archoil shows a much better wear pattern, but then again it is also dosed at 1 ounce per 10 gallons. It's a much higher dosage, so just based on that, should provide better lubricity.