WHEN Richard Reid was first introduced to a new fuel treatment line he was sceptical.

Reid had garnered nearly 10 years experience in sales and marketing within the new and used car industry, so he thought that he had seen and experienced all of the major fuel additives on the market. However, since June of this year, he has been a convinced customer and presently a confirmed distributor of Xtreme Fuel Treatment.

Xtreme Fuel Treatment is a product patented and time-tested for over two decades in industrial markets around the globe. PT Pama, the largest mining company in the world, uses XFT in their huge trucks, hauling and digging equipment, extending their life, length of service intervals and operating hours of their equipment from 15,000 to 25,000 hours.

In 2008 Syntek Global, a company based in Utah, made the product available to the general public. The product can be used in all gas and diesel engines of cars, trucks, buses, tractors, ships, boats, generators, lawn mowers, bikes, among others.

According to Reid, “once it is a combustible engine you can use XFT”. There is a 1/4-ounce sachet for a gas/diesel tank application, two through to 16-ounce bottle sizes, one gallon containers up to 55-gallon drums for industrial customers.

Xtreme Fuel Treatment contains a catalyst to lower the ignition point of fuel in the combustion chamber by several hundred degrees, allowing the fuel to burn longer and more efficiently.

A more complete burn process means you use less fuel because you are using the available fuel more efficiently. It increases the horsepower and torque, simultaneously resulting in less carbon build-up on engine parts and fewer emissions from the engine pipe.

“It is a green product so it’s environmentally friendly which is especially relevant for urban areas like Kingston” said Reid.

Less carbon build-up means less wear on the engine, which translates to fewer repairs and extended engine life.

Detergents remove harmful deposits from fuel pumps, injectors and throughout the entire fuel system. This works with the lubrication component that reduces friction and provides lubrication to pistons, fuel pumps and injectors. Fuel stabilisers prolong the life of stored fuel, which is ideal for seldom-used equipment in Jamaica like generators and fuel storage tanks.

According to Reid, “This ingredient in XFT has been an attraction to our industrial clients, garage owners, gas stations and fleet companies for obvious reasons, coupled with the fact that demulsifiers in XFT also removes water from the fuel” Polymerization retardant and Dispersants reduces sludge build-up in fuel which can plug filters. Rust and corrosion inhibitors then prevent tank and fuel system corrosion caused by oxidation and condensation.”

“Fuel use is a compulsory part of our everyday life. We need to utilise it for private or commercial purposes, this is an expense we cannot escape.

“With the current state of the global economy and rising oil prices the cost of fuel has become prohibitive, as a result we need to find ways to become more fuel efficient and save money,” Reid said.

“So the purchase and usage of this product with seven key ingredients makes it a no brainer,” he added.

Khian Taylor, general manager of Gee Wee Restaurant, Lounge and Service Centre, is fully convinced of the merits of the product. He is the proud owner of a 2001 Mitsubishi Evolution 7 that has a 2000cc engine.

“When I travel to Ocho Rios it normally takes me a quarter tank of gas to finish one leg, then quarter-tank to return, but since using XFT I am now using quarter-tank to and from for the entire journey. It clearly has a significant effect on these high-performance machines,” Taylor said.

In Montego Bay, similar sentiments were expressed by Leroy Hewitt, proprietor of Hewitt’s Cycle Repairs and widely regarded as the “go to” man for all bike sales and service.

“In the short time that I have introduced XFT to my customers, favourable reports have been coming in, with an outstanding one being a bearer who rides a 2007 Honda Twister 250cc, declaring that he is now getting more miles per tank on his daily route trips from downtown MoBay to Rose Hall.

“This product should do well with fleet customers like security companies, food delivery establishments and bike taxis in the Hanover and Westmoreland areas,” Hewitt said.

Reid has not only been getting tremendous feedback from satisfied customers who patronise his distribution of the product, but from other Syntek Global distributors’ clients as well.

“From my perspective I am happy when a small man trying to make a living for his family by mowing lawns and using his weed wacker can come to me and say they are grateful for the existence of this product. And it’s the same feedback echoed by the new and used car drivers, bike bearers, farmers and taxi men on the road every day,” said Reid, who has set up a website www.r2fuelsavings.mysyntek.com for the product.