good-bye cruel world

I'm off to join the circus...

ok so Andy Granatelli finally kicks the bucket at 90...

I never could figure out this guy...an obese conservative who couldn't walk, he was friends with with fellow huckster Dr. Laura and a bunch of other squirrely new Montecitan teabaggers who have since crawled back into their little holes...

well I don't know... I saw Andy in Montecito at the David Horowitz Freedom bash..it was at the Biltmore..you know the hotel owned by tax cheat Ty Warner..anyway Andy was puttering about in his little scooter...he never once smiled at me!!

I tried to get racy hottie Danika Patrick to be the Grand Marshall of the Carp Rods and Roses event but they get bringing in Andy Granatelli...and this picture with Dolly is rather...uh...uninspired

so Andy used to race automobiles and was involved with Studebaker for a time...well Studebakers were cool cars...before Andy arrived anyway

and then Andy starts hawking an oil additive called STP that does absolutely nothing for a car..he and STP end up paying fines for consumer fraud...again the ethics thing seems to be lost on these people..

 

BFF!!

 
the racer's edge

"Andy, while CEO of STP, was the true quintessential ambassador to the media, penetrating all media... using himself, the CEO, as spokesperson, and placing himself distinctively on a par with the fan: the common man. Surely no individual has done more than Andy has to popularize a product and, in doing so, to promote an entire product-associated industry. Andy has exemplified the ideals, captured the essence and experienced the rewards of our free enterprise system."
 
 "Advertising is to a genuine article what manure is to land, - it largely increases the product."
― P.T. Barnum, The Humbugs of the World

 ZMax is the latest company to be charged in a long list of companies. The FTC has successfully halted false and deceptive advertising by the marketers of Dura Lube, Motor Up, Prolong, Valvoline, Slick 50, STP and other major brands of engine treatment systems. Unfortunately, halting the deceptive advertising does not correct the false word-of-mouth advertising which continues to be spread by unsuspecting customers who don't know they were originally lied to.

Isn't it used extensively in drag racing? Yes it is, and it's a unique category in oil additives with a milder version of deception. With high-alcohol fuels and high horsepower, there is a huge problem with the engine oil becoming rapidly diluted (thinned out) by the alcohol. To combat this problem, drag racers commonly use a very heavy racing oil (like 60 weight), then add additives like STP to the oil because it increases the viscosity even more. That way, as the oil is being rapidly diluted going down the dragstrip, when they back off the throttle it might be a 30 or 40 weight oil instead of a 10 or 20 weight oil that would allow a lot of engine damage.

Now, what does ANY of that have to do with your vehicle? NOTHING ! Adding their product to your oil will increase the weight (viscosity) of your engine oil, which will decrease your fuel economy and increase your oil pressure. Increasing the oil pressure beyond the 30 or 40 weight that the engine's designed for doesn't help you. In fact, it's a negative because it adds load to your starter and battery, especially in cold weather, and it makes your engine wear faster. That's right - your engine wears faster for two main reasons: because during cold starts it takes longer to get the oil to all the components, and the higher oil pressure drop across your oil filter means that more of the oil will bypass the filter than normally occurs while your engine is warming up during driving. So you're pumping additional wear particles through the engine rather than filtering them out. The deception is that they want you to assume that what's good in a top-fuel dragster is good for your engine, without actually making that claim on their bottle.

　
STP has a troubled past about its marketed claims.
STP is an American brand and trade name for the automotive additives, lubricants and performance division of Armored AutoGroup.

Founded in 1953 in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the company’s name, STP, was derived from "Scientifically Treated Petroleum".[1] The company entered into the marketplace with one product, STP Oil Treatment.

In 1961, the company was acquired by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation. Studebaker briefly tied STP into its advertising as an abbreviation for "Studebaker Tested Products". However, Studebaker-Packard CEO Sherwood Egbert felt that STP could one day outpace its parent company and recruited Andy Granatelli as the CEO of STP to help raise the product’s image. At the same time, Granatelli became the public face of STP, often wearing a white suit emblazoned with the red oval "STP" logo to races, distributing thousands of all-weather STP stickers. Granatelli ran two Novi specials at the 1964 Indianapolis 500. Jim Hurtubise and Bobby Unser were the drivers. There was a film made of the race centering on the Novis. While Studebaker abandoned auto manufacturing in 1966 to become a closed investment company, STP sales continued to climb to the point where it was spun off Studebaker-Worthington Corporation’s balance sheet and into a publicly traded company in 1969.
Controversy and purchases

In 1976, STP faced a consumer protection order that required it to have scientific backing for certain statements and prohibited making false claims. In 1978, it paid a $500,000 civil penalty over claims.

In 1995, STP paid $888,000 to settle Federal Trade Commission charges of false advertising.

The End Story: 1. Product: thickens oil (polyisobutylene), helps lubricate in hot engines 2. Engineers agreed that it probably does nothing 3. 1963, Andy Granatelli becomes president (former race care driver) 4. Advertising techniques a) Improved image of STP by associating it with race cars, stickers on race cars b) STP logo everywhere, allowed use of the logo free of charge, started mail order c) By 1969 spent 18 cents a can on advertising 5. Results: from 63-70, sales increased by 10 times 6. 1971 consumer reports article attacked the claims a) Heavier weight oil would do the same thing, thicker mixture would cause hard starting, changes the viscosity of oil and may void the warranty b) Deceptive claims advertisement filed by the Center for Automotive Safety c) FTC orders company to stop deceptive advertising d) Sales dropped to 1963 levels e) STP did not correct advertising, was sued, and had to pay .7 million (1) .2 million in corrective advertising 14 leading magazines 7. New chairman, Craig A Nalen, increased sales, cut staff

so Andy lied to consumers to make more money..and he got rich....the American way...

by selling snake oil to a bunch of suckers...