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Gas Saving Gizmos & Gadgets

332 messages, Last post on Jul 20, 2009 at 12:19 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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We used to turn the breather covers upside down too! We did it because we liked the sound better (it increases the noise under the hood). We were not efficiency engineers by a long shot, we had no idea if we actually were helping or hurting things, didn't care, just liked the sound... Back then, we all drove pickup trucks that had the breather snout still located under the hood, taking in underhood air anyway, so turning the cover over just gave the carb MORE access to the same underhood air,,,none of our trucks got good mileage anyway so we didn't really help or hurt at the time. And bye the way I have a K&N air filter on my trucks now (normal replacement size,not the cones), I did not get it for any mileage gains or any added HP, didn't expect it and have not gotten it as far as I can tell...added air flow would only help at high rpm and I don't drive that way..I bought them just to avoid replacing normal filters over the life of the vehicle, I keep vehicles for the long run and lifetime things have paid for themselves over the past several years. If you want some better mileage try hooking up a vacuum gauge and pay attention to it while you drive, it will change your driving habits (keep you lighter on the gas pedal) no jackrabbit starts/stops etc, you may be surprised how much difference just driving habits make. see y'all |
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It is possible that aftermarket air filters could increase HP. However, to allow the extra air to flow also allows more dirt in the engine.. (This has been shown in several studies with K&N filters for example) The check for this was to do an oil analysis.. I think it would be interesting to do a double blind study with a group of drivers and the tornado.. For each driver, calculate the average mpg that they get for a normal week or 2 of driving. Then install a device on half the vehicles, (but don't let the owners know whether it's been installed on their vehicle or not). Then run for another few weeks and compare the results. There are probably more controls and items needed in the testing protocol, but the idea is to eliminate the drivers habits from the equation. |
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Switch over to to a full synthetic oil such as Mobil 1, Red Line, Amsoil. I experienced a 2-3 MPG increase immediately with Red Line 10W-30. Keep you car in top tune. Check tire pressures weekly. |
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My experience with synthetics (Amsoil) after using it for a full year is 0 (0.0, .00, no, nada, null) improvement in MPGs. I check my mpgs at every fill since the truck was new, and continue to do so even after stopping the use of synthetic oil. The single biggest factor of MPG is driving habits. |
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It's all cumulative - you have to soak the Tornado in synthetic for a couple a days and then you'll get up to 1.5 additional mpgs. Steve, Host |
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Saw an article about one of the companies the FTC put out of business for misrepresenting a snake oil additive containing Teflon. What was interesting was the owners history. He had been at this bottom feeding trade for over 20 years. Betcha same is true of the people selling all the gadgets mentioned in the above series of posts. Guess old PT Barnum was right-"there is a sucker born every minute." |
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| He was absolutely 100% correct. | |
| I was looking for comments on the Tornado fuel saver as a good friend of mine installed the Tornado on both their Civic and Accord vehicles. All the negative postings here at Edmunds prompted me to let you know about his experience on the device. Re MPG, no difference on either vehicle. On HP, the Civic showed marginal effect, but the Accord showed a significant improvement in acceleration after installing Tornado. Don't ask me why as I am no mechanic. I am still debating if I should install one on my Acura Legend. | |
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I just got a UCE (unsolicited commercial eamil - spam) from Tornado at one of my other email addresses (not my Edmunds one). Now I'm positive that they are snake oil Steve, Host |
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posted in several places in Edmunds because it covers many areas. If automotive manufacturers had a cure all or miracle product or style of designing an engine or fuel system to get better mileage while still delivering good performance, they'd be using it. Also, race teams from NASCAR to IMSA, Billy Bob's Circle Track Team, and me with my autocross club would be all over saving a buck. The manufacturers are rewarded MILLIONS in government tax breaks when they exceed CAFE standards. It behooves them to do better, to the tune of MILLIONS of dollars. When I see products like the Tornado or the latest superjuice fuel additive I have to laugh - they may offer a 1 hp increase on a 400 hp motor at 7,500 rpm, but you can gain the same 1 hp by dropping the temperature in the dyno room by 2 degrees - proven fact. Safeguard your wallet, and like Dad said, don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. |
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