Fuel "saving" gadgets | fuel saving devices review

fuel saving devices review

I have worked in the car industry for over fifteen years, everything from development of novel fuel-efficient engines to mapping of production vehicles. In that time I've seen dozens if not hundreds of supposed "fuel saving devices" advertised. Without exception, I advise you not to buy them! Over and over again, a company starts selling a "miracle" fuel-saving product, which of course is supposedly revolutionary and different to every other product that's been offered in the past; over and over again, the product turns out to be bogus and buyers lose thousands (or even millions) of pounds / dollars. To the best of my knowledge, no "add-on" fuel economy device or product has ever demonstrated worthwhile savings, yet new ones are always being introduced to the market, and uninformed customers are easily taken in by the claims and marketing "hype".

I have no involvement with any of the companies selling these fuel "saving" devices, nor do I get any benefit if people don't buy them. But I'm an honest sort of guy who doesn't like to see people get ripped off, and felt it was time to explain the engineering truth behind the claims. I also object to the fact that some of these devices make emissions worse, which obviously is bad for people's health. Finally, as a car industry engineer, I resent the implication that my colleagues and I are "too stupid" to see the benefits of these fantastic planet-saving gizmos!

I haven't tested every one of them personally, but the physical processes they claim to use are well understood and I have sound practical and theoretical knowledge to go on. Anybody who doubts my views can find a mountain of supporting evidence in the technical literature, based on work by the many thousands of expert reserchers in the field. These are however my own personal views and not those of my employers.

Read more at: fuelsaving.info

fuel saving devices

Top Ten Fuel Saving Tips | fuel saving devices

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1. Slow down

One of the best ways to save gas is to simply reduce your speed. As speed increases, fuel economy decreases exponentially. If you one of the "ten-over on the freeway" set, try driving the speed limit for a few days. You'll save a lot of fuel and your journey won't take much longer. (Just be sure you keep to the right, so you won't impede the less-enlightened.)

2. Check your tire pressure

Under-inflated tires are one of the most commonly ignored causes of crummy MPG. Tires lose air due to time (about 1 psi per month) and temperature (1 psi for every 10 degree drop); under-inflated tires have more rolling resistance, which means you need to burn more gas to keep your car moving. Buy a reliable tire gauge and check your tires at least once a month. Be sure to check them when they are cold, since driving the car warms up the tires along with the air inside them, which increases pressure and gives a falsely high reading. Use the inflation pressures shown in the owner's manual or on the data plate in the driver's door jamb.

3. Check your air filter

A dirty air filter restricts the flow of air into the engine, which harms performance and economy. Air filters are easy to check and change; remove the filter and hold it up to the sun. If you can't see light coming through it, you need a new one. Consider a K&N or similar "permanent" filter which is cleaned rather than changed; they are much less restrictive than throw-away paper filters, plus they're better for the environment.

4. Accelerate with care

Jack-rabbit starts are an obvious fuel-waster -- but that doesn't mean you should crawl away from every light. If you drive an automatic, accelerate moderately so the transmission can shift up into the higher gears. Stick-shifters should shift early to keep the revs down, but don't lug the engine -- downshift if you need to accelerate. Keep an eye well down the road for potential slowdowns. If you accelerate to speed then have to brake right away, that's wasted fuel.

5. Hang with the trucks

Ever notice how, in bad traffic jams, cars seem to constantly speed up and slow down, while trucks tend to roll along at the same leisurely pace? A constant speed keeps shifting to a minimum -- important to those who have to wrangle with those ten-speed truck transmissions -- but it also aids economy, as it takes much more fuel to get a vehicle moving than it does to keep it moving. Rolling with the big rigs saves fuel (and aggravation).

more info at: cars.about.com

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The Tornado Fuel Saver Reviw | fuel saving devices

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The Tornado is in a class of device marketed through scare tactics and confusion. It is marketed under many names including Vortec Cyclone, Vortex, HiClone and Tornado.. With climbing gas prices, the manufacturers of such devices will attempt to lure you in with promises of better fuel economy, more power, less engine wear and so on and so forth. The Tornado comes in a pretty shabby cardboard box along with an instruction / installation sheet. The Tornado itself is made of fairly lightweight pressed steel or aluminium and has some sharp edges on it. Fitting it was pretty easy; unclip the cold-air intake, pop in the Tornado, clip it back together and away you go.

The test vehicle was a completely stock 2001 Subaru Impreza RS. The vehicle regularly returns 25.9mpg on the freeway. I tested the Tornado on a trip to Vegas and back - a 900 mile round-trip, as well as week's worth of testing around town on the daily commute. I filled up the vehicle at the usual gas stops from the usual pumps. We do the Vegas trip a couple of times a year so I have a good set of data points for how the Subaru performs. I calculated our fuel efficiency based on reported mileage on the odometer vs. reported gallons in the tank (from the pumps) which is the same technique I use every time I do this. On the way down to Vegas, our gas mileage dropped to 22mpg and on the way back it was about 21.5mpg. The average for this trip was 21.75mpg, down from the usual 25.9mpg. Around town, the Subaru normally manages 21.9mpg. After a week's use with the Tornado, my average gas mileage was 21.8mpg - near enough the same.

Conclusion? On long motorway hauls, the Tornado absolutely does not help. In my test it actually made the gas mileage worse, which in the days of $3/gallon petrol is nothing to be laughed at. Around town it made a negligible difference. I'd say Don't was your money on this thing except I managed to flog mine on e-bay so evidently people are still buying them.
Note: I was so underwhelmed by the results that I didn't bother dyno testing the vehicle to see if the claims of improved power were true or not.

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