Gas Saving Products - What’s Your Experience?
August 18th, 2008 | by Brian Carr |Having spent the last couple years running what I would like to think is a semi-successful site dedicated to fuel economy, I have received a ton of emails from individuals and businesses asking me to shill their “revolutionary” gas saving products.
Some ask if I will write about their product for free, while others offer money for sort of a paid review. (It seems odd to me to write a review about a product I’ve never seen, touched or used, but I digress.) I have resisted, so far, simply because I do not trust the claims being made by these individuals and businesses that their products not only won’t harm your vehicle, but will reduce your gasoline consumption by up to 40 percent.
I’ve received requests to write about products ranging from special magnets, to fuel additives, even to ways to run your car using regular tap water. I just can’t get myself to buy into the claims.
I can’t help but think that if these products worked as well as their claims say they will, then they would already be in our cars or in the gasoline we buy. I’m not a big consipracy theory guy, so I don’t think “Big Oil” is in bed with car manufacturers, forcing inefficient vehicles to the market.
I may be incredibly naive and/or overly trusting, but I just don’t think these companies - or the government for that matter - are out to get us.
However, in an attempt to try and be a little more open minded, I was wondering if any of you, the readers of Daily Fuel Economy Tip, have ever actually used any of these products, and if so, what sort of results you’ve been able to get.
Please post your comments below, and let me and everyone else know if there is in fact something out there that works as well as it claims. However, keep in mind, if you post anything that appears to be spam - i.e. with tons of links or just a link with a short sentence saying “this product is great!” - then I will delete the comment.
7 Responses to “Gas Saving Products - What’s Your Experience?”
By Frac on Aug 18, 2008 | Reply
I have a “live” fuel economy display on my car’s navi system. What I can tell you after a two-month test is that driving the way “I want” (lead foot, aggressive) versus driving they way “you should” (smooth acceleration, cruise, etc.) clearly saves between 20 and 25%. Yes. That much.
The only way some magnet is going to beat that is if it’s on the end of a cable stuck to the car in front of you.
By joe mama on Aug 19, 2008 | Reply
“I may be incredibly naive and/or overly trusting, but I just don’t think these companies - or the government for that matter - are out to get us.”
—I agree, you are incredibly naive and/or overly trusting!
Nice straw man, there, though. Those companies aren’t out to “get us”, they’re out to “make as much money as possible”–it’s called “capitalism”… have you heard of it?
Let me break it down for you: If a car company made a car that could seat 7 and get 80 mpg, AND go from 0-60 in 6 seconds or less–people would FLOCK to that car and the company would make scads of money at first, right?
but then, people wouldn’t buy another car until their ‘wondercar’ blew up. They would be MUCH less inclined to, say, purchase a new car every 5 years (a trend that has made the US car industry strong for a looong time)
End result? Automakers would LOSE money. Also, the oil industry would lose money because people would buy less fuel. people using less fuel means less wear on an engine, cars last longer, people make those major purchases less frequently, all equaling less market share for auto and oil companies.
it makes ECONOMIC SENSE to build cars that require lots of fuel because that helps car companies sell more cars, and oil companies sell more oil.
as to “conspiracies” between oil and auto industries, that’s another idiotic straw man.
sarcasm>>
I guess it’s TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE for auto industry execs to own stock in oil companies, thereby profiting from more oil sold—that would NEVER, EVER happen!
/sarcasm
overall, you are right on about the “gas saving devices” –the majority of them are snake oil.
try to think like a capitalist when you wax philosophically about the auto/oil industry, though–you won’t look as dumb if you do.
By fuel additive on Aug 19, 2008 | Reply
There are a lot of hokey sounding products out there, but there are also a lot of additives that do work. I’ve been using one for that last couple of years called DurAlt and I constantly see an 8-12% increase. I even go off it from time to time to make sure that I’m still getting benefit from it, and I do each time.
You can get this stuff from http://www.fueladditivestore.com.
The thing about fuel additives is that a lot of companies that run trucks all the time will look into them, but most average consumers aren’t willing to give them a shot because they’ve ‘heard’ they don’t work. The fact is that plenty of them have good data to back them up. Granted, not all are good, so do your research!
By Brian Carr on Aug 19, 2008 | Reply
I think the major factor behind purchasing a newer car is people wanting something newer/different/upgraded, not because their previous car has broken down. I may be as naive as you say, but I’d be willing to bet that most, if not all cars last longer than five years.
“People using less fuel means less wear on an engine.” Not quite sure what you’re getting at. How does using less fuel equate to less wear and tear, unless of course, you’re talking about simply not driving as much.
Finally, I think you’re reaching with your stock analogy. I too own oil stocks, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m driving around a gas guzzler.
By murderedout on Aug 25, 2008 | Reply
1)When you’re driving down the street, and you see a stop sign up ahead, you should lay off the gas sooner rather than later.
2)Let off the pedal sooner and give your engine a rest as you coast to the stop while braking gently. As an added benefit, your brake pads will last longer.
These two tips can improve your fuel economy around town by as much as 35%.
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By Graeme on Oct 2, 2008 | Reply
As part of your research when looking for an additive that will improve your gas milage, take into account how much you are spending for the additive compared to the savings (buying gas less often) you will get by using it. If the additive you buy only yields a 5 to 10% increase in gas milage and costs $3-10, Did you gain anything? Just something to think about…