Fuel Economy Tip - Gas Saving Devices Mostly a Scam - Part II
August 26th, 2006 | by Brian Carr |Today’s article sort of piggybacks off a previous post regarding how most fuel saving devices are scams.
Just for fun, I thought I would go to Amazon.com and check out what sort of items they had available “gas mileage” and “fuel economy.” Needless to say, I was very surprised by the amount of items that showed up, and was even more surprised by some of the outrageous claims that came with the products.
For example, there is the Fuel Master XL, which is a magnetic device that somehow helps you save gas. The funny thing is, there’s no real product description (it’s very vague and doesn’t describe how the product actually helps you save gas) - but you can buy it for $69.95.
Then there’s the Fuel Optimizer XP, another vague product that claims to help increase fuel economy through magnetism. My favorite line from the product description is:
“Results may be seen in one or two fill ups, or may take longer due to varnish build ups, etc.”
Each bottle costs $59.99. Would you be willing to shell out that much (or much more) for something that may or may not work?
As you can see, there’s no shortage for the number of products that claim to help you increase your vehicle’s fuel economy if you’re willing to spend a few (or a lot) of bucks. And while some of these products may actually do what they claim, most either fall short of their outrageous claims or don’t help you at all.
The point I’m trying to get to is, the only way you can be certain you will increase your gas mileage is to change your driving habits, follow many of the tips provided on this site and make a conscious effort to get the most out of each gallon of gas.
All of these are things that will help greatly increase your fuel economy. And the best part is, they’re all free and they’re guaranteed to work.
14 Responses to “Fuel Economy Tip - Gas Saving Devices Mostly a Scam - Part II”
By Michael Yerman on Dec 1, 2006 | Reply
Hello,
I’m interested in any data that you have on some of the fuel saving devices; such as the Tornado airflow intake device or the Fuel Master XL fuel line magnet or K&N intake cold air filter.
I would greatly appreciate some unbiased results on these items.
Thank you.
By Ronald Sid on Jan 7, 2007 | Reply
Frankly, I tried one of the magnetic Fuel Savers and guess what? I have been consistently saving about 11% of fuel for the last 7 months. Nothing changed and driving style remained. I guess there is no harm giving yourselves a chance to save fuel. Afterall, most of the companies selling Fuel Savers offer a 30-day money back guarantee. I figure you have nothing to lose. Also, I can definately feel the extra power once the device was fixed onto my car. It becomes so much smoother to drive especially in the morning.
By Stuart Lawrence on Jan 20, 2007 | Reply
I get a kick out of some of the claims of passing EPA and Euro3 tests. They quite cleverly post the results in a way to make their product appear to provide some improvement when it proves, at best, the car passed the test, not the device. My favorite is Save The World Air with their ZEFS device. Of the three test results posted on their website, one only tests the vehicle with the device installed, so it’s impossible to tell if the vehicle would have passed without the device. Another has only one baseline test prior to the device test, with no final baseline test, so you can’t tell if the improvement may be from some other factor. The most extensive of the three has numerous tests and two baselines, but the numbers vary so much that you can make the device look like it either improved or worsened the emissions depending on which numbers you choose.
By Troy Perry on Jan 21, 2008 | Reply
I hate all this crap. All of your stupid opinions on products that you haven’t tried. The only thing of use on here is an actual testimonial of a person who actually used one of these devices. How can you be so quick to judge, how much other research did you do to find out how fraudulent if at all, the products were before shooting them down? When I come to a forum I want hard facts, not soft bias opinions. Thanks for wasting my time!
By dragmatrix@hotmail.com on Apr 23, 2008 | Reply
Hi,
Love most of your tips and blogs, except the one’s about the fuelsaver devices parts I & II.
I believe all of your tips will work either independently and, ESPECIALLY, when combined, when possible!
As for the devices, I’ve bought a few and made a few fuel saver devices.
One I’ve bought and tested, specifically, is one called the ‘Engine Ionizer’! Bought is at the SEMA show in Vegas a few years ago and have been using it and testing it ever since. I’ve installed it on my vehicles as well as my girlfriend’s, without her knowing it, and she can tell when I’ve put it on her car or removed it based on the miles she gets per tank of gas!
I also bought another device called ‘Scan Gauge’ which works on all OBDII (most 1996 and newer) vehicles. This device tells your 12 different engine parameters including approximate MPG, Gallons per hour used, engine temp, inlet air temp, throttle position, open or closed loop engine operation, load, mph, rpm, etc. VERY interesting little gadget! I recommend it highly. I have no affiliation w/ either of these companies.
As for the Engine Ionizer, I have been using it for 3 years and have been getting CONSISTENTLY 20 to 30% better gas mileage using it in chevy V8 full size trucks.
I have two or three other GREAT tips for getting better gas mileage that haven’t been mentioned on this site as of yet.
Sincerely,
Todd
awesomefire.com
supeyourcar.com
xtremebee.com
dragmatrix@hotmail.com
By Terry on Jul 7, 2008 | Reply
Like they say, ignorance is bliss. It’s amazing how many people can be so easily fooled into parting with their money. If you like a device such as The Tornado, then you will love cow magnets. They align the fuel molecules for better atomization, hence better mileage. And they are cheaper. Or, try this: Tell someone you have installed a fuel saving device on their vehicle, when you really haven’t. You’ll be surprised. Educate yourself, then spend your money keeping your car tuned up and watch the tire pressure. Then you’ll actually get a return on your investment. If these devices work so well, why do you think they do not come as original equipment on every new vehicle or why are they not mandated by the government or demanded by the environmentalists? Might it be because they don’t work?
By Vic Nolan on Aug 8, 2008 | Reply
Brian
You are not in reality.
They laughed at Sir Isaac Newton, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and Safety Glass Tucker. Car companies are in bed with the oil companies and the government. Why did the superior EV1 vehicle go away and over 10 million successful test miles? Payoffs & bribes that’s why. So the raw data of magnetic devices like the XL FuelMaster or the other things you have not tested are ideas. They scoffed at the Fuel Injection Inventor for 20 years, now what is on every car. GM FORD and Plymouth for 10 years would not install safety belts. SO Please you people who say the government will force it are full of crap. Ideas are the mother of invention and for me who have installed and tested for 7 years the FuelMaster products on 10 different cars, trucks and SUV’s, it worked. Bottom line I am a motor head and a college degreed human who was skeptical until I tested and proved to myself this small little magnetic thing showed me results on a 4cyl, V6, & V8 engines reducing the pollution out of my tail pipes.
So Brian Shut up and blow it out your a……!
I feel the magnets work.
Vic out 8-8-08
By Todd on Aug 10, 2008 | Reply
Hi again,
I posted a comment a short time ago and I’d like to clarify the ‘ignorance is bliss’ statment, at least if it was pertaining to me?
I am an electrical engineer and am an Air Force Veteran who worked on Nuclear I.C.B.M.(missiles) for the Air Force. Yes, I took all of the engineering physics, calculus, vector mechanics, etc. So, you see, there isn’t much ignorance goin on here as far as my FIRST HAND experience w/ these devices. And, as I’d mentioned, I install devices WITHOUT informing the recipient that the device has been installed, and they notice the difference! 260 miles per tank vs. 320 miles per tank using the Engine ionizer.
Matter of fact, just installed an engine ionizer on a 1996 Ford Custom van that’s running a 351 V8 and drove more than 200 miles on less than 15 gallons so far, which is better than it was getting prior to the installation, which only took 5 minutes to perform. Will post quantitative empirical evidence of the mileage difference as soon as I get a substantial amount of data.
Doesn’t hurt to try these devices, you learn either way, you learn whether they work, or not, right?
Have a GREAT and high gas mileage week!
Sincerely,
Todd…
By Terry on Aug 11, 2008 | Reply
The “engine ionizer” claims to direct an induced “corona” voltage from the firing cylinder plug wire to the other non-firing cylinders (like an inductive pick-up timing light). If the transferred voltage is enough to fire the receiving plug, it will fire out of sequence. Not good. That’s why we keep plug wires separated, to prevent crossfire. If the voltage is NOT enough to fire the plug, it will do absolutely nothing to break down the hydrocarbon molecules in the cylinder. In effect, nothing happens. So, there are the choices. Spend your money on a product that will create misfires, thereby lessening mileage or a product that gives you no return on your investment. It’s a lose/lose deal.
In addition, several reviews I read stated there were no capacitors in the “capacitor blocks”, therefor one could obtain the same results by electrical taping 22 ga. wire to the spark plug wires and save $80. The testimonials for this, and other like products, is proof, again, of the old saying “there’s a sucker born every minute”.
Too many people want something to be true so badly they are willing to spend their money on things that aren’t what they seem and there’s plenty of people more than happy to accept the donations.
By todd on Aug 11, 2008 | Reply
Hi Terry,
I read what you posted. I believe EXPERIENCE is WAY more valuable than heresay, speculation, or theory, wouldn’t you agree?
There’s first hand knowledge, 2nd hand, 3rd hand, etc.
I would trust 1st hand knowledge WAY more than 2nd hand, and so on, as I’m SURE you and most others would agree.
Therefore, w/ the above in mind, when someone gets a consistent 260 miles per tank, then a device is installed(whatever device, ANYTHING) and the mileage goes up to 320 miles per tank, this is a VERY SUBSATNTIAL INCREASE in MPG, wouldn’t you agree?
Nothing else was done to the vehicle, the driving was consistently to the same exact places travelin the same exact route at about the same exact times of the day.
Then remove the device and the MPG goes right back to it’s pitiful original number.
Theories, hypotheticals, beliefs of whether or not something works or not go RIGHT out the window, either the thing WORKS or it DOESN’T, right?
The ‘proof is in the puddin’ is how one of the saying’s go.
Naysayers, doubters, pessimistics can say what they want, but if someone get’s better gas mileage by doing SOMETHING, ANYTHING, then good for whoever did it and good for whoever hears about it and tries it for themselves.
I see what you’re saying about wasting money on scammers and junk, however, if you try it and it works, then GREAT, if not, then maybe it’ll work for someone else, maybe it won’t! Who knows unless you try it.
I believe the risk is worth the effort in a lot of cases. Just think if you were to figure a way to increase your MPG by just 5%, if you go thru 20 gallons($80) per week in gas, that would ba a savings of at least 5% of $80 or $4 a week. Multiply that out to a lifetime of savings? Start w/ just a YEAR of savings or 52 weeks times your savings of $4, how much does that come out to? $208/yr…
If you live another 10 years, that’d be $2,000,
If you live 50 more years and you save a whopping $10,000 just from a simple 4% increase in gas mileage.
How many under $100 devices would you be able to ‘try’ before you spent $10,000?
Let’s see:
1. Fuel magnet: $5 - $100
2. Engine Ionizer: $10/cylinder (I have mostly V8’s, so $80, free shipping)
That’s a whopping $180 MAX, if you get only a .5% increase in mpg, they’d pay for themselves as well as save however many tons of C02 and fuel.
If EVERYONE only saved 1% of fuel, calculate how many billions of gallons of fuel we’d save! Too high to even calculate easily, ey?
Yes, it’s a given that tire air pressure, keeping your car tuned, as well as driving slower, ornot driving at ALL saves gas or at least doesn’t waste MORE gas than we’re already wasting.
As for the manufacturer’s not using any devices to save fuel, Fuel injection is a device which is more efficient than the ol carburetors, that’s one thing they have goin for em. However, why don’t all vehicle manufacturers just increase the tire pressure in the NEW cars by 1, 2, or even 5 lbs. to save fuel? It would save fuel, however, they actually deflate the tires to minimum, if not BELOW minimum presure standards just to increase the ride comfort of the ‘new’ or ‘potentially new’ car owner!
I’m not going to get into why the manufacturers do what they do, they’re just out to make a buck, not save the world from a fuel crisis.
Have a GREAT and HIGH MPG week!
Sincerely,
Todd…
By todd on Aug 11, 2008 | Reply
NOW look up firestorm spark plugs!
Those are WICKED COOL!
Would like to test those on a bench n see how they perform as compared to standard plugs!
Todd…
By Terry on Aug 12, 2008 | Reply
Todd,
Being an electrical engineer, you should understand from my previous description of how the engine ionizer works that it can’t possibly be the cause of your increased mileage.
Re: Firestorm plugs. You know electricity takes the path of least resistance, ie. shortest route. Multiple ground electrode plugs have been around for years. As the electrode wears, the spark jumps to the next closest one. These plugs do not create a hotter spark, increase mileage or produce more power. They do, however, extend the length of time between plug changes compared to a single electrode plug.
I’ve been in the auto parts and drag racing business for forty years this year and have run across many of these gas saving products. I, as much as anyone else, would love to see one that does as advertised. I haven’t found it yet and this one is certainly not it.
By todd on Aug 12, 2008 | Reply
Hi Terry,
Thnx for the info, however, I have to say that when I installed the engine ionizer on my girlfriends truck, I didn’t tell her that I’d installed it, and I did nothing else to her truck, she gets her gas from the same gas station, etc. and her mileage increased by 18-22%. I then removed it, to put it on my truck, and she noticed her gas mileage decreased, again, I didn’t tell her I’d removed the device from her vehicle! VERY interesting indeed.
The above is Substantiated, empirical, solid evidence that their is DEFINITELY something to the engine ionizer technology and that it should be looked into more scientifically, such as on a bench test on a dyno or the like to see exactly what the thing may be doing. I myself, have personally tested the device and it works, noone can change my belief about that, it’s now FIRST hand knowedge and First hand knowledge is the most believeable for the individual that acquired that knowledge.
As for the firestorm spark plug, they’ve actually put a camera INSIDE a combustion chamber while using a stock plug as well as a firestorm plug and RECORDED the actual combustion inside the cylinder! The video shows the combustion when using the firestorm plug as having ignited MORE air/fuel initially than the regular plug. I haven’t seen the MPG testing, however, getting MORE air/fuel to ignite FASTER than it had been previously should increase either power or efficiency to some degree, wouldn’t you agree?
I believe I’ve ran across a way to make my own firestorm spark using a normal spark plug.
The link to the way this guy reproduced what seems to be similar to the firestorm type spark is below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlMELbK8zDQ
An actual video of a clip for the firestorm is below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abwXApkLhbc
According to firestorm:
FireStorm’s Capabilities:
First, let’s look at what FireStorm spark plugs give an internal combustion engine:
• More horsepower;
• 44–50% increase in mpg;
• Dramatic decrease in emissions.
Second, let’s see what FireStorm plugs eliminate:
• Smog pump;
• Catalytic converter;
• Radio frequency interference (RFI) and the use of resistors in the centre electrode;
• Gap growth;
• Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems;
• Misfire/hesitation/detonation/stutter and stumble.
How, you may ask, is all this achieved? In a word, plasma
If this guy’s data is correct, and all spark plugs miss about every 7th or so spark, and if the plasma spark plug reduces the misfire by even 1 miss out of every 100 misses, that would increase mpg by 1%, if it gets rid of misfires totally, then the benifits should be an increase in mpg by approximately 14%, since normal plugs missfire 14% of the time, or 1/7th of the time. right?
OK, last question:
Terry, you’ve been around for a while, been in the ‘performance’ industry with the drag racing n all, what enhancers have you personally tried yourself?
I know at least ONE thing you are VERY aware of, and that’s the MSD ignition technology.
I have MSD on both my Superbee’s 440 as well as my Corvette’s 383, just an MSD 6AL, but that’s all I need for the streets.
The MSD(Multiple Spark Discharge) technology creates MULTIPLE sparks per combustion cycle, but only under 3,000 rpm, above 3,000 rom, it only puts out 1 spark per combustion cycle, most of us drag racers and performance peop, when we’re racing anyways, only see sub 3000 rpms when cruising to n from the strip/track, so the msd technology doesn’t really apply wshen you’re runnin over 3,000 on the actual strip, right?
However, on the STREET, I usually shift at 3,000 so I only see above 3,000 when I’m gettin onto the highway, or passing people, or just messin around n ‘cleanin er out’ and, since I’m runnin 4.10 gears, I’m pushin 3,000 rpms on the highway and try to cruise at under 3,000 so I don’t wear my dang engine out…
So, now that all of that’s outa the way, tell us what all devices you’ve tried using and what your results were?
Water injection?
Alcohol injection?
Jacob’s ignition?
oil additives?
fuel additives?
aerodynamics?
fuel magnets?
ANYTHING?
I’d REALLY like to know what YOU’VE tried, if anything, not hear about something you’ve only read about and drawn non-experiencially based conclusions about?
Appreciate the dialog!
Sincerely,
Todd…
By Terry on Aug 13, 2008 | Reply
Todd,
First, let me say that I cannot, honestly, sit here and tell you that you didn’t see what you saw. Especially when I wasn’t there. My cynicism about fuel saving devices is a product of seeing thousands of people, over the years, taken to the cleaners by products that promise everything and give nothing. Using a little common sense and basic automotive knowledge, most of these products’ claims can be seen as impossible. Problem is, most people don’t have the knowledge you do and every time gas prices have gone up over the last 35 years, these scams come out of the woodwork and peolpe buy them, looking for the silver bullet.
Re: your girlfriends truck. True story: 1979, good customer came into my parts store gushing about his increased mileage since he taped two magnets to his fuel line a few weeks before. Said he was getting 5 mpg better than he ever had in his Ford truck. I was positive a magnetic field could not affect fuel molecules so I sneaked out the back door while he was explaining to everyone and removed the magnets without telling him. Few weeks later he returned and I asked if his mileage was still up there and he said yes, those magnets were great. I threw his magnets on the counter and said “you mean these”? He ran out the door, popped his hood and stood there for a few minutes just shaking his head. True story, no exaggeration. I tell this story simply to illustrate how the human mind can, and does, influence our perception of how well things we really want to work, really do work. And we don’t even realize it.
Re; engine ionizer. Popular Mechanics tested several devices, including this one. The capacitor blocks melted. Repositioned new set and tried again. Melted and caused fire. They did not complete test for mileage, but were able to get dyno tests that showed a 15 HP loss in power. (probably due to crossfiring) Google search “popular mechanics fuel saver tests”.
If standard plugs misfired 14% of the time, that would mean that 1.12 plugs misfire during each firing cycle of the engine (every two revolutions). Do you believe that?
I’ve used MSD units, water injection, oil and fuel additives, magnets (see above) and the original Hill & James carburetors (the forerunner of the Predator carb). In 1985 I even made a “Tornado-like” deal that fit below the carb rather than before the carb. Didn’t work.