Fuel saving devices - do they do ANYTHING?

  • Thread starter Thread starter (Just) Allan
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J

(Just) Allan

Just wondering if anyone here has tried fitting fuel saving devices to
their car (magnetic clamp onto the fuel line, fan blades inserted into
the air intake, etc.) and if these actually did anything for fuel
economy - or not.

Thanks for reading...

Allan.
 
(Just) Allan said:
Just wondering if anyone here has tried fitting fuel saving devices to
their car:
(magnetic clamp onto the fuel line,
Click to expand...
My 240 had one of these on it when I bought it. Took it off
immediately. A recidivous concept. At least real snake oil gets you
drunk!

I put these in the same class as deer whistles.


__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"
 
fuel savings stratagy >>

cut back on driving......i
can see imediate results....
 
(Just) Allan said:
Just wondering if anyone here has tried fitting fuel saving devices to
their car (magnetic clamp onto the fuel line, fan blades inserted into
the air intake, etc.) and if these actually did anything for fuel
economy - or not.

Thanks for reading...

Allan.
Click to expand...


They're 100% pure bullshit, they are guaranteed to work at emptying your
wallet though.
 
probably the best fuel-saving device is a good tire pressure gauge... use it
regularly to keep the pressure up, and that will help reduce fuel use as
well as prolong the life of the tires! I keep my 240 around 36PSI, which is
a bit higher than the figure posted on the car, but I like the firm ride and
tight steering.

Especially important to check the pressure during the spring and fall, when
temperature is changing almost daily!
 
They do great for the seller - transferring $ from your pocket to theirs.
Other than that, nothing.

Jack G.
 
(Just) Allan said:
Just wondering if anyone here has tried fitting fuel saving devices to
their car (magnetic clamp onto the fuel line, fan blades inserted into
the air intake, etc.) and if these actually did anything for fuel
economy - or not.

Thanks for reading...

Allan.
Click to expand...

None of 'em work. Consumer Reports recently did a test of a number of
popular types. Most did nothing, some did harm.

I've been a car nut for 35 years now and have seen the magic spark
plugs, magic air filters, magic magnets and such and they are all B.S.

John
 
Randy G. wrote:
(...)
I put these in the same class as deer whistles.

__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"
Click to expand...


The larger animal warning whistles do work. I've used them for years,
and for the decade or so I was coming home at 4:00am (a peak time for
deer and other animal activity), they turned lots of critters away from
my path. Sometimes they would spook them out into the road, but it was
always well ahead of me - I never had to lock the wheels, or even brake
hard. A big improvement over having deer run out 10 feet in front of
you,
in either case. They are useless in the case of amphibians, though.
--







http://freevision.org/michael/index.html
 
probably the best fuel-saving device is a good tire pressure gauge... use it
regularly to keep the pressure up, and that will help reduce fuel use as
well as prolong the life of the tires! I keep my 240 around 36PSI, which is
a bit higher than the figure posted on the car, but I like the firm ride and
tight steering.

Especially important to check the pressure during the spring and fall, when
temperature is changing almost daily!
Click to expand...

We have a 1978 244 - I *think* the tyres are supposed to be 32 PSI
according to a label on the car. I can't stand it at that pressure -
the steering is so HEAVY. I recently put 40 in, but the tyres were
hot at the time, so yep, about 36 is usual for us too.
 
None of 'em work. Consumer Reports recently did a test of a number of
popular types. Most did nothing, some did harm.

I've been a car nut for 35 years now and have seen the magic spark
plugs, magic air filters, magic magnets and such and they are all B.S.

John
Click to expand...

Wow. I didn't think the magnetic ones would do anything from my
electronics training (petrol not magnetic - duh). But I thought the
air ones would get some positives. Unless I didn't describe it
correctly... See here for one type:
http://www.hiclone.com.au/whatis.htm shocking picture I know, but I'm
sure folks get the idea... You're supposed to insert it into the air
intake between the air filter and the engine and it's supposed to
turbulate the air creating a more even burn mix.

Still no? {sigh}

As for the guy who said to drive less... We already walk as much as
possible - I'd love to fit a steam engine in the 244... I've been
dreaming of that for years before fuel skyrocketed!

Allan.
 
Michael Cerkowski said:
The larger animal warning whistles do work. I've used them for years,
and for the decade or so I was coming home at 4:00am (a peak time for
deer and other animal activity), they turned lots of critters away from
my path. Sometimes they would spook them out into the road, but it was
always well ahead of me - I never had to lock the wheels, or even brake
hard. A big improvement over having deer run out 10 feet in front of
you,
in either case. They are useless in the case of amphibians, though.
Click to expand...
Deer whistles were a hot topic in our department a year or two ago. We never
reached any sort of resolution - we could use them if we wanted or not. The
"antis" pointed out that the frequency is so high (1/4 wavelength is way
less than the deer's ear spacing) it is impossible to tell which way the
sound is coming from, and that deer have no way of deciding what (if
anything) to do. Your experience is the most positive thing I've heard.

Mike
 
(Just) Allan said:
Wow. I didn't think the magnetic ones would do anything from my
electronics training (petrol not magnetic - duh). But I thought the
air ones would get some positives. Unless I didn't describe it
correctly... See here for one type:
http://www.hiclone.com.au/whatis.htm shocking picture I know, but I'm
sure folks get the idea... You're supposed to insert it into the air
intake between the air filter and the engine and it's supposed to
turbulate the air creating a more even burn mix.

Still no? {sigh}
Click to expand...
No. The throttle plate will nullify any swirl appearing before it and will
introduce many times more turbulence of its own, and the valves will nullify
the throttle plate turbulence while introducing their own flow pattern.

Engine manufacturers began engineering intake flow beginning with the Honda
CVCC engine in the early 70s. Any change is going to be for the worse.

Mike
 
I saw this thing on ebay...it essentially wraps the fuel line around the
radiator hose, warming up the fuel before getting the the engine. As an
backyard engineer, this seems to make more sense than the other nonsense
I've seen.
Click to expand...
[ ... ]

Until you consider that warming the fuel reduces the density of the charge
going into the combustion chamber, therefore reducing the energy obtained
when it burns. That's why you see lots of cold air induction systems made
for cars; things only need to be warm during starting in low ambient
temperatures.

Similarly, the devices that induce turbulence to "help mix the fuel" are a
joke; engineers spend thousands of hours getting rid of turbulence in the
intake. The smoother the air flows, the more of it gets into the chamber,
the more power you get--unless you have that fuel heater gadget installed.


Gary
 
(Just) Allan said:
Just wondering if anyone here has tried fitting fuel saving devices to
their car (magnetic clamp onto the fuel line, fan blades inserted into
the air intake, etc.) and if these actually did anything for fuel
economy - or not.

Thanks for reading...

Allan.
Click to expand...

Magnets on the fuel line do absolutely nothing. All little boys think magnets are
magical. Some adults still believe it.
 
(Just) Allan said:
Wow. I didn't think the magnetic ones would do anything from my
electronics training (petrol not magnetic - duh). But I thought the
air ones would get some positives. Unless I didn't describe it
correctly... See here for one type:
http://www.hiclone.com.au/whatis.htm shocking picture I know, but I'm
sure folks get the idea... You're supposed to insert it into the air
intake between the air filter and the engine and it's supposed to
turbulate the air creating a more even burn mix.

Still no? {sigh}

As for the guy who said to drive less... We already walk as much as
possible - I'd love to fit a steam engine in the 244... I've been
dreaming of that for years before fuel skyrocketed!

Allan.
Click to expand...

Yep, still no.

Think about it. Auto manufacturers spend a fortune to meet fuel economy
regulations and maximize power. Any simple cheap ways of doing so are
already being done.

John
 
Michael Cerkowski said:
Randy G. wrote:
(...)



The larger animal warning whistles do work. I've used them for years,
and for the decade or so I was coming home at 4:00am (a peak time for
deer and other animal activity), they turned lots of critters away from
my path. Sometimes they would spook them out into the road, but it was
always well ahead of me - I never had to lock the wheels, or even brake
hard. A big improvement over having deer run out 10 feet in front of
you,
in either case. They are useless in the case of amphibians, though.
Click to expand...

There was a study that showed that the "whistles" create sounds that
are beyond the hearing range of the animals they are supposd to be
effective on. How that is supposed to work is beyond me.

Read here:
Hearing Sensitivity in White-tailed Deer
Ken Risenhoover, Jon Hunter, Roy Jacobson, and Glenn Stout
http://lutra.tamu.edu/klr/hearing.htm





__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"
 
(Just) Allan said:
Wow. I didn't think the magnetic ones would do anything from my
electronics training (petrol not magnetic - duh). But I thought the
air ones would get some positives. Unless I didn't describe it
correctly... See here for one type:
http://www.hiclone.com.au/whatis.htm shocking picture I know, but I'm
sure folks get the idea... You're supposed to insert it into the air
intake between the air filter and the engine and it's supposed to
turbulate the air creating a more even burn mix.

Still no? {sigh}
Click to expand...


Don't you think the automakers would have installed them from the
factory if it was that simple to improve economy?
 
Marvin said:
Magnets on the fuel line do absolutely nothing. All little boys think magnets are
magical. Some adults still believe it.
Click to expand...

all fuel gadgets work, and some better than others. The trick is not to
install them per the manufacturers instructions, but under the throtle
pedal limiting movement
--
 
That's exactly the opposite of what you would want. The ideal
situation would be to chill the air, chill the gas, and add a bit of
humidity to the intoake air. vr wonder why the car seems to run so
well on cool, damp days? Denser air, denser ful, and greater expansion
in the combiustion process.





Robert Polk said:
I saw this thing on ebay...it essentially wraps the fuel line around the
radiator hose, warming up the fuel before getting the the engine. As an
backyard engineer, this seems to make more sense than the other nonsense
I've seen.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Fuel...yZ111115QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

But the again, I've also tried the magnet on the fuel line thing back in the
80s (and yeah, it didn't work).
Click to expand...

__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"
 
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