Save Gas Without Losing Your Shirt: 3 Gas Saving Devices with High Scam Potential
Fuel saving scams, er, devices, have been around for a long time, and now that fuel prices are soaring again, we decided it would be a good time to take a look at a few of the most popular and interesting ones out there.
Since the start of the Iraq War in 2003, oil prices have jumped from $28 per barrel to over $130, with most of that rise occurring in the last year. This fact is made even more stark considering that for all of the last century prior to the current meteoric rise, crude oil prices have averaged about $20 per barrel (adjusted for inflation).
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Economists and pundits continue to tussle over who or what is to blame for this, and I could hypothesize about how we’re all being taken to the cleaners by corporate greed, but that’d be a waste of energy, no? The important issue is that fuel costs have gone past the “arm-and-a-leg” stage and are now approaching “firstborn son.”
So, while I’d love to say that hydrocarbon fuel prices don’t matter because we’ve entered the hybrid-biofuel- electric-fuel-cell-hydrogen society, the reality is that I need a fix for my old jalopy quick… and what better place to start than a perusal of some of the spectacular deals to be had on the internet?
First up: FuelMAX
Better living through magnets, grandad always said. FuelMAX is a magnetic device that you attach to your car’s fuel line to “fracture gasoline hydrocarbon chains through magnetic resonance.” According to the company this could increase your mileage by 27% along with a whole host of other interesting side effects.
Unfortunately, you can’t buy FuelMAX anymore (in the US that is - in Latvia it’s still alive and well). Apparently, it was so popular and worked so well that the US Federal Trade Commission told FuelMAX’s parent company, International Research and Development, to take it off the US market and give people their money back.
Damn big brother, always destroying the hopes and dreams of fledgling corporations. Not to worry though, there are a myriad of other companies out there that sell essentially the same thing and who the Feds have left alone up to this point. Some even go so far as to not only put magnets on the fuel line, but also on the coolant and air intake (Video).
My Take: Magnet fuel savers work so well that the US government is involved in a conspiracy to systematically remove them from existence.
Next up: Cyclone Fuel Saver
When I was younger we used to watch hours of late night infomercials for fun. You know, the kind where they cover a car in a special wax made of what looks like cosmic fairy dust, and then they shoot a laser at it to show those microscopic fairies in action deflecting the laser from your beautiful car?
In retrospect, watching infomercials for fun was kind of lame, but if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have fond memories of products like the Cyclone Fuel Saver. This baby purports to create “a swirling air motion, allowing the air to move faster and more efficiently by continuously whirling air around corners and bends.” Which does what exactly? Apparently the swirling effect helps “atomise the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber” which results in a “more complete and efficient burning of the fuel.”
Wow. That sounds totally rad. And I bet it works too. If for some reason you can’t get your hands on one, not to worry, there are lots of other air intake modifications to be had. For instance, the Turbonator comes with “FlowTru™” technology which allows for the maximum amount of air to get to your engine. Also, if you’re inclined to dig around on such things, the Turbonator will make you instantly more popular with women as evidenced in this photo.
My Take: The Cyclone Fuel Saver must not work that well because the Feds haven’t shut it down yet and its been around for at least 10 years.
Last, but for sure not least: Water4Gas
Although instantly less cool than other fuel savers because it’s not technically a product and more of a description, Water4Gas has been getting a lot of the limelight recently… as it should. I mean, this company website has it all: vibrant color schemes, third-grade HTML proficiency, a video featuring Jimmy Carter, endless scrolling possibilities, and a money back guarantee from some guy named Ozzie Freedom. Ozzie Friggin Freedom. With a name like that he must be on the up-and-up.
Plus, Water4Gas has been tested on like 30 continents, or something, further proving its reliability. For only $97 you can get access to some online manuals that describe how you can spend a minimum of another $100 to modify your car to inject “hydrogen-on-demand” into your engine. Sounds like a winner to me. Mr. Freedom even has his own fan club that provides an unbiased and totally trustworthy review of the Water4Gas system.
Actually, of the three fuel saving systems included in this article, the Water4Gas type seems to have a very loyal following. Known alternatively as “waterhybrids” or “HHO systems,” some of them have been tested by seemingly reputable news organizations with actual positive results. However, based on the fact that advertisements on the Hydro4000 website make it look like the news station and Hydro4000 are in on some kind of scheme together, my trust in the news story is quite low. Plus, at $1,200 you’d have to have a major stash of money set aside for delusions of grandeur to actually buy one of these things.
My Take: The Water4Gas website is so bad that it must be a good product.
All joking aside, the sane part of my mind screams to me that these waterhybrid claims are so far gone that the products can’t be for real. Yet, as much as it pains me, I’ve got to say the jury’s still out on this one. Anybody have any personal experience they care to share? Any idea of how much energy is required to split water into its component parts and the ensuing energy balance (or imbalance) that would be present in a waterhybrid?
A recent post on Gas 2.0 details a system similar to waterhybrids that appears to have the backing of a university. That post generated some good cautionary comments regarding free energy, conservation of energy, and overall energy efficiency of a whole system such as an entire automobile. Any further thoughts on this topic?
Reality Check
Listen folks, if the claims make it seem like a product will do ridiculous things, then its probably a ridiculous product. Most experts say that fuel saving devices are largely scams and that, in lieu of expensive things like buying a more fuel efficient vehicle or completely changing your car’s aerodynamics, the only true way to increase your fuel mileage cheaply is the good old standby of changing your habits to up your car’s efficiency. In fact, in a post on Gas 2.0, Benjamin Jones points us to “100+ EcoDriving Tips to get Better Mileage in Your Car” and Edmunds.com has done its own field testing of many of these recommendations. Check them out and save your money.
Gas 2.0 Posts Related to Fuel Economy:
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- The World’s Most Fuel Efficient Car: 285 MPG, Not A Hybrid
Image Credit: adapted from d70Focus under Creative Commons
I was driving North to Portland today on I-5 somewhere before Eugene Oregon I noticed a huge billboard with the following web address: http://www.WildMPG.com guarenteed 50% increase to your cars gas mileage or your money back. I check it out and they are offering some PICC technology that can achieve 100mpg+ but is not available yet but until its ready for your car they will sell you this hydro assist product that guarantees a 50% + increase in your gas mileage or your money back. The hydro assist seems to be some kind of water splitter that injects oxygen and hydrogen into the intake similar to the products mentioned in the above article.
Could you guys please check these site out and see what you think and write about it as a scam or not.
Thanks,
LM
I think most people are missing the point of the Water4Gas system, its actually quite a reasonable idea. The idea is that hydrolysis converts the water from H2O to H2 and O2, one of which is combustible and the other required for combustion. These are injected through the air intake, which allows more combustible gases into the compression chamber for firing. Because the ratio of combustible gases is greater, more FUEL will be combusted per compression. Because its the FUEL doing the work, its not a case of “free energy”, just more fuel being burnt and less passed on to the catalytic converter to deal with. Essentially it works in principal like a turbo charger in this regard. They also explain things well enough on the website for people to just go out and build one at home themselves for around $200 or less :).
Is not so much free energy, but super sizing your fast food meal?
I know stupid analogy. Just what do I get in return for that extra .75 cents.
Sort of like super heated high pressure at a nuke reactor allowing for a 50% more efficient hydrogen production. Not a free meal, but definitely a super sized one.
The technology itself is viable to boost MPG if it is done well. The glass jar with baking soda is a poor mans version of that technology, albeit a bit crude and a bit dangerous due to the materials chosen for underhood use.
The technology works by improving the combustion efficiency of the fuel being burned in the engine.
The primary issue that people should be concerned with here is that “Ozzie Freedom” is selling this information for a lot of money, information that is available for FREE online. Many researchers have invested years of research, and have published the information online for free. Some marketeer comes along, and through aggressive marketing, turns selling this free information into big business. Of course, the researchers that performed all of the research get nothing.
The public is being fleeced by a marketeer for otherwise FREE information.
None of these “fuel saving” devices have ever proved viable under strictly controlled conditions by reputable researchers. It may well be that the magic just doesn’t feel like working when subjected to the harsh realism of a physics lab administered by humorless skeptics.
The basic laws of thermodynamics do not allow for this system to work on basis of having the products of electrolysis (hydrogen & oxygen) adding to the energy of combustion.
There remains the idea that the addition of very small amounts of hydrogen and oxygen to the combustion reaction somehow improves combustion efficiency. If this is so, then a small bottle of compressed hydrogen and another of oxygen would be the way to obtain sufficient quantities of gas to test and optimize this “effect” relatively quickly.
I look forward to reading about this research in peer reviewed physic/chemistry/engineering journals.
I have a device similar to the Cyclone, called the Tornado Fuel Saver. When I first bought it, I was driving a GMC S-15 pickup with a 2.8L engine. I saw my mileage go from 260 to 290 per average tank, an increase from 14.4 MPG to 16.1 MPG. Say what you will about devices like that, but I’ve seen it work myself and I’m happy with it. My current truck is a Dodge Dakota with a 5.2L engine, and with the Tornado I’ve gone from 10 MPG to 12 MPG. I’ve been using it for several years now, and I’m not going to go back. My dad also got one and he saw the same improvements–he also has a Dakota; slightly newer, but same engine and same economy improvement.
So ya with all the tweaking and modifications to the car to install this water4gas thing what you are really doing is running your car leaner and modifying your timing to improve your mileage. Also the MAP device looks like it simply tells your car’s o2 sensor if its running rich or light and changes it so it uses more gas (not hard to make at home for older cars)
Also notice that not one of these cars is being tested on a dyno or in a lab. I dunno if anyone is in the Emmision testing industry but even on set dyno courses where everything is the same depending on the driver your fuel consumption can move more then 5mpg (on courses less then 15 minutes, imagine a longer course at both polar sides of the mpg margin of error). And that is a preprogrammed course with no variables other then driver reaction.
P.S. check out the EPA website for “Motor Vehicle After market Retrofit Device Evaluation Program” or just retrofit devices. Only 3 items make it to the “significant improvement” category. 1 is a spoiler, 1 reduces emissions while not ruing gas mileage and the other is a coolant/heat circulation system. If you wanna see if this works report it, if it passes the get a free EPA evaluation, that is if they have the research to back their original claims up.
sorry about the crappy typing in the above section, i just so happened to be testing a car at the time
Dear Nick:
Somehow the papers always publish whats been around for years and doesnt work, how about something that does work and has NEVER failed to produce results “when done by its instructions”. Pls check out our device at: http://www.energy-group.com/evidence.htm and review the comments by the client, etc, etc.
Thanks, Dr George - CEO
I think water4gas is genuine. I’m going to make one myself soon. Infact, I got a comparison between water4gas and run your car on water from this website http://www.water4gas-scam.com and water4gas seems like the better one although it’s a wee bit more expensive. Look at this link and especially the comments at the end by this guy called Patrick http://www.opednews.com/articles/life_a_jibbguy_080415_brown_s_gas__28_22hho_22_29_.htm
Then I did a google search for magnecules and magnegas and found this link http://www.magnegas.com/technology.html If you read details there you will understand that water4gas is no scam. These engines even produce oxygen while driving, and if water4gas is scam so is the Nobel nominated Dr. Santilli, all his patents and whatnot! But I’ll tell you for sure when I build one within the next 4-6 weeks!