gas savers

[mikeE72]

hey yall ive seen alot of so called gas savers now adays and dont think many of them work.has anyone ever used one of thesehttp://slrmotorsports.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=263
i could see how they might give you better gas milage because you make more power so you dont have to get on it as hard but what do you think?also anything else you guys know of to help fuel ecconomy. ps its going into an explorer with a 4.0l in it

thanks

 

[MAKG]

"You make more power so you don't have to get on it so hard."

Well, that explains why people think you get mileage and power at the same time. I've been wondering that.

It's a myth, apparently widely held. You produce a certain power UP TO the maximum. Unless you've broken something, that power determines your fuel consumption. That you might need less throttle to get there is irrelevant; you're using the SAME air and fuel.

If you increase peak power (not that this thing is actually going to do that) without screwing anything up, the only thing that changes is that it becomes possible to use more fuel on demand. Whether you actually do or not is up to you, but since it's there, you will at least occasionally.

 

[AllanD]

However engines that have "reserve torque" and can putter along at part throttle
can burn less fuel than a smaller engine doing exactly the same ammount of "work"

this is because an engine at part throttle can be run far leaner without
engine dammage and so use less fuel to do the same work.

Brake specific fuel consumption is not an absolute constant.

there are however physical limits to just how efficient something can be

whatever fuel you use has only a limited ammount of energy content
and to do a specific ammount of work uses a certain ammount of energy.
what changes is the efficiency of the conversion.

That all being said a CAR getting 100mpg is a pipe dream unless you
are fueling it with something like pentaborane.

(Note: Pentaborane is one of the most energetic fuels ever discovered
The problem is that there is almost no known limit to it's corrosiveness
or toxicity, it eats through glass like a steam jet through a sugar cube
and it is as toxic as most of the better known nerve agents, but it burns
with a really neat looking green flame)

AD

 

[CJREX]

Without getting technical, I found a way to double my fuel mileage.

My average economy is now always at least 27+ mpg, with an easy 35 on the hwy.

This miracle invention is called a 1999 Saturn Wagon.

I paid $1600 for it, and based on my average commute it will pay for itself in slightly over a year (calculated at $4 per gallon so it might take a little longer now).

Actually it may take less than that since we find ourselves using it for family trips to Grandma & Grandpas instead of my wife's full-size SUV (which couldn't be given away right now ).

Granted that a second vehicle is not practical for some people, but if you can get a decent small car for a decent price it will probably work better than trying snake oils and Star Trek dilithium crystals in your tank.

And if you find a deal, it won't cost you anything. I've already been offered $2k+ for my wagon on 3 separate occasions, but I couldn't replace it for that. I lucked up on mine.

Monitor craigslist in your area. I found mine within an hour of it being posted.

Good Luck!

 

[MAKG]

However engines that have "reserve torque" and can putter along at part throttle
can burn less fuel than a smaller engine doing exactly the same ammount of "work"

While this is true, vehicles simply don't cruise at full throttle all the time, not even in massive mountains (there is SOME downhill). My 90 HP Prizm even managed that in the Rockies recently, and still got mileage in the low 30s at 75 MPH (it would have been closer to 40 MPG if I could keep it down to a reasonable speed -- which it did in Yellowstone -- 41 MPG -- due to too many motorhomes and low speed limits). Even up to 10,000 feet over some nasty passes.

BSFC isn't an absolute constant, but it's quite close for engines run as designed. Or else EPA mileage sucks and the manufacturer blows it on CAFE.