Quote:
Originally Posted by Booster
with very pro review off all so called fuels savers gadget.
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Actually that is a pretty good article of just how many fuel savings gadgets fall into what I would call the "snake oil" category. So it might actually be a good article to read for those who blindly assume that all FE ("fuel economy") claims of devices are justified (when clearly many of them are exaggerated, or outright false).
However, the author then jumps to the (unwarranted) conclusion that all such devices must be junk (simply because he didn't actually find any that worked during his limited search). However, it's pretty easy to prove that his assertion is false, as all you have to do is find even one device that does work (and we have found several on this forum, for example devices that improve aerodynamics and therefore cut down on drag from wind resistance, or devices that save on electrical power usage and therefore cut down on alternator drag on the engine), and you have essentially disproved that article's main hypothesis (which is that ALL devices that claim FE benefits are junk).
Also, while the article made a good point about "blind standards", he failed to take into account that many devices only help under specific conditions that might be underrepresented (or not represented at all) during the standard "benchmark" type testing that auto-makers do (for example, such standardized testing usually fails to take into account the effects of varying electrical load on FE). As has been shown again and again in this forum, knowing where the fuel savings states are in your specific car, often allows you to subtly adjust your driving style to take advantage of those energy saving states. Which is why "blind tests", while good in some respects (because they help avoid "fooling yourself" because you "want it to work") can also have the side-effect of missing real benefits that only show up under specific car conditions (which might not occur vary often unless you are driving to take advantage of those conditions).
Which brings us up to the class of devices that do nothing but give the driver more info (the "ScanGauge II" being the most common example of this class of devices, but many other mods can fall into this category as well). IMHO such "driver info" devices really can help save a lot of fuel, because they give the driver needed info that can be used to subtly adjust their driving toward the more fuel efficient states of the car (which most cars fluctuating a lot in fuel usage, often with vary subtle changes in inputs of the controls). However, the whole point of such an "info" device is that it gives users a chance to see how their driving style is affecting their FE, so that they can make (useful) minor changes to their driving style for better FE (which you can't actually accomplish in a "blind test", as the whole point of such devices is to modify driver behavior).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Booster
Seems none of them works  (( |
That's the conclusion of the article, but IMHO it's an incorrect conclusion.
As we have found out on this forum, many such devices don't in fact work, as that article pointed out. However, we have also found some modifications (some of them commercial devices) that do in fact seem to help FE (as tested by various forum members) at least some of the time. Of course, this all is complicated by the fact that cars are dynamic systems, and what helps FE in say "stop and go traffic" may vary well not help at steady highway speed (or visa versa). Also, cars are not all identical in their design, and what may help on one vehicle, may very well not work on another. Still, we have found things on this forum that have been shown (and at least tested by us) to have very real benefits to FE.
For example, many people here have shown that "aerodynamics" (i.e. how easy the car pushes through the air) can have a real FE impact, especially at highway speeds. So any mods (commercial or self-fabricated) that can be done to improve aerodynamics, should (and usually does, when we test them) translate into better FE at highway speeds. Of course, how well such devices really help FE depends a lot on the size/shape of the device, and just how aerodynamic any specific car was to begin with. So there isn't a "one size fits all" for such devices.
And another example is lowering electrical load in a car resulting in fuel savings. So mods such as LED swaps for car lights (since LEDs are much more energy efficient than traditional car bulbs), or controls to have car fans come on less often (but still "often enough" that they do their needed jobs) can really save some fuel. To many this might seem strange, as the alternator is already hooked up generating the electricity, right? So many people (including some mechanics) assume (incorrectly) that electricity in the car is "free" (since the alternator is already there generating the electricity for you). But when you look at it from an electrical engineering standpoint, you realize that an alternator is just a mechanical to electrical generator, and therefore (because it has the properties of all such generators) has the property of putting more drag on the mechanical source (in this case the running car engine) the more electricity you use. And so lowing electrical usage in cars (when feasible) should "in theory" lower the drag the alternator puts on your engine, and therefor save a little gas (as the engine has to work just a little less hard to put motion to the car wheels). And this is in fact what many of us have observed, when we tested this theory.
And those are just two examples of types of devices that do in fact seem to genuinely help with FE (we have found others in this forum as well). In fact, any device that genuinely allow the car to run more "efficiently" (even if its just a current "tune up"), will often have a positive effect on fuel usage. So while it is the case that a lot of the so-called "fuel saving devices" are in fact junk (or at least over hyped about how much real benefit to expect), there are modifications and devices on the market that do in fact help FE.
So I guess the bottom line, is "buyer beware", as the market has both useful and junk devices. And even some of the useful devices only work in some cars, as not all cars are designed the same. So it's helpful to do your homework (forums like this are a good place to start) before rushing out and blindly buying stuff that claims it will improve FE.
Edit/addition:
OTOH another poster in this thread made a good point as well. While that specific post/link (that started this thread) seems to be decent (even if I don't agree with everything made in that post/artical), the OP in this thread does seem to be a SPAMer that is trying to sneak into the forums with "legit posts", just to bring up their own commercial product later. So while I have nothing against this particular post/thread being posted, we will be watching you "Booster", to make sure you conform to the genuine "SPAM rules" of this forum.
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