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Gas Saving Devices That Don't Save Gas

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From georgiana, Featured Contributor
Posted on September 23, 2008

Don't Get Ripped off

The price of gas in my neighborhood jumped by 23 cents on Friday of last week, leaving me annoyed. I thought the price of oil had fallen so why in the world is gas so not doing the same? The same day I got a postcard from a service station saying "You could save up to 55¢ per gallon of gasoline!" along with a list of services that would add up to the alleged savings.

Some of the things on the list were basic, like tire pressure, fresh oil, and a clean air filter. But what about some of the other things we see advertised? Is there something you can put in your tank that will make your car run further? The Federal Trade Commission has a handy page on its website called "Gas-Saving" Products: Fact or Fuelishness? According to tests done by the the EPA, the following devices don't save enough gas to be worth the price, while others increase negative side effects like exhaust emissions.

• Air Bleed Devices

  Air bleed devices originally came about in the 70's, when there was some advantage to using them. Basically, these added a little more air into the gasoline/air combustion mix, which made burning fuel more efficient. On modern cars (post early 90's) this ratio is already fixed so there is little gain to be had from adding an air bleed device.

• Vapor Bleed Devices

  Similar to the above but the air bubbles through a vat of water and anti-freeze. Yum.

• Liquid Injection

  Liquid, usually water, is added to the fuel/air intake system. For most engines this will have very little impact. in turbo charged or super charged combustion engines water is added to prevent engine damage.

• Ignition Devices

  "These devices are attached to the ignition system to create a hotter spark that ignites your engine. The only issue is that these don't actually make the gas ignite any more quickly, so there is no savings of fuel.

• Fuel Line Devices (Heaters or Coolers)

  Fuel line heaters are used to heat the fuel as it goes into and returns from the engine, generally to ensure optimum performance. It can be somewhat effective (usually it's used to minimize emissions), however it's an expensive and custom modification. It's unlikely that you will reap enough savings to pay for the device. Coolers condense the fuel, which will give you more power. Those are performance enhancers, not gas savers.

• Fuel Line Devices (Heaters or Coolers)

  Fuel line heaters are used to heat the fuel as it goes into and returns from the engine, generally to ensure optimum performance. It can be somewhat effective (usually it's used to minimize emissions), however it's an expensive and custom modification. It's unlikely that you will reap enough savings to pay for the device. Coolers condense the fuel, which will give you more power. Those are performance enhancers, not gas savers.

• Fuel Line Devices (Magnets)

  Supposedly if you put these magnets on or in your fuel line they'll change the molecular structure of gasoline to make it burn more efficiently. Unfortunately, magnets have no impact on fuel ions. Not surprisingly, none of these saved any gas when evaluated by the EPA.

• Internal Engine Modifications

  There are modifications you can add to your engine to increase fuel efficiency. Some of these do work, but not enough to recoup costs. Additionally, these modifications can increase emissions and some are technically illegal.

• Accessory Drive Modifiers

  These accessories allow you reduce power to various accessories like your air conditioning to save gas. These can create a small increase in efficiency, if you are willing to put up with the inconvenience. Don't expect to save much fuel, however.

• Fuel and Oil Additives

  Materials you add directly to the fuel tank or the crankcase that supposedly make them more efficient. The EPA hasn't tested any that significantly improve mileage, and some have been found to do damage to the engine.

• Driving Habit Modifiers

  The idea here is if you alert the driver and tell them when to shift gears or slow down they'll optimize their driving and save the most gas. They use either light or sound and sound. If you can get past the annoyance, it might save you a bit of fuel.

Bottom line - we probably want to stick to the old reliable list and do thinks like keep our oil and filters clean, our tires inflated and not fill our trunks up with lead weights before we go for a drive.

Read More:

• What to do When Someone Takes Your Parking Spot
• Returning to Roots: First Car Models
• Roadside Attractions

georgiana is a featured contributor for vLane.