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Last Updated: Sep 3rd, 2008 - 11:24:43 |
In a world where gasoline prices at the pumps are at record heights, there are con artists who will take advantage of your desire to get more miles to the gallon. Recently there have been a flood of consumer products on the market claiming to boost your vehicle gas mileage, but very few of them actually work.
First off, Fuel Additives - like the Platinum Gas Save and the BioPerformance pill. Neither works, and the BioPerformance pill has been proven to be nothing but moth balls, which are toxic.
Then there are the Fuel Genie and Tornado, which are mounted in the air flow meter of your car. They are supposed to affect the way air is sucked into the car, but have yet to be proven useful in improving fuel mileage. Yet, altering the intake of air flow of your car can make it overheat, possibly causing permanent engine damage.
There is also the Predator and other similar knock-off products. The Predator costs a hefty $400 and re-programs your onboard computer of your car to ignite the fuel earlier, which makes the fuel burn longer. Though the initial idea is to increase horsepower, customers have reported getting better gas mileage as an added benefit. And these products DO work like they say. But, they're risky to the life of your engine. When the engine burns less fuel by this method, there is the risk of overheating, thus causing internal damage. Since the car is using less gas, it doesn't have the ability to cool itself properly. Again, this can cause your engine to overheat.
Why risk saving a few bucks on fuel expense if costly engine damage could occur?
Many auto mechanics are wary of all these additives and gizmos. "Yeah, you might get a little better gas mileage out of it, but you might have just taken 50,000 miles of life off the motor by trying to do it," said Larry Perry, the Magic Mechanic radio host.
The Environmental Protection Agency has been looking for and testing gas-saving products for over thirty years and has found very few that meet its standards. So head the warning.
About the Author
Dave Larsen has worked in the alternitive energy business for 20+ years. Originally trained as an auto mechanic, Dave left that field because he got tired of shop managers ordering him to rip people off. He now offers tips to people so they can save money on fuel bills. http://www.energy-efficient-car.com
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