Turbonator/Tornado fuel saver

[Mr. Land Yacht]

I've heard that these things can save you some gas...
anyone got any opinions on these things?

[Grand Marquis GT]

I hear they are worthless, but who knows, mang...

[DuceAnAHalf]

Popular mechanics did a test of several of these "fuel saving" devices. most of them did nothing, a few of them actually hurt performance. Ill try to dig up the issue and post the results

[Mr. Land Yacht]

I think they are a little over priced for having no garunteed mileage increase.
although, they do have the 30-day money back garuntee.
but that's not enough!

[grandpaslincoln]

I'd skip it

[DuceAnAHalf]

Found the September 2005 issue of Popular mechanics.

The devices were tested on 4 full size trucks... We strapped the trucks down to a paif of chassis dynamometers and ran them dry of gasoline. then we added a measured quanity of gas, and ran four dyno pulls to determine horsepower and torque. Next, we accelerated to a corrected 70 mph, set the cruise controlto keep the speeds consistent and ran the trucks dry again. This gave us a base line of each truck's unmodified power and fuel consumption.
results

Miracle magnets.
Fuel Saver, Fuel OptiMiser
>JC Whitney, $22;heartlandamerica.com, $20
>THEY CLAIM: It magnetically rearranges gasoline molecules for better combustion.
> BOTTOM LINE: Weird science, but at least it can't hurt.

The Dyno says. As we suspected, neither device had any significant effect on performance or economy.

Vortex Generators.

Intake Twister
>ebay, $20
>THEY CLAIM: "Increase your gas mileage buy [sic] 5-10 mpg and increase your hp by up to +10 hp." "Spreads the gas out to get a full combustion."
>BOTTOM LINE: Doesn't work and could fail and damage expensive parts.

TornadoFuelSaver
>TornadoFuelSaver.com, $70
>THEY CLAIM: ">>> an increase in gas mileage-up to 28%!!!" "Dynamometer [sic] testing demonstrates an increase of 4-13 horsepower."
>BOTTOM LINE: Normally, we want less turbulance in the intake, not more.

The dyno says:Both devices reduced peak horsepower by more than 10 percent. The Intake Twister increased fuel consumption by about 20 percent; the TornadoFuelSaver provided no significant change.

there are 3 other devices but they are not related in design to the devices in question and i dont feel like typing it out.

[Fst Mrc]

I know it's not our area of expertise, but editor Dave Coleman from Sport Compact Car has an answer for you. Before judgement is passed on me, let me explain. I used to have an 87 Supra Turbo. From approximately 190 cubic inches that motor generated 225 horsepower and 255 ft. lbs of torque. Anyway, this guy knows his shit, he just doesn't like prehistoric technology.

Take two 2 liter soda bottles, put some water in one and tape them together. When flipped upside down, the water gurgles and stuggles to get into the lower bottle because the air is trying to get into the upper bottle at the same time. But wait, if you make it act like a tornado then presto!! the water and air flow much smoother and faster. That's great. Good point, except our engines don't work like soda bottles. The tornado action allows the water to flow along the sides of the bottle, while the air flows in the middle. Our engines just want to suck in as much air as possible. If you put anything in the way of that airflow, including stainless steel fins, then they have to work harder to suck, and essentially "suck" more. lol. Wait a minute, I'm assuming you have SEFI, if you have a carb or "gasp" CFI, then it may help to get the air fuel mixture working, but it's still a detriment to airflow.

Domestics are a new world for me, but I've got to play the hand I'm dealt. The engines still work the same, so I may be of some help. I just want to put in a Man o War 351 and be done with it. Maybe build up the AOD when it breaks.....

[Fst Mrc]

Yeah, like Duece said

[N A]

Nice GM!!!

[Blaze86Vic]

As everyone else has said, worthless. Simple upgrade would be free flowing mufflers (not neccessarily flowmasters) Just look for one that has a nice strait flow design.

[Grand Marquis GT]

Nice GM!!!

Agreed. Always liked the way your car looks! And what is the story behind "MAGNA 302", I find it to be a cool gimmick

[85MercPark]

Wait a minute, I'm assuming you have SEFI, if you have a carb or "gasp" CFI, then it may help to get the air fuel mixture working, but it's still a detriment to airflow.

Hey, my CFI works just fine, thanks very much.... 20 city 25 highway...

[83countrysquire]

how do you get 25mpg out of a cfi and wats the most we can get out of 4bbl carbs

[85MercPark]

Not sure, but I assume it has to do with the 38000 original miles. And good plugs, wires and all that stuffs. 3.08 gears and a light foot..

[Blaze86Vic]

Carb will pretty much never make it to the 20s. Normal driving will be below 15, and Lead Foot Larry will bring it down into the single digits.