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MPG Booster Scam — Parallax Forums

MPG Booster Scam

ercoerco Posts: 20,260
edited 2010-08-31 01:21 in General Discussion
Check out the latest electronic snake oil: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200512081938

These claims are preposterous. But you know some poor saps will buy it!

I read a story a while back about field-testing various MPG booster schemes. Hotter spark, better efficiency, yada yada. The ONLY thing that consistently showed any improvement at all was some kind of gauge or idiot light that warned the driver that he was accelerating too hard.

Silly Americans...
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Comments

  • mctriviamctrivia Posts: 3,772
    edited 2010-08-28 14:29
    I don't see any claim to how much more efficient it will make your car. Truth is just about anything that says it will improve efficiency that does not make it worse will. why because for a bit you will drive differently to try and see the improvement.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-08-28 14:37
    If several of those gadgets were fitted to a car, and did what was claimed, the tank would keep filling up on its own.
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2010-08-28 17:39
    Don't forget magnetic fuel savers (cattle magnets) which people have been claiming save gas, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.
  • sylvie369sylvie369 Posts: 1,622
    edited 2010-08-28 19:07
    Oh, you can't expect Western reductionistic science to be able to measure the benefits of a device like that. :lol:

    [I've always wanted to see if I could keep a straight face while saying that. I can't]
  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2010-08-28 20:38
    38 sold... and if you could only tell them the electrical noise has no connection with the gas burning in the cylinders.
  • mctriviamctrivia Posts: 3,772
    edited 2010-08-28 20:54
    pi'd wrote: »
    38 sold... and if you could only tell them the electrical noise has no connection with the gas burning in the cylinders.


    This is not entirely true. If you could reduce the current draw of the cars power system you will increase the cars efficiency because it will reduce the load on the engine caused by the alternator. Assuming the cars electronics use linear regulators to drop the cars 9-15V power system to a more usable voltage the higher the system voltage is the greater the power draw on the system, since the current will be the same but the voltage will be greater(P=VI). However the improvement in efficiency will be extremely small since the cars electronics draw a relatively low power compared to the power needed to keep the car moving.

    So they are not lying. Can the efficiency increase be measured? Probably not.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-08-28 22:23
    The Florida inventor who can run his car on water has been quiet lately. Here's an interesting website that casts a suspicious eye on his HHO machine: http://www.epicidiot.com/waterpoweredauto.htm
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-08-28 22:42
    Some "gas gadget" reviews:

    http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/bigger-picture/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8416315

    http://www.fuelsaving.info/debunk.htm good info, skip to the end for specifics

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121253615580242807.html
  • bill190bill190 Posts: 769
    edited 2010-08-29 08:51
    The thing is that vehicle manufacturers have whole floors of engineers who design and test the systems in vehicles. Modern vehicles can have 80 microcontrollers and three local area computer networks. I should think they know what they are doing!

    Another scam is wire for stereo speakers. One manufacturer sells what appears to be very large wire for an outrageous price... However if you look closely, the copper conductor inside is very small and the largeness of the wire is just thick insulation.

    The same thing is done with some 120V extension cords. Look at the fine print and see what gauge the wire is.

    12 gauge wire is larger wire than 14 gauge. (12 gauge is used for 20 amp circuits.) Even larger 10 gauge wire might be needed for a very long extension cord due to "voltage drop".

    Voltage drop caclulator...
    http://www.csgnetwork.com/voltagedropcalc.html
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2010-08-29 10:20
    I want the one that turns water into gasoline. Where can I find it?
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-08-29 10:46
    Loopy: Heck, I'll sell you a real nice one, only used by a little old lady to get to church. And I'll throw in the Brooklyn bridge and a Basic Stamp 3!
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2010-08-29 12:12
    I found out on the water powered car website, that you don't want to turn water into gasoline. You want to turn it into HOH gas which works much better. Just ignore those negative scientists claiming this can't be done. Just buy their magic gonculator (controlled via Erco's BasicStamp 3) which can do it.

    You car will emit only steam and travel for free! Well until the oil companies catch up with you in their black helicopters and seize the gonculator.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-08-29 16:10
    I bet I'm the only one here who remembers the "Jethro Bodine Gasoline Pill" episode of the Beverly Hillbillies... his pill turned water into gasoline...
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2010-08-29 18:24
    No I'm old enough too. The etymology of the word gonculator also is from that same time period in US TV history.
  • P!-RoP!-Ro Posts: 1,189
    edited 2010-08-29 22:03
    That's ironic, I'm making a machine that converts water into gasolene! It takes gas to start it though ;)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-08-30 00:38
    That was also Jethro's problem...
  • Spiral_72Spiral_72 Posts: 791
    edited 2010-08-30 14:17
    erco wrote: »
    The Florida inventor who can run his car on water has been quiet lately. Here's an interesting website that casts a suspicious eye on his HHO machine: http://www.epicidiot.com/waterpoweredauto.htm

    I actually built one of these.... no I'm not a wacko.... well maybe a little :)

    My idea was a little different than any others I've heard on the subject. I dunno about gas mileage, but it sure made for one heckova KABOOM when collected in a balloon and ignited in the nice quite neighborhood I live.

    Deafening it was... hehehe, crAKPOW! My wife wasn't amused at the charred crop circles in the front yard though :(
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-08-30 15:08
    Actually, I want a machine that converts gasoline to water.

    I see people paying $1.25 for bottled water out of a machine. That's $1.25 for 20 ounces, or $8.00 per gallon. I can buy gas for less than $3 a gallon. If I can convert it to water, I can almost triple my money.
  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,568
    edited 2010-08-30 20:43
    erco,

    lol !!

    It'd be safer to transport for those "water" tankers ... then you could just turn it back into gas when you reached your destination. Sounds efficient :-)
  • Tony B.Tony B. Posts: 356
    edited 2010-08-31 01:04
    I really like the cartoon character. Maybe Parallax could increase BS2 and Propeller sales by creating a cartoon series with BS2mann and Propman that go around saving the world from that evil organization Electronoise. They can only win against Electronoise through well written and documented code. My how the OBEX would grow! :lol:

    Just an idea.
  • sylvie369sylvie369 Posts: 1,622
    edited 2010-08-31 01:21
    erco wrote: »
    Actually, I want a machine that converts gasoline to water.

    A device that turned crude oil to water would have been very popular this year. BP would have probably let you fly the black helicopters if you'd been able to supply them with one.
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