Reply With QuoteFor a list of products which have been tested by the EPA, see:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/autos/gasave.htm
In an earlier post, I asked whether anyone could provide objective, third-party proof of any benefit to any "gas saver" additive/gadget. I got a couple e-mails and instant messages that claimed "this product really works!" - but it was all just say-so and anecdotes. No hard data.
Popular Science (think it was; might have been CR) recently tested a number of these "miracle" additives/gadgets; not one provided any measurable increase in MPGs (as expected) and a few even reduced MPGs.
These claims are scams purveyed by rip-off artists. Don't fall for them. Don't accept "my car's mileage went up by 20 percent!" Demand real data from an objective source (not the company's PR sheet).
And remember: If it were so easy to increase a car's mileage by even 5 percent, just by adding a piece of cheap plastic to the air intake (or some little device with magnets onto the fuel line) don't you think the automakers would have been installing these things on new cars for years now?
For a list of products which have been tested by the EPA, see:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/autos/gasave.htm
Thanks!Originally Posted by Dave Brand
I'm gonna try and find the Popular Science piece, too...
Popular Mechanics Oct 2006
To repeat myself: given that the car makers would do nearly anything to raise their CAFE by .5 mpg, they would buy these devices in a second. They don't buy because the things are all scams. There is no need to waste thought on the subject.
There were once tales about the 200 mpg carburetor that had been suppressed by the oil companies.
>>There were once tales about the 200 mpg carburetor that had been suppressed by the oil companies. <<
The FISH Carburetor---
http://www.mikebrownsolutions.com/fish3.htm
"don't you think the automakers would have been installing these things on new cars for years now?"
And if synthetic engine oil was so much better, don't you think they would ship new cars with it?
-Don-
"These claims are scams purveyed by rip-off artists."
How do they get away with all the obvious false claims?
Didn't Slick 50 get sued for false claims?
I noticed that the new cans of Slick 50 make no claims at all. The can says stuff such as "valves, rings" etc., but makes no claims that the stuff does anything at all.
Slick 50 sort of reminds me of synthetic engine oils ;D
There were once a lot of believers in Slick 50 too, at least before the lawsuit.
-Don-
"How do they get away with all the obvious false claims?"
I suppose like any other rip-off artists do!
"Didn't Slick 50 get sued for false claims?"
That I don't recall.
"Slick 50 sort of reminds me of synthetic engine oils ;D"
I trust you're not serious in making that comparison!
And many are, including the Corvette.
Slick 50 supposed had Teflon in it. DOW disavowed it and all other compounds with teflon, saying what was claimed could not possibly work. No one has disavowed synthetic oils, and today all trucks are shipped from the factory with synthetics in the transmission and differentials, and specific recommendations for using synthetic engine oil. And this is on engines expected to go 1,000,000 miles without an overhaul.
Many new cars are, in fact, shipped with synthetic - including the Cadillac CTS-V, the Chevy Corvette, several BMWs and Benzes, etc.
"Many new cars are, in fact, shipped with synthetic - including the Cadillac CTS-V, the Chevy Corvette, several BMWs and Benzes, etc."
As I said before, when they are designed for it--and says so in the owner's manual, I would then only use synthetic oils in those too.
I am only talking about vehicles where they ship with "normal" oil and the owner's manual does not mention any advantage to using synthetic oils.
I have also mentioned that I did use Synthetic gear oil in my Jeep real differential, because it was recommend in the owner's manual. And it was only recommended in the rear, so I put normal gear oil in the front differential (4WD).
-Don-
I know of no case where the factory manuals recommend more than the "sufficient." Why? Because they are quite conscious of anything that raises the perceived ownership costs of their vehicles. But that doesn't mean there's no advantage to be gained by using synthetics.
Standard oils may be sufficient under most circumstances - but one can get a bit more protection (especially, as explained previously, when conditions or driving styles are severe, etc.).
If one runs one's vehicles hard - or lives in an area subject to extremes of temperature - then it makes sense to spend a little more for synthetics, to obtain that extra measure of performance/protection.
And, while Don is correct that the temperature in the SF area is pretty cool, on average, a half-hour drive west will get you into true desert temperatures on most summer days, and if you drive to Reno, you have a pull of over 100 miles steadily uphill, going from sea level to 7,200 feet. It's not hard on any warm day to see a number of cars and trucks broken down by overheating up that grade.
>>It's not hard on any warm day to see a number of cars and trucks broken down by overheating up that grade.<<
Probably from lack of proper maintenance rather than not having synthetic oil--- The problem with the stuff is that the manufacturer doesn't give any extra mileage recommendation when you use it, so the cost gets out of sight when compared to the oil recommended--- almost 4 times greater.
Oh, yeah, I agree. But that is exactly the sort of situation that will show up a problem, and it definitely counts for "severe service."
By the way, you can buy Wal-Mart's Super Tech synthetic in a five-quart container for about what regular oil costs elsewhere, and their Super Tech filters are better than most, much better than the Fram trash.
I use Motul in the ZRX; Mobil 1 in the Trans-Am and Nissan pick-up....Oh, yeah, I agree. But that is exactly the sort of situation that will show up a problem, and it definitely counts for "severe service."
By the way, you can buy Wal-Mart's Super Tech synthetic in a five-quart container for about what regular oil costs elsewhere, and their Super Tech filters are better than most, much better than the Fram trash.
OE-style filters for all of them.
>>By the way, you can buy Wal-Mart's Super Tech synthetic in a five-quart container for about what regular oil costs elsewhere, and their Super Tech filters are better than most, much better than the Fram trash. <<
I'll check that out---
"And, while Don is correct that the temperature in the SF area is pretty cool, on average, a half-hour drive ]west will get you"
. . . into the nice cool ocean!
-Don-
Uh, make that EAST, Captain Peachfuzz!
Posting Permissions