Gas saving gadgets waste money

When prices of gas rise, the advertisements for devices that increase your gas mileage start popping up. Despite wild promises of mileage increases of 300% and more, these devices don’t work. While finding ways to economize on fuel consumption is a good thing to do, wasting money on fuel-saving gadgets isn’t.

More below.

Some fuel saving devices actually make your mileage worse

The stories have been around for years, but always come back when the price of gas goes up. A guy invented a carburetor that would allow a car to get 200 miles per gallon, but Detroit, or General Motors or Big Oil bought the rights to the device so that it would never see the light of day. Everyone has heard that story, right?

In the 1930’s, Charles N. Pogue did patent a carburetor that claimed to do just that, but the device was never proven to actually work. The patent has expired, but no one is marketing the device, and GM isn’t sitting on it.

It’s a myth. And so are the countless other devices that promise to increase your gas mileage by one hundred, two hundred or even three hundred percent. In past decades, the Federal Trade Commission has tested more than one hundred such devices, and they have never found even one that provided a significant boost to fuel economy. These devices ranged from fuel atomizers to magnets that attach to the fuel line to rotors that were intended to better mix the fuel and air in the carburetor. None of them work.

Here are a few devices and brief descriptions of what they are supposed to do for you:

• Magnets - Attaching a pair of specialized magnets to your fuel line is supposed to “break apart” clusters of fuel molecules in order to burn your fuel more efficiently. That would be great if your fuel were magnetic, but it isn’t. As such, the magnets won’t do anything.
• Teflon additives - There are oil or fuel additives that contain Teflon or some other “slick” component that is intended to reduce friction inside your motor. By making the insides of your engine more slippery, these products are supposed to save gas. Tests have shown that the Teflon doesn’t actually adhere to any components of your motor, so you’re just paying to have it pass through. Another waste of money.
• Water injection systems - Designed to spray mists of water into the intake manifold, these systems claim to reduce combustion temperatures and increase gas mileage dramatically. A study by Popular Mechanics shows that instead, consumption actually increased and horsepower decreased. Doesn’t seem to terribly efficient.

The internal combustion engine is more than a century old and has been examined over the years in every way possible by engineers. While minor improvements come along every day, dramatic improvements that could increase gas mileage threefold simply don’t exist. And if there were a way to build a car that gets 200 miles per gallon of gas, auto manufacturers would be racing to get them to their showrooms. If you really want to save money on gas, you will have to do it the old fashioned way - keep your car in tune. Keep your tires inflated. Don’t make unnecessary trips. Drive at or near the speed limit. Buy the right grade of gas.

If you are looking for a “miracle” gas saving device, you are wasting your time. Don’t make it worse by wasting your money. Those highly advertised gas saving devices don’t work.

If you have a pickup truck, van, or automobile, you should cover your investment. Vehicle insurance will be expensive, but why pay a lot if you don't have to? InsureMe can provide a fast estimate from an insurance company near your home at a reasonable rate.