Does tornado fuel saver work??

[Blue)(Fusion]

Nothing to be sorry about. I just don't trust advertisements that sound too good to be true - they usually are. That's why I generally won't buy something unless there's statistical data backing up the claim. And for me, seat of the pants is not enough. I've fallen for it before. Do so and so to your car expecting more power and you think you feel more. Then you do a dyno and compare it to the old and realize you've gained nothing but a lighter wallet.

[way2old]

Turbulant airflow is not needed until after it goes through the throttle body. Any restriction before the throttle body will cause the airflow to be changed. Less air will actually go through the throttle body therefore making more fuel actually be used as the fuel is metered by the MAF. The more air goes in, more fuel is added to compensate for the air. More fuel, more power. More fuel, less mioleage(??) Just my opinion. Glad to have your input into the forum.

[RahX]

The link for credit.

Author:Timion, Matt
Publication:www.gassavers.org
Date:10/19/2005

The Tornado Fuel Saver has been around for years now, claiming to give you an increase up to 24% in gas mileage.

The theory behind this device is that is will swirl the air coming in from the intake, which when mixed with gasoline will increase combustion and make the combustion more complete. In theory this means you have to use less gas to achieve the same speed and power, resulting in higher miles-per-gallon.
Many independant magazines and websites have tested this device over the years, which have all concluded that this device will not work, especially on modern fuel injected cars.
Even though Consumer Reports, the Department of Energy, the E.P.A, and countless other resources have tested this and other similar products with no positive results, people still convinced that this item may work.

Below is a review of the Tornado Fuel Saver from amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/re...ww.amazon.com/)

The Tornado Fuel Saver is a great idea for the patent holder and anyone else making money from its sales.
As an automotive technician I have encountered many devices that claim to improve performance or gas mileage. The Tornado is nice and shiny and makes an excellent paperweight or doorstop.

The theory of swirling the air/fuel mixture into the combustion chamber is nothing new; many modern vehicles are able to attain this with intake valves that open at slightly different times. There is very little doubt within the automotive industry that the better atomization of fuel within the combustion chamber yields better performance and as a result efficiency (mileage) for each unit of fuel and air that is taken into the motor.

However the Tornado Fuel Saver does not work for most modern cars and here is the reason: <br>
When the tornado is placed before a Mass AirFlow Sensor, otherwise known as a MAF, all that swirling air will be turbulent once again after passing through the sensor. Most MAFs have screens protecting the fragile wires (Hot Wire MAF) inside. If you have a Vane style MAF, then your airflow is even worse. No help from the Tornado before the MAF.

Stock intakes these days have a whole lot of ridges and baffles built into them, some are for strength so the intake piping doesn't collapse under vacuum, some are there to help quiet the roaring sound of the intake. If you place the Tornado after the MAF, but still within a stock intake, you are unlikely to see any improvement as the ridges and pockets will cause turbulence.

A modern vehicle with Sequential Fuel Injection will not see much benefit. Usually the fuel injectors are pointed towards the intake valve(s) meaning that fuel is squirted on top of the valve seat. This is where the swirling is the most important; however this is well into the intake manifold where a Tornado cannot be installed.

Fuel injectors on a modern day vehicle are designed to atomize the fuel as efficiently as possible. The atomization of fuel is in the design of the intake manifold, the fuel injectors, valves, and head.
The vehicles that it may have a positive effect on would be the older carbureted cars with an air filter that sits directly atop the carb. The swirling may help atomization a minute amount as the air passes through the carburetor's venturis. However, the benefits in that case are still minimal and not worth the lighter wallet.

Tornado Fuel Saver's infomercial mentions commercial vehicles while showing large 18-wheel big rigs. The mention of using one of these on a Diesel engine is laughable. Diesel engines compress the incoming air before fuel is added to it, once again the gains are minimal, assuming there are any gains using this product in a Diesel engine.

Some vehicles these days, especially European cars, are equipped with turbochargers (Kompressors for you Mercedes folk). A turbocharger unit forces more air (measured in Cubic Feet) and pressure to the engine. That extra pressure, commonly called "boost" helps atomize any fuel that has collected at the valves. (Fuel injectors running at a low 50% duty cycle are still spraying on a closed valve about half of the time). The "extra" air forced into the engine allows for more fuel to be burned during the combustion process. This creates an engine with a higher volumetric efficiency, meaning more power/liter for that particular engine. If you have a turbocharger, you don't need a Tornado, because you already have something much better.

The mileage gains that people see are likely to be from driving habits. This claim is backed up with anecdotal evidence, someone explains that their first tank of gas with the Tornado went a long way, but after a while it dropped back down. How can this happen? Its the right foot.

When gas prices jump, everyone is easy on the gas. Mileage is on your mind every time you pull away from a stoplight, the same happens when you install the Tornado. The first few days you are easy on the gas, improving your mileage, after a week or so you get back to your normal driving habits and your old gas mileage.

More reviews on amazon.com can be read here (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/re...8XING?v=glance)

On John Matarese's &quot;Don't Waste Your Money&quot; website, he found the Tornado Fuel Saver to offer no more than 1% increase. Read about it here (http://www.wcpo.com/external/dwym/c3b519.html).

Click this link to search google for more information on the Tornado Fuel Saver (http://www.google.com/custom?q=%22to...3A%23336699%3B VLC%3A663399%3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLBGC%3 A336699%3BALC%3A0000FF%3BLC%3A0000FF%3BT%3A000000% 3BGFNT%3A0000FF%3BGIMP%3A0000FF%3BFORID%3A1%3B&hl= en).

View this site to read more about turbulence devices such as the tornado (http://www.fuelsaving.info/turbulence.htm).

The bottom line is that if such a simple device really worked, it would come pre-installed on all vehicles from the manufacturer. If you insist on spending this money on your vehicle, you would be much better off getting new tires or perhaps buying a bicycle to use instead of your car.

[Davescort97]

RahX thanks for the informative article. It's the old self-fulfilling prophecy. You think you are going to get better mileage. You have a feather-foot on the gas and you get better mileage. btw the Tornado that sold for $70 you can now get for $16. Remember when it was the magnets on the fuel line that sold for $18. How bout the tablets you put in the fuel tank? From the 80's there was a device that allowed you to burn water by injecting it into the intake manifold. The list goes on and on. A fool and his money are soon parted. Any reference to a previous post is entirely coincidental.

[RahX]

The water mist in the intake works pretty well on supercharged/high compression engines to keep the combustion temp down and they actually make a tad more horsepower. If you want to spend the time setting it up right so you don't make a mess of the bottom end =)

[Blue)(Fusion]

Water misting actually did work like stated above. If shot in the proper amounts, it won't bend the piston rods. It cools the cylinder while expanding into vapor which increases compression in the cylinder = more horsepower. It was used on alot of WWII fighter planes to both cool the engines to effectively increase the octane rating of the fuel (decrease pinging) and add that extra power in combat.

Because of this, jet engines perform better and with more power on heavy rain days than on dry days.

But the Tornado thing, I think most of us agree there's no proven science behind it that is effective in a modern vehicle. Or any vehicle for that matter.

[danielsatur]

How about a urinal, or toilet!

[magnum357]

yea but i am still going to do it my way and use the tornado.

[way2old]

Good for you magnum357. Stick by your guns.

[magnum357]

sure will way thank u

[dfordski]

Originally Posted by magnum357

sure will way thank u

He drank the Kool-Aide! What the heck. he's doing his part to stimulate the economy! Let us know how that works out for ya. When you really want to increase your performanse & MPG at the same time, remove your SPOUT Connector Plug and advance you base timing 4 degrees. Put the plug back in & your done. You can even keep your turbulaterater thingy if you want. A shop will usually do it for $15-20. Takes less than 5 minutes. The next Mod is about $2oo. Ignition System upgrade that allows you to increase your plug gap to .054 from stock .044. My 87'302 gets 17/23 mpg. At 80mph, I still get 18-19 mpg w/ a 1200 pound payload. FullSizeBronco.com - 78 - 96 Ford Bronco offroad club, forums, tech, installs

[magnum357]

For one thing i am a woman and second we are not throwing a way our money for us it does work and every vehicle we put it in so far it has given more power and race car drivers are using it too.

[dfordski]

Originally Posted by magnum357

For one thing i am a woman and second we are not throwing a way our money for us it does work and every vehicle we put it in so far it has given more power and race car drivers are using it too.

All Race car drivers are doing this! Long before the Turbulatorator was even a recycled Coke can. If it works , fine. I'm just offering you 2 more MPG's & increased performance that works on any engine. Free if you can time an engine. $20. if you pay to have someone do it! 10 BTDC is skock. you want 14 BTDC.
When you really want to increase your performance & MPG at the same time, remove your SPOUT Connector Plug and advance you base timing 4 degrees. Put the plug back in & your done. You can even keep your turbulaterater thingy if you want. A shop will usually do it for $15-20. Takes less than 5 minutes. The next Mod is about $2oo. Ignition System upgrade that allows you to increase your plug gap to .054 from stock .044. My 87'302 gets 17/23 mpg. At 80mph, I still get 18-19 mpg w/ a 1200 pound payload. FullSizeBronco.com - 78 - 96 Ford Bronco offroad club, forums, tech, installs

[magnum357]

Me and my husband like what we are using right now which is the tornado.

[Blue)(Fusion]

Magnum, he's not saying don't use it. If you like it, great. We just feel the need for more of a "proven" method which includes both dyno and real world numbers.

What he is suggesting will save fuel and add performance, though. It's rather easy to do if you have a timing light. Just advance the timing of the spark a few degrees and you burn fuel more efficiently. I advanced my timing enough to make the best use of 93 octane fuel (87 is recommended for stock). The advance in timing gives me more performance since the fuel is igniting earlier and reaching the piston at just the right time on the power stroke to make the most efficient use of that energy. It's free to do if you read how to do it. If you have a car with Coil-On-Plugs (COPs), then it's even easier, but may require computer software to do it, like in my case.