Ace-Garageguy Posted October 19, 2021 Share Posted October 19, 2021 For all you fellas who were sleeping through high school science class and tend to believe in baloney... As in: A fool and his money are soon parted. "A Rusty 1969 Beetle covered 2,096 miles on a single tank using a simple device!" "A secret that car companies have been keeping it for more than a decade...." https://getshopovia.com/pages/kuxsxsngzk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SfanGoch Posted October 19, 2021 Share Posted October 19, 2021 P.T. Barnum was right. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stavanzer Posted October 19, 2021 Share Posted October 19, 2021 The "Fish Carburettor"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classicgas Posted October 19, 2021 Share Posted October 19, 2021 They put pedals in it 😋 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoke Wagon Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 Is that a rebranded Fuelshark? Those are still a thing? 🤣🤣🤣 Did they seriously say it works by accessing your vehicle’s ECU through the cigarette lighter? Its also pretty funny how these scam ads always start with a “genius college student” or a genius engineer(or partners) turned whistle-blower against the evil company he(they) worked for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymcminn Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 3 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said: "A Rusty 1969 Beetle covered 2,096 miles on a single tank using a simple device!" Was the device in question a 100 gallon fuel tank? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brutalform Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 (edited) I stopped reading when they managed to “drove” from Pittsburgh to Atlantic City, which is not 2096 miles. I could possibly drive that distance in my Maxima with a single tank. Or pretty close to it. Edited October 20, 2021 by Brutalform Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 Special Interest Autos ran a couple of articles on those "snake oil" mileage and performance improvement devices. Some of them were sold for decades with no changes (except for price). Even the advertising didn't change much. They theorized that most of these things were priced low enough that buyers wouldn't bother with recourse when they (inevitably) figured out the things didn't work. The scam artists made a bunch of money by scamming a large number of people for a small amount per person, then vanishing for a time and resurfacing a few years later to repeat the process. The people who didn't fall for the scams probably just thought that, if picking up so much of an improvement was so cheap and easy, why weren't the manufacturers putting that junk on the car on the assembly line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SfanGoch Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 24 minutes ago, Mark said: The people who didn't fall for the scams probably just thought that, if picking up so much of an improvement was so cheap and easy, why weren't the manufacturers putting that junk on the car on the assembly line? The ones who do are the same rocket scientists who always fall for the old "Say, can you give me two tens for a five?" routine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyser Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 https://www.caranddriver.com/features/amp15122068/fuel-saving-devices-debunked/ Some testing in 2011. Surprised Snake hasn’t stopped in thread. 🤨 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brutalform Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 Another one that comes to mind. https://www.tornadoair.com 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim N Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 When I was young, one of the biggest conspiracy theories was that the car companies were in cahoots with the oil companies. I don't know how many times I heard that, and from people who were intelligent. At least back in the day that was the way to sell these things as the car companies had no vested interest to improve gas mileage because they are in bed with big oil. With that argument being very prevalent, it was easy to find an audience for these things. I am a little surprised that there is still a market for these things with the fuel economy of today's cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 There are lots of people in this world totally lacking critical thinking. I see so many crappy devices shown in TV ads (like the swamp cooler for example) which I can see right in that advert that it won't work. Yet all that "as seen on TV" BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH is still being made and sold. But wait, if you order in the next 20 minutes you get the second one for free (just pay the "fee"). Come on, I was not born yesterday, but enough people out there were "born yesterday" and they keep on buying enough of those things to keep those companies in business (at least for some time). Another one is the tiny heater unit that plugs into the outlet. It supposed to heat the entire room (consuming very little power). Wonders never cease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarheelRick Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 😲 WHAT, you mean the plug-in heater units do not work as advertised. Wonder if I can get my money back? Also a bit concerned about that instant weight loss pill I ordered. Just so thrilled with "modern science/technology". And "No, I do not want to buy an extended repair warranty on my car or to have my (non-existent) time share taken care of!." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodent Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 I have some stamped metal "As Seen on TV" pans (two sizes) that are designed to make baked tortilla bowls. They are amazing. We make taco salad bowls and huevos rancheros bowls with them all the time. There stuff isn't ALL fly-by-night junk. I have two sets of the smaller ones and one of them came from Goodwill for $3, new in the box. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Because I am not a youngster anymore it is tough for me to clean the baseboards in my home. I saw (on TV ) an item called Baseboard Buster. Clean your baseboards without bending over. Biggest POS I ever bought. Tried it once and tossed it. I should have known. At least it was cheap. It may have worked if the handle wasn't as weak as a pool noodle ! Lesson learned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 2 hours ago, Rodent said: I have some stamped metal "As Seen on TV" pans (two sizes) that are designed to make baked tortilla bowls. They are amazing. We make taco salad bowls and huevos rancheros bowls with them all the time. There stuff isn't ALL fly-by-night junk. I have two sets of the smaller ones and one of them came from Goodwill for $3, new in the box. Yes, there are some useful "gems" among all the "rocks", but not very many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcarfan27 Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Since when does a 1969 "anything" have an ECU computer? And when does an alternator (which only charges the battery and supplies current charge) have any input to the fuel injection or, for 1969, a carburetor? If reducing electrical loads improved fuel mileage, then just turn off your radio, fan, lights and wipers. Then you can drive forever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 13 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said: Since when does a 1969 "anything" have an ECU computer? And when does an alternator (which only charges the battery and supplies current charge) have any input to the fuel injection or, for 1969, a carburetor? If reducing electrical loads improved fuel mileage, then just turn off your radio, fan, lights and wipers. Then you can drive forever! Don't forget to turn of the AC as well. Between that and having to roll down the windows. creating more drag, I'll take the AC thankyou. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodent Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 My 3 is a 6MT, so it doesn't have this: https://www.mazda.com/en/innovation/technology/env/i-eloop/ Variable output charging systems are very much a thing now though, including alternator clutch hubs that can decouple them when the electrical load is low. Mazda's capacitor was just a little larger than the one they are selling in Bill's link though, LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Are there people really that stupid that would buy that? Maybe so, I mean after all there are flat earthers and Qanon. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSNJim Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 5 hours ago, espo said: Don't forget to turn of the AC as well. Between that and having to roll down the windows. creating more drag, I'll take the AC thankyou. i had an uncle who used to drive around in the 1950's in 80 degree weather with the windows up so that people would think he had air conditioning. He didn't. The best of both worlds - windows up, AC off. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1972coronet Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 (edited) Perhaps the finest aspect of that long fabled "100 MPG Carburetor" is that it dismisses some many other mitigating factors ! No mention of : vehicle weight ; final drive ratio ; engine size / displacement ; tyre & wheel dimensions ; octane of fuel ( appropriate rating *without* retarding the [ poop ] out of the timing , etc. ) . Just a simple -albeit , scientific breakthrough- atomiser ! A similar fallacy inhabits the 'thought' process of ordering a vehicle and / or what kinds of garbage the manufacturers are foisting upon their customers : small engines with turbos ; overdrive with a tightly-geared final drive ( example : 2012 Chevy 1500 , short bed , V6 / 4L60E , and a 3.08 final drive ! Gutless gas hog ! Should've had 4.10 or 4.56 gear ! ) ; CVTs ; cylinder cancelling ; and enough techie [ poop ] to baffle Mr. Wizard . * When did the "'C' word" instead of the "'S' word" become "BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH" ??? Edited October 21, 2021 by 1972coronet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 3 hours ago, 1972coronet said: Just a simple -albeit , scientific breakthrough- atomiser ! Um, isn't that what the old-fashion carburetor is? Shouldn't it really be called "atomizer"? The next evolution step was to use fuel injectors in the intake plenum to atomize fuel. Nowadays more and more gasoline engines use direct fuel injection, where the injector is inside the cylinder head and under (very high pressure) atomizes the fuel fuel directly inside the combustion chamber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1972coronet Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 (edited) 11 hours ago, peteski said: Um, isn't that what the old-fashion carburetor is? Shouldn't it really be called "atomizer"? The next evolution step was to use fuel injectors in the intake plenum to atomize fuel. That statement in which you're referring to was a facetious statement : I was goofing on the idea that a simple carburretor ( atmoiser , et alia ) could provide 100 MPG on its own , and without taking other crucial components involved ( the aforementioned vehicle weight , engine size , etc. ) into consideration . As far as the chosen spelling : I choose to employ the so-called 'alternate spelling' in practically every instance . Edited October 22, 2021 by 1972coronet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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