Post by: lupinus on July 27, 2007, 01:47:43 PM
Do they actually work? Do the ones with the spirals cut into them to spin the air offer any better performance over ones without the cuts?
How bout those tornados things anyone have luck with those?
And yes, other little things to do are welcome suggestions. Again, nothing major and relatively inexpensive.
Post by: Gewehr98 on July 27, 2007, 01:53:04 PM
A friend installed a throttle body spacer in his PT Cruiser. It did nothing other than raise the deck height of his airbox closer to the hood when it closed, causing some interference.
Post by: lupinus on July 27, 2007, 02:05:04 PM
Post by: onions! on July 27, 2007, 02:05:21 PM
It's something to consider as a fine adjustment after air inlet & outlet improvements.
BTW,my own expierience with these predates MPFI,Carb bases & TBI's are flat on the bottom lending themselves to easier expierimentation.Also no coolant flowing though them-kind of a bad thing for a wood spacer
Post by: onions! on July 27, 2007, 02:09:34 PM
gas line magnets?
They line up the molecules in the gasoline.More orderly.Like the rope lines outside a theater.Smoother flow.
Fascist.Good stuff.Buy
c-snakeoil.
Post by: Boomhauer on July 27, 2007, 04:42:45 PM
Pretty much any gimmick that you see advertised to boost your gas mileage is crap.
Post by: InfidelSerf on July 27, 2007, 04:50:24 PM
drive like granny.
slow starts
Post by: charby on July 27, 2007, 07:04:32 PM
Not sure about the whole computerized stuff now.
a side note... a factory 426 Hemi will produce 800 horsepower at dynamo, watched it on the speed channel the other night. Last small block I built in 94 ,a 327 chevy was 425 on the bench, granted the car it went into avg 4 miles gallon.
-C
Post by: Jamisjockey on July 28, 2007, 03:18:13 AM
Post by: Tallpine on July 28, 2007, 09:44:43 AM
Post by: Brad Johnson on July 28, 2007, 03:58:43 PM
Quote
Best gas saver that I've found is the "Park" gear
Followed closely by "lighter right foot".
Lupinus, to answer your original question, throttle body spacers do work on some vehicles. How well they work depends on how poorly the original intake setup was designed and whether or not the vehicle has already been modified in other aspects. For your presumably stock vehicle they are usually a waste of time and money unless you have done some other mods to make it breath better. What mods it will take are determined by your particular vehicle.
The Tornados are a gimmick. They would be laughable if they weren't such an intentional snake-oil scam. The only two things they do effectively is restrict the flow of air into your engine and enhance the flow of dollars out of your wallet. Just say no.
Also be careful of the reusable filter setups. If you drive in dusty conditions I wouldn't use one. They flow better because they filter less. I have know several people who used them but switched back to paper filters the first time they took off the reusable and found the intake tract coated with dust. Others have used them without a problem. One very big problem is that they filters are shockingly easy to overoil. The excess oil sheds off into the airstream as tiny droplets which deposit onto the MAF sensor. Not a problem if you don't mind pulling the sensor for a cleaning every now and then. However, if you are the "don't bother" type when it comes to routine, regular preventive maintenance, I'd pass.
Probably the cheapest upgrade in terms of dollar for horsepower would be some type of cat-back exhaust system and a tune-in-a-box. Borla, Walker, DynoMax, Flowmasters, and others make direct fit replacement exhaust systems for many vehicles. One of those in conjunction with a SuperChips or some other type electronic tuner will net you an increase in power. Don't expect it to be a Honda-to-Hemi kind of change, though. Just something enough to notice, usually barely. That is, until you check your mileage.
Brad
Post by: jeepmor on July 28, 2007, 07:39:45 PM
The premise is twofold.
1. it's supposed to offer a little more time for gas/fuel mixture to expand enroute to combustion chamber. This only applies to TBI style injection.
2. They are supposed to swirl the air more to promote better air/fuel mixing. Some have a ACME like threading to them.
I've never read a word about them actually working. If they do indeed work, it's not to the degree that brings it up and beyond just driving mundanely or like a Nascar yahoo trying to make up 10 places in the last lap.
They might promote better A/F ratio mixing, but again, not beyond your driving habits. Mileage can easily vary by 30% depending on how you actually drive.
Post by: lupinus on July 29, 2007, 04:59:46 AM
Post by: jeepmor on July 30, 2007, 07:30:37 AM
physics
Post by: charby on July 30, 2007, 07:37:23 AM
yeah seems to be the general consensus is the things don't work lol. I'm thinking that the money would be better spent on a decent cat back exuast or an underpully system. No I'm not looking for nascar but you ever hit a big hill in 4th gear in an 87 s15 jimmy with that 2.8 baby in it? Not looking to build a race car but some more power would be nice lol.
I used to have a 91 S-10 with a 2.8... yep it sucked doing the big hill thing on highways. I do miss the 25-27 mpg I got with it.
My 98 Jimmy with a 4.3 will fly up any hill but it averages 14 mpg in town and 20 on the Hwy.
Post by: Tallpine on July 30, 2007, 09:29:16 AM
I even have a kit that I sell for $99.95. Includes the egg, one spare, and installation instructions.
Post by: grislyatoms on July 30, 2007, 09:41:43 AM