Some car questions...

[TMM]

Hey guys... since i'm going on my road trip soon, i want my truck to be as powerful and efficient as possible, so i thought i'd ask you guys about a couple things... firstly, i have a toyota tacoma, 2001, 4WD, automatic, 2.7L 4-cylinder.
1) i've heard about something called a Pulse Plug (http://www.pulstarplug.com/index.html)...seems like a good deal, even though they're pricey. think they'd help over the long run?
2) a coworker of mine suggested a cold-air intake to boost the power of my engine. does this effect the fuel efficiency at all, and do you think it would be cost-effective? pros/cons of this?
3) i've seen these little magnetic widgets that you put on your fuel line that supposedly increase fuel efficiency by breaking apart fuel molecules. thoughts? does it work? worth the money?
4) anything else you might suggest?

thanks!
~tmm

[Nick1911]

1. No.  It's my firm belief that these claims are unfounded.  To quote someone smarter then I:

There have been, as you say, dozens if not hundreds, of novel spark plug designs, all sold with much the same claims as these ones. Magic plugs have been around for, oh, at least seventy years. Probably more.

And yet those fools at Bosch, Champion, NGK, Denso, Motorcraft... EVERY billion-dollar spark plug manufacturer, actually... keep making plugs of conventional design.

Clearly, it's a conspiracy! 

The Pulstar plugs seem to be a spark intensifier, similar to a spark gap gadget, which has been built into a plug.  This page on fuelsaving.info mentions the other kind of spark gap gadget, that you install in the HT lead instead. It also points out that there is no reason to suppose that the fuel/air charge in a modern engine needs to be ignited any more effectively than it is already. And if the Pulstar plugs actually do make the charge burn faster, all they're going to do is put the engine under more stress; the ideal time for the pressure in a cylinder to reach its maximum is when the crank for that cylinder is horizontal, not when it's still close to top-dead-centre.

(Somewhat unnervingly, Pulstar have an animation on their How Pulse Plugs Work page which seems to demonstrate exactly this.)

2.  The concept of a cold air intake is to pull cold air from outside the engine compartment.  Cold air, being more dense, will allow more fuel to combust per cycle.  This leads to greater maximum power output by some margin.  I wouldn't expect it to have a significant effect on fuel economy, or be cost effective to that end.

3.  It's a scam.  These have been around for 70-odd years, and unsurprisingly not one has proved to do anything at all in scientific study.  Keep your money.

4. Tire pressure, clean fuel filter, clean air filter, new (or clean) PCV valve; off the top of my head.

Edited to add: Driving style and speed are also important!  You'll use less fuel per mile driving 55 then driving 75.  Hard acceleration is hard on fuel economy!

[lupinus]

1) i've heard about something called a Pulse Plug (http://www.pulstarplug.com/index.html)...seems like a good deal, even though they're pricey. think they'd help over the long run?

Don't know...BUT, the concept is proven.  Stronger longer spark for a more complete burn of the fuel in the chamber.  MSD ignitions and similar come to mind.  The increased spark does equal a more complete burn.  If these nifty plugs actually work or not I don't know, but the concept behind them does.

2) a coworker of mine suggested a cold-air intake to boost the power of my engine. does this effect the fuel efficiency at all, and do you think it would be cost-effective? pros/cons of this?

Yes, a cold air intake will work.  They aren't magic, but they work.  Cold air is denser and by getting cooler air into the engine you get a denser fuel air mixture meaning more power to be tapped in the cylinder.  Also gets you a more efficient burn if it's cooler air.  So you can look at a bit of a power gain, and a bit of better fuel economy, but by no means is it magic.

3) i've seen these little magnetic widgets that you put on your fuel line that supposedly increase fuel efficiency by breaking apart fuel molecules. thoughts? does it work? worth the money?

Crap, they do nothing.

4) anything else you might suggest?

Tune up before you go.  Change oil and spend the extra few bucks for synthetic (filter tip, go with NAPA as their filters are made by WIX and are among the best).  Tire pressure and alignment.  Also if you want invest in a programmer for the computer.  Better ones will give you really good preset options for power, fuel economy, etc.  These tweak the computer controls to your liking away from the factory preset one size fits all settings.  It is amazing what tweaks to the computer system will do to change things.

[Manedwolf]

Nothing but the CAI.

HOWEVER, there's some cautions there. I have a shortram instead of a CAI, which doesn't go all the way down to the bumper like a CAI does. Yes, it sucks in a lot more air and has increased both performance and overall fuel mileage by letting the engine not work as hard. Yes, it's noisier. In my car, it goes just ahead of where the old intake was, very far forward so it's not sucking up hot engine air. On some vehicles, that's not possible.

The danger of a CAI is that if it's raining hard, or there's deep puddles, you need to drive like grandma. Because the CAI is mounted so low, it can suck up water if it splashes up, and the "bypass" valve is a joke. Sucking water into the engine will at the least destroy the mass-air sensor, and at worst, hydrolock the engine and pretty much destroy the thing. Water is incompressible, so if water gets into the cylinder, when it comes down on the downstroke and can't compress, it stops the engine from turning all of a sudden, and...well, you probably get the idea. Not a pretty thing.

As for spark plugs, that looks like a gimmick. The condensor is a capacitor, and your car already has one. I'd think such a gimmick might even throw off your ignition timing. Magnets are nothing but a scam. 

[cfabe]

Don't do any of them. None of them are worth the money. Give the vehicle a tune up with OEM equivalent parts if it needs it. The biggest single thing you can do to improve your fuel economy is to drive slower and drive smoothly. Seriously. A long road trip is the perfect time to test it out. Synthetic lubricants can give some fuel economy increase, and they're better lubricants so they are worth considering.

[Bigjake]

The spark plug thing and magnets are a scam.

The cold air intake will give you 10-15 horse, they're worth it, and you'll notice the difference.  I have to disagree with Manedwolf on this one, but I've had cold air on a Ranger and my F250, and neither have issues with rain.  Moisture is a non-issue.

If you want better performance out of most any vehicle, the first step is letting it breath.  Open the exhaust up and you'll do even better.

[never_retreat]

Set the cruise. Seems to save the most gas for the least cost.
Plus the tune up type stuff

[Bigjake]

Should look something like this.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

The cold air intake will give you 10-15 horse, they're worth it, and you'll notice the difference.

How's it work when driving through some of the deserts of the Southwest - what with the heat & sand?

[The Annoyed Man]

I've had cold air on a Ranger and my F250, and neither have issues with rain.  Moisture is a non-issue.

That photo looks like the F250, right?  What's the setup on the Ranger?   I've been looking for a simple CAI for my 4.0...............

[Bigjake]

 

I've had cold air on a Ranger and my F250, and neither have issues with rain.  Moisture is a non-issue.

That photo looks like the F250, right?  What's the setup on the Ranger?   I've been looking for a simple CAI for my 4.0...............

About the same, just smaller.  I'll get you a link tommorow sometime for the one on ours, its great, and wasn't anywhere near as spendy as a K&N.  Your results should be similar, as we've got a 4.0 too.  great little engine.  Is yours the SOHC or Overhead Valve config?

The cold air intake will give you 10-15 horse, they're worth it, and you'll notice the difference.

How's it work when driving through some of the deserts of the Southwest - what with the heat & sand?

No idea, as I've never messed with such a climate.  If anything, I'd speculate that the life of the filter would be drastically lower.

[The Annoyed Man]

SOHC. It's a 2003 XLT Supercab 4x4, 5 spd manual, 4.10 limited slip axle.   I look forward to the CAI info.  Thanks.

[GigaBuist]

I've let my vehicle maintenance lapse a few times in my life.  I can guarantee you that good tires at the proper pressure and a fresh oil change will do you wonders on a long road trip.

And yeah, driving properly really helps too.  On a road trip where you're almost always on the interstate just set the cruise control and keep plugging away.  I've had the opportunity to ride along and drive some of the new Toyota Hybrids on a multi-state trip and the onboard computers really help to remind you that accelerating rapidly kills your fuel economy.

Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to drop some fuel injector cleaner into your car at the start of the trip.

[johnster999]

Reliability is #1 for a road trip. If your truck is reliable I would not mess with it other than doing all the maintenance items.

[HankB]

The virtues of CAI have already been discussed . . . I've found that routinely keeping my tires a few pounds above the pressures listed on the door sticker will improve fuel economy a bit. (Do NOT exceed the maximum pressures printed on the sidewalls, and keep track of the wear patterns on your treads!)

Most of the "chips" which reprogram the engine control unit are tuned to get maximum power out of the engine over the broadest band possible; from what I've read, this usually comes at the expense of fuel economy and requires the use of premium fuel. OK for people that like to tinker, I suppose . . . but these are usually set up for vehicles that already have larger engines . . . there's only so much you can do with an itty bitty 4-banger.

Cow magnets on the fuel line, vortex air mixers, superplugs . . . all are scams. They continue because people dumb enough to be taken in by the nonsensical claims are usually too embarassed to admit they were had.

[The Annoyed Man]

I've found that routinely keeping my tires a few pounds above the pressures listed on the door sticker will improve fuel economy a bit.

Replacing the 'air' with nitrogen is all the rage here.  Anybody have any experience with that?

[Boomhauer]

Replacing the 'air' with nitrogen is all the rage here.  Anybody have any experience with that?

I think it's bullshit to pay money to get your tires filled with nitrogen...isn't oxygen something like 78% nitrogen anyway?

Now, nitrogen DOES have applications in tires that are used for high performance- aircraft tires, racing tires, etc...but probably not for your average daily driver...

[Manedwolf]

One of the benefits of nitrogen in a high performance tire at high speed is that a blowout tends to self-extinguish any fire.

Not so much an issue with cars just on the road.

[wmenorr67]

Also with nitrogen you don't get the pressure difference as the tire heats up also.

[Firethorn]

Edited to add: Driving style and speed are also important!  You'll use less fuel per mile driving 55 then driving 75.  Hard acceleration is hard on fuel economy!

Hard stops are even harder on fuel economy!  But yes, hard acceleration will reduce milage for an automatic.  There are some tricks for manuals.

As for 1:  Having GOOD spark plugs, properly gapped is important.  Modern, in tune engines already burn such a vast majority of the gas that enters that fancy plugs don't have any room to improve efficiency without increasing engine stress, as has been noted.

2:  Not enough experience
3:  Fake

Paddy, the nitrogen in the tires thing is pretty much a scam.  You'll change the weight of your tires more by driving a few miles than what you save with the nitrogen.  As noted, in high performance apps there might be something to it, but it's not worth the expense for the average consumer.

[Jamisjockey]

Get a good tune up.  If anything needs to be replaced, now is the time to do it.
I've had very good luck with K&N air filters.  Also, consider upgrading your spark plugs to something with a larger diameter and lower resistance.  Good, quality spark plugs, gapped properly are a must.

[The Annoyed Man]

K&N air filters are overrated, too expensive, and worse of all, let in too much dirt.  I'd stick with OEM paper filters, instead.

[charby]

isn't oxygen something like 78% nitrogen anyway?

Okay that has to be about the funniest thing I have read in a while.

[roo_ster]

My neighbor installed a mongo K&N air filter on his 1998 F150 5.4L 4WD Ext Cab.

He took a hit, fuel-economy wise so noticeable that he went back to stock.

[mgdavis]

I run nitrogen in my tires, but only because Costco fills them with it when you buy new rubber there. They also use it to top off the tires when I stop there to have them checked. If it wasn't free, I wouldn't bother. I have noticed no difference between Nitrogen and air.