Where to from here

[bradlington]

I have been trying various fuel saving methods and ultimate aim is cleaner exhaust and saving fuel .

My research into the various methods has lead me to a most frustrating point .
Which mod or method is to be used .

1) Plasma spark cap booster
2) Change spark plug wires from resistive to non-resistive leads
3) Fuel Vaporizer by venturi (PCV_T-piece)
4)Fuel vaporizer by pump- external-plus map enhancer
5)HHO generation plus Map enhancer-via venturi .
6)Fog mist injection.
7)Water injection
8)Heated fuel lines .
9)Magnets on fuel line.
10)Install wideband O2 sensor to monitor.
11)Fail-safe method in event HHO or fuel vaporizor is defective or stops producing .
12)Gadgetman Groove.

It is getting to the point at where to start .In my country some of the items are imports and become very expensive so going down a route has to be evaluated carefully .

So far I have made my own spiral hho which really helps the exhaust emission and looking at getting a dry cell to make a permanant install.
I have also experimented with fuel vaporizor and bubbler before hho .

My vehicle is still getting lower consumprtion than the manual BUT would like more .

I have seen very little on the net where anyone had used multiple methods to achieve the goals.Most are videos of achievement of installing , but no follow up to give monthly or cause and effect .

Little frustrating but hope someone has some good input.
Thanks in advance
Bradley
South Africa

[Frank Lee]

I will take the frustration away and make it easy and economical for you: That's all crap. Use the Ecomodder lists of proven mods and hypermiling tips.

[ThermionicScott]

It's a shame that rip-off devices that don't work are often some of the first things people find when they want to save gas. I guess all we can do is keep spreading the word.

If your fuel economy has been improving lately, it's probably due to the change from winter to spring down in South Africa.

[bradlington]

Originally Posted by ThermionicScott

It's a shame that rip-off devices that don't work are often some of the first things people find when they want to save gas. I guess all we can do is keep spreading the word.

If your fuel economy has been improving lately, it's probably due to the change from winter to spring down in South Africa.

------------------------------
All noted - I am very interested in the science behind the mechanics .

To ThermionicScott- can you share what you have done for fuel economy on your Subaru .
Thanks
Bradley

[RedDevil]

6) and 7) might have a tiny beneficial effect, but only when the engine is hot and running under low load. The reason is that the water will evaporate and add volume to the intake air without adding oxygen, so it lowers the vacuum (or as you will increases air intake pressure) thereby reducing pumping losses.
Then, don't expect anything above 4% reduction of fuel consumption in the best conditions.

Mods that do have effect:
- Air up the tires to max pressure as indicated on the tirewall (but only on new tires or tires you know to never have hit potholes etc so you're fairly certain they do not have internal structural damage). Easy 5% mpg increase over OEM pressure on most cars.
- Flat closed hubcaps, front air dam, partial grille block.
- Remove unnecessary weight. Maybe even the spare.
- Use top tier LRR tires.
- Use narrow(ish) rims and high sidewalled tires.The smaller the rims, the higher the sidewalls with the same diameter.
- A block heater lets you start with a warm engine. This will vastly reduce pollution from cold running.
- Insulating the engine block makes it retain heat longer, so it is warmer on the next start.
- Same for insulating the whole engine bay. But beware, lead acid batteries should not get too warm.

Especially, forget about 'HHO'.
Splitting hydrogen from water by electrolysis is frightfully inefficient, reason why commercial hydrogen production does not use electrolysis but rather scrubs hydrogen from natural gas, burning off the carbon in the gas as a side effect. Inefficient too, but still cheaper that electrolysis.
If you do see any gain from your bubbler, it may just be due to the moisture that comes with it (see 6) and 7)) so feeding the bubbler with a regular aquarium pump might yield the same effect, if not better. And it won't detonate ever.

[ThermionicScott]

Originally Posted by bradlington

------------------------------
All noted - I am very interested in the science behind the mechanics .

To ThermionicScott- can you share what you have done for fuel economy on your Subaru .
Thanks
Bradley

Hey Bradley.

Nearly all of my mods and techniques are straight out of the "65+ efficiency mods" and "100+ hypermiling tips" at the top of the site:

1) ScanGauge to give instantaneous feedback on MPG as well as coolant temp and trip MPG. Watching MPG plummet when idling or accelerating hard are powerful influences on driving technique.

2) Tires filled up to around max. This was pretty eye-opening when I first read it: https://www.metrompg.com/posts/tire-...resistance.htm Since Subarus need slightly more air in the front tires (placard is 29/28 for my car), I shoot for 45/43 or thereabouts in the summer, a few psi less in the winter snow and ice when you want tires to be a little more compliant. I can feel a difference in coasting distance if I let the tires get low.

3) Grilles blocked as much as I dare. Here again, the ScanGauge dramatically shows how much better my gas mileage is with a warm engine, so I try to hurry that up as much as possible.

4) Use of block heater in the winter. I didn't even know my Subaru had one when I bought it, but it gets the coolant about 50-60 degrees warmer than ambient when I remember to use it. That helps.

5) Lightening. I had no motivation to keep my car clean before, but now there is no clutter inside and I removed the layer of carpet and foam from my trunk. (Unlike some, I'm going to keep the spare tire and jack, though!) I haven't been able to quantify the improvement from this, but I figure it's good practice if nothing else.

6) Thin oil, filled below "Full" line. My car's manual specifies 5W30 or 10W30, but I use 0W30. My initial reason for this was to make sure it would start on the coldest Iowa days, but anytime the oil flows more easily, less energy is wasted to pump it. There is a thought that oil will come up to operating temperature a little faster if there is less of it in the system, but you wouldn't want to run below the "Low" line on the dipstick, and it's not a good idea if your car leaks or burns oil.

Beyond that, it's all technique. I shut down the engine whenever I won't be driving the car within a couple seconds, I coast in neutral a lot, I try to time traffic lights to avoid stopping, etc. My car is old and wearing out, so just meeting the EPA rating would probably be good, to say nothing of beating it by a little.

https://ecomodder.com/forum/emgarage...vehicleid=9854

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by bradlington

I have been trying various fuel saving methods and ultimate aim is cleaner exhaust and saving fuel .

So far I have made my own spiral hho which really helps the exhaust emission and looking at getting a dry cell to make a permanant install.
I have also experimented with fuel vaporizor and bubbler before hho .

Do you have an actual method of measuring emissions? Make sure your intake and EGR valve are clean. That should help emissions and fuel economy. As far as driving to reduce emissions, utilizing the 100+ hypermiling tips will get you a good reduction in outright emissions. Avoid letting off the throttle quickly to reduce unburned hydrocarbons. Using that block heater will help reduce unburned fuel and might help light off the catalytic converter quicker.

Originally Posted by bradlington

I have seen very little on the net where anyone had used multiple methods to achieve the goals.Most are videos of achievement of installing , but no follow up to give monthly or cause and effect .

Little frustrating but hope someone has some good input.
Thanks in advance
Bradley
South Africa

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Considering they didn't follow up, that would make me extra suspicious.

[Angel And The Wolf]

You might look into this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IovhYvKpFRQ

It looks like any engine can be converted by adding a second injector for water, and some cam changes. Uses the re-compressed exhaust to flash injected water into steam.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by ThermionicScott

It's a shame that rip-off devices that don't work are often some of the first things people find when they want to save gas. I guess all we can do is keep spreading the word.

You know, people who are often not so mechanically-inclined tend to prefer not to put any actual effort for fuel-efficiency and tend to expect some sort of miracle.

Originally Posted by RedDevil

Remove unnecessary weight. Maybe even the spare.

Getting rid of the spare tyre is not really an option in Latin America, Africa and Middle East...

[JRMichler]

My average gas mileage for the last three years is slightly better than 35 MPG (6.7 liters per 100 km). Almost all of my driving is at the speed limit to 5 MPH faster in speed limits up to 55 MPH. And that is in the Northern Wisconsin climate. In a warmer climate my average would be about 38 MPG. In a crew cab pickup truck.

I do none of the things listed in the OP because those things do not work. What does work is DWB, DWL (search this site), grille block, aero topper, tire pressure, LRL tires, and a kill switch. The details are in this thread: https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...yon-17070.html.

And the box of my truck contains two toolboxes, a box of tire chains, a container of sand, and some miscellaneous stuff. Plus a full size spare tire underneath.