BajaNomad - A money $aver for our Baja travels?

A money $aver for our Baja travels?

Ken Cooke - 6-7-2008 at 12:39 PM

I have been reading about the Fitch Fuel Catylist, and for $175.00, I wonder how long it would take to pay for itself if it truly provides a 1 to 2.5 m.p.g. savings by re-refining the gasoline pumped into it. Hmm. Any opinions?

http://www.fitchcatalyst.com/automobiles.php

CaboRon - 6-7-2008 at 12:41 PM

Just send me the $ 175- I can make better use of it as long as you are throwing money away :lol:

Didn't they sell these at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the sixtys when gas was pushing past 30 cents a gallon ?

CaboRon

[Edited on 6-7-2008 by CaboRon]

Diver - 6-7-2008 at 12:55 PM

Ronco says it is guaranteed to meet or exceed the cars current performance. :lol:

BMG - 6-7-2008 at 01:06 PM

I guess my thought is if it does increase mileage as much as 1 - 2.5 mpg. why haven't the auto manufacturers jumped on it? They are under tremendous pressure to increase mileage on all their cars and trucks. Put me down as skeptical.

This one works for me

bancoduo - 6-7-2008 at 01:16 PM

Try it, 50-50 blend. Sparkletts water works best. Just pour it into the gas tank and drive away. :yes:

[Edited on 6-7-2008 by bancoduo]

Barry A. - 6-7-2008 at 02:13 PM

I am embarrassed to tell you how many of these "ideas" I have tried over the years-----------NONE have worked!!!

My unkle had a "water injection system" on his 1953 Pontiac---------and he was an autoparts saleman and a hydraulic engineer----------it did NOT work (tho it did not seem to hurt anything).

My experience: stock is best, generally speaking.

Barry

Fuel its a Joke

mexuk - 6-7-2008 at 04:31 PM

i dont know what you all have to moan about the price of fuel for try paying what we pay in the uk $2.67 USD per litre thats litre not gallon thats 10.68 USD per gallon

[Edited on 6-7-2008 by mexuk]

BajaNomad - 6-7-2008 at 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken Cooke
by re-refining the gasoline

I saw this in the quote on the site:

"the fuel is treated with the catalyst on board the vehicle, re-refining the fuel to its most optimal state"

Saying the fuel is being "re-refined" is misleading and untrue.

Beware of "cures" due to gas price "sticker shock". As long as I was involved with the gasoline industry there were always (the "latest") "miracle" products that simply were snake oil being sold to take advantage of the uneducated/uninformed consumer.

Today due to the price of gas on the street, the picking is ripe for such - and I'm seeing quite a few "miracle" solutions out there right now.

--
Doug

BajaNomad - 6-7-2008 at 04:36 PM

Now if you were wanting to refit a diesel to run as a "grease car", now that's a different story.

:smug:

BMG - 6-7-2008 at 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mexuk
i dont know what you all have to moan about the price of fuel for try paying what we pay in the uk $2.67 USD per litre thats litre not gallon thats 10.68 USD per gallon

[Edited on 6-7-2008 by mexuk]

Yeah, but you have all that great weather.

Burning Water

MrBillM - 6-7-2008 at 05:00 PM

Water Injection has been used to boost performance in a variety of Military and Civilian engines dating back to pre-WWII days with mixed success. I once had a "Hot-Rodding" book covering the 40s-50s that showed examples of Drag-Strip Water Injection equipment. Because the technique had a historical basis made it "seem" logical to the victims of later scams.

mexuk - 6-7-2008 at 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BMG

Quote:

Yeah, but you have all that great weather.

sorry i forgot about that the rain more rain then snow then more rain then high winds yeah we are lucky i suppose

Barry A. - 6-7-2008 at 05:14 PM

-----besides, you can't drive very far on an island, can you?

woody with a view - 6-7-2008 at 05:38 PM

Quote:

yeah, and some of our STATES are bigger than your little island/country! i drive 186 miles one way to work, spend four nights there and commute 186 miles home for the weekend.

maybe your mass transit is so easily accessible to travel to the corners of U.K. that 's why you don't mind paying $10/gal.

:?:

David K - 6-7-2008 at 08:50 PM

I added a simple water injection system to my Subaru back in the 70's and found that it actually helped with raising the octane so I could run on NOVA (remember that 79 octane stuff from Pemex?)... and it worked!

postholedigger - 6-7-2008 at 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mexuk

Quote:

Originally posted by BMG

Quote:

Yeah, but you have all that great weather.

sorry i forgot about that the rain more rain then snow then more rain then high winds yeah we are lucky i suppose

collect the ample rain and get a water injection system :lol:

David K - 6-7-2008 at 09:32 PM

mexuk, don't get scared off from Nomad... You will be challenged... !

As said before, America & Mexico are BIG countries that require lots of driving... it's big open country in most of our land... not cities with mass transit.

There will be an urgency for the U.S. to become energy independent (again)... as we have the third largest oil reserves in the world... if only we could get it (politicians).

Also, the government here takes about 50 cents per gallon (and produce nothing)... and the BIG oil companies take about 10 cents... the rest is going to where have have to buy our oil!

The first step is demanding our governments stop lining their pockets with our money that we need to make a living and pay taxes! Next, drill to give us our oil... in our territory...

Barry A. - 6-7-2008 at 11:29 PM

David K---------RIGHT ON, DAVID!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :yes:

gringette - 6-8-2008 at 01:22 AM

yea, but the UK has national healthcare. something we don't. i imagine some of those fuel taxes go for that, yea?

Barry A. - 6-8-2008 at 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gringette
yea, but the UK has national healthcare. something we don't. i imagine some of those fuel taxes go for that, yea?

-------which makes no sense at all, economically speaking-----think about it (???).

Watch this video: http://www.immigrationwatchdog.com/?p=6587

[Edited on 6-8-2008 by Barry A.]

bajalou - 6-8-2008 at 07:01 AM

And we get more oil from Canada than any other country.

Iflyfish - 6-8-2008 at 11:36 AM

Bancoduo,

Do you happen to have Kara S's phone number. She looks like the best of the deal. We have so much to discuss.

Consumer Reports, latest addition says none of these devices work, at least the ones they tested.

Probably the best way around this is to purchase some gasoline futures, now that could really make you some money!

Iflyfish

Barry A. - 6-8-2008 at 12:13 PM

Fish--------"futures" are too risky------just buy something safe like the Vanguard Energy Fund------(an index of many energy stocks)-------and that will keep you in gasoline, and then some. (tho it may be to late now if the oil bubble bursts)

The "Market" will sustain you thru think and thin, you know-------it has me and mine most of my life. :yes:

Barry

Neal Johns - 6-8-2008 at 03:49 PM

Gas story

Once upon a time a few decades ago, there was the first gas shortage where they rationed the amount of gas you could buy. Interest was high in finding a way to increase gas mileage.

Being surrounded by other engineers, it was not long before one of them, a friend of mine, revived an old idea from Popular Mechanics; heat the gas before it entered the carburetor! He always took the same route to work from home every day at the same time, and only used one car for driving to work. This made checking the gas mileage fairly easy. A leak proof can with a copper gas line coiled inside heated with radiator water was constructed and off he went.

But….he did not choose his friends well. I decided to help him out a bit. Every day at lunch time someone??? put an extra gallon in his tank. All up and down the halls he paraded, showing everyone his latest calculated increased gas mileage. This went on for a week and he was so convinced that I heard he was going to buy massive amounts of copper tubing and go into production. Time to save this poor man’s soul….I started siphoning out a gallon of gas every lunch.

The poor devil was terribly confused for a short while but since everyone else knew what was happening, all he received for sympathy was an occasional smirk. I finally confessed, and that is why I have no hair. Did I mention he was part Indian?

Neal (trust me) Johns

Barry A. - 6-8-2008 at 03:57 PM

Neal-------

I think that your friend was my unkle-------and he has shown me that scalp many times------now I know the rest of the story. Crazy ideas run in the family, and he has been mumbling to himself ever since your prank.

He went on a peote binge for years after that, and went back to the Res.

barry

Bajaboy - 6-8-2008 at 06:22 PM

You can count this thread as going to crap....here come all the arm-chair economists and political experts.

DK-drilling for more oil anywhere will not solve the problem. And even if we did start drilling today, we would not see oil for many years. The free market is solving the problem and the high taxes are part of the reason.

Look to Europe where high taxes have pushed the price of gasoline far beyond what we pay here. Lo and behold, Europe has over 113 vehicles for sale that average over 40mpg while in the US the number has dropped from 5 in 2007 to 2 in 2005. Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17344368/

That's the free market at work....no? High oil prices, regardless of taxes, will drive the shift towards alternative fuel sources and our dependency on the Middle East. We need to move past the bandage mentality and solve the problem.

Zac

sloopy - 6-8-2008 at 10:28 PM

we had our muffler shop totally redo our exhaust system using the same diameter pipe off the manifold all the way to the tail pipe end. Also, a K&N filter. Gained 4 MPG with that. Then after new plugs, plug wires, front end alignment, new Big Foot tires, all fluids changed... we gained another 1.5 MPG.
We went from 10-10.5 MPG to 15.5 to 16 on our '94 3/4 ton Silverado 4x4, 350 engine.
We figure we save about $120 for every 1000 miles we drive.

Ken Cooke - 6-8-2008 at 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sloopy
Also, a K&N filter.

Be sure that you are running a pre-filter with that K&N, otherwise, you could easily dust your engine if you travel the Baja backcountry with any regularity. I now run the AEM filter on mine since the oil fouled my MAF sensor, and the insides of my intake showed dust getting inside. Just a heads up. :light:

sloopy - 6-9-2008 at 05:37 AM

Good point, Ken! But, as you can see, we keep a close watch on our vehicles and although we don't get off the beaten path very much, it seems our K&N has been working o.k......if maintained properly, for the type of driving conditions we're usually into . I'm interested in this AEM system you mentioned, though. Where can I get info. How would one place a pre-filter in the system? My huge air filter cover has a tube shaped opening. Do you use a flexible duct something like what is on clothes driers?
Actually, the biggest savings came from maintaining the same diameter pipe throughout the exhaust system. Manufacturers actually reduce the size of this for one reason....it's cheaper. I was very surprised when we saw the results of our mileage runs. Also, we don't drive over 59 mph ever!
We found out that anything over that speed exponentially decreases the mileage something really bad. It's really amazing but the decrease climbs quite rapidly as you slowly go faster and faster ppast that speed.

Barry A. - 6-9-2008 at 08:05 AM

Ken and Sloopy---------great information, and thanks for that. I run K&N's on all 3 of my 4x4's, but never thought of the "pre-filter". The info on exhaust systems is also new to me, and worth considering. You are so right on the speed thing, Sloopy and now that is becoming more and more important, for obvious reasons. :lol:

Thanks for your posts.

Barry

David K - 6-9-2008 at 09:01 AM

Zac, as Americans, with many, many years of oil reserves and discovering more all the time, part of our freedom is to buy and drive the vehicle that best serves our needs or desires... and I know what you drive and why... because it is the best vehicle as far as reliability and performance to serve what we like and need to do... and it gets between 16-19 mpg on average daily driving... I drive about 30,000 miles a year being a self employed service provider that brings water saving products to properties all over north county, and trips to Baja for vacation and exploration.

Now, we have the oil and the oil companies can get to it, safely and efficiently with the latest technology. That 'our' government prevents this from happeneing while earning 5 times what the oil companies do on each gallon of gas is quite insane. Nancy Peloci said that when she took over, the dems had a plan to lower the cost of gas... that was 2 years ago and gas has doubled... how typical.

Do you think $10: gallon to have a 40 MPG car is really better than $4: gallon with our 15-30 MPG cars? Europe is not free when your own government gets fat making you suffer to have mobility. Anyway, this is not Europe... not at all the same... and we have oil reserves... tons.

Sure it will take several years to get it to the pumps... so why delay this? We need energy independence so we can continue to be a great and prosperous nation... and feed the world, at that.

Roberto - 6-9-2008 at 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.
Ken and Sloopy---------great information, and thanks for that. I run K&N's on all 3 of my 4x4's, but never thought of the "pre-filter". The info on exhaust systems is also new to me, and worth considering. You are so right on the speed thing, Sloopy and now that is becoming more and more important, for obvious reasons. :lol:

Thanks for your posts.

Barry

Here is an example of a prefilter -- basically a "sock" that covers the filter:

Ken is right on with that suggestion, by the way.

Barry A. - 6-9-2008 at 09:50 AM

Super info, Roberto--------many thanks. I will certainly look into that, and it looks like an easy cure for a problem I never even knew was there.

Thanks again. I Love this board!!!!

Barry

Barry A. - 6-9-2008 at 09:54 AM

David-------In my opinion you are dead-on correct in that last post. We have TONS of oil-------lets just get too it, and harvest it.

Barry

wilderone - 6-9-2008 at 10:23 AM

"as Americans, with many, many years of oil reserves and discovering more all the time, part of our freedom is to buy and drive the vehicle that best serves our needs or desires... "

Yeah - you two know all about oil reserves.

This is the mentality which is keeping US citizens in the technological dark age. Do you think we "Americans" are so special? That we "deserve" to drive anything we want- regardless of our impact on the planet; regardless of how much oil there is left in earth? That we can just drive around to our heart's content in big cars with total disregard of the long-term effects? Vast improvements have been made to correct abysmal air pollution after years of driving around with inferior smog devices in cars that got 7 mpg. We finally acknowledged our follies. We're right back to gas squandering with big SUVs. So after 100 years of the gas-driven engine - after 100 years of experience -- we know a better way - and what stands in our way? David's belief in clinging to the old way for really no reason except that he thinks some god-given rights are being threatened.

That is the result of advertising (brain washing). Big Oil wants their profits now, because they see the writing on the wall - gasoline fuel alternatives, and our government is FINALLY getting on board and investing in that technology. We had the technology 20 years ago, but auto manufacturers bought that technology and destroyed it in order to keep control over their gasoline-driven autos. This is a no-brainer: the time has come where it is absolutely necessary to find gasoline fuel alternatives and design cars that get 40+ mpg. Why would we not do this? There is no rationale to justify not doing it NOW – except for the fact Big Oil needs gas stations and cars the way they have been the last 50 years – the 50 years which have caused so much turmoil in the world – wars over oil, gas and auto prices, public land disputes, air pollution. Don’t worry David, you can still drive around wherever you want – only it will be in a car that fits the new economy of the world, where oil is being used up, and its cost will be out of reach for most average Americans. I don't understand why anyone would have a problem with this.

Don’t forget – China and India have huge populations which are just beginning their industrial revolution. Do you think they’ll be driving Hummers? No – they’ll drive tiny little cars that get 50 mpg and use a fuel that is not typical Exxon. Why do you think there is a waiting list for the Prius? The next Prius-type vehicle with a little clearance, car rack and a big tire will be my choice. Just makes sense.

sloopy - 6-9-2008 at 11:07 AM

Does any one remember the long gas lines in '73? They promised us we'd be less dependent on foreign oil and more dependent on our own oil. Guess nothing ever really changes......

Barry A. - 6-9-2008 at 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sloopy
Does any one remember the long gas lines in '73? They promised us we'd be less dependent on foreign oil and more dependent on our own oil. Guess nothing ever really changes......

-------not as long as we keep butting heads with each other, refusing to consider the others point of view, both which are "partially" valid and can be resolved with compromise and civil behavior towards each other. We need to do all that Wilderone says (with moderation), plus be practical about extracting and developing our own energy reserves, and nuclear-------to do otherwise is folly, and will damage the fragile economy that we ALL are enjoying, everywhere worldwide!!!

--------and no, this is not "just my opinion"-----but gleened from what I read, and hear, and observe. It is complicated, obviously. I think the key is civility!!! We get nowhere when there is lack of it.

barry

Ken Cooke - 6-9-2008 at 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by wilderone The next Prius-type vehicle with a little clearance, car rack and a big tire will be my choice. Just makes sense.

Introducing the Jeep Renegade Hybrid - we're talking 110 m.p.g. here folks!! :light:

http://www.tuningnews.net/article/080114g/jeep-renegade-hybr...

[Edited on 6-9-2008 by Ken Cooke]

TMW - 6-10-2008 at 06:56 AM

Steve Mazor runs the Automobile Club of Southern California's Auto Research Center and in todays paper was talking about various auto myths and one was a dirty filter. He says some cars tested got slightly better fuel economy when filters were replaced but when cars were tested with blocked air filters, fuel economy didn't get worse as expected. In some cars it actually got better, but pollution was worse.

As to Gismos or additives like acetone, these products don't help even a little bit. He says "We have tested many fuel additives and products... or devices that go on battery cables, and none ever shown any measurable fuel economy improvement.

Keeping the vehicle tuned as required by the manufacture, tires inflated as required, using the A/C only above 45mph and reducing speed are the best way to get better gas milage.

TMW - 6-10-2008 at 07:00 AM

Some years ago Dirt Bike magazine did a test on filters on a two stroke motorcross bike. They found no difference in power or torque on a dyno whether the filter was clean or dirty. I think a lot of off road racers would disagree with that, but that was their report.

bajalou - 6-10-2008 at 07:17 AM

I' m not a racer but I'll disagree with it (dirty filters). Maybe slightly dirty won't matter, but when they really get plugged up - doing the job you put them on for - mileage dives.

Roberto - 6-10-2008 at 09:51 AM

The problem is not with the filter being dirty, it's with the element not being fine enough to filter out the dust and it getting into the cylinders.

That's why Ken was recommending the pre-filter.

Getting Gassed

MrBillM - 6-10-2008 at 10:12 AM

We can look forward to this, and related, threads going on for a LONG, LONG time. There are NO short-term fixes available for the fuel price problem despite what ANY political hack might say. We're going to have to get used to this. The only "action" we'll see will be the new administration blaming the previous one for the problem when, in reality, both factions have rejected the other's attempts to prevent the situation.

Most of us will grouse, complain and simply pay the price while moderating our lifestyle in some respect when said price becomes more than an irritation.

I suppose one Upside is that most severly effected will be the Lower classes who can't afford to acquire alternate and more fuel-efficient vehicles, but also can't afford the fuel cost for their gas-guzzlers. Since most of them aren't going to work, that could be a plus for the economy.

Another problem, should we have a severe Winter, will be those who can't afford the Heating Oil. Perhaps they can move to Florida.

In the meantime, WE can look for ways to fuel our Trucks and SUVs while we complain.

bajalou - 6-10-2008 at 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Roberto
The problem is not with the filter being dirty, it's with the element not being fine enough to filter out the dust and it getting into the cylinders.

That's why Ken was recommending the pre-filter.

In my case the element is fine enough to get the dust - it gets so plugged that it is choking the engine. Knock the dirt out and it the buggy runs OK again. The larger the area of filter media, the longer it will last without plugging up in heavy dust.
Pre filters work great at reducing the total dirt getting to the filter. I used to sell them to garbage landfill operators to put on the tractors to extend the life of the filter elements. These elements have a indicator that shows when to change by measuring the amount of air restriction caused by the filter. Without a pre-filter, if a element doesn't get plugged up in severe dust, it isn't doing it's job and is allowing dirt into the cylinders.
I am now running the canister type with internal blades to swirl the intake air, similar to some pre-cleaners, to throw much of the dirt out before the air hits the element.

TMW - 6-10-2008 at 02:55 PM

On a race bike we'd oil a womans stocking and put it over the filter and feed the end out an opening so at the first pit we could pull the stocking off and out. The dust for a bike would be in the early part of the race where most of the passing (and getting passed) takes place.

sloopy - 6-10-2008 at 07:27 PM

I would add to the string on dirty air filters.....mileage isn't the only thing that is a concern. If the fuel mixture becomes more rich than normal, this extra little bit of fuel vapor can certainly help in cleaning off the cylinder walls which, in turn, lead to premture wear on those parts and also the ringsand valve buildup. I'll bet a dollar to a donut, if you had two similar engines and ran one with a dirty filter and the other one was maintained, cleaned and replaced regularly, the the latter engine would still be running well after the former developed some serious issues internally.
Just a thought.....

Ken Cooke - 6-10-2008 at 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajalouThe larger the area of filter media, the longer it will last without plugging up in heavy dust.

Take a look at this AEM unit I installed to take the place of my old K&N.

sloopy - 6-11-2008 at 06:23 AM

Now that's a filter!!!!!!!!!