Gas-savers Blasted As Gimmicks

February 17, 1991|By Al Haas, Knight-Ridder Newspapers.

The Federal Trade Commission has noticed that when the price of gasoline goes up, advertising for gas-saving products usually increases with it. Those engine devices and additives typically are described as scientific breakthroughs that will dramatically lower your car`s fuel consumption.

In fact, the FTC suggests in a recent report, years of testing by the Environmental Protection Agency show that few of the devices and additives do anything more than waste your money.

``The EPA has evaluated or tested more than 100 alleged gas-saving devices and found only a few that improve mileage and none that do so significantly. In fact, some `gas-saving` products may damage a car`s engine or cause substantial increases in exhaust emissions,`` the report said.

Tony Barth, an EPA testing manager, said even in the few cases in which the product caused an improvement in mileage, ``you are only talking about a couple percent`` increase in fuel efficiency.

The FTC says you should be particularly skeptical of ads that say the product is approved by the government, or that utilize testimonials from customers. The truth is, no government agency endorses such products, and testimonials can be misleading.

``Many ads feature glowing testimonials by satisfied customers. Yet, few consumers have the ability or the equipment to test for precise changes in gas mileage after installing a gas-saving product. There are too many variables that affect fuel consumption, such as traffic, road and weather conditions, as well as the car`s condition,`` the FTC said.

The FTC cited one case in which a consumer sent a manufacturer a glowing testimonial about its gas-saving product, but failed to mention that the car had undergone a complete engine tuneup when the device was installed.

``The entire increase in gas mileage attributed to the `gas-saving`

device may well have been the result of the tuneup alone,`` the FTC concluded. Among the latest gas-saving products to hit the market are devices that include putting a magnet on or in the fuel line. The contention is that the magnets ionize or otherwise change the molecular structure of the gas, and thus somehow improve mileage.

A General Motors fuel engineer said GM isn`t very interested in the devices because the company has no reason to believe they do anything. When asked if the devices cause molecular changes in the fuel, he asked, ``Why would you want to do that?``

The EPA has evaluated a number of the magnetic devices, as well as ones that purport to cause molecular changes through the use of dissimilar metals. The agency concluded that the devices did nothing to improve fuel economy.

Other products that, according to EPA testing, do little or nothing to boost mileage are air-bleed devices that add more air to the air-fuel mixture, liquid injection gadgets, devices that modify the ignition system, devices that heat or cool the gas, and ``mixture enhancers`` that supposedly improve the mixing or vaporization of the fuel-air mixture.

Although there are many such products that won`t save you gas, you can do some things that will.

Perhaps the best way to save gas is to keep your speed down. After your car reaches 45 m.p.h., say Ford`s fuel-economy experts, each additional 5 m.p.h. subtracts 2 miles per gallon from your car`s fuel mileage. In part, that is because a vehicle`s wind resistance increases at a much faster rate than its speed.

Keeping your engine in top working order is another significant conservation tactic. Poorly tuned engines can waste 3 to 8 percent of the gas they consume. Older engines require periodic tuneups to remain efficient. Modern engines don`t need tuneups in the traditional sense, but they do have to have their spark plugs replaced at regular intervals.

You also can save gas, and prolong engine life, through frequent oil changes with the right oil. Use the oil with the lowest manufacturer-recomme nded viscosity for the kind of driving you will be doing.

Energy-conserving oils have anti-friction additives that save gas by reducing the frictional drag of the engine`s moving parts. There are two kinds: EC-1 and EC-2. EC-2 is better.