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Cheap air intake mod

Jerther

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Jerther Enthusiast

Jerther

Posted
Posted

There is an air intake mod that gets pretty much attention here. It's a round piece of metal with like 6 bent pieces on the inside that forms a kind of fan. It is supposed to whirl the air as it gets into the intake to obtain a better gaz/air mix and ppl say they get 3-4 MPG, and even more.

 

It is available for both TBI and Vorec engines for like 60$...

 

What I say. Is that this thing, when placed into the air duct, only puts a restriction to the air intake, thus allowing less air into the engine and therefore, less fuel. Exact same thing as having a lighter foot on the pedal.

 

No such thing as air atomatization fuel saver power booster x-treme to the maXXX.....

 

As for the Vorect Engine... doesn't the Vortec Technology actually do that whirling thing already??

vhato Enthusiast

vhato

Posted
Posted
There is an air intake mod that gets pretty much attention here. It's a round piece of metal with like 6 bent pieces on the inside that forms a kind of fan. It is supposed to whirl the air as it gets into the intake to obtain a better gaz/air mix and ppl say they get 3-4 MPG, and even more.

 

It is available for both TBI and Vorec engines for like 60$...

 

What I say. Is that this thing, when placed into the air duct, only puts a restriction to the air intake, thus allowing less air into the engine and therefore, less fuel. Exact same thing as having a lighter foot on the pedal.

 

No such thing as air atomatization fuel saver power booster x-treme to the maXXX.....

 

As for the Vorect Engine... doesn't the Vortec Technology actually do that whirling thing already??

 

 

 

 

You must be speaking about the Tornado.

 

http://www.tornadoair.com/

 

TBI and Carburated Engines actually do benefit from this mod since the intake runners are straight and short and fuel is introduced into the Intake and not the port. However, todays engines with complex Intake designs see a loss in power and efficiency.

  • 2 weeks later...
Jerther Enthusiast

Jerther

Posted
  • Author
Posted

:thumbs:

 

After seeing the website, which is dedicated to this, I'm starting to believe it is a huge marketting hit...

 

Well the site says you should see a difference with todays engines...

 

On port injection engines, they say to install it at the input end of the air tube... .. ... .... ....... i really think that even if the air really whirls, the whirling effect will be gone when the air reaches the cylinder.

 

As for the TBI one, my bet is that the air speed is never enough to whirl at a point it would still whirl into the cylinders.

 

To make teh air whirl, you need to put a restriction to the intake, you have no choice. A perfect duct with no restriction is a straight duct with absolutely nothing in it. Bu putting this in the duct, it has no choice but to make a restriction. The gas pedal restricts the air that goes to the cylinders... I think you see what I mean here. :cheers:

 

The first think I keep getting told when i complain about my gas mileage is to lighten my foot...

 

Lightening a foot a little bit shows about a couple of MPG in economy.....

 

Yes, I believe that thing gives you a couple of MPG...

 

And another thing..... I have the feeling that the website designers take me for a moron. No real technical data and most of all, stupid comparisons. Look at how much fuel there is in their Flash animation on the right... a couple of drops... and to the left, a TORRENT of fuel! WOW!! I must buy this thing! :eek:

 

Nah I just can't believe this. The only fact I can believe is that you just have less torque from your engine so it consumes less fuel.

 

If their thing really does what they say, there should be an increase in peak torque and HP. I WANT to see that. And not some marketting datas. Real datas from reliable 3rd party sources...

 

My dad got caught by that thing... :nopity:

5strinz Enthusiast

5strinz

Posted
Posted

I read an article in POPULAR MECHANICS (Sept 05 issue) about MPG gadgets. The tornado was one of them. They tested fuel econmomy as well as horsepower in a controled environment. Pretty good article - still on the news stands.

 

RESULTS: Intake Twister increased fuel consumption by 20% and reduced HP by more than 10%. The Tornado - fuel saver made no signifiicant cahnges in either.

 

A comment they made...

"Normally we want LESS turbulence in the intake". This makes sense to me, why would we port an intake...to smooth out the air flow.

 

Dave

Jerther Enthusiast

Jerther

Posted
  • Author
Posted

:driving::chevy:

 

I should have thought about turbulence... which means less flow...

 

Less air flow, less gas, less power.................

 

I just read a little bit on Gm's Vortec. It does exactly what the said mod is said to do. Create a vortex in the combustion chamber...

 

On a TBI engine... i really doubt the whirling effect caused by the mod, if any, reaches the chambers...

 

Do you have more informations on the results? What kinds of engines were tested?

 

I've found some interresting talks:

 

Some more material for the debate: the current (September 2005) issue of Popular Mechanics includes a dyno test of the Turbonator's cousin the Tornado, as well as a very cheap knock-off on Ebay. It's the issue with a blurb, "Bogus MPG Gadgets!" splashed along the very top of the cover. They subjected each device to four dyno pulls and a 70 mph cruise on the dyno rollers with a measured amount of fuel in the tank.

 

Well, the results are in. Both the Tornado and the cheapo knockoff reduced power by over 10%. The Tornado did nothing to improve fuel mileage, while the cheapo also brought gas mileage down by 20%. To top it off, they commented that the Ebay special was so flimsy it looked like it might fall apart and get sucked into the engine. The only good thing they had to say about the Tornado was that it seemed to be very well made and didn't catch fire like one other device they tested. So their verdict was that it took a big bite out of the test truck's horsepower and did nothing to improve gas mileage.

 

There are a few things I didn't like about the article, mostly that they didn't print as much raw data as I would like to have seen. They did not print the actual horsepower numbers or mpg, just how they compared to each other. Still, from what I can tell, their test procedure was a sound one, and the vortex generators soundly failed.

 

----------------------------------------

 

VTEC78, the reason I've been quibling with you is that I can't tell if your test results are due to an actual improvement or random noise in the test results. The theoretical claims seem kind of doubtful. I've already covered why it is not likely to remove restriction. Now I'll cover why I can't see the installation you describe would produce extra swirl in the combustion chamber.

 

I can't see how any of the motion from the Hyclone would actually get that far in the intake.

 

From what you've said, the Hyclone sits about 20 cm upstream of the throttle body. The tube itself will reduce the swirling motion considerably, because as the air rotates, the walls of the tube produce a drag that slows its swirling down. A substantial part of the swirl motion would be lost when it reaches the throttle body. Then we have the throttle itself, a flat plate sitting perpendicular to the airflow. So you've got another fin besides those on the Hyclone, and this fin acts to reduce the swirling action.

 

Then the air exits into a plenum. This usually means the passage flares out and the air slows down as it flows into a large chamber. At that point, the runners pull pulses of air in from the plenum, usually making the air do an abrupt 90 degree turn. The motion in the plenum is extremely chaotic as the individual valves open and close and pressure waves bounce back and forth down the runners. Then it's through the complicated port shape on the cylinder head itself. At that point, the valve closes, and the piston compresses it before ignition.

 

Consequently, the biggest effect of the motion of the air in the combustion chamber would come from the design of the combustion chamber itself, as well as the piston. Then we have port design, followed by the design of the intake manifold. The effect of some set of fins 30 cm upstream of the throttle body will be just a drop in the bucket.

 

----------------------------------------

 

By the way, I've started looking to see if a magazine will sponsor me to do my own test on the Turbonator. If that goes through, I'll not only dyno test it, but I'll try putting one in a transparent tube and running a smoke stick test to see just how far the vortex can persist. Stay tuned...

Ref: http://forums.carreview.com/showthread.php?t=507&page=4

 

http://www.popularmechanics.com/marketing/1100872.html that shows the Magazine issue

 

The important thing is the money back guarantee. If you read closely you will notice the money back guarantee does not include shipping and is subject to a 15% restocking fee. This amounts to $10.49 for the restocking fee and I'm sure a few dollars the company charges for handling. The device costs a few cents to make, so if everyone who buys one returns it, the company still makes a hefty profit.

 

By the way the device I want to sell you is a piece of duct tape. You simply tape it over the intake (securely so it doesn’t get sucked in). This reduces air flow and fuel flow, creating more mileage. As for increased power, oh well, just request your money back and I'll be happy to refund 85%.

:thumbs:

 

Further, they talk about this gadget: http://www.turbonator.com/

 

Their website seems as convincing oriented as the Tornado's...

 

300ZXJON, Flying turbine airliners and having several college coursed on turbine engines, I can say the stator veins in the turbine engine are made to decrease airflow. A turbine engine at low speeds (less than 25,000RPM) are very inefficient. They have compressor stalls which basically is too much air in the engine causing the compressor section of the engine to stall (disruption of airflow). The purpose of the stator veins are to cut off airflow at low speeds to allow a less efficient compressor to work until the speed is high enough for the axial compressor to work. Sorry way off topic. I've seen the infomercial for this product and the theory of the "swirling turbine like airflow" would make since if the air was forced through, maybe by a 20,000hp (lb/thrust) turbine engine, but if its put in a non-forced air air intake like on a car, its called a plug.

 

Mark

Well, it looks like they even try to fool us with an electric motor on their devices...

 

How do I contact you?

Call 1-866-442-5199

Anyone dares to call them and argue with them? ;)

 

I'll keep an eye on this interresting topic...

Jacqson Enthusiast

Jacqson

Posted
Posted
There is an air intake mod that gets pretty much attention here. It's a round piece of metal with like 6 bent pieces on the inside that forms a kind of fan. It is supposed to whirl the air as it gets into the intake to obtain a better gaz/air mix and ppl say they get 3-4 MPG, and even more.

 

It is available for both TBI and Vorec engines for like 60$...

 

What I say. Is that this thing, when placed into the air duct, only puts a restriction to the air intake, thus allowing less air into the engine and therefore, less fuel. Exact same thing as having a lighter foot on the pedal.

 

No such thing as air atomatization fuel saver power booster x-treme to the maXXX.....

 

As for the Vorect Engine... doesn't the Vortec Technology actually do that whirling thing already??

 

 

 

 

Air Raid makes a TBI spacer for the Vortec Engines. I thought it was a gimmick but a lot of people were telling me how good it works. I ended up buying one for my 6.0 and installed it myself. The guys I bought it from gave me 30 days to try it out and if I didn't like it I could return it. Well, I got to say this thing works great, the truck is way more responsive and has more power. I was told I should get a little better mileage but I just installed it yesterday. I will post again and let you know if the mileage improves. :driving:

Jerther Enthusiast

Jerther

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I know the TB Spacers to be effective by isolating the TB from the heat that comes from the manifold, so the air comes in cooler...

 

Well, spacers have been around for a long time...

Dustin07 Enthusiast

Dustin07

Posted
Posted

anyone on the forum actually install a tornado themselves?

 

I had mostly heard people complain about the TB spacer, surprised you noticed a gain. would like to hear what you mileage turns out to be.

Jacqson Enthusiast

Jacqson

Posted
Posted
anyone on the forum actually install a tornado themselves?

 

I had mostly heard people complain about the TB spacer, surprised you noticed a gain. would like to hear what you mileage turns out to be.

 

 

 

 

Well, I checked my mileage for the first time since installing this thing(Airaid TB Spacer) and I got almost a 2 mpg increase. And that was for city driving. Also, I don't have a heavy foot when I drive. I am going to check it a few more times to make sure this isn't a glitch but so far so good. It also has better low end power as well. :cheers::banghead:

Guest 007FL

Guest 007FL

Posted
Posted
anyone on the forum actually install a tornado themselves?

 

I had mostly heard people complain about the TB spacer, surprised you noticed a gain. would like to hear what you mileage turns out to be.

 

 

 

 

I have a buddy that installed one on a Ford P/U about five years ago. He did it on a round trip from Tampa to Tallahassee. He got 1 mpg increase on the way back but on daily driving his mpg was inconsistent so he figured it was a highway benefit only.

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