Fuel Smart?

[JCOB72]

Has anyone used this? It sounds interesting.


http://www.fuelsmart.info/

[cliffyk]

Horseshìt...

If this magic were possible why would Ford have not incorporated it into the tune?

After all they pay fines to the EPA for not meeting the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards, if this snake-oil could actually improve fuel economy it would have been pretty stupid of them to not take advantage of it...

[1lowGT]

You drive a mustang... Not a hybrid.

[Eturner]

Originally Posted by cliffyk

Horseshìt...

If this magic were possible why would Ford have not incorporated it into the tune?

After all they pay fines to the EPA for not meeting the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards, if this snake-oil could actually improve fuel economy it would have been pretty stupid of them to not take advantage of it...

---------- Post added at 07:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:13 PM ----------

Originally Posted by 1lowGT

You drive a mustang... Not a hybrid.

+11

[lowflyn]

After reading through the site it might work, I would be worried about longevity with starving cylinders. You are basically running 2 or more cylinders lean which will build excessive heat in those cylinders.

In theory, however, this should work just fine.

[JCOB72]

Originally Posted by 1lowGT

You drive a mustang... Not a hybrid.

Thanks for the input! Thread wouldn't be the same without you.

[1lowGT]

Originally Posted by JCOB72

Thanks for the input! Thread wouldn't be the same without you.

Lol. Just a quick reminder.

[JCOB72]

Originally Posted by 1lowGT

Lol. Just a quick reminder.

I saw the commercial on tv and wondered if anyone tried it. It never crossed my mind to buy one. Aren't there newer cars that kind of use the same technology?

[cliffyk]

It is an ill-conceived all-electronic version of the cylinder deactivation schemes tried by two or three automakers in the early 80s, however then it was done properly by leaving the valves closed on cylinders to be deactivated creating a compress/release air spring that was a near net power loss.

There is a good WIKI article about it here.

The problem with the Fuel Smart device is that all it does is disable injectors. As it is not possible on our cars to control the valve opening and closing, the "deactivated" cylinders stills draw in air and compress that air, using energy in the process so any power gain under steady state cruising would be minimal. I would also be concerned as to what the effect of pumping air into the exhaust would have on closed-loop engine control. The O² sensors would see this as a very lean mix.

On closed throttle deceleration the PCM in our cars turns the injectors off anyway, so there would be no saving there.

As I seen no fuel economy savings claims in their materials I will assume it is minimal, let's be generous and say 1 mpg--roughly 5% of average overall fuel consumption for our cars. That means you would save--at the current cost of 87 octane here $3.40/gallon--0.17 per gallon, or $0.0085 per mile.

$295/0.0085 = 34,700 miles

So in 35k miles you will have saved enough to pay for the device (maybe, if you installed it yourself), and have silly device whose 2-year warranty has expired, attached to a hacked-up wire harness, guaranteed to significantly reduce the value of your car if you wish to sell it...

[JCOB72]

So your saying Stacey David lied to me? I don't believe it!! Ha!

[Eturner]

Originally Posted by JCOB72

So your saying Stacey David lied to me? I don't believe it!! Ha!

He has to push certain products on his show to keep it sponsored!.. Unfortunately some of those things are just retarded, like this Fuel Saver crap!..

[cliffyk]

It must be kept in mind that he is a performer--reasonably knowledgeable--but nonetheless first and foremost an entertainer. Thus in order to finance his show and life he is also required to be a huckster...

[Matticus]

Originally Posted by cliffyk

Horseshìt...

If this magic were possible why would Ford have not incorporated it into the tune?

After all they pay fines to the EPA for not meeting the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards, if this snake-oil could actually improve fuel economy it would have been pretty stupid of them to not take advantage of it...

+1 I love this answer haha.

[LAS97GT]

I don't get it. When my #7 cylinder crap shoots, it's a misfire, so when I lose 4 of 8 cylinders, WTF you call that!

---------- Post added at 07:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:03 PM ----------

Ok, the injectors are disabled, which means I still have spark ignition, how is that different from a misfire? I would agree if some fuel and spark was present at a reduced ratio.

Any body read the fine print/disclaimer on this yet?

---------- Post added at 07:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:08 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Matticus

+1 I love this answer haha.

+2

[cliffyk]

An interesting point, the misfire monitor in our cars works by monitoring the crankshaft position sensor signal and using the timing between pulses to calculate the angular velocity and acceleration of the crankshaft--any deviance from what should be represents a misfire--more about how that works here.

So it would seem to me that the "Fuel Smart" device's interference, which would of course create a non-firing cylinder, would affect the crank's rotational velocity and acceleration, and would have to be interpreted by the misfire monitor as a misfire?

[LAS97GT]

Originally Posted by cliffyk

An interesting point, the misfire monitor in our cars works by monitoring the crankshaft position sensor signal and using the timing between pulses to calculate the angular velocity and acceleration of the crankshaft--any deviance from what should be represents a misfire--more about how that works here.

So it would seem to me that the "Fuel Smart" device's interference, which would of course create a non-firing cylinder, would affect the crank's rotational velocity and acceleration, and would have to be interpreted by the misfire monitor as a misfire?

Ahhh, remember the ole MIL eliminator? Well, I betcha this is a supped version that tricks the PCM. So, I'll be banging away my cylinder walls and have to buy a block in 50K. By then, the fine print will say, user fault. Incorrect oil change interval, racing condition, blah, blah, blah. Dodge used to do this, but discontinued it I think, maybe premature engine wear.

[cliffyk]

Originally Posted by LAS97GT

Ahhh, remember the ole MIL eliminator? Well, I betcha this is a supped version that tricks the PCM. So, I'll be banging away my cylinder walls and have to buy a block in 50K. By then, the fine print will say, user fault. Incorrect oil change interval, racing condition, blah, blah, blah. Dodge used to do this, but discontinued it I think, maybe premature engine wear.

Unfortunately I don't think it does trick the PCM, it would be better if somehow it did--what it seems to do from their description is shut down injectors, without the PCM's knowledge, when it feels conditions are right...

[LAS97GT]

Originally Posted by cliffyk

Unfortunately I don't think it does trick the PCM, it would be better if somehow it did--what it seems to do from their description is shut down injectors, without the PCM's knowledge, when it feels conditions are right...

Still a trick! Know anyone that's used it yet?

I'll buy one when the oil wells dry up and we are doing Mad Max 4 real in America.

[LAS97GT]

Originally Posted by LAS97GT

Still a trick! Know anyone that's used it yet?

I'll buy one when the oil wells dry up and we are doing Mad Max 4 real in America.

Dang! Mustang lovers will not survive if the oil wells did dry up in our lifetime. Oh we'll, drive it like you stole it! I am interested in the tech, but, obviously, I won't bolt that crap on.

Awesome discussion BTW. +10

[03whitey]