Image credit: safoocat
After the recent fuel price increase, advertisements for fuel saving gadgets have been flooding the newspapers, magazines and radio stations. One type of most frequently advertised fuel saving device are magnets that are attached to the fuel line hose.
There are many fabulous claims made regarding the use of these magnets:
- Save fuel
- Boost engine performance
- More complete burning
…all achieved through some weird process called molecular realignment or similar sounding, technical term that you’ve probably never heard of before. The main question is; Is it for real?
Personally, I find such magnetic fuel saving gadgets to be too good to be true. They’re not even that expensive (around RM150 to RM250 each); why then aren’t they already built into modern cars if they’re really useful?
Why do car manufacturers spend hundreds of millions of dollars in fuel efficiency R&D if a piece of magnet clamped onto the fuel line can already provide up to 35% savings in fuel consumption?
Can magnets really affect the molecular structure of fuel to the point of producing a more efficient burning rate?
If you’re skeptical, you’re not alone. Most of the so-called benefits of these magnetic fuel saving gadgets are pushed into the public by the businesses that sell them. There is absolutely no scientific proof that magnetic fields from a device measuring mere inches long can have a positive effect on fuel consumption.
I’m no engineer and I’m merely relating to this topic as someone who has some basic understanding of physics. If you really want to hear it from a real engineer, the you might find this well written article on fuel saving magnets interesting.
What’s your take on these fuel saving magnet gadgets? I’d love to hear your comments.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:14 am
[...] Bills Gab – The Definitive Buffalo Bills Blog wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptImage credit: safoocat After the recent fuel price increase, advertisements for fuel saving gadgets have been flooding the newspapers, magazines and radio stations. One type of most frequently advertised fuel saving device are magnets that are attached to the fuel line hose. There are many fabulous claims made regarding the use of these magnets: Save fuel Boost engine performance More [...] [...]
June 27th, 2008 at 1:57 am
If it’s true, perhaps the Toyota Vios and Honda City models must have these magnets on them since these cars are famous for fuel efficiency…
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Kay, nahh… it’s a sham. Too bad there are still many Malaysians involved in it (as seller and buyer).
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:22 am
well i think its not. i tested n using it now o my golf gti. i get xtra 70-100km compare to b4 on full tank.i always fill up full b4 n now. been more than a month using it.
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
[...] not selling you some snake oil gizmos like fuel saving magnets. I’m simply going to tell you 12 scientifically proven ways to avoid spending tons of money [...]
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:38 pm
goga: Did you really measure that performance or was it just a Placebo effect?
August 2nd, 2008 at 4:18 am
likw i said..been more than a month now..and i travel a lot..every 5-6 days always fill up full tank and 80km extra on average..which equal to hmm..rm2.40/l if im not mistaken(putting that extra km into calculation)the one i used been tested by puspakom n out on malay mail 7/7/08..and im making some money out of it too…
September 25th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I work in the workshop for many years, i eat salt more then you eat rice don’t waste your money on all this marketing stuff. By saving petrol, It actually see how you drive your car. Just think of how you ride a bicycle and how much power you cycle and speed.
KEEP YOUR CAR ORIGINAL
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Heh… it’s Jul 2009 now, and the prices of fuel has come down by heaps all over the world except for Europe. It’s a better time now…even so it’s good to take the bicycle out for some exercise during the summer period.
July 3rd, 2010 at 2:45 pm
there are so many scams running on the internete so watch out,::