I have a 2002 Ford Ranger XLT / 2.3 L (4) / 5-speed manual. It averages 23 mpg city / 26 mpg hwy with no noticeable increase in mpg after installing a K&N High Performance air filter.
Short of selling the gas engine and replacing with an electric motor - I’ve been reading about these hydrogen-fuel-cell kits that are advertised as easy to install (???) and significantly increase the gas mileage of a standard gas engine. I’m familiar with hydrogen-fuel-cells, but easily installing one into a gas engine sounds too good to be true.
I’m not in a financial position to purchase a Prius, etc., right now so I’m looking for other viable solutions.
Sigh. This is at least the second post regarding this nonsense today. Pure garbage; don’t waste your time or money.
Your best solutions to high fuel costs are the basics: proper vehicle maintenance, proper tire inflation, avoiding rush hour traffic, etc., and most importantly, a highly disciplined right foot.
I think the number of questions we get about these scams is evidence of how much gas prices are squeezing people.
I feel like we’re on an episode of the X-Files…“I want to believe…”
I think it is to good to be true. Have not heard or read anything that can convince me to date.
This kit can serve a useful purpose as a child’s science project. There is no other reason for anyone to buy it.
I want to believe that we’ll never see posts like this again, but…
If you do mostly highway driving, a Prius/hybrid is not for you, get a diesel car. If you can afford one of these kits, then you can afford to put that money in a savings account to go towards your next vehicle purchase
So you bought into the claims for the K&N and now another failure.
That K&N filter can provide a little more air for your engine and under unusual conditions it may provide a very modest mileage increase. It is more likely to provide a very modest power increase. If you do additional power mods you might get a modest power increase.
[b] While there is some evidence of possible engine damage, I also believe that is also very small and unlikely, except for cars with MAFs Just a little too much oil on the filter and by by MAF.
Check out:
Could you remove the engine/tranny and replace them with an electric motor and a fuel cell? Sure… but it would be very expensive and difficult. This would not be a “drop in” project, but would likely involve a LOT of metal bending and custom tweaking. How are you going to store the hydrogen? Where are you going to GET the hydrogen? I would not call this kind of retrofit a viable solution, unless you have money to burn.
Now, later you talk about installing a fuel cell to increase the mileage of a gas engine. This does not compute. A fuel cell generates electricity – how is that going to increase mileage? This smells like a scam to me.
Please give a link to this “kit” you are talking about…Is it one of those electrolytic bubbler’s that produce a few grams of hydrogen and feed it into the engine? Do they claim that to be a “fuel cell”?? Back in the 60’s, it was claimed to “give the power of the hydrogen bomb” to your cars engine…Good Luck.
Better duck Mike…these guys are pretty rough…you will get cussed out just for asking the question,
call a shill a scam artist etc…
I know …been there …done that…quite an experience
PS was told this is all a scam by the car talk responders
I’ve NEVER tested any of these products…yet…I’d give a years salary to anyone who shows me it works. You have to be extremely naive or desperate to even THINK about buying a product like this. OR you are being PAID to ask this question by the manufacturer…WHICH HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.
Do you really think something like this could possibly work. If it did every car manufacturer in the WORLD would be scrambling to buy this technology. The car manufacturer that owns this technology will run all the other car companies out of business…
You will only be called a shill, scam artist, etc. if you’re putting a little extra into your “question” about a product like this and if you’re defending an obvious scam while having no knowledge of it.
The EPA and common sense says it’s a scam. My memory is fuzzy on this but I think the first huckster who tried pulling this water into fuel fraud did it way back in about 1916 or so. If there was anything legit to this then the R and D would have been accomplished long before the 1929 stock market crash.
The guy promoting this was also brought up on fraud charges several times if I remember correctly.
Mike,
I think your best bet is to pay attention to your tire pressure and perform maintenance at regular intervals. Also, drive like your grandpa. I saw an article in the paper that said you could expect 10% worse mileage at 65 than 55 and 20% worse at 75 than 55. I’ve noticed that I get better than EPA highway mileage during rush hour and I drive at 55. In a 55 zone, of course. If the limit is 65, I’m all over it - well, at it. One more thing - don’t put the tail gate down. It actually drops your mileage.
Mike, I think you may owe me some of that salary. I put a hydrogen kit on my 2000 Honda Civic 5speed. After working the kinks out I am getting in the upper 50 MPG. I will have to admit it has been labor and maintenance intensive so I would not recommend it to just anybody. Another guy at work did it 3 months ago and saw a 8MPG increase on his 2004 Honda Accord.
My question is could this cause damage to the engine.
The other option is…
The company that sells this garbage actually PAY people to post messages on bulletin boards like this as FREE advertising. People see it and believe it. This one may NOT be…but I’m quite sure others we’ve are. They used almost the EXACT SAME wording.
BULL…Show me scientific PROOF that it works. You need to become the head of MIT’s physics department if it worked because you’ve just rewritten a few laws of physics.