WAY off the subject ;)

[Shane Watson]

I know this has absolutly nothing to do with woodworking, but it has to do with my delivery vehcile - so thats good enough for me.

But I was wondering if any of you guys out there has had any experience or know someone that has with the HICLONE fuel saver device. It is fitted into the air pipe before the throttle body on an engine and it creates a type of cyclone with the air, anyway its supposed to save up 30%+ on fuel. It sounds to good to be true.

Anyway, if anyone has anything to add, will be great to hear from you, rather than a salesman http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/wink.gif

Cheers..



------------------
Shane Watson..

Combine Love & Skill & You Can Expect A Masterpiece!

[Rod Smith]

Hi Shane. That does sound too good to be true. To get more power and economy normally a turbo or super charger are used to get more air/oxygen into the system. The compression required means the gas is hotter/larger so some of the effect is lost. Some turbos have an intercooler to cool the air again. All designed to get more of the explosive mixture in. Or for economy more efficiency in fuel placement ie injection systems. Now something simple and cheap that has such great results and hasn't been in the media(that I've seen). I'd reckon it probably is too good to be true. Might be wrong? I am not a mechanic. Just my untrained synicysm(s?). Cheers. Rod

[Rod Smith]

PS I've seen the utes like you have, verrrry nice. Rod

[Shane Watson]

Thanks Rod,

Yeah I know all about turbos, my father has had his 100series turbo fitted.
But apprantly these things even improve turbos and superchargers.
Anyway, heres there site if anyones interested. I am still undecided.

HICLONE (http://www.hicloneqld.com/)

[Jeff]

I am not familiar with this product but the concept is viable. If it somehow creates a more uniform dispersion of the fuel mixture in the chamber prior to firing it would indeed help reduce fuel consumption and increase power. Each little droplet of fuel needs to be surrounded by the appropriate amount of oxygen at the moment of combustion in order to burn completely. If the air swirls as it enters the carbuerator this could happen, but I don't see how it would help with injection systems. Also, most cars are able to benefit from damn near any improvement to the carb. Just be glad you don't have one of the crappy mileage cars they sell us here in the states. I'm lookin to go electric, but that is even farther off the subject! But, hey, the website says 100% satisfaction, so what can you lose...har har har!

------------------
"Turning wood into treasures"

[Iain]

Viewed this site with some suspicion, maybe snake oil additive might help too. If you are using this on the Landcruiser wouldn't the air cleaner achieve the same end after all the cruiser uses a Donaldson clone which is cyclonic and effectively swirls the air, I though this motion would continue up to the inlet valves!
As to the claim that the swirling motion creates more air going in I findthis hard to believe given that an engine will on 'suck' what it needs and to exceed this only a charger will boost this (although some snorkel manufacturers claim that they give the engine a boost and with cooler air as it come from a site that is 3 feet higher).
My cousin manufactures superchargers for Landrovers (God forbid, some must really lust to take state of the art back 20 years) and when he comes back from his holidays I will ask him what he thinks of these.
Jeff, carbuerettors are very scarce these days and all of our vehicles are now fuel injected. Best thing that ever happened and no doubt someone will now fire back!
Of course dirty injectors are always going to be a problem and I always use an additive to help avoid this, way off the track again did you know that Ming have an on vehicle injector cleaning service for about $100.00, I haven't tried it but it would have to be of some benefit. Also forgot to ask, what is the delivery vehicle? Maybe a tealight under the manifold may help. http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by Iain (edited 08 January 2001).]

[Shane Watson]

Hey Iain,

Will be interestion to hear what your cousin has to say on the subject.

I was talking to this guy on friday, although he couldnt tell me anymore than the website, He did mention one thing that was a little boggling. He mentioned that he has a client that fitted two Hiclones to Ford 2.6L Ute, and he achieved a 76% increase in fuel economy! Now that seems astounding, especially because Hiclone don't track results, any results they get back from clients are on the clients will, so it would seem silly for a guy to B.S about any results???

My delivery vehicle is a 2000 Ford Falcon AU series 2 Cab Chassis Ute. 4.0L EFI, 5sp.
If anyone is interested in a damn good deal on one of these, Give Wayne Bennett a call at Southside Ford in Brisbane and tell him I told ya to call! http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/wink.gif

Cheers!!!

[Hoffy]

Hi Shane
Read with interest the debate on the Hiclone device. I think some of the claims made should be taken with a very large grain of salt. I have been following the same debate on a Landcruiser users group over the last 6 months or so as I was hoping to extract more power, economy etc out of my 92 Poverty deisel for next to no money. As it turns out I didn't like the taste of snake oil. The general concensus by most people on the group was that you would be better off putting that money into fuel as those who purchased the device said there was no noticeable incresae in power or economy.

The question I ask is: If these products are as good good as claimed why aren't the vehicle manufacturers applying these principles? After all they are trying to squeeze the last ounce of power and economy out of their motors already.

Keith

[hook]

Shane,
you mentioned a guy that fitted 2 of these devices and got a 76% increase in fuel economy.
If I fit 3 of these things will my empty fuel tank self fill ???
Might be dangerous though. As I am driving along my tank should start to overflow.

Dont believe a word of it.

By the way, the Fuelmax device also advertised on the Hiclone web page is similar to the magnetic gadget that Peter Brock got mixed up with some years back. It was fitted to the fuel line.
This saw him part company with Holden (who wanted nothing to do with it)
That device didn't work either.

Hook

[This message has been edited by hook (edited 08 January 2001).]

[RETIRED]

Gooday.

As an ex A-grade mechanic I always question these add ons to lower fuel consumption.

For starters as one respondent has pointed out, car manufacturers are always on the lookout for something that will give them the edge over competitors. Imagine the ad blurb, 100% more power and 200 K's to the litre They wouldn't be able to keep up the demand.

Secondly the swirl (for want of a better word) would stop at the inlet manifold because you only have to look at the firing order of a vehicle, typically 153624 to see that air is sent from one end to the other of the manifold.

Some snorkels do make a little difference to consumption for the reason stated, cooler air and a "ram charging" effect on diesel engines. The same system can sometimes play havoc with LPG vehicles because it upsets the mixtures.

But then I may be wrong. When I started my apprenticeship air intakes had to be hot as supposedly hot air burnt better but now they have found that the colder the air into the combustion chamber the better. Just goes to show you, don't it.

But I have to agree it sounds like snake oil to me.

------------------
Ian () Robertson
"We do good turns every day"

[This message has been edited by (edited 08 January 2001).]

[knuckles]

Chow Shane - Yous've got 30 & 90 day unconditional money back guarantee for dis stuff. Give em a try, if yez dont like em send em back, an if day don't give yous a refund tell em Knuckles will pay em a visit.

It's dat simple.

A lil poem for the Shane

Wanna save fuel
Dats really cool
Take th free trial
An be no-ones fool.

You got 30 days ta try it out
So drive like hell singin Trist n Shout
If it's crap here's what you do
Send it back to the bums and send me too.

I'll moiderate em. http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/mad.gif

Knuckles http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/biggrin.gif

[STEPHEN MILLER]

Shane
I wonder if its as good as pellets doing the rounds of current affair shows that you add to fuel tank to improve economy and power you need one pellet per 30 litres of fuel cost about $2 each so you want abig improvement as that 3 per tank full for me with a commodore with 65l +a magna with 75l so stick so snake oil or goanna oil bit more Oz than snake oil . With fuel injected engines all the mixing is done in that small chamber in the head the thats going to improve fuel economy +power in cars is direct injerction like in diesels being trialed by ano. of car makers.
Just a lot more Bull to add to current list
Steve

[Shane Watson]

Well, didnt think I would get this much response.

So I decided to go ahead and give them a try, with there return policy theres really nothing I can loose. All the for and against arguements that have been posted here, I have heard before, so theres obviously a lot of contraversy over them.
Fingers crossed they do as they claim!

I have just installed them and gone for a quick spin, and there certainly does seem to be an increase in power - but then I may be feeling something thats not there out of desperation http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/confused.gif

Will keep you informed over the next month of there performance.

Cheers

Shane!!

[DonN]

What about your warranty? Ihope you asked you Ford dealer.
DonN

[Iain]

Just spoke to my cousin in WA last night, he says he has tried them and on the petrol engine there is no difference but there is a marked change with a diesel engine. He said that he has tested them with a flow meter, this apparantly measures the air flow through the head system, and it is hard to determine any differnce. Reckons they are a disaster with LPG and upset the whole balance of things.
He is aware of the unit in question and stated that he knows the bloke who devised it and as such does not want to be named but advised that he has been approached on numerous occassions to fit them in conjunction with his superchargers. He had refused.
As I mentioned earlier if you own a landcruiser it is going to have no effect as rthey are fitted with a Donaldson filter which achieves a cyclonic effect anyway.
What was interesting was that he said the magnet seems to work, it somehow polarises the fuel and makes it combust more efficiently, also said they have been in use since WW1 and he could not explain what makes them work. He also mention the tablets which you put in the fuel tank and said that these work very well, if you live in certain parts of Europe where there is a high concentration of phosphorous in the fuel, it negates the blocking of lines etc but in Australia the amount of phosphorous is neglible and these 'pills' would have little or no effect.
He went on to say if you want more power and better economy from your engine you are better off to fit a water injection system which helps to develope more power, and it works well with LPG and results in less burnt valves etc. I may have to try that on my cruiser as I have fried one set of valves and having 24 of them it is an expensive exercise in having them fixed.
Hope this is of some help to you Shane, and anyone else who is interested.
And to add to Steves post, how about poor buggers like me with a 140 litre fuel tank, that about $10 worth of tablets a fill. Thank god I'm not in Europe.

[This message has been edited by Iain (edited 14 January 2001).]

[Shane Watson]

Well I figured it was time for an update, seeing as there was a fair amount of interest, oh & I said I would post one. http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/wink.gif

Its been about 5wks since I intially installed the Hiclone system. After exhaustive tests I came to conclusion that the Hiclone system did not work in any way for my model car. Any improvement that may have been there was too small to accuratly register. I ran several different tests and nothing seemed to help with the fuel economy issue. The supplier was also stumped and couldn't offer any more advise as to what else to try. But he did however increase the 30day money back period to 60days, and for that, I was grateful as 30days really isn't quite long enough. But with me going overseas this coming weekend I had to make a decission and act upon it now. So I have now returned the said Hiclone system for a refund.
This is in no way a reflection of the product or supplier. I do feel however in a different model car the results may have been quite different, whos to say.
I mean, its not like I didn't want it to work, anything that will save me money on fuel is worth looking into!
And at the end of the day, I reakon I would still advise people to give it a go and see, theres not much to loose.
So there you go. In a nutshell.

Cheers, and thanks for the input!



------------------
Shane Watson..

Combine Love & Skill & You Can Expect A Masterpiece!