tornado air system Options

[97celicaca]

"Tornado Air System" (As Seen on TV)? It's "designed to enhance fuel economy and increase power. Increases gas mileage up to 24%." I just saw it in a Pep Boys ad and was wondering if it does what it says. Does anyone have it or knows of it?

Yeah, I noticed some people already spoke of this a while ago but does anyone have any new insight? Thanks.

[SpedToe169]

Sorry guys, but I have to raise the bull**** flag on this one.

The effect they claim to generate (swirl in the airstream leading to better atomization and flame propigation) with the little fins and stuff could potentially do something if said effect had any chance of reaching the injectors or the combustion chamber. The fact is, it doesn't. On our cars for instance, if you place the 'tornado' in the tube leading to the throttle body (I dunno if thats where it goes, but it has to go somewhere upstream of the manifold so we'll give them the benefit of the doubt). As the air comes in to the tube it speeds up and goes past the 'tornado'. The 'tornado' makes it swirl (but also causes a slight flow restriction while doing so). The swirling air then goes the rest of the way up the tube and ot the throttle body. Now it has to go past the throttle butterfly, which might not be fully open, casing the flow to change dramatically. The swirl is probably all gone by this point, but we'll keep going just in case. Now the air enters the plenum. A plenum is designed to be a large volume 'box' that is supposed to smooth the air entering the intake runners and reduce any pressure pulses coming up the intake runners to nothing. It does this because it basically negates the flow charactersitics, slows the air down, then allows it to smoothly enter the transition area into the port. Then it goes down the port, past the fuel injector where all the 'mixing' of fuel and air begins. There is no way any 'swirl' that happened clear out past the throttle body is going to make it this far, therefore, there is no positive effect. The only effect it has is the flow restriction it causes in the intake tract.

Sorry to rant, but this is one of the all time worst automotive aftermarket products when it comes to false claims. 24% increase in fuel mileage? Give me a break.

Don't waste your money.

This post has been edited by SpedToe169: Jan 23, 2004 - 7:04 PM