Increase your MPG by 10 to 30%!!!

[iskor12]

No, this isn't spam. LOL I am sure some of you have noticed the product "Neo Socket" on DX.

Here is a link to the products actual website.
Neo Socket - save gas mileage. reduce fuel consumption. fuel conservation product.

Now, I don't honestly believe that this product would work, but I wanted to see what you guys had to say about it.

Prove it to be plausible or prove it to be impossible.

This company claims that the Neo Socket can increase your MPG up to 30%. The product gets pluged into your cigerete outlet in your car and apparently thats when the magic happens. It has a capacitor in it that apparently smooths out all of the power fluxuations and in turn, it increases your MPG.
That's all the further that I am going to bother describing it for you guys. If you want more information, go to the link that I provided.

Later,
Iskor12

 

[daguin]

Peace,
dave

 

[MarioMaster]

Oh boy, a $2 capacitor in a shiny package? If you want a capacitor for your car why not just get a capacitor that audio people use, you'd get thousands of times more capacity for about the same price....

Decreasing electrical system noise? Yeah it probably does somewhat.

Increasing fuel efficiency? I doubt it.

 

[Eudaimonium]

If such improvement is possible by adding a simple capacitor, enormus capacitor banks would already be installed in the car, would they not?

I think this has nothing to do with reality.
Simply adding a capacitor in the cigarette lighter socket making a difference?

I think not.
I mean damn, where is the lighter socket connected to anyway, so adding a cap will make some improvement? And about these 'power flucations' they talk about, if they do happen, how can the possibly make the engine waste more gas, and reduce horse powers?

I am staying quite neutral here, but leaning towards not_gonna_happen scenario.

EDIT: Nice sum-up Dave, that is just about what I'm saying. Pic says a thousand words, indeed. Or just two most needed.

 

[aryntha]

heh. Probably placebo effect. Install it and you're a little softer on the starts. "OMG LOOK BETTER MILEAGE!"

To sum up and concurred Eudaimonium's point -- If miracles worked, everyone would be having them.

Basically, they're saying they're making your car into a mini-hybrid. Except that's... REALLY mini. Pocket sized, heh. You probably expend more energy by shifting your ass to the left on a tight curve.

The "idea" I suppose is, that the thing feeds power back into the system (for a short burst) after charging, when there's a draw.

In a way, this could work "on paper" -- when there's a higher drain on the alternator, the increased mag field does cause the alternator to be harder to turn (why your alternator will 'labor' if you have a lot of items powered when at idle) -- And if a charged capacitor is there to augment that draw during a high drain period, yeah, I suppose (air quotes) "technically" (air quotes) you'd get *less of a decrease in horsepower* during that period.

... Would it actually work? eh... I'm gonna stick my neck out and go with a flat "hell no". The only thing this might be good for is keeping your stereo "live" during a car battery change, so that it doesn't lose time/presets/settings/etc. That actually *can* be done via feeding a small 12v source into the cigarette lighter plug.

 

[Eudaimonium]

heh. Probably placebo effect. Install it and you're a little softer on the starts. "OMG LOOK BETTER MILEAGE!"

To sum up and concurred Eudaimonium's point -- If miracles worked, everyone would be having them.

:thanks:

I didn't think of placebo actually, but it is not to be discarded as a possibility.

Every car has completely different electrical installations. Car my folks drive does not have any at all I'd like to see a miracle happen in THAT!

 

[lasersbee]

What a bunch of Bunk...

There is nothing that you can attach across the electrical system
to gain horsepower...
According to the site there are LEDs that light inside...
If anything... the extra load of running the LEDs would decrease the
horsepower...though it would be by a very very small amount...

Any additional load on electrical system will load the engine...

[EDIT]

Not only that... they suggest that you can leave the unit plugged into
a live Cigarette lighter with the IGN off if it is not for prolonged periods
b/c the battery will drain......
That just means all the energy it was sucking out of the battery overnight
will need to be put back the next day by extra fuel..

Jerry

 

[Gryphon]

:crackup: Hows a little light in your cigarrette lighter socket supposed to improve fuel economy, people these days will make up anything to sell crap to people

 

[MarioMaster]

It's a capacitor and an LED in a shiny package for a crapload of money. It's crap, but people buy it anyway : \

 

[brtaman]

What a bunch of Bunk...

There is nothing that you can attach across the electrical system
to gain horsepower...
According to the site there are LEDs that light inside...
If anything... the extra load of running the LEDs would decrease the
horsepower...though it would be by a very very small amount...

Any additional load on electrical system will load the engine...

[EDIT]

Not only that... they suggest that you can leave the unit plugged into
a live Cigarette lighter with the IGN off if it is not for prolonged periods
b/c the battery will drain......
That just means all the energy it was sucking out of the battery overnight
will need to be put back the next day by extra fuel..

Jerry

Good point...caps go open circuit when they are fully charged, ie they will draw bubkiss, unless they are crap with loads of leakage...I don't know what kind of super LED they have packaged in their "product", but it would have to be damn hefty to discharge a car battery..:thinking:

Like others have said...if it was possible, every car manufacturer would already be using it to get the green mafia of their hands. Judging be the size I would say a maximum of 16v and ~10,000uF could be packaged into the "cute" product...which due to its sub-prime "filtering" or "power reserve" location and the current ripple/power draw actually found in the cars electrical system would be like putting a band-aid on a 50 cal gunshot wound. So in short, I wouldn't spend money on it.


Just a side note similar products have been around for a while, just they require installation under the hood, I have doubts about those as well, but they at least look plausible as they are metal cased and aren't packaged as female pleasure toys...

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

The car battery itself is a large energy storage device.

HMike

 

[iskor12]

I'm thinking that if I where to instal this near my battery.... I should see an increase of at least 50% more MPG...LOL

The car battery itself is a large energy storage device.

HMike

A car battery can't discharge as fast as a capacitor can....in general

 

[Meatball]

Those vehicle cells are large enough to supply hundreds of amps at once- just for starting the car. I say that they discharge fast enough. Have you heard of those hybrid caps? They are part battery, part cap.. capable of 40+ Farads.

 

[derangboy]

I could see how, in theory over a few beers, this could help. IF it could reduce the demand on the alternator, there could be a reduction in fuel used to turn it. But you'd have to be operating some high draw electronics at a specific frequency. Reminds me of the device that would increase mileage by creating turbulence in the intake airflow, the catalyst in a shiny perforated stainless capsule that would "unlock" the total power in diesel or gas fuel and the electrolysis setup that would turn water into Brown's Gas and feeds it into your air intake thus improving fuel economy.
I don't even want to start on the guy I work with who thinks you get better performance when it's raining 'cause, you know what water is right? I always spit on my air filter before I drive to work :crackup:

 

[charliebruce]

Isn't it more effective to do this instead?

With the weight saved you're looking at gains of 5mpg at least

 

[Flaminpyro]

Yes and if you install 5 of these in your boot you won't have to put any gas in at all :crackup:

I'm thinking that if I where to instal this near my battery.... I should see an increase of at least 50% more MPG...LOL

A car battery can't discharge as fast as a capacitor can....in general