Topic: Use water to increase MPG. Scam? has anyone seen this?

[stan98tj]

I was on youtube and came across these two videos:
one is a news report: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucKuyOAt3D0&feature=related

and the other is a guy and his YJ claiming it gets around 36mpg using this water additive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ireXlV7m-k&feature=related

has anyone seen or heard of ppl using this? I saw something online about it some many months ago but ive never heard of anyone actually doing it. Im guesing it's probably bogus and just a scam to get into your wallet as gas prices go up. But then again, it would be nice to get some concrete proof as to whether it works or not.

[oldjeep]

Look up "Hydrogen Stripper"  folks have been selling this BS on the internet forever, works great when paired with an electric supercharger 
The technology works, but the size of what they are installing creates enough hydrogen gas for a flame the size of a birthday candle - if you are lucky.

[stan98tj]

I just had a hard time believing all the science behind it. I understand what they are saying, but i couldnt wrap my head around the improvements they were posting. And then the news agencies started reporting about it which then made me wonder what if......but then i figured if it actually did work, why wasnt every single member of this forum using it and why wasnt i told about it?

[sharpxmen]

so i got on and did some research. that news video was released in July '08, almost 2 years ago.
the one in the news states that is using potassium hydroxide, which is a lye like the one used to manufacture soap and is either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide also known as caustic soda - highly corrosive. the reaction between sodium hydroxide and aluminum releases hydrogen, not sure about potassium hydroxide - but the news video did not mention aluminum (plus what would be the cost of the hydrogen if you need to spend money on aluminum as it is not cheap).

usually you break down the water in hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis and the use of an electrolyte (which is where the potassium hydroxide comes in play). Question is how much will it cost you to produce the hydrogen and how much power will it use to produce it (it uses electricity, so the alternator will have to work harder to produce that extra energy).

that's as far as i got...

[stan98tj]

im just curious to see if it actually works as they say it does. None provide info regarding long term effects on engine life. Many seem to use the "powers that be dont want ppl to know about this" so im still unsure. I am still curious though...

[oldjeep]

im just curious to see if it actually works as they say it does. None provide info regarding long term effects on engine life. Many seem to use the "powers that be dont want ppl to know about this" so im still unsure. I am still curious though...

Always a good sign that its at least partially BS.  If the car companies could increase milage or run cars completely off water for a decent cost they would be all over it.

[sharpxmen]

im just curious to see if it actually works as they say it does. None provide info regarding long term effects on engine life. Many seem to use the "powers that be dont want ppl to know about this" so im still unsure. I am still curious though...

you break the water into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis - then you use the hydrogen to partially replace the gasoline when the engine is running - but it takes a long time to produce the hydrogen and also uses electricity. not sure about the energy that the hydrogen produces in comparison to gasoline so how much you can replace (could be easily calculated, i'm sure wikipedia has them) but to use it in realtime it is probably unlikely, more maybe producing it overnight and then use it for a little bit until it runs out. From what i read it actually costs more to produce the equivalent in hydrogen than the actual cost of gasoline so that kinda buries the whole thing. ok, so you get 50mpg but you don't account for the amount of hydrogen - yeah, thanks a lot, if you have enough hydrogen you won't be using gas at all.

[Sine Deviance]

drop a cummins 4cylinder diesel in it. then theres your efficiency and torque 

4BT FTW!

[stan98tj]

drop a cummins 4cylinder diesel in it. then theres your efficiency and torque 

ive been thinking about it    But at any rate, these videos did make me pause for a moment and check em out. Who wouldnt want to increase their gas millage using water if it were nice and easy, and even better if you could just buy a kit to install for a low low price.

[Sine Deviance]

well. just from what i understand. increase fuel range by appropriate driving habits. my daily driving car is a little ford escort and it claims to get 26mpg highway but i get roughly more then 30mpg. i dont exceed a speed of 60mph and i avoid dead stops also i coast my vehicle alot(being it is manual). it tough for a jeep to get more then 20mpg due to its aerodynamics and large tires it is required to pull. eliminating things such as a manual fan, AC, powersteering could possibly gain more mileage but still not too many. i hit between 16-20mpg on my stock yj and im fine with that. honestly thats not too bad. i'm not sure what the other guys with 33+ tires are getting though...

What he said. I got a '94 Corolla DX Wagon a few weeks ago (free!) to be my daily driver. My Jeep has been rotated to the recreational car instead of the DD. Now it pretty much stays parked unless the sun is out and I feel like cruising around town with the doors off. I'll still use it for dates and stuff, though; (smart) chicks dig Jeeps.

[stan98tj]

i love mine too much to not dd her. my whole mission for this vehicle was to get it to the "perfect" (or as close to perfect as possible) balance between daily driver and off-roader.

[bammerman]

chicks dig Jeeps.

That is why my current gf started talking to me.  She wanted to drive my jeep

[sharpxmen]

That is why my current gf started talking to me.  She wanted to drive my jeep

so i take she didn't get to drive it yet (by the "current" status) 

[TrailsLessTaken]

so i take she didn't get to drive it yet (by the "current" status) 

Hey ya gotta keep her around some how