I have a 2005 4Runner with the 4.7L V8 engine. I'm trying to get a little better gas milage. I purchased a tornado air intake device. Haven't installed it yet.

I am curious if anyone has any information on these fuel line magnets. Has anyone used one and do they work?

I've found one with 90 day moneyback guarantee. Costs almost $40 with shipping.

I can't help you with the fuel line magnets. However, you may want to do a search for a Consumer Reports test of the tornado intake device before you install it. I remember reading a CR test of these fuel saving devices, and they didn't work. In fact, in some cases, they may have even experienced decreased gas mileage.

I wanted to say this before anyone else You didn't buy a V8 4Runner for gas mileage purposes. If gas mileage was your biggest concern you would have bought a yaris..... Anyway The best way to get better gas mileage is to let the engine breath better (i.e. cold air intake and bigger exhaust which are probably only going to yield minimum results in which case you would have saved more money on not buying them and just driving slower and making sure your tires are inflated properly.

Think, why would car manufacters not add this stuff if it works.

In a fuel injected engine the fuel is injected just before the intake valve, so there's no reason to spin the incoming air with a Tornado. As previously stated, it can actually decrease mileage due to the increased turbulence and drag it creates in the intake manifold.

It's nothing more than snake oil, and to add insult to injury, probably doesn't cost more than a buck or so to manufacture. If you can return it I would do it immediately.

If it sounds too good to be true...

Send it back , its crap !!

You have a V8 , get used to it ! The cold air intake and exhaust will get you no better milage either , or a very , very little at best and will never make up the cost of the intake & the exhaust + installation if you can't do it yourself.

Best advice for optimum milage , keep engine in good tune , run good gas , keep recommended tire pressure , and put a road tire on instead of an all terrain when tires need replacing.

Some might have a thought on running synthetic oil , I dont know anythiong about that so they can chime in.

Sorry to burst your bubble on the toys.....

Hmmm, I always wondered about those things, now I know... waste of time and money is the cliff notes version.

The fuel-line magnet has got to be the funniest scam of them all!

Hey guys thanks for the input, but I'm always looking for ways to save fuel in good times and in bad. It's good for everyone to do so.

Some of you backed your advice up and I appreciate it. Others took my question as an opportunity to "stroke themselves" rather than answer it with statistical data. If you don't know, just say I don't know or don't answer it in the first place.

I joined this site to seek information and have devoted some time to looking into these items - some people have gotten good results or they may be deceptive, I can't tell.

But, If I don't see the statistics, I can't tell if your lyeing either.

If both these items put together only save 1/2 mile per gallon, over the life of this truck ( at least 10 years ) how much have I saved compared to cost?

I don't understand all this animosity from a simple question.

I think that Toyota has all the engineering prowess and incentive they need to maximize fuel economy. I doubt that there would be something capable of improving fuel economy without compromising performance or a huge price tag.

Only way to improve fuel economy would be proper tires and inflation, well tuned and subdued driving habits.

I've got the V8 and Nitto TerraGrapplers so I can't really worry about it. Can't think of any other vehicle I'd be as happy with despite the gas mileage.

Since you have already purchased the Tornado, why not do a long term test for the board? Start tracking fuel consumption over the next couple weeks and then add the Tornado and see if there is a REAL difference.

Yeah,

I plan on doing so, I purchased the item on an insured credit card with a 60 day gaurantee.

I'll be glad to post the results for others; worst case scenario - it costs me some added fuel burn over 3-4 tanks of gas to find out.

you'd be better off buying elbow grease and headlight fluid if you ask me.

Dude, trust us, don't install that tornado thing, it is a TOTAL waste of money. Although it uses the same concept as a throttle body spacer (TBS), it is way too much of an impedance to incoming air. There have been plenty of tests done to see if these type of gimicks work, and they have all given the same results, the same or worse fuel consumption.

Direct quote from CNN.com story (via Popular Mechanics study):

"In the test, the Tornado reduced a Lincoln Navigator's fuel mileage by just under a mile per gallon, from 18.4 mpg without the device to 17.5 mpg with it installed."

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science...ion/index.html


As for the TBS, I have seen good results, but unfortuneately no one makes one for the '05-'06 V8.

If you want better gas mileage, the best way is to make sure your tires are inflated at or above factory specs, and drive like a grandma, that's pretty much it.

Other more involved ideas include running a synthetic oil like Royal Purple and changing the dif fluids to a synthetic brand.

As for an air intake and exhaust, I believe that these performance mods help fuel economy because they enhance the engine's ability to move air, which is essentially the primary function of an engine. Although I haven't done any scientific studies of my own, I can tell you that my fuel economy has improved at least 1-2 mpg with the intake/exhaust install. I average about 16-17 mpg and I drive the truck HARD.

Seriously though, send the Tornado back, you'll thank us later.