...took a trip to pep boys...

[BlueSaph95GT]

so i (unfortunately) went to my local peps boys on my hunt for a new battery the other day, and amongst all the ricer lights and SiR badges and crap there was a little display of these things called the "Tornado." I stopped and looked at them (64.99) and all they are is a little round piece with some angled sheet metal that supposedly twists the air going into your throttle body (you fit the "Tornado" into your air inlet between the MAF and the throttle body). anyways, these things look like a total gimmick to me and i'm sure they don't make any noticeable horsepower, but i couldn't help but be curious after reading their claims in MPG increases. They were claiming 10-20% increases in gas mileage on the display sign and showed before/after MPG figures of like 5 cars (the only two i remember are the camry and the grand marquis). i've seen them in catalogs before but always disregarded them, but now i'm curious. anyone use them? are they just a total gimmick like i think they are? if they actually work, i wouldn't mind picking up a couple extra MPG's........ if nothing else, i'll just head back to the store and buy myself some sweet NOS seat covers and some bolt on aluminum double stack wings! *drools* lol......thanks guys

p.s. i actually saw a jeep wrangler with those nasty NOS seat covers today!!!!! yuck...

 

[94whitesnake]

nah dude, those things are a joke.

You could increase your mpg (efficiency) with a swirling action in the combustion chamber (hence the high-swirl heads), but that thing will have no effect on the flow in the heads.

 

[BlueSaph95GT]

nah dude, those things are a joke.

You could increase your mpg (efficiency) with a swirling action in the combustion chamber (hence the high-swirl heads), but that thing will have no effect on the flow in the heads.

good to hear my suspicions were correct...who would have thought something that looks like clothes dryer piping was useless?

 

[red ink]

wait wait wait...it may be useless for power..but how do u know it dosent help gass milage?

 

[David R]

Does sound like a gimmick, but I watched thier infomercial and they put one in a...like 96 impala, and the dyno "said" there was a power gain(like 16-18 horses).....BUT it was prolly just a fake run at it

Would be interesting if it actually did do somethin' though.

 

[red ink]

We could start a stangnet fund to test ridiculous products..just send the money to me and i will tell ya how the tornado works

 

[SN95StangMan]

Theres no way in hell that the tornado will hel a 5 liter mustang. The air isnt going to go through the air inlet tube, past the TB, through the upper intake, split up into 8 individual runners, and go down into the combustion chambers, still maintaining a "tornado" of air. Also, I cant believe you have never heard of the tornado until now, that thing is older than the automobile.

 

[VibrantRedGT]

There Marketing campaign must be doing something right because this is the third post in 4 days about the Tornado.

 

[TT91]

those damn things have been around for a good year now...there a joke

 

[red ink]

Mabey they would be decent on a carberated car. That way its a straight tube right to were the gas is.

 

[pleasehelp]

http://autorepair.about.com/library/products/aafpr052002.htm
http://www.automotivehelper.com/topic47162.htm

"In my opinion you would do better to take the $69.98 the Tornado costs and get a good tune up. That is still the best way to get the most power and mileage from your engine."

 

[95GTvert[bv12]]

K&N makes a simlar thing for carb's but not for EFI, i would think carb is more like to work and help mix the air and fuel but the swirl would still not continue into the heads

 

[BlueSaph95GT]

oh i've heard of the tornado for quite a while now, its just the first time i ever saw one up close because there was no way in hell i was going to pony up 70 bucks for the ridiculous thing. i was talking with my friend and dad and we came to the same conclusion about there being very little chance of it doing anything besides being an obstruction (especially with the intake manifold style of the 5.0), but anyways, what i was really curious to see was if anyone actually bought one of these contraptions. of course now, i'm sure if anyone on here has, they're probably too ashamed to admit it. anyways, it may be a stupid topic, but you have to admit (anyone that has seen the little display in stores) it definitely makes you wonder. and besides, who doesn't like a good gimmick? the famous bag 'o glass and the bass-o-matic '76 are in my basement, lol

 

[Fast94Cobra]

i'm sure it's a pile of crap. if it has been around for so long and no one has actually used it or tested it and been impressed with it, it doesent work. oh, and dont knock NOS seat covers....



jk

 

[stunner6910]

ok, i'm glad all of you have an opinion of the tornado, even though no one mentioned ever trying it. i saw the infomercial and decided to buy it. i bought it for 75bucks at NAPA. and to my surprise it did help, and it was noticeable. i installed the induction kit and felt nothing, but the next day i bought and installed the tornado, and let me tell you, i felt the car just a bit lighter. it's not something that you would compare to gears or pulleys, but you will notice it. my car with 3.73 gears, ud pulleys, induction kit,and the tornado was giving me 290 mpg. no b/s. it was a 94 GT. I don't know if it'll do as much without the induction kit, but with it, I did notice a small increase in power and big increase in mpg. i vouch for this product because i have used it and i would suggest for all of you to try it, and you'll see.

 

[swingline]

You got 290 mpg? And I'm Elvis.

 

[stunner6910]

all i'm saying is to try it you non-believer.

 

[Car Nut]

This reminds me of the ProLong informercials where they took a Viper and ran it without oil for hours. Of course, a couple years later ProLong and many other companies offering products with "too good to be true" promises were banned or at least fined heavily for false claims. Even though these companies pay multi-million dollar penalties, you still end up seeing their products for sale (cause people still buy them). A bit of a different product, but the point is the same.

If you're really interested in better mpg, stay off the right pedal more. Yeah, right. I bought an RSX cause it had good gas mileage and was nice. I got the stang for a whole other reason, namely using as much gas in as little time as possible.