Originally Posted by Associated Content

<FONT SIZE="3">Car Product Reviews: The Turbonator</FONT>
It Sounds Too Good to Be True, but Does it Work?

By John Galt

What if you could add over twenty horse power to your engine and mange to save gas mileage by only spending $69.99? That, of course, is the claim of the a product known as the "turbonator". While products resembling the turbonator have been around for quite some time, perhaps this is the first device to make such outrageous claims and still show so many great customer reviews on their website. Yes, at that price, the turbonator really does sound too good to be true. However, is it worth buying?

To begin with, let's start by analyzing what the turbonator is and how it actually claims to work. Essentially, the turbonator is a small metal fin that is placed inside the air intake. This fin then works by spinning the incoming air before it reaches the engine. The theory behind this is that spinning air moves faster, and thus will also bypass turns in the intake piping much quicker.

Simply reading the description should make one pause and think though. By placing something in the intake, we obstruct airflow. Laws of nature tell us that something which is obstructed will not allow movement the same as something which is free of clutter. So, contrary, to what the turbonator may claim to be, it is really nothing more than a metal fin placed into your intake. Even though their may be truth to the statement that spinning air flows faster, this does not have an applicable purpose when talking about the amount of air that enters your engine.

With that in mind, let us discuss the actual performance of the turbonator. Although it claims to increase horsepower and increase gas mileage. Most testimonies (and common sense) should tell us that the turbonator will decrease both of those two factors. When we place something into the intake manifold without any purpose, what we are doing is blocking the right amount of air from getting into our engines. From the factory, car engines are tuned to receive the right amount of air for the necessary engine. When we alter this balance, then, we actually decrease the performance of the engine. Thus, we can be sure that the estimated extra "20 to 35" horse power that the device promises is nothing but lies.

However, let us also examine the claim for increased gas mileage. While the claims about performance are simply misleading, the better gas mileage is an outright lies. Far from increasing the amount of gas mileage you get out of your vehicle, the turbonator has, in many cases, actually resulted in customer getting less mileage per gallon.

Add these outright lies with the fact that the turbonator often takes several attempts to install correctly, and that it may in some cases actually damage the engigne, and we have a product that not only does not live up to it's claims, but is also a horrible choice, and should be avoided by any and all who truly care about their cars or wish their vehicles to run right. Do not believe the claims of the turbonator, your seventy dollars can be spent in much better ways, such as a tune-up that will actually increase in your gas mileage and performance, and also extend the life of your vehicle.

Originally Posted by Wikianswers

Question

If a turbonator really works?

Answer

The "Mythbusters" on the discovery channel says absolutly not. Also the "Speed Channel" says they not only don't work, they could potentially damage your engine if it fails.