Anybody ever try one of those Tornando air intakes? Just wondering if there was anything to these things or is it one of these miracle products that don't really work?

 

I got some beach front property in Arizona! Mearly snake oil that will lighten your wallet. Don't waste your time with that thing.

 

When I bought the Chev.. K1500 with a 350 it had one in the and after driving with it in and removing it and driving without and checking the mileage it does not make a any changes. The power is the same with or without!

 

Junk. And fairly expensive junk at that. When I (surprisingly) saw them for sale at my local Napa, I asked the manager if he (or Napa) was kidding. I told him my opinion that having several boxes of those things stacked in the window was causing his store to take a pretty big credibility hit. He seemed embarassed about it himself, but we both shared a little laugh told me that he actually had sold a couple.

 

I've seen them advertised here on FTE. Still JUNK but thought that was funny.

Chris

 

The general opinion anywhere you ask is that the Tornado Fuel Saver is 100% snake oil. Anyone you see touting its benefits are being paid to do so. The most definitive test I've seen debunking the effects of the Tornado comes from Car and Driver magazine when they tested one some time ago in a BMW sedan. They ran the car around an oval test track and observed the mileage using computerized equipment. They then repeated the run with the Tornado installed. Their result...NO difference! I also read some technical reasons why it would not work. Basically the swirling motion of the air generated by the Tornado would be dissipated by the time the air makes its way to the throttle body. If it does indeed increase mileage, it's because of the restriction of the airflow to your engine. In this case, you would also experience a slight loss in engine power as well.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I actually was gullible and purchased the Tornado when I first got my truck. After further research on the web revealed how useless it was, I returned it. The funny thing I remember is that the Tornado came packaged with several pages of testimonies from "users" (heavy emphasis on the quotation marks) describing how effective it is. It's as if they are trying to brainwash the buyer into thinking that it has any kind of effect. The sad reality is that with the recent increase in gas prices, alot of people are going to be suckered into buying it.

 

You also have to keep in mind too that one of the factors that goes into calibrating an MAF sensor is the shape and length of the intake tube, as well the size of the throttle body. (The PCM is aware of this data, as well.) The flow of air coming in through the intake tube and TB is an important variable that is accounted for in the design of every Ford air intake system. There is a reason why so many aftermarket air intake systems come with their own MAF.

Accordingly, by introducing something like the Tornado into the equation - which affects normal air flow in the manner that it does - causes everything else in the system to become "out of sync" with what the original design calls for and what the PCM is expecting in terms of feedback. This, by any stretch of the imagination, is no recipe for performance improvement

 

It reminds me of a device that used to be sold to bolt under carbs that actually had a little free-turning propeller under each throttle plate. This was claimed to reduce emissions, economy, power, etc. for the same basic reason. The state of CA was duped by some phony lab tests showing reduced emissions to approve it. The only thing it really did was lean out the mixture a bit because of a small hole in it that induced a vacuum leak.

"A fool and his money are soon departed."

 

If stuff like this really did work, the manufacturers would be all over it to up their CAFE. Until Ford sticks one in your truck from the factory, pass!

 

I put a super tornado on my truck after seeing all the testimonianls on tv. WOW! What a difference! I hooked my truck up to a dyno and it gave me another 50HP!! Also, It brought my mileage up from 10mpg to 22mpg. It has already paid for itself in fuel savings. The difference is truly amazing, plus it is cool thinking you have a TORNADO under your hood! Pluse I had a loud rod knock that the tornado seems to have solved, its like a rebuild while you drive!!

 

Man, I think Ill go buy one now!!!

 

If one TORNADO did all that, imagine what 2 will do

 

I read a article about that thing and it said that the cars that they tested it on either got worst gas milage or the same. Personally I cant see how that thing can "spin" in your intake. Keep the 40 bucks its not worth it

 

from what i have heard it's a ripoff