CyndiWilliams - 25 May 2006 03:17 PM

Now, I was just being playful with “you guys are just hopeless” comment.

But I do understand both sides of this story. 

But honestly, do you think anyone in this group would truly be willing to concede that it works? I mean, if someone tracks their mileage for a month without the product, then uses it over a period of a month, and their average is better, then couldn’t we then conclude that the product is working?  And if so, would the skeptics be able to agree?  Or would they continue to look for other reasons to discount the results?

I would, but not over a month. My mileage and driving habits are too variable from month to month to make the test valid whether it shows improvement or not.

I’m a rationalist and a scientist and I respect truth whether it fits my pre-conceptions or not. Also I get paid to conduct studies like this (or used to), I don’t fork out my own money to conduct them.

Cyndi, people here are individuals, and as such, I can only speak for myself but I can honestly say that if the product works, why in the world would I say it didn’t?

and the only study I would accept is an independant, scientific (read, lots of gizmo’s) study, one done in the confines of a secure testing environment with set parameters. Otherwise, the variables are just too great for a reliable study to be done.

Before and after photo’s of someone’s “on-board computer” are virtually useless and prove nothing.

Well put, Chuck.

The point would be, that even if I could control all the variables (I can’t), or enough of them to do a multi-variant analysis (unlikely), I would still be a dataset of one.

Interesting report on ABC news last night.

Consumer Reports has tested every device out there for improving fuel economy. magnets, vortex device, pills, liquids etc.etc. Hundreds of devices over many years.

To date NONE of the mpg enhancers has worked as described.

NOTHING has improved mpg as claimed…ziltch, nana, zip.

Hands up anybody who is really surprised. 

Not allowed to put your hand up if you are in any way remotely connected to any company selling any mpg increase product.

Cheers,
Dave
EDH UK

May 27, 2006
Contact: 
Janie Vogel, Playa Del Racing Public Relations, (440) 915-7627, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Yasmine Rangle, Ethos Environmental Public Relations

Ethos Environmental is a manufacturer and distributor of a unique line of fuel reformulating products under the name Ethos Fuel Reformulators, or Ethos FR.  Ethos is conceived to work with any fuel in an internal combustion engine.  It adds cleaning and lubricating qualities to any type of fuel or motor oil, allowing engines to perform cooler, smoother and with more vigor.  The overall benefits are increased fuel mileage, reduced emissions and maintenance costs.  Over the last decade, the unmatched value of Ethos FR products has been proven through millions of miles of on-the-road testing.  On average, customers have achieved a 7% to 19% increase in fuel mileage, and more than 30% reduction in fuel emissions.
 
Ethos Environmental is also at the forefront in the development of new blending methods and is positioned to lead the industry with numerous new patents currently under development.  Patents are in process to cover areas of synthetic oils, sulfur substitutes and varied formulations of the original Ethos FR and its enhancements.
  The long-term objective of Ethos Environmental is to continue to provide ethical products to ethical clients concerned with minimizing the impact of harmful emissions upon the environment.  Ethos Environmental strives to contribute value to shareholders while assuming a pivotal role as a socially conscious member of an increasingly interdependent global community.


Ethos Environmental CEO Enrique Vilmorin feels that an association between the Indy 500, their product and the specifics of how it is marketed to the general public is a combination that will reap big benefits for their company immediately and into the future:

Here’s the link to the official press release about the Ethos Indy 500 car I posted above. Click on the link to see pictures of the car.

http://4-ecorp.com/news.php

Waver,
Nice to see you are still giving this new MLM a try.

“INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.: Jon Herb, co-owner of Playa Del Racing, today announced a marketing partnership with National Lampoon, Inc. (AMEX: NLN) and it’s most recent release, National Lampoon Presents Jake’s Booty Call, for the #21 Videopoker.com Panoz/Honda/Firestone entry driven by Jaques Lazier, and the #12 Panoz/Honda/Firestone entry to be driven by Roger Yasukawa, to run the Indianapolis 500 on May 28, 2006.”

I wonder how this works. Do they watch the DVD in the cars and go faster through laughing?

“Barry Layne, Executive Vice President of National Lampoon, is confident his association with the Playa Del Racing Team for the 90th Indianapolis 500 will result in big benefits for his company:”

“Susan Schafer, vice president of Playa Del Racing, today announced a marketing partnership with Fair Finance for the #21 Videopoker.com Panoz/Honda/Firestone entry driven by Jaques Lazier, and the #12 Panoz/Honda/Firestone entry to be driven by Roger Yasukawa, to run the Indianapolis 500 on May 28, 2006. Lazier and Yasukawa will start 24th and 28th, respectively, in that event.”

What, you borrow money and the cars go faster?

“PLAYA DEL RACING ANNOUNCES SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT WITH ROGERS MARKETING AND PRINTING FOR 2006 INDY 500”

I guess if you read about the team on a flyer, they go faster!

The point is, I suppose, that sponsorship is just that, hard cash, sorely needed by teams that spend millions of dollars to even get to the race, let alone be competitive.

You are implying that somehow being associated with this racing team means Ethos works.

Nice try, but no banana.

By the way, perhaps you could let me know where on the current official Team website there is any menton of Ethos?

http://www.playadelracing.com/

Best wishes Waver (from the LifeWaver scam days).

Dave
EDH UK

Popular Mechanics, a great magazine, did a good in-depth feature article a few months ago on fuel additives and other devices designed to give better mileage, something a bit courageous since their back pages are crammed with ads for the crap, both chemical additives and do-hickeys that attach somewhere to the engine or exhaust.

Nothing worked, not a thing, and many made things worse (go figure!).  Some were even fire hazards!

They pointed out that the modern internal combustion engine releases 99% of the available energy in the gasoline that runs through it.  So, obviously, there is not too much room for improvement already.

The only real way would be to have a better lubricant that allows the engine to consume less of its own power to run.  (An internal combustion engine uses about 75% of its own energy just to run itself.)

They also pointed out, since the testing they did was by brand name, that soon the ads for the stuff would now proclaim, ‘As Featured in Popular Mechanics!’

Now, of course, there are octane-boosters, and additives such as nitro that will give your engine a tremendous boost in horse-power (at the expense of the engine’s warranty and reliability).  But they do not make the engine run more efficiently, that is, more miles per dollar, just more powerful, and you pay dearly for that.

But still, there will be plenty of people that will continue to buy the stuff, bless their trusting souls.

Ever heard the urban myth that Union Oil (or Standard, or BP) bought the patent rights to a carburetor that would have given automobiles 80 mpg?  For one, patents do not work that way; if a patent holder withholds a product from the marketplace, anyone else can move in and market it, perfectly legally.  And two, Japan, which has no oil production, they would certainly just ignore any danger of patent infringement and build the damn carburetors anyway.  But still the myth lives on, like Dracula or Penis enlargers.

Dan the Technical-Reporter

Dan Jr.

“Now, of course, there are octane-boosters, and additives such as nitro that will give your engine a tremendous boost in horse-power (at the expense of the engine

EDHUK - 04 June 2006 02:44 PM

As you know, many people out there continue to put high grade fuel into cars that only need the regular 87 grade to run perfectly. They happily spend that extra 20 cents a gallon year after year, even when the vehicle handbook plainly states 87. “It cleans my engine” etc.

Much like all these mythical mpg enhancers, the myth of extra performance from the “better” grade of fuel continues to this day.

Cheers,

Dave

I know!  My daughter’s fiance is a PhD candidate in Microbiology, and he insists on high octane fuel in his car, even after I explained that he is buying a feature in the gasoline that is worthless in his car (namely preventing premature ignition due to high-compression).

And all those things like ‘Techroline’ and stuff, it is like one quart of additive per 50,000 gallon gasoline truck, and is nothing but a silly promotion.

Oh, well!  I fell for Shaklee Vitamins a long time ago, then Herbalife, so I guess I am just as dumb, just in a different vein.

Dan the Health-Nut Believer

Dan Jr. wrote:  “Ever heard the urban myth that Union Oil (or Standard, or BP) bought the patent rights to a carburetor that would have given automobiles 80 mpg?  For one, patents do not work that way; if a patent holder withholds a product from the marketplace, anyone else can move in and market it, perfectly legally.”

That’s not exactly correct.  In the U.S., you can buy up a patent and keep other people from using it, if that’s what you really want to do (although there may have been a significant shift in that position with the U.S. Supreme Court case of Ebay v. MercExchange last month - we’ll have to see how lower courts apply that ruling).  BUT once a patent expires (in 20 years after filing), it’s fair game for everybody to use.  So any patent that issued more than about 18 years ago is now public record and is within what we call the public domain.  Nobody can keep anybody from using it.  In any event, the urban myth referred to above is exactly that.