$70 Supercharger!

[jimberg]

This product is the same thing as the Tornado as already mentioned. The advertisement for which you provided the link doesn't provide much information so I can only comment on what I know about the Tornado's claims.

They claim the Tornado uses the same technology as turbo-fan engines on airliners. This claim is similar to referring to the device as a supercharger since jet engines and superchargers (and more closely, turbochargers) use the same technology. Jet engines and super/turbochargers use spinning turbines to compress air. Jet engines use the exhaust to turn the turbine which is what makes them more like turbochargers. The tornado or the device in question do not spin. They only passively cause the air to rotate. The restrict airflow more than the improve it.

In the Tornado infommercial they demonstrate how flow is improved by using two liter bottles taped together in the shape of an hour glass. Instead of sand they contain water. When they just turn it over, the water just goes "glub, glub, glub" like we're all familiar with when we try to pour oil too quickly. Then they swirl the water to create a vortex and, wow, the water just pours right on over. This demonstration is specious since they are comparing water, which cannot be compressed, to air, which can be. The reason water doesn't pour easily without the vortex is that the air from the side where the water is being removed is at a lower pressure than the air in the side where the water is being moved. The glubs are where air makes it from the higher pressure side to the lower pressure side. When the vortex is created, a little air hole is generated in the middle of the vortex that allows both sides to maintain equilibrium.

Then, finally, they have another demonstration where they show a box with a vacuum on one side and a hole on the other. This pulls the air through the box. A little spinner is placed inside the box that just kind of moves erratically back and forth. The fins are straight. The "inventor" then places the device on the intake hole and, wow, the spinner starts to spin really fast. Once again, this demonstration is specious. They try to leave you with the impression that the air is moving faster since the spinner is spinning faster. The reality is that the spinner only measures if the air is spinning. It doesn't measure the velocity of the air.

Since they use deceptive gimmicks to sell the product, it's a pretty good bet that the product is a fraud. They make their money on shipping and handling charges that don't get refunded or the poor saps that either think they work or are too embarrassed to try to get their money back.

$70 would be better spent on underdrive pulleys or an adjustable fuel pressure regulator. If you have both of those, you are more than welcome to send me the $70 (plus a $10 materials fee) and I will cast a voodoo spell on your car to make it faster. I'm sure that I can guarantee the same results. If not, I'll return the $70 but the $10 is non-refundable.