Fuel Catalysts

[Gavsta]

There was a story (read Advertisment) on Today Tonight about the Fitch fuel catalyst and its supposed benifits have got me sort of interested.

They tested a landcruiser and it gained about 6kw atw.
They also claim it will reduce fuel consumption by 12-15%, reduce emissions & your car will start better.

For the Astina its just a drop in model which is $200
http://www.fitchcatalyst.com.au/Product-Detail.asp?P=5

Does anyone here have one for their car? and is it worth it?

Another product is available which is made by fuelstar in NZ
This one costs $207NZ and has to be installed in-line with the fuel line.
http://www.fuelstar.com/product_range.html

I'd be interested if they stop the blackness on my muffler tips, as I've heard this is unburmt fuel.

$200 is not alot for the performance gains it offers.

[mazdamanik]

if u wanna stop the blackness try retuning the car so its not running as rich....be carful not to make it lean though as this can make ur engine very unhappy

[Nate]

these things have been around for years ... arnt these the things that ended the brock / hsv relationship???

there is only one way to find out!!

and i cant believe the landcruiser had only 62 kw!

[mazdamanik]

the thing the ended the brock/ hsv was "The Polarizer" and it was designed to reduce overall vechile noise....nothing to do with fuel

[Rupewrecht]

i saw that report, but i still have my doubts

and nate - the cruiser may only have 62kw but it probably had 500nm of torque!

[Astro Boy]

Originally Posted by Gavsta

Another product is available which is made by fuelstar in NZ
This one costs $207NZ and has to be installed in-line with the fuel line.
http://www.fuelstar.com/product_range.html

Go Fuelstar! Its worth the money, especially if you have a problem pinging, or want to run higher compression... the rate at which it dispenses tin into the fuel gives it the equavalent of 70 octance points, (or around 7 units, ie, 95 to 102)... and yes, it will dramatically decrease unburnt fuel...

Of all the dodgy scamming products on the market (read: brock polariser), this is one that is for real.... and their main global distribution centre is in brisbane, so stuff's always avaliable... look at the end of the day, the thing's got an un-conditional warranty, so if you dont like it, get ya money back...

[Gavsta]

Yeah I've got my doubts as well.

Thats why I asked here, Surely something that does what these claim would be very popular. But maybe its just that everyone are skeptics and they've never really picked up?

I'll probably end up getting one as its only $200

Just wanted to check that they weren't just rip-offs

[Astro Boy]

I've got one on the civic.. couldn't be happier

When you run 11:1 compression and 9200rpm you want all the octance you can get and it has stopped my high rpm pinging that i sometimes got if i didn't add my octane booster properly, so its good to have a backup

I got a good deal too, i got a larger canister than would other wise be expected for my size engine (for obvious reasons), at the lower cost...

[Gavsta]

If my car was turbo I'd definately get one for the higher octane.

But its basically a stock BP with Extractors, zorst and soon to be CAI
I run ultimate so theres plenty of octane for my engine.

I was basically interested in the performance/efficiency of them.

One guy on the nissansilvia forums said it would be better to buy 20kgs of salt and 20kgs of sand then eat the salt and rub the sand in your eyes then buy a fuelstar so he seems to hate them with a passion.

[Nate]

he drives a silvia ... says it all

[Astro Boy]

good on him... i bet he also beleives that big shinny wheels incease handling and performance...

anyways, higher octance means advanced timing means performance...

even in an NA car you can always do better... i run 18 degree static advance, which translates into more like 25 or 30 at high rpm, in a 30yr motor that screams its guts out at nearly 10,000rpm... beleive me, if only for the protection, its worth it...

I dunno wot sort of advance you can screw out of an astina, but you can can never have too much octane.... (correction: you can if you don't take advantage of it, if you increase your octance but not your timing, you'll loose performance, remember that octance slows the rate at which fuel burns)

anyways, try it, if you don't like it, get your money back...

[chicaboo]

Hmmm, I think people don't buy these things because it costs so much for a finite product that needs replenishing every so often. Greg, how many km's do you get out of the Fuelstar?

[Gavsta]

They claim its 500,000kms or 10,000 hours or something like that.

So I dont think the problem is the capacity as it will well outlast the life of the engine.

I've found an australian site which sells the model for our car for $180
At Speed Auto Parts

They also sell the kn33-2134 panel filter for $85.80 so they're pretty cheap.

[chicaboo]

Errr, some of have 1.8s and 2.0s that would probably need the 3.0L type model units based on the amount of fuel we use and power we make...

Gav.

[arden]

Originally Posted by chicaboo

Errr, some of have 1.8s and 2.0s that would probably need the 3.0L type model units based on the amount of fuel we use and power we make...

Gav.

$385 smackeroos for the inline model!!! opps im talkina bout the filst one..not fuelstar

[chicaboo]

Yeah, the Fuelstar is available locally for $180 up to 2.0 or $230 up to 3.0L... I might give the 3.0L inline model a go before I get the microtech. Has anyone tried those little magnets you put around your injectors? I can't rememer what they're called. Incidently I have tried the Hiclone, and it was a waste of time, I excercised my right to get my money back on that one!

[Gavsta]

I think the injector caps are called Vaporate.
Repco sells them for $285.

I think they're just a nozzle which will turn your fuel into more of a mist when it goes into the chamber. This seperates the particles allowing them to be burnt more efficiently.

Originally Posted by sabrelli

$385 smackeroos for the inline model!!! opps im talkina bout the filst one..not fuelstar

The site says that the inline models are better suited to diesel engines.
For a larger engine you just need to buy the bigger drop in kit for $285.

For the fuelstar the positives far outweigh the negatives so I'll be getting one in the near future.
Should I get the 3L one? Or is the 2L sufficient for the mods I have?

[chicaboo]

Originally Posted by Gavsta

For the fuelstar the positives far outweigh the negatives so I'll be getting one in the near future.
Should I get the 3L one? Or is the 2L sufficient for the mods I have?

I'm finding that the Fuelstar is looking better based on price, what the members are saying and the endorsements from government bodies towards it. I tend to think because we mod our engines we need more fuel supply and wouldn't want this Fuelstar thing to restrict fuel flow at any time, so I think the extra $50 for the 3.0L model is the way to go.
My concern with the drop-in units is that you won't always get a 100% perfect mix in the fuel all the time. Does this mean you have less effect on a full tank and too much on a low tank? Hmmm, it just sounds like the in-line model provides a perfect result at all times.

[Gavsta]

Yeah I've gone a bit off the fitch drop in unit.

For a small car your putting 4 individual cyclinders into the tank. Not only does this slightly reduce fuel capacity but I wonder what happens to them when your running on empty? (not that I ever do that).

They also treat the whole tank. does that mean that if your car lies dormant for a while then more tin is released into the fuel then is needed. At least the fuelstar treats the fuel as it passes through the lines.

[chicaboo]

Word. Here are some Ozzie distributors for fuel star:
http://www.aapsa.com.au/fuelstar.htm
http://www.hicloneqld.com/fuelstar.htm
Greg: Where can we get the Fuelstar locally in Brisbane without having to pay shipping?

Gav.