The Turbonator is a small automotive device that is produced by the U.S company Turbonator, Inc. The Turbonator is advertised as a non-moving vortex generator device that comes complete with fins which are said to improve the car’s combustion process, which in turn improves gas usage and boosts the car’s speed. The vortex created by the device produces a swirling, fast burning effect in the combustion chamber which further refines the fuel. In theory, this should mean the Turbonator improves flame propagation and affords the vehicle a more thorough combustion. The Turbonator retails at around $69.95 US Dollars (USD) in the United States.
The company that manufactures the Turbonator was established in September 2001 in Land O Lakes, Florida. The company’s president is Ms. Nicole Markovic. High oil prices have meant that the Turbonator and products similar in design are becoming increasingly popular. With their promise of extra gas mileage and all-round fuel-saving properties, these devices are seen as a cheap and easy way to make precious oil go that bit further. The Turbonator is especially attractive to the novice because it is easy to fit and can be installed with a screw driver into the car’s in-take house quickly and painlessly. The in-take hose is to be found between the air filter and the throttle body (the round metal tube that controls engine air-flow).
Though the Turbonator company boasts that its device can boost a car’s performance and fuel usage, a number of concerns have been voiced regarding the actual effectiveness and safety of the device. Indeed, the Turbonator has come in for particular censure in motoring enthusiast publications and it is understood that eight complaints have been lodged with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Moreover, in 2005 Popular Mechanics magazine tested a number of products that are akin to the Turbonator to check out the claims for such devices. The tests made use of a dynamometer to test horsepower and torque when the vortex generators were installed and when not. These tests on Turbonator-like vortex devices concluded that no discernible improvements were measured on either horsepower or fuel economy. The testers also noted that most vehicles ordinarily burn 99 percent of their fuel and therefore these devices are next to useless on modern vehicles.