Every time there's a spike in gas prices, consumers want to know: Do mileage boosters work?
"No," says Dale Kemery, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection. "The EPA has tested over 100 of these gadgets, and they don't work. You are better off buying yourself a tire gauge."
The Federal Trade Commission offers similar warnings about all the gizmos and potions now flying off store shelves. Only a few of the dozens of innovations out there show gains of just 1 to 2 miles to the gallon. That's often not enough to justify the high price and the unknown consequences for your engine. The short answer: Keep your money in your pocket and put the savings toward a tuneup.
Kemery, who estimated that the agency gets hundreds of calls about mileage boosters, asked with a perceptible level of exasperation, "Don't you think if these things worked, car manufacturers would be putting them in cars already?"
Wishful thinkers continue to pursue the promise of huge mileage gains. Not all customers are satisfied with the results. Since January, for example, the Florida Attorney General's Office has received 15 complaints about Altamonte Springs company Fuel Freedom International, makers of the MPG Caps.
Kevin Butler, manager at Advance Discount Auto Parts in Tampa, Fla., said at least 10 customers a day ask him about improving mileage.
"It really started about six months ago, when it started getting ridiculous," Butler said.
His advice, like Kemery's, is to stick with the proven-but-unsexy methods of getting the most for your gallon. At $2 for a tire pressure gauge, there's little to lose.
