Ecotek CB-26P. Worth a look ,or a waste of time?

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Mon 29 Jan 2001 16:27
Ecotek CB-26P. Worth a look ,or a waste of time? - jonbenj
I stumbled acrossa website promoting a device called the Ecotek CB-26P,
which claims to improve economy, emissions and performance, all for not
much more than £50. The claims and arguments are extremely convincing
(although I'll be interested to hear what my insurance co. will say.). Have you or
anyone else got an opinion, or had any experience of this product?

www.cleanburn.co.uk/contents.htm
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Mon 29 Jan 2001 21:03
RE: Ecotek CB-26P. Worth a look ,or a waste of t - honestjohn
Waste of time. It only works on the buyers imagination. There is a general ban on the normal advertising of this type of product because the claims cannot be credibly substantiated.

HJ
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Tue 30 Jan 2001 06:54
RE: Ecotek CB-26P. Worth a look ,or a waste of t - Andrew Bairsto
as HJ said they only work on ones imagination.
One product that I would recomend to all owners is the fitting of a
K&N aftermarket airfilter ,these last forever and work better by increasing the
available air flow which can be converted into more mpg or bhp depending
on your driving style.Visit there webb site for more info.They are not a fly by night company
but perhaps the biggest aftermarket filtration company in the world also producing the best oil
filters money can buy.
regards Andy Bairsto
www.knfilters.com
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Tue 30 Jan 2001 09:05
RE: Ecotek CB-26P. Worth a look ,or a waste of t - jonbenj
I'd be interested to know if your responses were of the knee-jerk cynical variety,
or have you actually looked at the companies website? I'm a cynic too, but the
device has been tested by the DTI, and the claims do look reasonable. Andrew,
fair comment about fitting a decent air-filter. I'm no mechanical genius, but this
device would appear to offer similar advantages in as much that it is maximising
the amount of the intake charge that gets burnt, thereby improving efficiency.From reading
reading the testimonials on the company's site, even allowing for exaggeration
and inaccuracy, there are worthwhile gains to be had. On a secondary note, an
insurance company will definitely view the fitting of a K&N filter as a performance
enhancing aid, and will penalise accordingly; there's a chance they could be
convinced that this device is more concerned with improving economy and
emissions, and take no action. There must be someone reading this post who
has first hand experience, or maybe Honest John could mention it in his
Telegraph column?
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Tue 30 Jan 2001 10:25
RE: Ecotek CB-26P. Worth a look ,or a waste of t - honestjohn
Are you SURE the device has been tested by the DTI?
A similar device was tested by the Warren Springs lab which did work for the DTI many years ago, but the results were inconclusive, and the DTI distances itself from them. This is one of the reasons why the promotors of devices like this are banned from advertising in the UK. The calims are not properly substantiated.

HJ
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Tue 30 Jan 2001 11:20
RE: Ecotek CB-26P. Worth a look ,or a waste of t - jonbenj
Ok HJ, you would appear to be correct about the tests being carried out by Warren
Springs for the DTI; I didn't appreciate they were a separate organisation. This is
a re-invention of an old idea, but that doesn't neccessarily mean that the concept
isn't valid, which is what I'm trying to ascertain. The fact that the people who have
provided testimonials have also provided contact tel no.s and e-mail addresses
does, to me at any rate, lend a degree of credibility. They can't all be stooges. I
noticed that there is an independant fitting agent fairly close to where I live, so
maybe I should go and pick his brains. As to John Slaughters point that if it was
do-able, the car manufacturers would have done it by now, it appears that this
device makes a small ammount of noice, and also requires periodical adjustment;
two things which the manufactuers wouldn't be keen on. Is it possible to be an
open-minded cynic?
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Tue 30 Jan 2001 18:29
RE: Ecotek CB-26P. Worth a look ,or a waste of t - honestjohn
These people aren't stooges.

They have laid out good money on the device, so have made it work by driving in a manner which would probably have achieved the same result without the device.



HJ
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Sat 3 Feb 2001 19:08
RE: Ecotek CB-26P. Worth a look ,or a waste of t - Andrew Moorey (Tune-Up Ltd.)
Re K & N Filters. Great but beware of the induction kits. I Know that the 16 valve Astra GTE (Pre ecotec) doesnt like this kit. Works much better with a K & N Filter inside original filter box. Apparently the airflow thro' the hot wire airflow sensor is upset. Conversly the induction kit on a Peugeot 205 GTi works well.
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Tue 30 Jan 2001 09:33
RE: Ecotek CB-26P. Worth a look ,or a waste of t - John Slaughter
I have to say I fall into the cynical category on these devices. The motor manufacturers spending millions on developing their vehicles to meet current and future emission regulations, and in doing so improving performance and drivability. Does it seem likely that you could further significantly improve on all the work they have done by adding a bolt on device for £50, and one which works on all cars? No, HJ's right, the buyers are looking for the improvements and may even be adapting driving style etc.

Regards

john
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