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Sabertec Blade - any good on a Prius?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by Pegasus_, Aug 16, 2008.

  1. Pegasus_

    Pegasus_ New Member

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    Hi all.

    Has anyone installed one of these? Blade Your Ride: Save Gas, Save Money, Stop Global Warming

    Apparently they were designed as particulate filters but they discovered a fuel economy benefit in addition.

    If anyone has installed one on an '04 or later Prius, has your FE increased noticeably? They show a picture of a Prius with one installed, so I asked them what the improvement is in city/highway, if any. We'll see what they say.

    Personally, I think $199 is a bit much. I would've expected more like $25~50 for what basically is a decorative trim piece with filter material inside.
     
  2. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    Since all auto manufacturers are looking to increase their CAFE if this worked as advertized they would have bought the entire production run. Higher than "normal" gas prices bring out all the junk. IMO just a scam.
     
  3. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    +1

    I would be very surprised if you would see any measureable benefit, but at least the website for this thing is well done. I would actually like to see the dyno data, which I did not find on their site, but they supposedly did to meet the EPA 511 testing.

    If it were cheaper, I might try it on the GF's motorhome except that it wouldn't fit; you need a tailpipe 1 7/8 - 2 inches in diameter - the motorhome tailpipe is 4 inches in diameter.
     
  4. alanh

    alanh Active Member

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    To me, it still falls into the "how could it possibly work?" range. Reducing emissions is at least plausible, but I can't see how attaching something to the back of your tailpipe could help mileage.
     
  5. vertigo1

    vertigo1 New Member

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    I don't understand why everyone assumes that if it works, auto companies would be using it.
    1. Auto companies are even more skeptical than us half the time.
    2. It requires filter replacements - People already have difficulty remembering to change their oil and if this thing could harm your car if you DON'T change it, they aren't gonna take the risk of a law suit.
    3. It would take them months if not years to get something like this approved safety wise in every automobile. Seeing as this thing JUST came out less than a year ago, even if they pitched to a skeptical auto company, they'd still be in testing phase right now.
    I'm not saying this thing does or could work. I'm just saying stop using the "if automakers don't have it, it must not work" excuse.
    Case in point - it's been proven that synthetic oil is better for vehicles and allows them to last longer. Why then isn't this a REQUIREMENT from the factory?
     
  6. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    This might reduce emissions by reducing the disposable income of Americans, that's the only way.
     
  7. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    More snake oil.
     
  8. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    Now that you have said that, the next post should be someone who says their friend installed one, it works, but he won't give you any data and will tell you that if you just did a little research you would see that it must work because a whole bunch of people are using them. :tongue1:
     
  9. Rangerdavid

    Rangerdavid Senior Member

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    I vote for scam also..........
     
  10. FBear

    FBear Senior Member

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    JUNK pure and simple. Attaching something to the end of your tail pipe does nothing to change the equation of gas to air ratio burning in your cylinders which is highly regulated by a sophisticate set of computers.
     
  11. dwreed3rd

    dwreed3rd New Member

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    Attaching anything to your tailpipe that will impede airflow, which any filter will do, will reduce mpg not increase it.
     
  12. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    From the manufacturer's point of view the vehicle only has to last through the warranty period. There's no money in building a car that doesn't need maintenance, repairs, or replacement.

    How long before the Conspiracy Theorists claim that the oil industry is behind discrediting this device so they can sell more gas?
     
  13. cairo94507

    cairo94507 Active Member

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    That junk does not even pass the laugh test.
     
  14. dwreed3rd

    dwreed3rd New Member

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    Gee! If you add this and a PICC to the new Shelby Ultimate Aero EV car, it may be like the electric utilities, you'll be able to sell the excess energy you generate back to the oil companies. :der:
     
  15. markderail

    markderail I do 45 mins @ 3200 PSI

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    Sabertec Blade in the NEWS Again

    My comment on this, based on previous experience, is if flow through the muffler is constricted, Horsepower will suffer, yet on most non-Hybrids, where there is Way Too Much HP, a small drop in HP to force exhaust through an additional filter, could be a good thing.

    Especially on cars that are 4-5 years old and more, the catalytic converter is probably not working as it should anymore.

    -Mark



    Seen Today on TreeHugger.com

    Is This the Most Eco-Friendly Car Innovation Since the Hybrid?

    by Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Los Angeles, California on 10.23.08


    FTA:

    The device filters particulate matter as well as other solid inorganic emissions that would otherwise end up in your lungs. It improves the efficiency of your catalytic converter to lower emissions. And it increases the volumetric efficiency of the engine, helping your engine to burn more efficiently so that it increases fuel economy and reduces CO2.

    According to Sabertec, which developed Blade, the gadget can reduce vehicle air pollution up to 57 percent and greenhouse gases up to 34 percent while increasing fuel economy up to five miles per gallon in lab testing. Here’s the direct quote: “If every car and light truck in American had a Blade, drivers would save over $42 billion per year, and the nation’s total greenhouse gas reduction would be equivalent to removing roughly 50 million cars from the road.â€
    Here's the NEWS part.

    Sound unbelievable?


    The California Air Resources Board is a believer—they licensed the device earlier this year. Blade was also accepted by the Environmental Protection Agency. And because it increases fuel efficiency, thus cutting down on fueling costs, Sabertec's CEO Bill O’Brien thinks Blade has the potential to convert even the non-environmentally minded—which means big dividends in terms of environmental benefits.
     
  16. berinker

    berinker New Member

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    I AGREE with the logic above.
    Anything impeding the exhaust
    flow will reduce mpg unless it does
    some exhaust 'tuning' and in that
    case, each one would have to be
    different for each type engine.
     
  17. Device Node

    Device Node New Member

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    This is just so absurd.

    Just exactly how much "particulate matter" comes out of a car? NOTHING, IMO, if your car is working. If you have an old junker SUBURBAN which has more carbon than steel inside the engine, you could get some particulate matter coming out. But particulate matter has nothing to do with greenhouse gases or MPG. And passive filters can do NOTHING to affect greenhouse gases. This is a complete and utter hoax.

    Their claims are full of classic psychological manipulation techniques used in propaganda using free association and just objective, outright lies that are so absurd you think they must be true because no one would be so stupid as to lie like this. This is a tactic we've encountered quite a bit, especially in the last couple of months before a national election.

    If it was accepted by the EPA, it was only accepted as not ADDING to dangerous pollution (not considering pollution of people's minds). And as far as the CA Air Resources Board goes, if this isn't just a bald-faced lie, then it's an example of the P.T. Barnum principle: "there's a fool born every minute." (What do they mean by "licensing," anyway?)

    Just hang some crystals from your mirror and I bet you'll notice fuel economy improving a few MPG. This friend of mine did that and says it really helps...
     
  18. carguy_12

    carguy_12 New Member

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    Having gone to APEX and SEMA in Las Vegas, I ran into this company and was able to get a low down on the product from the CEO. I decided to search on google for anyone else who has worked with this product and this website is all I found.

    I was given a flash drive with everything you could want to know about the product and I truly believe it works. I am currently waiting for mine to ship out after I was shown gains on other vehicles, like mine.

    I would love to answer any questions you guys have about why it works, how it works and why its not bs.
     
  19. carguy_12

    carguy_12 New Member

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    On a couple more notes, I have noticed there is a lot of misinformation in this thread. I know with devices like "the tornado" out there, people will lump this type of product into the same category.

    I would like to start out with specific questions and answers. I consider myself very competent with it comes to the mechanics of vehicles and I think I can explain any doubts you guys may have. I want to change as many peoples minds as I can. This will truly help almost anyone who uses it at the gas pump.
     
  20. Rokeby

    Rokeby Member

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    Welcome to PriusCHat.

    It is usually more than somewhat suspicious to have a first time poster
    offering to act as a champion for a new product.

    Ok, that irksome detail out of the way, just how much and what kind of
    data is the "everything you could want to know" that is on the flash drive?
    :confused:

    Why not post the whatever-it-is here or on another forum and let it
    stand/fall on its own merits, such as they are or claimed to be? :rolleyes: