Ken Green tried out the Ecotek on the Forums of Alfa owners club in his Alfa 147 - we spotted it when they all started buying one and quoted the Forum as the introduction - this is what he said:

"I was pleased with the difference in the performance of my 147 with the Ecotek active and stated that I was quite happy with the Ecotek even if it did not save me any MPG, because quite frankly I did not think it would save me anything, especially when I like to put the hammer down occasionally.

For this batch of tests I used our local motorway, the M55, when it was not busy. I started the tests outside my home, travelled to the motorway, got onto it and then set the cruise control to either 60 or 80 mph depending on which tests were being done. I travelled to the Preston junction (14 miles) around the roundabout and then straight back along the motorway and home. On all tests the cruise was set in the same places and was not touched until I left the motorway. There are slight differences in the average velocities (not enough to effect the results) but this is due to traffic lights etc on the way to and from the motorway.

Ok , here are the results of the Blackpool jury.

Ecotek on, engine cold , cruise set to 80 , Avg MPG - 29.7, Avg Speed - 61, Difference is +13.36%
Ecotek on, engine warm, cruise set to 80, Avg MPG - 30.0, Avg Speed - 63, Difference is +14.50%
Ecotek on, engine warm, cruise set to 60, Avg MPG - 38.0, Avg Speed - 50, Difference is +10.14%
Ecotek off, engine warm, cruise set to 80, Avg MPG - 26.2, Avg Speed - 62
Ecotek off, engine warm, cruise set to 60, Avg MPG - 34.5, Avg Speed - 51

So, the maximum difference was +14.5% and this was cruising at 80mph where I got an average of 30.0 MPG compared to 26.2MPG. This is good for me as that is my style of driving (but not at that speed of course officer!). When cruising at 60mph there were still significant differences where I got 38.0 mpg compared to 34.5. These results become even better when you compare the 1st result which was with a cold engine and therefore a rich mixture whilst the engine warmed up, there was still a difference of over 13% compared to a warm engine without the Ecotek.

These results were confirmed to some extent by the fact that I got 10.1% greater miles out of a tank of petrol. That was with myself and the wife driving including a lot of short distance driving (4-5 miles) where the engine would not have had time to warm up properly.

This equates to a saving of over £4 for each tank I put in and if I was motorway driving most of the time, I would be saving over £6 a tank-full.

Needless to say, I am VERY pleased with the results. I get more MPG and a smoother running car, now that cannot be bad. My next tests will be to time the acceleration, with and without the Ecotek. I realise this is not really a fair test as the Ecotek is not meant to give better acceleration, but I think it must do, as it has smoothed out the flat spots."

Many thanks Ken!

Alan Watson fitted the Ecotek to his Mazda 323 GT 1.8i - and he says:

 "The improvement is instant. At idle the engine is now rock solid and the two flat spots that blighted the engine are now almost non-existent.

As you can see, the fitting is straightforward and only takes 10 minutes start to finish. Extremely pleased with the results so far - it's transformed my Mazda for under £50!" Thanks Alan.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Eirik Knudsen contacted us from Norway with the following information for the Mazda 323f: "The Ecotek instructions (as well as my Haynes repair manual) shows the non-return valve on the servo vacuum hose as a noticeable "blob" on the hose near the brake servo, but on my car, a 1997 Mazda 323f 1.8 it is actually a thin cigar shaped plastic valve slid into the hose. As the hose is very short and stiff, it is difficult to detect.

Unfortunately this valve sits exactly where there is room for the Ecotek valve. (I guess it sits on the same place on other 323f's as well as is it the only straight part of the hose.) The hose was thick and hard, the valve was thin and soft and my knife was very sharp.....and I didn't know what had happened until the hose was cut in two with one piece of the valve in each end. Luckily the main parts of the valve were intact, so I managed to push the hole thing further down the hose making just enough room for the CB-26p. This wasn't exactly easy as it was a tight fit and there was a stiff bend right after the valve, but I got off easy.. If I had placed the cut only 5mm closer to the servo I would had to get a replacement hose/valve...and I guess Mazda wouldn't sell me that without me buying a complete engine as well!

So a friendly notice to all 323f tuners: Check the servo hose thoroughly before making a cut! Alternatively just disconnect the hose from the manifold and connect the CB-26p to the end using a piece of fuel/emissions hose between the unit and the manifold." Many thanks Eirik - very helpful!

Dave Butler reviewed the Ecotek for the www.bignissans.org.uk site having fitted it to his Nissan Maxima V6 3000 - click on the 'A32-QX' section and then look under 'Articles' - Mechanical Advice 'Burning Lean and Mean!'

He says: "I've done three tanks of pure London traffic driving. Can you imagine how long that took? I got 30, 29 and 28 mpg. Previously it was doing 20mpg. Since this was town driving and generally below 40-50mph, overdrive was kept off to hopefully prolong the life of the tranny by 15 minutes or so (you do all know about putting it in neutral while waiting at lights as well, don't you?). Expect to see both bits of advice repeated by everyone often, until it becomes second nature. I prefer motorway and A-Road driving. Not being particularly fussy, I'm getting 38mpg. This used to be 30-33mpg at best."

Definitely a HIT! - from 20 mpg to 28 mpg! He's written a very comprehensive article with all the whys and wherefores - worth a visit to the site. Thanks Dave!