Driving Magazine took us to task with some rolling road tests and found out for themselves just how good this stuff is!

"Sounds too good to be true? Well, Driving certainly thought so, and was invited to take along a car - preferably one with at least 50,000 miles on the clock - and get manufacturers Ecotek to put their gunk where there mouth was.

Unfortunately we only have nice new test cars at the office and for a moment it looked like providing a clapped-out vehicle in need of TLC at short notice would prove almost as unlikely as Power Boost's claims. Step forward Driving's redoubtable Advertising Manager, David Breary, and his Volvo 850 with more than a hundred thousand miles on the clock. And you thought advertising executives all drove shiny Porsches and Mercs . . .

Said much maligned Volvo was promptly put on a rolling road at a nearby garage and tested for power, emissions and economy. Just a few minutes later, under the watchful and nervous eyes of Mr Breary, the air intake hose was disconnected and a entire can of the magic gunk (liquid foam actually) was emptied into the running engine in two minute bursts with three minutes idling time between each application.

With the can now empty and Mr Breary looking ever more nervous and now strangely sentimental about his Volvo, the car was 'driven' hard for ten minutes using the full range of each gear. It was then subjected to more rigorous testing and results compared with the initial test.

In terms of maximum power output, there was an improvement albeit not a dramatic one. This wasn't surprising considering the fact that David's Volvo exceeded manufacturer's specifications for the model by a full 5bhp on its first test! However, in terms of overall power delivery throughout the full rev range, the improvements are notable. Power delivery after application was much quicker and much smoother as shown by the steeper and more even curve on the graph.

After relaxing somewhat and having a chance to drive the car for a while, David says it now runs noticeably smoother as well, with appreciably improved economy on motorway driving. All in all an impressive product that really does do what it says on the can!"

THE SUNDAY TIMES

When The Sunday Times puts a product in their 'Driving' section you'd be surprised how much trouble they go to to make sure it's ok.

You might have thought they just ask the manufacturer and take their word - NO WAY!

Read what they wrote about PowerBoost - then we'll show you what they did to make sure it actually does what it says on the can.

"ENERGISE YOUR ENGINE

Getting an engine tune-up in an aerosol might sound far-fetched, but that's what Powerboost is claimed to provide. They might not need regular top-end "de-cokes' like they used to, but even today's petrol and diesel engines can still gum up to some extent over high mileages and, if poorly maintained, accumulate the varnish found in some modern fuels.

The 600ml Powerboost can is squirted into the air intake of an engine running at between 2,500 and 3,000rpm and the chemicals react in the heat of combustion to remove carbon and varnish deposits from the valves, pistons and combustion chambers.

The results are said to be lower emissions and improved power and torque. At £27.50 Powerboost could be a cheap way to revive an older car...." The Sunday Times - June 1st 2003

Just to do this little article they sent a well known and respected motoring journalist with a strong technical background called Dave Pollard. He got us to organise a full rolling road and emissions test of his wife's 100k miles Honda under his supervision. Here is one of our technicians Tim Richardson putting in the PowerBoost and here is the Honda on the rolling road.

The stats were pretty impressive - There was a 13% increase in BHP at 2000 rpm and 17% at 4000 rpm. Emissions were noticeably reduced especially at full throttle and Hydrocarbons were 80% lower at idle. There was a 7% improvement in Torque at full throttle and a better Lambda in all cases. Here are the actual stats:

So there you have it - next time you see a small article in a reputable National Newspaper you'll know how much goes on behind the scenes to maintain their quality reputation!

Migweb is probably one of the most popular Vauxhall tuning Club sites on the net - Mike Warner the webmaster tried out PowerBoost on his friend Sean's Calibra - here's what they found:

"The car was strapped to the rollers and all sensors attached to the engine and exhaust. He managed a result of 129bhp at the wheels - about right for his engine. Without taking the car off the rollers the engine continued to run and we went to work in using the Power Boost spray. We instantly spotted that the spray came out as green foam - very unlike any other inlet cleaner product we have previously come across. Once the whole tin was used, a second power run was completed.

Please note that the car had remained on the rollers throughout the test and no settings on the rolling road software were adjusted in any way. The second run showed 132.9bhp - an increase of 3.9bhp. It should also be noted that the power curve appeared to be smoother on the second run.

Out on the road, Sean reported back an instantly noticeable increase in power and smoothness and was very happy with the result. I could also detect a slightly smoother engine response.

This product appears to do exactly what it promises to do, so we can't fault it. For £27, this is good going for an increase in 3.9bhp. Depending on the type, age and condition of your engine you could see even more of an increase. If you feel your engine is getting a little tired, it may be worth trying Power Boost spray out."

Thanks Mike - click on the article for an enlarged version.

Ecotek has come up with an aerosol product called Powerboost which it claims cleans and de-cokes, increases power, promotes smoother running, lowers emissions and improves fuel economy of petrol and diesel engines.

That is quite a claim, but Ecotek invited What Van? to a practical demonstration on the rolling road at Power Engineering in Uxbridge. Middlesex. The test bed was a six year old Mazda E2000 (2-litre petrol) with 70,000 miles on the clock.

The process is straight forward. You spray the liquid foam into the air intake for two minutes while the engine is revving between 2,500rpm and 3,OO0 rpm, leave it idling for three minutes, then repeat until the foam is exhausted. The can holds at least eight minutes worth of treatment.

The result was a couple of extra bhp and a slight reduction in CO2 emissions. The van's owner reckons it is running smoother, is more responsive and there's a 2mpg improvement in fuel economy, which is an extra 22 miles per tankfull or 1,100 miles per year.

Powerboost costs £27.50 (600ml) and could be a sound investment for that overstressed workhorse.

What Van Magazine November 2003. So you don't have to own a thoroughbred sports car to benefit - thanks Guys!
 

A very thorough test was done The Express & Star by Syd Taylor - here's an excerpt (click on the picture to see the full version):

"What's in it'', I wondered. "Liquefied nitrous oxide, bicarbonate of soda, senna pods?" I would have dismissed this as not worth a second look had it not been put to me by a man highly respected in the automotive industry and who has himself seen the rise and fall of potions in cans promising much, but delivering little - so much so that most journalists (myself included) have grown weary of investigating them.

Friend Eddy Edge from Sparkbrook volunteered the ideal car for treatment His 150,000 mile Volvo 2.3 Turbo 940 Estate has a history of motorway miles in its early life, but now spends most of its time in towns with the occasional long run to clear the tubes. At Walsall's Midland Performance Centre tests were carried out on a rolling road and a Dyno measured power, torque and exhaust emissions before and after treatment. No mechanical or electronic adjustments were made and all settings were to manufacturers specifications when checked.

There was certainly no 'jiggery pokery' as Eddy and I kept an eye on the proceedings. Before treatment, the Volvo's output at the rear wheels was measured and, worryingly, lots of noxious pollutants that would have meant MOT failure were being pumped out of the exhaust as the engine puffed and gasped its way through swimming pools full of fuel.

After treatment the power increased dramatically from 155 bhp to 165 bhp. Similarly an increase in torque from 213 Ib.ft to 229 Ib ft. underlines what the product can do. Powerboost is not, therefore, a misnomer. It does just what it says on the can and restores power and efficiency.

I asked both the representative from Ecotek and the Dyno operator if this was an extraordinary result and I was assured that it was not unusual to see such increases in engines of this type and mileage. It was pointed out that even with the latest engine technology and fuels, residue can still settle, leading to carbon build up with the result that valves and piston rings begin to stick and in some cases carbon deposits can result in pinking. This might be compensated for and masked by the engine management, but at a cost in power and performance. Powerboost purges engines of deleterious matter as the foam from the aerosol is turned to a gas by the combustion process. The gas is sufficiently caustic to clean the engine. A Dyno, is the true measure of results, but not everyone who uses Powerboost will have access to one, so it's important that there's a positive 'subjective' improvement too.

The Volvo's owner Eddy assures me that there is. Sharper throttle response and smoother running are the most noticeable changes, he reports, together with an extra 63 miles per tankful of fuel.

In reality, these are the benefits you and I would notice rather than 'restored power' because it takes a perceptive driver to notice even a 10 bhp gain at high revs when you're dealing with more than 125 bhp. You'd have to be using the engine at ten-tenths' to notice the difference, and how often do you do that?

Doubting Thomas's might say many 150,000 mile engines are held together by carbon and lacquer and once it is removed they become rattling oil burners that rev more freely for a time and then either fall apart or coke up again. I'm pleased to report that in this case, the engine is quieter, smoother and burns no oil.

What did happen was that exhaust emissions went from levels way below MOT standard to levels where it would pass easily - so it seems that Powerboost is an effective breath freshener too".

Thanks Syd!

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