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Testimonials and Press Comment                                                        Testimonials and Press Comment

"Black Magic or Pioneering Research? We fit an aftermarket economy device to a  523i and come away surprised.

In early January The Sunday Times caught my eye with an offer in a small 'motoring gadgets' article on the Ecotek CB-26P Fuel Saver. The story claimed that the device, designed around Formula One technology, really worked to create a swirl of air in the inlet manifold to help the fuel burn more efficiently - resulting in lower emissions, an improvement of up to 15 per cent in fuel economy and a crisper, more responsive drive.

Now before rushing to part with my £48.99, I decided to look into things in more detail to see if the claims stood up to scrutiny and to see if there was any experience of fitting the device to a modern BMW.

My initial thought was of course that, if it was that easy to improve fuel economy and responsiveness, why isn't it fitted by BMW? Most modern cars are much more fuel efficient than only a few years ago so would fitting this device benefit an already well-engineered modern vehicle?

To use the words from the Ecotek instructions "the device injects very small amounts of agitated air into the inlet manifold at certain specific pressures. This causes turbulence in the induction gases which creates a better suspension of fuel molecules and thus combustion, producing a more efficient and cleaner burn."

Although brought up-to-date, this all sounds rather familiar. The difference with this device over previous ideas is that air is bled into the manifold at tiny volumes - around 5 per cent of the total air volume - but is designed to cause sufficient turbulence to create better combustion. The air induction valve is spring-loaded and is designed to resonate, creating the required turbulence. The downside of this arrangement is the creation of a certain amount of noise. If this is particularly troublesome, a filter/silencer is available from Pipercross.

Installation: We fitted the Ecotek to a 523i SE E39 BMW but anyone who opens the bonnet of the current 5-Series BMW to do more than check fluid levels is a brave soul. When you do have the bonnet open, you need to be looking for the vacuum servo non-return valve which sits between the brake servo and the inlet manifold. As the brake servo is completely hidden behind the bulkhead on the driver's side and the inlet manifold is hidden by a large black plastic cover, one can be easily thwarted before starting!

This is where the Ecotek website starts to be of value. A network of nationwide outlets enables you to purchase your CB-26P from a local agent who can also fit the unit to most vehicles. My local supplier, Power Services International Ltd of Camberley. Surrey, is run by Mark Hannaford and he was not only able to sell the unit but he was keen to offer advice for my home installation, identifying the correct vacuum pipe on which the non-return valve sits and advising the best place to site the Ecotek in relation to the induction manifold. Armed with this knowledge I had the confidence to set to and open the bonnet in the privacy of my own garage.

The Ecotek is around 6 cm tall and fits into the vacuum hose between the manifold and the non-return valve. The other side of the non-return valve has a hose leading to the brake servo. The instructions are simple: once you have identified the correct location, simply cut out a 2 mm section of the hose and fit the device in line. BMW's non-return valve is also a tubular device fitting in-line into the vacuum hose with a small T-piece. I found it necessary to obtain three jubilee clips and an additional section of rubber hose to fit everything together and re-install on the car, making sure that the gold section of the CB-26P, with its adjustable screw top, was fitted uppermost so that future tuning of the device is possible from above the engine.

The instructions explain in some detail how to set the adjustment and tighten the locking ring. When the device is first supplied, the adjustment is screwed fully down and effectively renders it inoperative, thereby having no effect on the performance of the engine. The device is adjusted to operating mode once the engine has reached normal operating temperature.

The noise made by the unit is caused by resonance of nylon valve seats and the anodised aluminium head but at idle it's only just discernible from
inside the vehicle with the bonnet closed. As the throttle is opened this noise increases slightly. If you find it a problem, the Pipercross silencers/filters will solve the problem.

The Results: The automatic 523i was showing 56,318 miles when the device was fitted, during which the overall fuel consumption from day one was 27.92 mpg.Taking the 1624 miles since fitting the Ecotek CB-26P the car has achieved 29.11 mpg. In an effort to find a representative comparison I have taken the 2776 miles travelled just prior to fitting the device and here I recorded 25.26 mpg.

The most striking example of a single journey occurred between Hindhead and Chichester where I recorded 38 mpg. Agreed the journey was on good roads with few stops and with the opportunity to maintain good speeds without hard acceleration or braking.

These figures can be set against the official BMW published numbers for an automatic 523i: Urban 18.5 mpg. Extra Urban 36.2 mpg and Combined 26.6 mpg. Aside from just fuel consumption I've also noticed a more urgent response when accelerating.

The facts would appear to bear out the claims that the Ecotek CB-26P really does work, even on a high-tech modern BMW.

Is the improvement worth the cost and Labour effort to install? Probably, but with all things there are other considerations. If you drive hard and fast every time you are behind the wheel then you're unlikely to be interested in a device that gives you a couple of extra miles each time you fill up your tank. If you drive long distances at motorway speeds then you probably have the best chance of benefiting from fitting this device. If on the other hand you only ever drive a few miles to the local shops or to work then the results will be less impressive. Ecotek claims some remarkable improvements in reducing emissions, including carbon monoxide, so if you are genuinely interested in saving the planet and still driving a car, check out the Ecotek web site at www.ecotekplc.com to see the claims for yourself.

Total BMW Magazine

And from the new to the old:

"I have just fitted the CB-26P to my 30 year old Triumph Spitfire. The engine was a good runner before fitting the unit, but the improvement since fitting the CB-26P has been instantaneous and very noticeable. I have to agree with the comments of Revs, Max Power, Club GTI, Green Fleet, Car Mechanics, Volkswagen Driver, and Saab Enthusiast as per your promotional leaflet, apart from commenting on any improvement in fuel consumption as I have not had the unit in use for a sufficient period.

I have over 40 years experience of running diesel power plants, and currently manage plants of 28000 to 40000 bhp, so I feel fairly well qualified to assess how well an engine is performing !

Best Regards, John Newall

ps. My wife has just taken the car out for the first time since I fitted the unit, and she has just phoned to say the improvement in the car is "amazing", no doubt about it, this thing really does work!"

MAX POWER magazine took our CB-26P to their Ministry of Testing and this is what they found:

"You’ve heard it before – a product that’s supposed to improve performance and fuel economy. Many companies have tried but only a handful have pulled it off. Ecotek are one of the successful few.

Their CB-26P is a simple yet effective add-on that can increase power and reduce your fuel bill. Based around F1 technology, the CB-26P causes air turbulence in the inlet manifold to increase combustion efficiency.

I tried one out on my Mk1 Golf. I fitted it to the brake servo’s breather pipe, approximately six inches from the inlet manifold. There was a noticeable improvement in throttle response – especially in the mid range. And the frequency of my petrol station visits had dropped radically.

I usually get about 100 miles for £15 of unleaded, but with my new best mate I’m averaging around 120 - 130 miles. And the best bit is that the faster you go, the greater the benefits reaped.

An inspired technological invention easily affordable for pocket money modifiers. "

 Max Paterson – Max Power Magazine. Issue 101.  CLICK HERE for the full MAX POWER article.

Migweb is probably one of the most popular Vauxhall tuning Club sites on the net - there was a very healthy debate on their Forums as to the benefits of the CB-26P and to put the matter to rest Mike Warner decided to try it out on his own car - a 1.8 16v Astra mk3 Sport.

Here is the article in MIGNews Magazine - all we need do is reproduce it in full - download the pdf by clicking here or click on the article for an expanded version.

Here is just an excerpt: "Overall, the Ecotek CB-26P appears to do exactly what Ecotek says. It does reduce fuel consumption and emissions, as well as making the car feel a bit smoother and livelier."

Mike went to a lot of trouble over this test as you can see from reading the full report - just goes to show why the MIGweb site is so popular if that amount of care goes into all the things they do - visit them here: www.migweb.co.uk

Thanks Mike - hope all goes well with the Club!

Bruce Purvis - Volkswagen Driver Magazine

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