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Pulse Plugs Make Prius Greener and Faster?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by SyCo, Apr 30, 2008.

  1. kerryjchinn

    kerryjchinn New Member

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    2006 Prius
    I'll say up front I have no clue if these plugs actually increase MPG and HP. But I think I'm fairly good at math and the conclusion drawn by previous posts claiming a payback period of 50,000 miles does not seem accurate.

    "According" to the Pulstar website tests run on a 2005 Prius showed a 6.72% increase in MPG. Tests run on a 2007 Prius showed an 8.76% increase in MPG. For purposes of these calculations I'll use the lower figure of 6.72%.

    In my case I normally average 52 MPG. A 6.72% increase would bring me to 55.5 MPG. At 15,000 miles per year I would use 288.46 gal per year at 52 MPG. I would use 270.27 gal at 55.5 MPG. Thus, over one year at 15,000 miles I would save 18.19 gallons. At $4.50 ave price per gallon over the next 12 months that equates to $81.86 in saved fuel costs.

    Extrapolating the data it would take 18,324 miles to fully recover the $100 cost of 4 Pulstar plugs. Now, if it was time for me to replace my plugs anyways the OEM plugs run $40 for a set of 4, thus reducing the actual cost to $60. In that case it would take 10,994 miles to recover the cost.

    Again, I'm not for or against the Pulstar plugs (well, I'm for them if someone can prove they work and against them if someone can prove they don't). I just wanted to correct the math used to draw conclusions in this thread. Thanks.
     
  2. brick

    brick Active Member

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    Here you go:
    Brick's Pulse Plug test thread - CleanMPG Forums

    Verdict: Utterly worthless when installed in my vehicle. (Possibly less than worthless.) Click the link if you want to see a graphical representation of the data that I collected. I'm doing a second run with the stock plugs back in place to see if the numbers become normal again. Having seen three 70+mpg segments this week alone I can make an educated guess as to the answer.
     
  3. penbed

    penbed New Member

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    Very nice work on your thread-CleanMPG Forums.
    Great info here,I am sure you saved some us a few bucks!
    Thanks
     
  4. GatorJZ

    GatorJZ Member

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    Do yourself a favor the next time you need plugs and consider upgrading to NGK or Nippon Denso. Bosch USED to make an excellent plug, but over the last half dozen years these two brands have clearly not only surpassed Bosch, but have widened the "gap" quality wise (pun intended).
     
  5. Sheepdog

    Sheepdog C'Mere Sheepie!

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    NGK or Nippon Denso. What is OEM in my Prius now?
     
  6. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

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    Noooooo. Really? We never would have guessed.

    Do you have that additive that can make my car run on water?