Fitch Fuel Catalyst - Is it a Hoax?

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I was perusing on-line about fuels, and so on, and stumbled on the Fitch Fuel Catalyst.

I'd like your opinion on whether this thing works or it's a POS.

Can't link to the site given the rules, but if you don't know what the Fitch is, just search for it, then click on the Canadian distributor. Has the most info available.

Thanks for helping me out guys.
 
haven't tried it but have asked the same on different forums. Two different guys said it worked good in their harley's, and another guy said his friend got good results in a chevy pickup. I was thinking about trying it in my harley first...because I get the best gas mileage the first tank of gas after it sits all winter (normal fuel with stabil added). It is kind of expensive, but they offer a 30day mbg. It would be easier getting the units out of the bike with some fishing string than out of the truck's tank.
 
My B.S. meter hits full scale with all of the fuel catalysts etc that are floating around.

The testimonials all look great, the "history" of them being used on Hurricane fighters in Russia with poor Russian fuel during WWII sounds good, but......

If they gave you 10% better economy, PLUS the ability to run on regular when the engine requires premium, given the CAFE requirements, then every car in the U.S. and probably the world would have them as standard.

I had an interesting discussion with a rep at a car show. In short the conversations was about :
* Product life....the half pound of tin lasts 750,000km.
* Exhaust catalyst, and the poisoning by tin deposits. Not an issue, as the tin is slowly released over 750,000 km, and therefore not enough to poison the catalyst.
* valve recession.....the tin protects the valves from recession.
 
The harley mechainic that rebuilt my engine swears that these things work. He said, of all of the bikes he has put these in, he has had almost 100% satisfaction. As of last fall, he has only had one guy state he didn't notice a difference in power, but he did average 2-3 mpg better.

He offered to run my bike on the dyno prior to dropping the fitch catalyst in the tanks, and then dyno it a week later. I will be getting some of these things next spring - we'll see.

With a money back guarantee, what do you have to lose?

Here are a few reviews from normal people - as a rule, most people noticed an increase in fuel mileage, and some noticed a change in power. We all know that it takes alot more than a 1 hp increase for you to be able to feel it.

fitch fuel catalyst reviews

[ October 28, 2003, 10:39 PM: Message edited by: medic ]
 
Hmmmmmmmm
wink.gif
 
Have a look at www.fpc1.com for a fuel catalyst that's been around since Jesus played fullback for Jerusalem. I know one of the largest oil companies here in Oz buy several hundred thousand litres a year of this. I mix it with Lucas UCL for each fuel load. Money back guarantee too.
 
quote:

Originally posted by sprintman:
Have a look at www.fpc1.com for a fuel catalyst that's been around since Jesus played fullback for Jerusalem. I know one of the largest oil companies here in Oz buy several hundred thousand litres a year of this. I mix it with Lucas UCL for each fuel load. Money back guarantee too.

Sprintman, I thoroughty beleive in the efficacy of fuel catalysts, when they are actually in the fuel. They promote the combustion process, and have been proven to increase mileage and reduce smoke.

However, passing a cold fuel, over a cold blob of tin based alloy (or amalgum as one provider states - don't know whether people would like mercury in their juice) that "alters the fuel chemistry" is a real thing.

I had a great debate with a supplier at a field day one day.

Q. How long does it last on my 4.2V8 ?
A. at least 300,000km

Q. So 1 kg of tin will treat 30 tonnes of petrol ?
A. Yes

Q. will that little tin protect my valves ?
A. Yes, it builds up a plating that protects valve seats.

Q. Will it plate out cat converters ?
A. No, as you pointed out previously, it treats fuel at ppm levels, not enough to poison the catalyst.


All that for only $300, the price of nearly a third of a tonne of the fuel that I was going to save.
 
FWIW, I've got a couple of papers (paper based papers) produced by the "tin research council" on tine based fuel catlaysts, and they report postive findings.
 
I've done a little more research, and found out that platinum is used to refine gasoline. The interesting part is that the platinum is not part of the gasoline and is never replaced, it just acts as a catalyst during the refining process.

The interesting thing is that the Fitch fuel catalyst is partially platinum (this explains the high cost) and I imagine works in the same way. Any engineer at a refinery will tell you that gasoline begins to break down as soon as it is refined and eventually, over time, separates and evaporates.

The platinum apparently prevents this from happening and temporarily stabilizes the fuel, and actually reverses some of the process of breakdown (essentially refreshing the fuel), unless it is constantly exposed, and then it'll stbilize the fuel for a significant period of time.
 
quote:

Originally posted by medic:
I've done a little more research, and found out that platinum is used to refine gasoline. The interesting part is that the platinum is not part of the gasoline and is never replaced, it just acts as a catalyst during the refining process.

The platinum/pladium based catalyst that was used at the refinery I worked at was used in the cat cracker. This was a processing tower/unit that "cracked" the molecule with very high heat and pressure. This resulted in a volumetric increase of about 3 or 4 percent as the molecules rearranged themselves in a different structure.

Over time, the catalyst would be "spent" and have to be replaced. I don't believe this type of catalyst would have any effect at normal operating temps as the atoms in the molecules are too stable.

A chemical engineer could explain the process and tell you if this thing could work. Myself - I'm a doubting Thomas.
 
I'm just trying to figure how this thing works.

I do know that the only people calling this this stuff names, like "another snake oil" (on other message boards) are people that have never tried it.

I have found that there are 10 unsaid good comments for every bad one, and very few people that have used a Fitch products are unhappy. Most people I have found that use them are convinced. These finding were on independant messgae boards like this one.

As far as Motorcycle Consumer News, I'm not convinced about many tests they perform. They have compared apples to oranges more than once and then called it a legit test.

Now a question for everybody - remeber when synthetic oil was considered "snake oil"?

[ November 01, 2003, 08:43 PM: Message edited by: medic ]
 
Thought I'd post here instead of creating a whole new topic (though I may still do that).

Has anyone encountered "platinum vapour injection" yet. There's a couple of sites that sell it (I understand linking is frowned upon here so I'll leave it to those who are interested to search it out for themselves). The system that I am thinking of in particular consists of a jug like that for washer fluid and this "special solution" that contains platinum and a couple of other ingredients. It's attached toa vacuum source on the intake side of the engine and supposedly does a lot of the things that have already been mentioned.

Also, HOT ROD did a test of a drop in catalyst a couple of years ago that included dyno and emissions results and there was an improvement after dropping the catalyst into the tank. I'll see if I can find my issue if anyone wants.

Greg
 
quote:

Originally posted by medic:
Any engineer at a refinery will tell you that gasoline begins to break down as soon as it is refined and eventually, over time, separates and evaporates.

The platinum apparently prevents this from happening and temporarily stabilizes the fuel, and actually reverses some of the process of breakdown (essentially refreshing the fuel), unless it is constantly exposed, and then it'll stbilize the fuel for a significant period of time.


This is consistent with what the FFC rep told me; they contacted my place of employment to see if we would be willing to supervise some testing for presentation to the european market. Nothing's come of it yet; I would like to see some bona-fide back to back testing of the product for sure.
 
Okay, after this I'm gonna leave this thread alone.

While searching around on other message boards, I found another guy inquiring about these products. Pretty much everybody else (who had never used these) immediatly said "snake oil", but the guy said he was gonna try it anyway. This message was dated about 18 months ago. I emailed this user with the following question.

quote:

Subject: Fitch fuel catalyst?
Did you ever try this. Did you notice any difference? How much?

He responded yesterday with this reply.

quote:

Hey Mike

Yeah, I installed the Fitch Fuel Catalyst. I did notice some improvement in gas mileage (approx 1 to 1.5 mpg better) and it seemed to run slightly smoother and stronger. No noticeable downside other than initial cost. BTW, also put one on my GMC Typhoon (turbo V6 AWD S15 Jimmy) and there was a huge difference - much less detonation at WOT. The turbo just makes the difference that much more noticeable. I would do the Fitch again but it is not cheap - so whether or not it's worth the price is up to you...

Hmmm, another happy user. I'm gonna get the "drop in" model for my Harley next spring, and may get an "in line" unit for my truck too.
 
Sure, I'll keep everybody updated.

FYI, we're looking into June of 2004 before I'm sure about anything. I'm going with Amsoil (or Shell Advance if I can find any) in the engine of my bike. I want all changes made and the MPG figured prior to using the catalyst.

It should be pretty significant in my bike considering the results in fuel mileage are based on percentages and I'm getting over 50 mpg now.

I may also run the bike on a dyno before and after if I still have access to it at that time, or at least use the "butt-dyno"
 
quote:

Originally posted by medic:
I'm gonna get the "drop in" model for my Harley next spring, and may get an "in line" unit for my truck too.

Can we count on you to keep us posted? It's always great to hear first hand info, and better yet when it comes from an articulate and critical source...

Robert
 
Please make sure that the product comes with a "full refund if not completely satisfied" guarantee.

I'd like to see positive, repeatable results.
 
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