The Splitfire spark plugs are still being made and sold by Old World Industries, Inc., Northbrook, IL. They rose to prominence because of their unique center electrode, which did its forked, snake-tongue impression. The thinking was that electrode design would lead to more complete combustion. When you visit their site today however, you’ll notice that their current line of plugs looks suspiciously like almost any other quality spark plug on the market.

Why is their site devoid of the original Splitfire plug from whence they derived their name? Why, indeed! It appears that in 1997 Splitfire’s advertising was making fuel economy and gas saving claims that went something like this:

A -“Of all users (regardless of vehicle type, age, condition, and use) responding:

70% reported a gas mileage increase of from 1 to 6 more miles per gallon.””

And

Consumer Endorser: “Yeah, I went from probably 300 miles on a full tank to almost 400.”

Consumer Endorser: “I probably was getting, I would say about 20 miles more per tankful, and that’s a lot for me!”

Consumer Endorser: “And when you’re driving a four-wheel drive vehicle, you need all the extra gas mileage you can get.”

The problem is that they couldn’t actually back up any of these claims to the Federal Trade Commission’s satisfaction. In 1997 they were hauled into federal proceedings by the FTC to substantiate their claims of increased fuel economy provided by their (at the time) $6 spark plug. Now not only was that about 5 times what a traditional plug cost at the time, some consumers had suspicions about the efficacy of the product. This resulted in complaints to the FTC, and well, you know what happened next.

From the FTC case report –

“In truth and in fact, respondent did not possess and rely upon a reasonable basis that substantiated the representations set forth in Paragraph 5, at the time the representations were made. Therefore, the representation set forth in Paragraph 6 was, and is, false or misleading.

Through the means described in Paragraph 4, respondent has represented, expressly or by implication, that competent and reliable studies or surveys show that 70% of SplitFire users achieve a gas mileage increase of from 1 to 6 more miles per gallon.

In truth and in fact, competent and reliable studies or surveys do not show that 70% of SplitFire users achieve a gas mileage increase of from 1 to 6 more miles per gallon. Therefore, the representation set forth in Paragraph 8 was, and is, false or misleading.

The acts and practices of respondent as alleged in this complaint constitute unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce in violation of Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act.”

And I suspect that was the beginning of the end for the forked tongued devil. It just goes to show that while certain things have been shown to definitely increase your fuel mileage and save you a few dollars here and there, others can’t quite measure up, so do your research carefully, as there are many other devices out there with dubious records of saving gas. *Take note that bad, old, or fouled spark plugs can certainly cost you gas mileage, as can other worn out and/or dirty parts such as O2 sensors and air or fuel filters.

Actually, “the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evaluated or tested more than 100 alleged gas-saving devices and has not found any product that significantly improves gas mileage. In fact, some “gas-saving” products may damage a car’s engine or cause substantial increases in exhaust emissions.” So much for magnets! As for anecdotal reports, you can’t trust any test that wasn’t done in a double blind fashion, under controlled conditions. There are actual performance parts that increase the engine’s efficiency and deliver better gas mileage, but usually the “gadget” type of product isn’t among them.

Until next time…………

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