FROM GREEN PILLS to plastic devices that fit inside a car's air-intake hose, the Internet is flooded with a variety of products that promise to increase gasoline mileage and save drivers money.
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But many energy experts are warning consumers to beware of those so-called super products that appear on the market when gasoline prices go up.
"We've seen lots of companies come out of the woodwork with all sorts of crazy claims," said Peter MacGillivray, vice president of marketing and communications for the Specialty Equipment Market Association in California.
Although Web sites for products such as BioPerformance Fuel and The Fuel Genie are filled with testimonials from customers who claim that using the products has benefits, Brett Smith said they cater to consumers' minds instead of offering a real solution.
"It's purely the placebo effect. You think it's going to help you, so it helps you," said Smith, senior researcher at the Center for Automotive Research, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based organization focused on trends and changes in the automobile industry.
Smith is not alone in his buyer-beware attitude toward such products. Consumer Reports tested three fuel-saving products in the fall. The magazine's conclusion was short and simple: they don't work.
But that still won't stop some consumers from trying to find a magical solution to gain more mileage from a tank of gasoline.
"People are going to experiment with anything," said Vance McSpadden, executive director of the Oklahoma Petroleum Marketers Association.
McSpadden, who drives a sport utility vehicle, said he doesn't blame consumers for wanting to find a solution, but fuel pills and other devices are not the answer.
Instead, McSpadden said drivers should alter their behavior and use common sense such as driving slower and rotating tires.
Those tips also may save consumers from spending money on products that may or may not work.
Gas pills and genies don't come cheap. Irving, Texas-based BioPerformance Inc., which is facing a lawsuit in Texas for its alleged shady marketing practices, offers consumers 80 BioPerformance Fuel pills for $75 or 10 pills for $18, according to its Web site.
The Fuel Genie device is $89.95, plus $10 for shipping, and the Tornado Fuel Saver is $59.99 and promises customers they can save $350 a year on gas.
Hundreds of dollars in savings don't entice every consumer, though. Oklahoma City resident Odell Carson said he doesn't believe in a "super pill," and even if he did, he wouldn't slip it into his tank.
"I would not do that -- not to that car," Carson said, pointing over to his black Mercedes-Benz as he ran inside the Shell station on NW 63 and May Ave.
Smith said being leery about those products may be better for consumers' cars in the long run.
"It can be dangerous anytime you are putting anything into your fuel tank," Smith said.
Smith is certain, though, this isn't the last time he will warn consumers about fuel savers.
"There is always a magic trick when gas goes up," Smith said. "It's going to happen every time and has happened every time."
