Aftermarket parts and doohickeys can swing both ways. Either they work like a charm (prompting questions like why would a billion dollar enterprise never thought of that) or they don’t work at all. My policy has always been to try them out myself and run some tests that more or less follow the scientific method. Double-check the theory and run some experiments to prove or disprove them.

I don’t know if Auto Channel posted this as a news item or as a paid feature but it is interesting enough to write about. My skepticism prompted me to place a “?” on the title.

Anyway, this here’s a Pulstar Pulse Plug. According to tests, these plugs when placed inside their test Toyota Prius boosted fuel efficiency by a range of 6-8% (that’s an added 3 mpg provided that the Prius runs 50 mpg). It also gave a 5% boost in acceleration (40-80 mph) to the already green car. Test results can be found here.

The pulse plug works (compared to the ordinary spark plug) by using a capacitor to boost the spark improving fuel burn. Pretty much like with how a camera flash works.

Biting on this? Well… They’re $24.95 each. I just wouldn’t readily trade my factory specs for stock cars (provided that they work and keep your car in good running condition) motto.