The trend of putting cooking oil in the tank of the machine is spreading. Is it really a good idea?
Accomplice the dear fuel, with petrol and diesel prices rising again, many are looking for alternative ways to fuel their cars and save something on fuel.
In this sense, the Internet is the usual forge of more or less spot-on ideas: the last one we want to tell you about is the practice of pouring cooking oil directly into the petrol tankin such a way as to “stretch” it or in some cases replace it altogether.
If you’re an engine expert you’re probably horrified at the idea…and you’d be right. Now we explain to you on What beliefs is this bizarre theory based on? but, above all, why you should never implement it.
Cooking oil in the gas tank: does it really work?
To help us answer the question, let’s see what the German experts say, especially the correspondent of what would be the ACI in Italy.
A bit of history: cooking oil was once used in pre-chamber or indirect injection engines. Over time, as often happens, the changes made to the combustion methods have improved their functioning, in favor of the environment but also of the state of health of the machine.
In a nutshell, if it was once possible to think of an engine capable of burning more or less everything and guaranteeing the same operation, today that is no longer the case.
If on the one hand it may seem like a step backwards, it is actually the result of enormous steps forward made by the automotive industry because the latest generation engines are able to guarantee greater efficiency, lower consumption and fewer emissions.
It goes without saying that engines of this kind need the fuel designed for them to function properly. Yes, if you wish you could also add cooking oil, but you should also be ready to pay the consequences.
No car manufacturer recommends, of course, to “stretch” the petrol with vegetable oil. The consequences could be serious: starting problems, worsened car performance, higher consumption, negative effects on the various components that make up the engine.
After all, we have said that the latest generation engines are made to run on their fuel: anything different could jeopardize their operation and above all their health, as well as causing rapid deterioration of all the parts, a rapid formation of deposits or even blockages between pipes.
In short, if you have a modern car it would be just crazy to think about it. Let’s say that in the past these attempts gave the appearance of working because the engines of the past are not equipped with the sensors that are there now: in any case, if you want to save money, don’t try to make things worse with cooking oil.
