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Product Tests with Hiclone

“4x4 Australia” test on Toyota Landcruiser 80 series Diesel (1HZ engine)
“Street Commodore” test on Holden Commodore VR V6

Hype About Hiclone

Putting Hiclone’s claims to the test
Anthony Kilne tested two Hiclones in his 80 Series Cruiser.

There are a lot of products on the market these days that claim to do great things with engine power and fuel economy and here in the office we are always a tad sceptical about them. Hiclone too has caused some hype, but is fast gaining a reputation that it seems to work!

The Hiclone unit is a stainless steel ring with directional fins that fits into the air intake system. As the air rushes through it, the unit creates a swirling effect with the air flow which, leads to greater atomizing of the air-fuel mixture, leading to better fuel burning and power.

The unit can be fitted in various places within the intake system and after extensive trailing Hiclone have worked out where to put the rings, or rings, for maximum benefit. The rings are identical, it is only the position where they are fitted into the airflow system which designates whether they are a power or an economy ring. Hiclones can be simply fitted to most 2wd and 4wd vehicles and some trucks.

Hiclones claims are pretty simple. Across the board a carby engine will get between 15 and 20 percent improvement in economy, an EFI engine will get 10 to 15 percent, LPG gas powered vehicles range from about five to 20 percent, while diesel engines range from five to 10 percent. Every vehicle varies, but Hiclone believe these figures are achievable.

My 80 is a standard, normally aspirated 1HZ diesel.

Hiclone’s claim is a fuel saving of up to ten percent on diesel engines. Refer to our charts, but with one ring fitted we achieved a 17 percent decrease in fuel usage and with two rings fitted the figure improved to 23.5 percent. The fuel economy under normal driving conditions around town and loaded on recent trips decreased by around the 14 percent mark, which meant a saving of approx 21/100km.

If you are sceptical about fitting any parts into the air intake system then the Hiclone with no moving parts is a good idea. The rings for my 80 cost $160 each and a lifetime warranty applies. Free installation is available in most states and will soon be available Australia wide.

We’ve heard many reports about Hiclones here in the office. For a saving of 21/100km, if you’re doing any sort of travel it’ll pay for itself soon enough and there’s a 30-day money back guarantee.

For details on the Hiclone range, call Freecall 1800 442 566.

“4x4 Australia” 99 December Issue

WHIRLING SENSATION

You came across some unusual devices that claim to increase power,
but this funny little ring actually works! Godfrey Town reports.

It sounds like science fiction. You grab a shiny metal ring which has got a whole lot of vanes mounted in it. You undo the hose clamp of the intake duct straight after the aircleaner, insert the device the right way around, and the do up the clamp again. You’ve just gained four hp at the back wheels – probably a bit over five at the flywheel! So what the hell is the story?

Dyno Testing

Anyone who tells you that dyno testing is straight forward hasn’t done any testing. Even with the temperature correction probe in the aircleaner box inlet, Consecutive dyno runs usually vary. In fact, over four runs it’s not at all uncommon to see peak power variations of five per cent.

To prevent false results clouding the issue, We averaged the power curve from both ramping upwards and downwards – something I’ve not seen other people using the same brand dyno bother to do. (This takes into account the rolling inertia of the dyno itself.) And secondly we keep pulling power runs until the curves draw over themselves – the power being stabilised as much as possible.

Without the Hiclone in place the power curve stabilised at 115hp at the rear wheels. Incidentally that shows how strong a engine the standard V6 with extractors and an exhaust really is! But, while the standard engine’s peak hp figure was 115, one pull resulted in a 121hp peak! See how easy it is to rig the results?

With the Hiclone in place the first run gave a peak of 117hp (2 up over standard), before the power stabilised at 119hp. 119hp is four more rear wheel horsies than standard and assuming a conservative 23 per cent drivetrain loss is just over five hp at the engine. The power gain started from 80 km/h in second gear and remained a consistent three-four hp from there up.

Ken was driving his car on the rollers. Leon was averaging the ramp-up and ramp-down graphs on the computer screen. I was looking incredulously at the screen – a power gain from that tinny little thing!!?

Conclusion

On this VR Commodore, standard but for extractors and a 2.5 inch exhaust, the correctly-mounted Hiclone gave a peak power improvement of 3.5 per cent, without losing any power lower in the rev range. The Hiclone cost $160 fitted, which works out to about $30 per horsepower. The Makers also claim improvements in fuel consumption, emissions and engine smoothness.

Extract from “STREET COMMODORE” magazine May 1997, on Commodore VR V6

What is Hiclone? | Power | Installation | Tests | Letters