Jump to content

Best Intake For Better Gas Mileage?


Recommended Posts

Stock really. If your doing it for mileage, you won't see much if any gain. If your doing it for looks, sound and a little better throttle response, then you have options. I personally like the dry filters just because it's easy to over oil them. I really like GM's performance intake and they can be found right around $200 for near new or new. Next would be S&B's intake and volant. Both would be good alternatives to GMs performance intake.

 

You also get a little "bling" with GM's intake. :troll:

And welcome to the site.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 2007 GMC sierra. Looking to add an air intake and throttle body spacer very soon. Can anyone recommend an intake that is more geared toward fuel mileage than HP.

 

Like stated, neither of these items will improve your fuel mileage no matter what the manufacture tells you. This has been proven over and over again and even the claimed HP gains are greatly exagerated for every day driving. Most of these gains (if any) will be seen only in the upper RPM range during wide open throttle conditions, so unless you are racing your truck at the track you won't really see the HP gains. They do look and sound good and your seat of the pants dyno may tell you different, but it's all in your head. I've owned a couple of these aftermarket CAI on a couple of different vehicles and I loved the way they looked and sounded and the latter actually hurt my mileage, since I tended to romp on the gas alot since it sounded so good. :jester:

 

When I used to own a Dodge Magnum many years ago I was a member of a Dodge forum and there was a group of people on the site that went out and purchased at least 4 different CAI systems and they all got together and tested there performance on a state of the art chassis dyno on one of the HEMI powered Dodge magnums. What they found that not one of these cool looking/sounding CAI's improved engine performance over the stock CAI that came on the car. I was shocked to here this, since I was sure that the CAI I purchased had improved my engines performance according to my seat of the pants dyno tests I conducted on a daily basis.

 

The same will be true for the throttle body spacer, just a waste of money IMO.

 

The take home message is buy a CAI if you like the looks and sound, but don't buy one to improve fuel economy or HP, because that is not going to happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what can I do to get better gas mileage?

 

 

- Slow down,

- Learn to watch your high horizon and coast to stale green or red lights,

- Turn the truck off at long red lights,

- Don't use drive thrus,

- Don't let the truck stand and idle for any length of time,

- Slow, gradual accelerations from stop.

- Drive at 55 on the highway for maximum fuel efficiency.

- On uphills, focus on keeping your RPMs constant, not your speed.

- Make sure your tires are properly inflated.

- Make sure your air intake is clean

- Don't use the heat or A/C (can reduce MPG by as much as 5mpg depending on the vehicle)

- Keep the windows closed while driving to reduce drag

- Remove nonsense items that can cause drag (roof racks, sport team flags, etc)

 

 

bottom line, keep your speed/rpms consistant, your accelerations slow and gradual, don't race from light to light, and don't let the vehicle sit and idle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have noticed that throttle position determines mpg more than engine rpm's. I am not saying you can climb a hill at redline without effecting fuel consumption. But if you watch the driver information center, you will see what I mean. I can be climbing a hill in 6th at say 15% throttle, the truck will downshift while I am holding a steady throttle position and the instant mpg will not change until I change throttle positions.

 

The best way to getter better mileage is to watch the instant mpg on the DIC and experiment with different driving methods that yield the best results.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what can I do to get better gas mileage?

 

 

- Don't use the heat or A/C (can reduce MPG by as much as 5mpg depending on the vehicle)

- Keep the windows closed while driving to reduce drag

 

 

 

 

At city speeds - below 45 mph - windows down is the best option. Above 50 - highway speeds, windows up and using the A/C is the most fuel efficient way to travel if its hot out side.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lots of hype about air filters and cold air induction systems about mileage but little to no facts. People will exaggerate mpg claims.

 

.How will a K&N filter affect my vehicle's fuel economy?

 

There is a relationship between air filter restriction and mileage. The theory behind this is simple, the harder an engine has to work to suck air through the intake tubes and air filter, the more gas gets wasted in the process. Many K&N users report an increase in their fuel economy after beginning to use our air filters, as noted on our testimonial page. However, these experiences do not mean you will also experience a change in your mileage. We certainly understand why it is theoretically possible for a consumer to experience a mileage increase after installing a K&N air filter or intake system, however, we do not go so far as to make a general claim that our air filters and intake systems will provide an increase in mileage.

 

It is virtually impossible to make sweeping and general claims about mileage. Even the EPA fuel rating numbers for new cars are often not representative of the mileage you actually experience. There are many variables that affect mileage such as: tire inflation, the type of fuel, weather, elevation, the speed at which you drive, the gear in which you drive, the speed with which you accelerate, engine maintenance, excessive idling, cruise control, the grade of motor oil you use, and of course, the condition of your air filter. In short, mileage is complicated.

 

K&N filters are less restrictive than disposable paper or synthetic air filters and K&N Intake Systems are less restrictive than the factory installed air path. So K&N filter technology could be an important tool, when combined with other elements, to help keep mileage as high as possible.

 

Oh yeah, there's one more limitation imposed by science. If you take advantage of added power by driving more aggressively, you will reduce mileage. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

 

Theory is not fact.

 

Theoretically means according to an ideal or assumed set of facts or principles

 

Customer testimonials based solely on the experiences of individual consumers is insufficient to support claims related to horsepower, torque and fuel economy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my 2010 has about 13,000 miles on it so my tests were on a relatively new engine with a relatively clean stock air filter.

 

i tuned my truck with a diablosport 87 octane tune and saw 1 mpg increase. 17.0 to 18.0 after 500 miles of testing the exact same route everyday.

 

i then added a K&N 63 series intake and saw a 0.1 mpg increase on top of the tune. 18.0 to 18.1 after about 500 miles of testing the exact same route everyday.

 

i'm currently working on comparing all that with a Corsa cat-back installed and i will post my comparison at that time. once that is done, i will be adjusting my tune according to diablosport "unofficial" reccomendations to optimize the tune and will then compare the results.

 

 

what i'm getting at for you is i saw little to no gain in fuel mileage with a better flowing intake. if you regularly check your filter and replace ti when it is dirty, then you will optimize your fuel mileage in the least expensive way.

 

like the others have said, the better flowing filters do help with horsepower and the new intake tubes make the truck sound a lot better!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my 2010 has about 13,000 miles on it so my tests were on a relatively new engine with a relatively clean stock air filter.

 

i tuned my truck with a diablosport 87 octane tune and saw 1 mpg increase. 17.0 to 18.0 after 500 miles of testing the exact same route everyday.

 

i then added a K&N 63 series intake and saw a 0.1 mpg increase on top of the tune. 18.0 to 18.1 after about 500 miles of testing the exact same route everyday.

 

i'm currently working on comparing all that with a Corsa cat-back installed and i will post my comparison at that time. once that is done, i will be adjusting my tune according to diablosport "unofficial" reccomendations to optimize the tune and will then compare the results.

 

 

what i'm getting at for you is i saw little to no gain in fuel mileage with a better flowing intake. if you regularly check your filter and replace ti when it is dirty, then you will optimize your fuel mileage in the least expensive way.

 

like the others have said, the better flowing filters do help with horsepower and the new intake tubes make the truck sound a lot better!

 

It's nice to do these types of tests and trying to keep all other variables constant is very important. There can be some error in this experiment when the testing is done on different days and with a new fuel fillup. The temperature and atmospheric pressure changes can have an effect on engine performance and even if you get your fuel from the same station it can be different in composition from the previous tank. This last part is even more of an issue this time of year as they switch from Winter to Summer fuel blends and this switch will happen some what gradually since there will be gas in station tanks when the new blend is added, which will results in some kind of in between blend of fuel. The thing to look for in these kind of tests is a significant step change in your normal readings before the change. So your assesment that the CAI change showed no measurable mileage gains or losses is spot on and I believe you will not experience and measurable HP gains until your at the WOT at the upper RPM range of your engine. I believe you'll find the same will be true with your CAT-back exhaust upgrade, but in the end your truck will sound much better when you jump on the gas. Like I said earlier in a previous post that these CAI and exhaust upgrades will usually hurt your fuel economy, not by design, but by how these changes affect the weight of your right foot. :thumbs: I've done some of these types of tests before myself and my testing showed there was a significant weight increase in my right foot and noticable decrease in MPG. :cool:

 

Getting a BlackBear tune will give your vehicle better MPG values, but only if you can tame that right foot. I was able to get achieve at 1-2 MPG increase after my BB tune on my 2006 Sierra when I drove it in a conservative fashion, but I could also get it to go down significantly when I decided have a little fun and put the pedal to the metal. :flag:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

An EFI engine maintains a constant air/fuel ratio making the corrections as necessary. If the air filter gets dirty and restricts flow, then the ECM reduces the amount of fuel the injectors spray into the intake to maintain the correct A/F ratio. If a cold air kit did provide more air flow, the ECM would have to compensate for this by adding more fuel to maintain the correct A/F ratio. Now what do you think that will do to your mpg?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As far as tuning goes, a person can go nuts trying to keep the LTFT's dialed in via Diablo's methods. They change every day and that is a fact. I could see some benefit if they were out in left field to start with, but most of the time they are close enough to not matter.

 

As far as custom tuning for mpg, it seems to be hit or miss. It is nearly impossible to tune a vehicles engine and transmission characteristics to be ideal for every circumstance. One custom tune may perform great in hilly terrain but lack efficiency for flat country. You can gear a vehicle to be ideal for flat country, but it's efficiency will suffer in the hills. You can optimize the TCM tuning to be efficient in certain situations but it is always a trade off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    245.8k
    Total Topics
    2.6m
    Total Posts
  • Member Statistics

    333,235
    Total Members
    8,960
    Most Online
    fasal a
    Newest Member
    fasal a
    Joined
  • Who's Online   2 Members, 0 Anonymous, 607 Guests (See full list)



×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.