+MPG via CAI?

[uRabbit]

With the way I drive and the almost 50/50 city/hw driving I do, I'm getting an average of 36.2 mpg in my first four tanks since purchase of my Fit. I'm wondering if I can add to that via a CAI.

When I owned a Mini Cooper S, I decided to install a CAI for performance purposes. In fact, it cost me forty bucks for a kit by Spectre (a company that advertises their products in American-made muscle cars) at my local Shucks. I didn't notice mileage changes because I was a more aggressive driver then. I *did* notice the surprising +9 horsepower gain tho.

Now I am driving rather economically. Granted, I need to cut out my jackrabbit starts but hey, I gotta have fun sometimes.

So anyone notice any positive or negative impacts to your fuel economy after a CAI install? I don't know how much better it could get, as it seems my intake is already sucking in cold air, as a tube runs to edge of the engine bay.

[solbrothers]

colder air means more fuel. so theoretically itd mean less mpg. yet people will go on and on all day about how they doubled and tripled their mileage when they installed a cai and axleback. LOL

[kylerwho]

colder air doesnt mean more fuel. colder air means more oxygen molecules which in turn makes the motor run a little hotter and leaner but not enough to notice.

cold air intake will help with power and possibly 1 or 2 mpg better but dont count on it. the oem system is already a cold air intake so you wont really improve on that much at all. all the power is found in the top end when installing such parts which lowers mpg's.

[solbrothers]

the colder the intake air temp, the more fuel the engine gives it to compensate.

thats why the real hypermilers use warm or hot air intakes

[kylerwho]

ah... didnt know that.

thanks for the information.

[uRabbit]

So a short ram might be better?
Then why'd Honda make it virtually a CAI?

[solbrothers]

Originally Posted by uRabbit

So a short ram might be better?
Then why'd Honda make it virtually a CAI?

well, it isnt necessarily a cold air intake. look at ANY car, they all pretty much suck in air from the fender area.

[kylerwho]

technically it is a cold air intake cause anything drawing air from outside the engine compartment is a cai. short ram intake would probably be worse for mpg than a cai cause the power is made at the top end and torque is lost in the low end.

[uRabbit]

Originally Posted by solbrothers

well, it isnt necessarily a cold air intake. look at ANY car, they all pretty much suck in air from the fender area.

What makes it not cold air?

And in that case, should I look to crafting a short ram? Never done one of those.

[kylerwho]

search for sid's short ram intake. it would only cost about $30 to create it.

[solbrothers]

The OEM intake it came with is (in most cases) going to be the best - sounds crazy but here's the real deal -

The reasons anyone makes a "cold air intake" are:
1) To sell you something that "looks cool" and makes noise (keywords - sell you something).
2) Because "Fast & Furious" was just such a cool movie and "you gotta be like them, dawg".
3) You'll think your ride is that much better than the next one just like it (they made thousands of em).

Now back to the real deal -

Most "cold air intakes" are misleading to begin with. If the filter is an open element (you can see the filter) and it's under the hood, it is actually a "hot air intake" (in other words - they lie and sell you something). When was the last time you ever felt a cool breeze under the hood of a car/ truck? A true cold air intake has to take in air from an ambient source - aka outside the engine bay. If you want one that bad for the "cool factor", or if your car/ truck doesn't breathe from outside the engine bay, find one that fits that description.

The air that the OEM (the one it came with from the factory, or Original Equipment Manufactured) air intake breathes in is usually from just behind the grille itself, or sometimes from a fenderwell. This "air charge" is actually cold (or ambient temperature air), as hot air will just drop your ignition timing (because of pre-ignition or detonation) as the temperature of the intake air increases, and take all your HP with it.

Let common sense help some on deciding just how good an [COLOR=#FF4400 ! important][COLOR=#FF4400 ! important]aftermarket [COLOR=#FF4400 ! important]part[/color][/color][/color] or system is:
1) Why would the Manufacturer short you on the performance it could have for an extra $100?
2) If you gained MPG with a simple piece of tubing and a "one size fits all" air filter element - wouldn't they do that at the factory that built the vehicle?
3) Who do you think has more money and resources for Research and Development - the company that designed and built the entire vehicle, or the company that made that "cold air intake"?
4) If something you could buy and install yourself would actually add HorsePower and [COLOR=#FF4400 ! important][COLOR=#FF4400 ! important]MPG[/color][/color], why would any vehicle manufacturer waste millions designing it the way they did (and lose the edge on the competition)?

Add to that the water protection that a stock OEM air box is designed to provide. Water intrusion is a HUGE concern to prevent damage, and here's the reason, air compresses and water doesn't. If an engine breathes in water, and tries to compress it, it will break in a big way.

Some "cold air intake" kits have a water intrusion valve that is basically a ping-pong ball in a sleeve - good luck trusting an engine to that. I know where they got the R&D on that design, just open up a wet/ dry shopvac and you'll see the same thing. Amazing how brilliant these things are when you dig.

Cold Air Intake vs. Stock Intake ?? - Tundra Solutions Forum

stolen from here.

[uRabbit]

Ha maybe I'll just get the K&N drop in like I planned. Can't find any evidence on google of any intake making any difference in mpg. Seems like an illusionary topic.

@soldbrothers: on my Mini, I took the pipe and filter I bought at Schucks installed it as well as a home made heat shield. The shield would get might hot on the outside but still be cool on the inside. The shield sat flush with the hood when closed. To further the "cold air" idea, I cut a large hole in the back of the half of the stock airbox, so that more cool air would be drawn in from outside the engine bay. This gave me almost 10 horsepower, as well as no safety concerns.

Maybe the setup is better factory in this car than it was in my Mini.

[kylerwho]

its a sales pitch. kinda like the oil that makes more power.....

[solbrothers]

you think honda was ****ing around when they designed your car? lol. they put $$$$$$$ into designing every aspect of our fits. every nut and bolt and stock intake system is there for a reason

[kylerwho]

im pretty sure they didnt spend much time on the dead axle in the back or else they woud have added a sway bar since its current design is old technology.

[uRabbit]

Originally Posted by solbrothers

you think honda was ****ing around when they designed your car? lol. they put $$$$$$$ into designing every aspect of our fits. every nut and bolt and stock intake system is there for a reason

You've probably never read this thread then: http://rdx.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=682139

And you must run Honda oil, Honda wiper blades, Honda glass cleaner, Honda carpet stain remover, etc.

Every car manufacturer cuts corners.

[solbrothers]

Originally Posted by kylerwho

im pretty sure they didnt spend much time on the dead axle in the back or else they woud have added a sway bar since its current design is old technology.

you talking about the rear torsion beam suspension? its all about cutting costs mang

[jsusanka]

Originally Posted by solbrothers

The OEM intake it came with is (in most cases) going to be the best - sounds crazy but here's the real deal -

The reasons anyone makes a "cold air intake" are:
1) To sell you something that "looks cool" and makes noise (keywords - sell you something).
2) Because "Fast & Furious" was just such a cool movie and "you gotta be like them, dawg".
3) You'll think your ride is that much better than the next one just like it (they made thousands of em).

Now back to the real deal -

Most "cold air intakes" are misleading to begin with. If the filter is an open element (you can see the filter) and it's under the hood, it is actually a "hot air intake" (in other words - they lie and sell you something). When was the last time you ever felt a cool breeze under the hood of a car/ truck? A true cold air intake has to take in air from an ambient source - aka outside the engine bay. If you want one that bad for the "cool factor", or if your car/ truck doesn't breathe from outside the engine bay, find one that fits that description.

The air that the OEM (the one it came with from the factory, or Original Equipment Manufactured) air intake breathes in is usually from just behind the grille itself, or sometimes from a fenderwell. This "air charge" is actually cold (or ambient temperature air), as hot air will just drop your ignition timing (because of pre-ignition or detonation) as the temperature of the intake air increases, and take all your HP with it.

Let common sense help some on deciding just how good an [COLOR=#FF4400 ! important][COLOR=#FF4400 ! important]aftermarket [COLOR=#FF4400 ! important]part[/color][/color][/color] or system is:
1) Why would the Manufacturer short you on the performance it could have for an extra $100?
2) If you gained MPG with a simple piece of tubing and a "one size fits all" air filter element - wouldn't they do that at the factory that built the vehicle?
3) Who do you think has more money and resources for Research and Development - the company that designed and built the entire vehicle, or the company that made that "cold air intake"?
4) If something you could buy and install yourself would actually add HorsePower and [COLOR=#FF4400 ! important][COLOR=#FF4400 ! important]MPG[/color][/color], why would any vehicle manufacturer waste millions designing it the way they did (and lose the edge on the competition)?

Add to that the water protection that a stock OEM air box is designed to provide. Water intrusion is a HUGE concern to prevent damage, and here's the reason, air compresses and water doesn't. If an engine breathes in water, and tries to compress it, it will break in a big way.

Some "cold air intake" kits have a water intrusion valve that is basically a ping-pong ball in a sleeve - good luck trusting an engine to that. I know where they got the R&D on that design, just open up a wet/ dry shopvac and you'll see the same thing. Amazing how brilliant these things are when you dig.

Cold Air Intake vs. Stock Intake ?? - Tundra Solutions Forum

stolen from here.

This poster hit the nail on the head. I always get the k&n oem drop in replacement filter because I think it is maximizing the original engineer's design and it saves money cause I just have to clean it instead of buying a new filter.

my .02 cents worth

[stevet47]

Solbrothers is pretty much right, but you CAN get higher MPG with a warm air intake. It has been proven time and time again with ABA tests on ecomodder.com BUT, it comes with a price... you loose power, some engines will stumble at high rpms, etc.

[uRabbit]

Thank you for the info and web site. I'll just drop in a K&N, as I believe it does just what I'm looking for, as jsusanka stated.