TRD CAI mileage gains

[453030]

I have now filled twice since installing my new intake. The first tank actually dropped. It was a little weird after the install. The average MPG and range dropped noticeably at first. Since then it has been on the rise. I had been getting a new range of about 350 at every fill, now it is 390. It translates to a little over 1 mpg improvement so far (despite the bigger range increase), and I hope it sneaks up closer to 2 arty:

 

[joneseyyy]

Excellent. Thanks for keeping us informed. Hard for many of us to justify the expense without this type of feedback.

 

[Koz]

You will not see any mpg gains! Also, because of the nice sound you may be inclined to hit the gas harder and get less mpg.

Koz

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Still seems hard to justify spending $300+ to see a negligible gain since it's hard to prove your 1mpg gain is really a legitimate gain and not your truck getting more broken in or other factors. My mileage goes up 2mpgs just because of the warmer weather.

 

[CXS]

Not one to rain on anyone's parade but agree with Koz which is the consensus all over the web. It's pretty easy to see the results you want to see by subconsciously altering driving habits.

 

[Dlak]

Dyno

someone dyno this thing already!!

 

[harper7]

You will not see any mpg gains! Also, because of the nice sound you may be inclined to hit the gas harder and get less mpg.

Koz

Not one to rain on anyone's parade but agree with Koz which is the consensus all over the web. It's pretty easy to see the results you want to see by subconsciously altering driving habits.

For you all to claim the "liar,liar pants on fire offense and I'm with him" and no facts to back it up or even owning one or seeing one for that matter.........classy! Sounds like one of JED's opinions that you claim is a fact because you said so!What ever makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside I guess.
Consensus all over the web .....on a CAI that's been out 2-3 weeks.Show us !

For him to claim a 1mpg gain is not unreasonable by any means .Do Cold Air Intakes Increase MPG?
The theory is that the TRD cold air intake will give the engine denser,less turbulent oxygen laden air which will allow more fuel to be burned in a given power stroke. If you get more power, you could IN THEORY, press lighter on the skinny pedal to reach a given speed giving you better mpg's.

HP gain.....My butt/ears dyno feels like 10-20hp gain but hp reading on my scangauge reads more like 5hp gain on the top end. Insignificant gains ,sure but every little bit starts adding up and I got to admit ,it looks sweeter then a hot fudge sundae with a cherry on top.

I probably lose mpg's myself because I love that sound and use the extra power.

 

[TOYSTRY]

For you all to claim the "liar,liar pants on fire offense and I'm with him" and no facts to back it up or even owning one or seeing one for that matter.........classy! Sounds like one of JED's opinions that you claim is a fact because you said so!What ever makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside I guess.
Consensus all over the web .....on a CAI that's been out 2-3 weeks.Show us !

For him to claim a 1mpg gain is not unreasonable by any means .Do Cold Air Intakes Increase MPG?
The theory is that the TRD cold air intake will give the engine denser,less turbulent oxygen laden air which will allow more fuel to be burned in a given power stroke. If you get more power, you could IN THEORY, press lighter on the skinny pedal to reach a given speed giving you better mpg's.

HP gain.....My butt/ears dyno feels like 10-20hp gain but hp reading on my scangauge reads more like 5hp gain on the top end. Insignificant gains ,sure but every little bit starts adding up and I got to admit ,it looks sweeter then a hot fudge sundae with a cherry on top.

I probably lose mpg's myself because I love that sound and use the extra power.

:iagree:
:snacker:
:cheers:

 

[hamiltonj2w1]

I am seeing almost 1mpg better to I can almost get 300 miles to a tank now lol and its not cause of warmer weather it is still cold and snowy out west

 

[sandcrawler]

Still seems hard to justify spending $300+ to see a negligible gain since it's hard to prove your 1mpg gain is really a legitimate gain and not your truck getting more broken in or other factors. My mileage goes up 2mpgs just because of the warmer weather.

are you finding it listed for $300 somewhere? $400 seems to be the going rate. :shrug:

 

[Dispense]

I'm working on 1mpg better as well.

Now, my truck only has 2K miles on it so its anybody's guess if it is the CAI or the engine breaking in.

I do definitely drive it harder though =), and still have seen a small improvement.

 

[CXS]

I see absolutely no reason to argue about this myself, I will not spend the money myself but won't try to stop anyone else from spending their money any way they see fit.

 

[453030]

I am certainly not going to argue with any of the automotive experts here on T4R, and I am not making ridiculous claims.

Here are the facts from my side:

The weather has been very consistent here lately, I have definitely driven my truck more aggressively since adding the CAI because I love the sound, my range upon filling up is all of a sudden over 40 miles more than it usually is, and I have averaged low 18s on every tank for the last few months until the last fill up, which calculated at 19.2. All coincidence I am sure. :bravo:

Oh and I almost forgot, I also got mine for free :banana:

 

[adio3x]

I'm def seeing a gain of my average mile per gallon. When I had my 285 Destination ATs, I was getting around 15.6. It did go down to 14.9 after I got my 285 duratracs on. Now with the CAI installed, im averaging about 15.9.

 

[phillyd2]

You will not see any mpg gains! Also, because of the nice sound you may be inclined to hit the gas harder and get less mpg.

Still seems hard to justify spending $300+ to see a negligible gain since it's hard to prove your 1mpg gain is really a legitimate gain and not your truck getting more broken in or other factors. My mileage goes up 2mpgs just because of the warmer weather.

Not one to rain on anyone's parade but agree with Koz which is the consensus all over the web. It's pretty easy to see the results you want to see by subconsciously altering driving habits.

Totally agree!

Oh, yeah - I am installing one!

If I wanted practical I would buy a Corolla

Although I would like to hear if there is any improvement in the 0-20 mph range.

 

[1engineer]

I will not voice an opinion on whether a CAI will improve gas milage on the 4Runner. I do know that, on some vehicles, a CAI has no effect whatsoever on fuel consumption. If you are looking at solely improving your gas milage then change your driving habits, buy the lowest ethanol mix fuel, don't modify your truck and check your tire pressure weekly. If you want a little more power though a CAI is a cost effective way to get 5-10 hp. Buy for the right reasons. Food for thought: if a CAI increased gas milage by 5% (say from 20 to 21 mpg average on a 4Runner,) don't you think Toyota would put them on from the factory to increase their CAFE numbers?

 

[Falls]

Id put one in if it were free.

Ive done many of ACTUAL dyno testing with CAI's . Sorry what they advertising ain't going to be happening.

A drop in filter will do the same thing for a small fraction of the cost.

Their is a think called a MAF (mass air flow sensor) that only will let so much air through anyways so it really has little to do with the CAI. Also you need to reset battery for results .

It may give better throttle response , but thats it .

 

[Koz]

For you all to claim the "liar,liar pants on fire offense and I'm with him" and no facts to back it up or even owning one or seeing one for that matter.........classy! Sounds like one of JED's opinions that you claim is a fact because you said so!What ever makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside I guess.
Consensus all over the web .....on a CAI that's been out 2-3 weeks.Show us !

For him to claim a 1mpg gain is not unreasonable by any means .Do Cold Air Intakes Increase MPG?
The theory is that the TRD cold air intake will give the engine denser,less turbulent oxygen laden air which will allow more fuel to be burned in a given power stroke. If you get more power, you could IN THEORY, press lighter on the skinny pedal to reach a given speed giving you better mpg's.

HP gain.....My butt/ears dyno feels like 10-20hp gain but hp reading on my scangauge reads more like 5hp gain on the top end. Insignificant gains ,sure but every little bit starts adding up and I got to admit ,it looks sweeter then a hot fudge sundae with a cherry on top.

I probably lose mpg's myself because I love that sound and use the extra power.

First off, NO ONE was called a liar, so don’t put words in anyone’s mouth!

My comment was based on MANY years of personal experience and I certainly don’t need to see a CAI to determine if it will provide better mileage (no one can look at one and determine that, except maybe you).

The 1 mpg could very well be from the CAI (by the way, the TRD CAI draws air from the same place the OEM box does) but it could also be from the weather/temp changes within the last two weeks. CAIs usually perform better when they are complimented with a less restricted exhaust system.

The TRD CAI will make some HP but more then likely, no better mileage. 10 to 20 hp gains on a Toyota engine from an intake is also not likely (maybe with an exhaust). Toyota/Lexus engines have very good OEM intake systems and are not usually a restricting point in the system, that’s why you will not see the gains like on a domestic engine.

With that said, I do believe some type of aftermarket air filter is worth putting on. You can benefit from a gain in HP, better throttle response, nice sound and the most beneficial aspect (to me), a lifetime filter. I have installed an aftermarket filter system in EVERY vehicle I have ever owned (including motorcycles).

Koz

 

[bigwebb83]

A vehicle's ecu maintains a target air fuel ratio. If you put on a free flowing CAI and see more air in the combustion chamber the ecu will compensate by adding more fuel thus theoretically decreasing fuel mileage. Am I saying that these hurt fuel economy? No. Not unless you get happy on the skinny pedal because of the sound the intake makes. What I am saying is that it's really impossible to see MPG gains from an intake that is flowing more air. More air = more fuel. If you were to dyno tune the engine after the installation that would be a different story.

 

[aspade]

Look at the development money Toyota - and every other manufacturer - spend for better mileage.

A redesigned engine or transmission costs hundreds of millions of dollars and takes years. A clean sheet design will go well past a billion.

On top of that there's the cheap but blatantly compromised small details throughout the vehicle in favor of mileage. Hard skinny tires, excessively tall gearing, annoying transmission logic, flimsy plastic air dams, body panels barely thick enough to support their own weight, Kamm rooflines that ruin the back seat, etc.

If a slightly different air tube design that'd cost $18.50 if the factory did it were worth 1 mpg - 5% better - then what you're really saying is Toyota's hundreds of professional engineers who didn't think of that are re****s.