Moding = waste of gas?

[ZeroSkillet]

Hey guys Im sorta ld when it comes to mechanics. Some people tell me that adding an intake, muffler, and filter to ahh HP will simply waste alot more gas. IS this true?

[falnfenix]

modding, you mean?

they improve performance slightly. they do use more gas. if you're interested in getting the best gas mileage possible, then do nothing to the car whatsoever...make sure you never use your a/c, don't ever floor it, and stay out of stop-and-go traffic.

or get a scooter.

[ZeroSkillet]

Yea....scooters are c00. No but like what I mean to ask is will lets say me adding an intake, will that greatly affect gas mileage? Sinificantly.

[falnfenix]

not significantly.

[Chris Corolla S]

My Cold Air Intake causes maybe a loss 0f 1 or 2 MPG. I'm still not sure if it is because of how I drive with it or the intake itself...

The more mods you do the faster your car will be because it is flowing more air and in response, adding more fuel.
this in turn results in a loss of gas mileage.

[ZeroSkillet]

Coo man thanks for answering. Also will lets say an intake essentially make it "easier" on the engine?I know it will make it go faster....but the way I think is that the better flow will help the engine, make it work less but not really.

[Flashmn]

Also will lets say an intake essentially make it "easier" on the engine

Nope, its really the same. Stock intakes usually arent restrictive on this side of 200hp...

[michael9413]

Guys...
Over my country here have a lot of people doing mod at their Air intake filter and exaust... but you can't see the power they gain...
just a slightly better acceleration, i think it will last for a while only maybe before 4000 rpm... Most of them think they will have a faster car when they do this...
Lower down the cars also...

[90celica]

intakes should increase gas mileage....

puts more air in the mixture

[TRDragoon]

^ so not true...

there is no point of doing intake mods unless you do any exhaust mods...and muffler isn't part of it....

the only way you're gonna get effecient use of your intake, you hafto modify your exhaust manifold, catback, down pipe, high flow cat and high flow resonator..... and muffler won't add 1 hp to your engine...

and yes, these mods will just waste gas....

[hopeful]

actually these mods will 'waste' no gas. And neither should they decrease gas mileage. It's usually the driver flooring it from stoplight to stoplight,,, shifting just as tvis kicks in ... that prolly causes the increase in gas mileage.

[89yotarollagts]

only time i really notice gas going down is going up hills

[automatic]

If your mixture is dialed in, you should get slightly better while cruising steady on the hiway, but around town the extra fuel/air blast every time you take off could take a couple mpg.
That's been my observation anyhow.

[Tofuball]

ALLRIGHTY PEOPLE!

It depends on the mod; but if you make it easier for air to enter or exit the engine (intake/exhaust) and you dont change your driving style, then your gas milage gets BETTER. The engine is simply doing less work!

Certain mods, like camming the engine higher (Specially increasing the lift), porting it really huge, mega-short intake runners, or anything that isnt dialed in will definitely decrease fuel economy.

Some mods that give you fuel economy, in some general order;

- Changing your driving habits
- Up your compression ratio and/or reduce blowby (Total Seal-rings ect)
- Intake/Exhaust that isnt gigantic as to loose too much low-end velocity
- Underdrive Pullies
- Thermal barrier coating on the valves/piston-top/combustion-part-of-the-head and/or friction reducing coatings (like piston side-skirts)
- Use a the lightest weight synthetic safe for your heat-range
- Enhancing the ignition (Advanced timing, better spark control, bigger plug gap, better plugs)
- Buy a Prius/Insight/VW TDI
- Reducing rotating mass (Engine internals, flywheel, rims/tires) or weight of the vehicle itself
- DROPING your final drive ratio (Such as going from 4.3 gears to 3.9 gears) so that you are going a lower RPM at any given speed.

[Tofuball]

PS. Want to know how hard your car is working, and when it is adding more or less gas?

Get a Vac or Vac/Boost gauge, and an air/fuel gauge.

The A/F gauge is only useful for telling you when you are 'closed-loop' mode (Where you are getting ideal economy) and how much fuel it is using per position on the throttle in 'closed-loop'

The Vac gauge will tell you how hard your engine is working, and how much avalable power you have. Idealy, you want to be driving around with it at 18Hg, but good luck keeping it there