the gas.
CAI and MPG
If you were going to get a CAI with the main goal of increased MPG which one would you get?
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cool, thats the one I was looking atthe gas.
no honestly its not worth spending $$ for better MPGs if thats your sole reason its better to buy the gas then spend the 2-400 on an intake for a minor gain if any
I understand...the only reason why I was asking is even at $300 the rate I drive an increase as little as 3 mpg would pay for itself in approx 10 months. Not too bad I dont think.
I don't think any of the intakes are going to get you 3mpg. 1mpg (maybe 2, if you're really working for it), would be all you should expect. I got about 1mpg better with my Volant. Like Irongrave said though, don't buy it if your only reason for having it is better gas mileage.
Honestly after having Nismo CAI for almost 3 years, I can honestly say my MPG's have gone down most the times in mixed city/highway driving, as I love the sound of the engine. I have gotten 18MPG many times, but I often find myself putting my foot down to get around idiots in the fast lane on their cell phone. Ethanol SUCKS in the Winter and also makes MPG go down. 
I think you would be lucky to get 1-2 MPG better mileage with a CAI over stock. Most of us have purchased CAI's for fun and increased performance. Your mileage and performance may vary.....
Mod ON!
I still love our CAI no matter and have no regrets.
I think you would be lucky to get 1-2 MPG better mileage with a CAI over stock. Most of us have purchased CAI's for fun and increased performance. Your mileage and performance may vary.....
Mod ON!
I still love our CAI no matter and have no regrets.
with most intakes you will generally lose mpg no matter how you drive just based on the volumetric efficiency of the larger much more free flowing tube. the air velocity just isn't where it needs to be during normal driving and MPGs tend to suffer. the volumetric efficiency at wot is great just not in most normal driving. you can gain MPG and power with a good programmer and i myself have done the math and with average gains of MPGs from people on here a bullydog gt will get paid for in gas savings in under a year then after that is like $300ish buck a year that is staying in your pocket.
also for any of you nerdy types i picked up an amazing book full of all the knowledge you'd want to know about intake and exhaust systems and the science of how it all works its call SCIENTIFIC DESIGN OF EXHAUST & INTAKE SYSTEMS Third Edition by Philip H Smith (FIMechE MSAE) and John C Morrison (BSc PhD MIMechE) i've read this thing 3 times on my 4th and i learn something new every time i do.
also for any of you nerdy types i picked up an amazing book full of all the knowledge you'd want to know about intake and exhaust systems and the science of how it all works its call SCIENTIFIC DESIGN OF EXHAUST & INTAKE SYSTEMS Third Edition by Philip H Smith (FIMechE MSAE) and John C Morrison (BSc PhD MIMechE) i've read this thing 3 times on my 4th and i learn something new every time i do.
save the money for gas because you will never see a return on the money you used to buy a cai. $300-$400 is a lot of gas!!!!!!
All true. I have a Volant, exhaust and tune and haven't really seen any difference in city driving. If I am going a long distance it seems to get above 20, sometimes 21. Kind of disappointing overall but I like the increased torque and sound of the intake and exhaust.
intakes are good for a more agressive engine sound and slightly better throttle response. forget about justifying it by alleged fuel economy increases.
How does the tuner help MPG? Are there drawbacks?you can gain MPG and power with a good programmer and i myself have done the math and with average gains of MPGs from people on here a bullydog gt will get paid for in gas savings in under a year then after that is like $300ish buck a year that is staying in your pocket.
-Jeff
Thank you all for your input. I cant understand why some of you say it is not worth a 2 or 3 mpg increase because it will never pay for itself. Maybe my math is wrong but like Colin said, at the rate most people drive, if you were to save 2 or 3 mpg, even at 300 bucks you will recover the costs in less than 1 year and then from then on out you are saving 300 bucks a year. Maybe my pockets are not as deep as others on these boards but I think people go to further extremes than that to save 300 bucks a year. Thats like saying if every month you walked down the road and found 25 dollars laying on the ground you wouldnt bend over and pick it up. I know driving styles and such come into play so it is hard to get a static test. Everyone says that they really cant get a good reading on MPG because the power is so overwhelming or that mod shouldnt be used to get MPG because you really wont see it because your truck is going to more powerful and you arent going to be able to help yourself from dipping into the throttle. Thats all good, I guess what I am wanting is to know if the modification has the "potential" if driven correctly to increase MPG.
to be honest i don't know exactly what all they are changing about your factory tune that equals more power and fuel economy but i've seen many members here claiming between 2 and 4 mpg from them. i don't have a tuner (having a baby in like 2 weeks ish and my pregnant old lady scares me too much to try and justify buying one lol) but i've looking into the bullydog gt alot and like most of the other tuners it has a tune specific for the best fuel economy at 87 octane fuel along with various tow and performance tunes and it also has what is called a driving coach that tells you when you are driving inefficiently and tells to how much energy your wasting and how to drive more economically. someone else on here might know a little more about tuners specifically and what combination of changes to your tune they use to squeeze out more mpg. and if you do going looking at the bully dog gt on their site don't let the price there scare you cause scott at fontana nissan can get you a very good price on one shipped to your door, i just wish i could take advantage of it too but getting stuff for the little crumb snatcher on the way is priority for me lolHow does the tuner help MPG? Are there drawbacks?
-Jeff
About time for me to chime in here.
With the addition of a dual in/dual out Flowmaster muffler, custom pipe (eliminating the restrictive "Y" pipe) and a Volant CAI, my mileage went up approx. 1.5-2 mpg.
I easily pull low to mid 20's on the highway and usually run around 19 mpg with all around driving (in the summer).
With the addition of a dual in/dual out Flowmaster muffler, custom pipe (eliminating the restrictive "Y" pipe) and a Volant CAI, my mileage went up approx. 1.5-2 mpg.
I easily pull low to mid 20's on the highway and usually run around 19 mpg with all around driving (in the summer).
If you were going to get a CAI with the main goal of increased MPG which one would you get?[/QUOTEfrom my experience which is mainly in Jeeps and sport import cars, CAI are designed to force colder air into the engine to gain hp and tq. Not so much MPG. I would buy a Cortex from one of the guys selling em in the classifieds. Support are fellow bros since they support us with tons of great advice. W/ a ecu programmer you can adjust your vehicle to the octane u want to use, so if you drop to the 87 oct u will be saving right at the pump. They also allow u to gain hp,tq and and an increase of MPG which is your main concern. For the money your gonna spend this is the way I eel u will get the desired results. I run 93 OCT w/ mine, got noticable diffrences (INCREASE POSITIVE) in all 3 field. Thats my 2 cents and the best $$$ I spend as far as performance for my truck. Thanks to the great guys on this forums advice and experience. Hope it helps and other i am sure will be able to chime in on their opinions as well that are more experienced in the frontier field. This is my first frontier but modified many a vehicle for different purposes based on customer request. GOOD LUCK BRO and keep us updated
On the bullydog and autoanything sites when I look for tuners for Nissan Frontier the "year" pulldown only goes back to 2005. Are there tuners out that will work for a 2003?
-Jeff
-Jeff
oh my bad i totally didn't look at your pic or name to see you were an 03 lol i'm blind. i don't think they really offer much for for the first gens in that department
get a programmer IMO i think it made a better impact in mpg for me
My gas mileage has gone down fairly significantly since I got my Cortex. No fault of the tuner... I just can't seem to drive reasonably any more. It's like I'm suddenly 16 again with real heavy boots. Eventually maybe the novelty will wear off. I've intentionally steered clear of CAI and exhaust for now. Any more HP gain and I may as well set-up an automatic monthly bank account withdrawal directly to the local police.
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