Just put a kool-vue cold air intake on 2005 dodge ram 4.7l. I love the new intake but my gas mileage is worse. Is there something I can do to reset computer to read the new air intake besides unhooking the neg battery terminal for 15 min. Or do I need to have my truck re tuned by proffesional
If you want good mileage, then put the original intake back in. It was optimized for the best mileage.
A easiest way to improve your mileage is to drive less aggressively. Are you driving more aggressively now that you have the louder intake on?
I assume you put the new intake on because you wanted more power?
Well, you get more power because the intake lets more air flow into the engine.
And the computer ups the amount of fuel it injects to match the larger air volume. The resulting larger explosion makes more power.
In other words: Power or fuel economy. Pick one. You can’t have both.
Also, you’re probably ‘enjoying’ your CAI sound by using the gas more than usual. Not much you can do, besides getting rid of it.
Thanks for the feedback. Dont think ive been driving more aggressive. I had already put a flow 409 dual exhaust on the truck. My gas didnt change at all from that. I understand that more power equals worse gas mileage but all this research out there says the air intake is one of the number one things to do to get better mpg plus a little more power. Will watch my driving habbits just to make sure, but your right I may have to put the original back on.
Well, your sources are incorrect regarding CAIs improving mpgs. A CAI hepls hp by reducing slightly pressure drop at wide open throttle. That reduced pressure drop has no impact on mpgs, because the main source of pressure drop in the intake is the throttle. Decreasing the drop (slightly) upstream of the throttle will have no impact on engine efficiency (mpgs).
In extremely specific applications, more power can give you better fuel mileage. If, for instance, you have a weak V6-powered van that’s loaded with equipment and therefore you have to floor it just to stay at highway speed, then upping the power of the engine can (sometimes) improve your gas mileage because you no longer have to have it at full-throttle.
Intake makers will stick their intake on a vehicle like that, record a slight mpg increase, and then tell you “up to (x) more miles per gallon!”
Then they will stick it on whatever vehicle gets the most power gain out of the intake, and then tell you “up to (x) more horsepower!”
What they won’t tell you is that you’re not going to get both, and you probably aren’t going to get all of either.
BTW the exhaust probably didn’t hurt your mpg all that much because your intake was still restricting the airflow into the engine. Now that you’ve opened up both ends, you’re seeing the real power gain and therefore the real mileage drop.