RMATIC09

I live on long island, and summer is dying down, and now fall is upon us. Since the humidity has been low to nothing, and the temperature, "chilly" , my car seems to respond so much better.I have a CAI, which could def help, but my car's "kick" just seems to be so much better in this type of weather. I heard it's becuase cars actually prefer cold air...? just wondering.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

You have a CAI right? Then you just answered your own question.

drewJ32A2

Yes, cars run better in cold less humid air.

RMATIC09

Ah ok, thanks for the quick replys.

NickR

yep, you're right. cold air is denser and engines run better with more air in them. mine is doing the same thing - even without a CAI

RMATIC09

Yea, but a downside is that now i gotta wait longer for the engine to warm up. The manual says, not to let the car idle, and that it will warm up by itself, ... so i just keep it under 3.5 rpm untill its warm. What do you guys think about that.

MemRheins

Another long islander here, unfortinutly im in PA and the cars back home but i noticed this last winter before I had my CAI, I had the same rule keep it below 3500 untill its warm and then warm up those Michiliens just dont over due it, most likely bullsh*t but i heard u can do alot more damage in the cold running your engine hard, have fun....I miss my TSX

RMATIC09

I heard everytiem you drive your cold engine hard, it's 50 miles of wear and tear added to it.

NickR

well, yeah, you need to let it warm up first. like any type of engine, it is more dangerous while the engine is still cold that's why you take it easy for the 10 minutes.

Xtremespeed2102

yeahh i wish i was back in jeresy, its still 90+ degrees here and the humidity doesnt let up. some days it feels like she doesnt wanna get up n go! but the mornings let me tell you. i let her sit for about 5 min while i fix the a/c controls and take the window visors off then i start off slow. but at the first light she takes off. but man the humidity really kills alot

ricecake

cold air is denser, so your air to fuel ratio is marginally better (and therefore better performance).

VeniceBeachTSX

Air to fuel remains exactly the same. That's why the engines have all that nifty emissions control systems, to keep it burning as efficiently and cleanly as possible.

However, since you have more air molecules in the same space, you can also have more fuel. In colder air (or lower altitudes) you get the same mix but you get more of it.

The hotter and higher up you are, the less dense the air is, so the less fuel will be mixed in with it.

Key piece of equipment for measuring this is the Oxygen sensor, which gives the engine computer very detailed information about the density of the air and the appropriate mixture.

iamhomin

<~ From Northern NJ

And I've also felt a small gain.

iamhomin, who has the SRI.

Xtremespeed2102

<--- in florida, not feeling the gains! not fair, i was from nj

925tsx

im from nj, and i do not have a cai yet, however it was cold her the other night and i felt a big difference in acceleration..i said to myself..wow...maybe i should move to a state thats cold all year round just so my T is fster..lol

Xtremespeed2102

haha definately same thing ive been thinking of

ricecake

I stand corrected, VeniceBeach. Good to know.

ClutchPerformer

That's perfect.

The key is to have the car run cold as little (time-wise) as possible. And it'll warm up faster with some load on it than just idling in your driveway. As long as you don't go with a lot of throttle before it's warm, you're doing grea.

VeniceBeachTSX

No problem. I work a lot with aircraft engines, which are about the only ones still left that have the ability to adjust the fuel/air mixure. Since you're working with altitudes between sea level and 18000+ feet, there's no way around some manual control. You learn a lot from dealing with situations like that.

Automobiles are pretty much always designed to provide a consistent mixture, slightly leaner than peak power. You tend to get the greatest efficiency at that setting. Some vehicles (not sure about the TSX) boost the mix a bit at very high power settings, at the expense of emissions and fuel economy.