Ni$h21

I've always seen my dad drive this car so "gingerly" and i'd always complain why are you not accelerating sharp enough, and now that i've driven the car myself (i've been driving it since dec. 06 when i got my permit) i've realized that sharp accelerating sharply decreases mpg (who woulda thunk it....) any ways i posted a response in one of the threads about CAI's asking how a CAI effected MPG i got a reply saying it boosts it, if so...how much does it boost it by, and is there anything other then a CAI that will give the car a MPG boost?

csmeance

A CAI can boost MPG up to 2-3 from what i have read here. It does this by making the engine breathe easier, and that to, colder air. This combination makes a better combustible mixture in the cylinder that uses much more potential of gas, making more power. Antoher Item that can improve MPG is the E-shift Pro Cat's converters, these let the exhaust flow much more freely and are government certified to pass inspections. These can boost MPG from anywhere from 2 - 4 MPG.

sunny201

With my CAI i noticed about 5-7 mpg.. thats obviously driving conservatively though, which i have the tendency never to do especially after i put the CAI on. I just love that sound when Vtec comes alive. I think its time to go for a drive

prophoenix

Haha, some guy at this shop I went to saw the CAI and told me that "the CAI will decrease your MPG" and I asked him why, and he said "because it sucks in more air and thus uses more gas" LOLOL!!

stillhere153

iTrader: (1)

The cai in an effective way to conserve some fuel... in addition to you can also throw in a p2r throttle body spacer... I notcied 3mpg gain for city with the cai (went from 14 to 17) and with the p2r tb spacer it goes up to 22... but then again that's if I never go wide open... and most of the time I do generally I get 15mpg to the tank... gives me roughly around 260-280 miles on the tank which is awfull but it beats what my 350z used to do which was 13mpg no matter how I drove city

01tl4tl

learn to drive with your toes instead of your hip when you push the gas pedal-
drive like egg under pedal- soft gently smooth to speed and when coming to a red light- back off the gas and coast- even brake a little and if light goes green- less gas used getting back to speed
The TL does its worst in stop and go city driving- do what you can, and make it up on the freeway
'In town- I use the cruise anytime I can- thats over 25-30 mph is most cases

But the main way to improve mileage is keep your foot out of it~

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Man, I don't know if it's just me...but for some reason, I don't feel as if my mpg has improved since I've gotten my CAI. Maybe I have too much of a lead foot!

LyfeIs

I know I can probably find this with a SEARCH but, aside from and MPG increase and a more aggressive sound, is there any other benefits in having a CAI? From what I've read, it costs about $300 installed. In the long-run, is that $300 worth it?

Reason I ask is because everyone on AZ seems to have one and since I lease my TL, I want to know if its worth getting and possibly have to remove at the end of my term.

Thanks

sunny201

I think thats the only 2 things that CAI does. I love that sound, thats the main reason I did it. Then obviously the MPG does increase, but only if you can keep your foot out of the accelerator.

mishar

Sharp acceleration is not lowering mpg. As a matter of fact it saves some gas because engine is working on a higher average pressure and has better efficiency. Too much acceleration, sharp or not, is what wastes a fuel because you are driving either to fast burning too much energy on air resistance, or you have to brake because of traffic, which is direct waste of energy.

So, in order to save some gas you should accelerate sharp (3/4 pedal) to the cruising speed and anticipate traffic to avoid to much braking.

By the way, I do not understand people driving $30+K car and trying to save a few bucks per tank. Even more ridiculous to me is moding your car to gain few horses and than driving it like old lady to save a few cents. O, not to forget, I do not understand people washing their car every day either.

sunny201

Well.. I dont understand why people spend $30+K on a car and then not spend the money nor time to keep it clean and looking nice. .. this is not just to your post mishar but just in general.

stillhere153

iTrader: (1)

dude I drove with my toes for the first time rather than my hip... gas mpg on the mid jumped by 5mpg and that was on like a 20mins drive in the city...

sunny201

I remember trying that a while ago before my rims were on and with the CAI I got 39mpg!! and that was about a 25 minute drive. I just cant stand driving like that though. On average with my rims and CAI i get about ~20mpg, I just love that CAI sound in Vtec

jayo_o

this may be a dumb question, but do you get the CAI system, the p2r throttle body spacer, and the E-shift Pro Cat's converters installed through Acura?

I hate cars

Partially true. At WOT, it will decrease economy although I doubt you will notice. At part throttle, it's debatable if it will actually increase mileage. It takes a certain amount of air to make a certain amount of hp period. The throttlebody determines how much air enters the engine. The only thing that will increase both fuel economy and mileage for sure are exhaust mods. 5-7mpg increase with a CAI is absolutlely impossible. I would venture a guess that any gains in mileage would be from the computer adding an extra degree or two of timing from seeing lower IATs.

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

This is going to depend on your dealer. One good thing if they do, it will tell you for sure if it's going to be a warranty issue.

I think many either go to an independent shop or like me, DIY.

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

That's funny!

I hate washing the car too. I'd rather be getting poor MPG by accelerating too much!

But a clean car does look nice!

jayo_o

so do all TL owners with CAI systems installed have voided warranties?

mishar

Well, who would not agree with that!

It is interesting that car washing remark from my post brings more interest than what I said about thread title issue – saving some gas: Low acceleration waste more gas than high acceleration, as long as speed stays within traffic dictated limits. So push it semi hard to the cruising speed and save gas, time and other people’s nerves.

I hate cars

What's funny is I agree with that. Not saying to floor it off of every light but getting up to speed fairly quickly and then backing off and cruising is the way to do it.

01tl4tl

The most fuel is consumed getting 4000 pounds moving from a dead stop
Once its going 30- its all gravy for the fuel useage

Braking early for red lights and be able to just add a little throttle when it goes green beats stomping 3/4 throttle and thinking thats efficient
Cruise control uses less throttle than your foot too

Why does everyone with a CAI get worse mileage- because they enjoy having a TL !
Remove the lower intake resonator and get a huge boost all around for no $$

Driving with the fingertips and toes becomes second nature-its being gentle like you had a glass of water on the dash you dont want to spill.
When you take a track day, these skills translate to high speed fun immediatly-
the first thing they teach is: smooth in, smooth out, smooth off= fast and safe
wall BAD
And racers are watching fuel too- small tanks- long races- pit stops-

01tl4tl

A clean well waxed car gets more aero in its favor
Waxed rims help keep brake dust to a minimum
Well cared for cars feel good to drive and resell better- how often depends where you live and park- sometimes its once a week- sometimes its 2 days of bugs or fun and break out the cleaning supplies- use biodegradable and do it on the lawn
Why all the concern about mileage and modded cars???
think of it as our carbon footprint offset
Sure there are times I enjoy the stealthy go fast stuff and the brakes,
and I accept that tank of gas is not so good mileage- but the freeway trips to the track offset it~ in MY mind at least

xavier25

I think that the warranty would only be voided if the failure was proven by Acura to be a direct result of the CAI... so basically if you have a completely unrelated issue, your warranty will not be voided.

Many people have been running CAI's though for a long time without issue on the TL.

Ni$h21

Can some one make a summary of all the theories about CAI's, and on how to drive the car, that were posted in this thread?

I hate cars

Yes. Drive normal and stay away from standing water.

One thing always stays the same no matter what car you drive... It takes a certain amount of air and fuel to make a certain amount of hp period. If you make more power, you're using more air and fuel. Theoretically, you will use more fuel if you floor it a lot with the CAI but in the real world you will never ever see the difference in mpg of a few hp.

Any mileage gain from a CAI is most likely from the computer adding more timing when it sees the colder air. The throttlebody regulates the airflow at anything below WOT, not the air filter lol.