2006 Pathy Cold Air Intake Installed - MPG boost

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wissper
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2006 Pathy Cold Air Intake Installed - MPG boost

Postby wissper » Wed Jul 28, 2010 7:56 am

I installed an aFe cold air intake on my 06 pathy. The previous tank of gas that I ran through I got about 13.6mpg on the tank. I did two things - upgraded my gas grade to 91 from 87, and installed an aFe cold air intake. So far on the new tank driving the same routes I'm getting 16.1mpg and climbing.

Anyone else see a similar boost to the mpg like this? I'm trying to figure out if it's more from the higher gas grade or from the intake. I do notice a much smoother power curve when coming from a dead stop which I'm sure makes a huge difference in low power range fuel consumption and that I attribute to the higher horsepower provided by the intake. I guess I should drop the gas grade down on the next tank to make sure that's not the sole contributor to the mpg boost =)


DPF
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Postby DPF » Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:22 am

I did a test going from 87 octane to 91 for a full tank each. I saw no appreciable change in mpg. Maybe one or two tenths of a mile per gallon after a tank. That much is within the noise of the test as it can be affected by little more than your mood that week.

Based solely on my experience with the fuel grade, I'd attribute it more to the CAI, maybe lower flow restriction along with the dropped input temp.

-DPF

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myriad46
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Re: 2006 Pathy Cold Air Intake Installed - MPG boost

Postby myriad46 » Wed Jul 28, 2010 12:45 pm

wissper wrote:I installed an aFe cold air intake on my 06 pathy. The previous tank of gas that I ran through I got about 13.6mpg on the tank. I did two things - upgraded my gas grade to 91 from 87, and installed an aFe cold air intake. So far on the new tank driving the same routes I'm getting 16.1mpg and climbing.
How do you drive?!?! Is it a V8? My commute is all 30 mile and hour roads with lots of lights and I still get around 15.

I also agree that grade of gas makes little difference, at least with my experimentation.

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eieio
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Re: 2006 Pathy Cold Air Intake Installed - MPG boost

Postby eieio » Wed Jul 28, 2010 1:40 pm

myriad46 wrote:I also agree that grade of gas makes little difference, at least with my experimentation.
+1

wissper
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Re: 2006 Pathy Cold Air Intake Installed - MPG boost

Postby wissper » Wed Jul 28, 2010 2:13 pm

myriad46 wrote:How do you drive?!?! Is it a V8? My commute is all 30 mile and hour roads with lots of lights and I still get around 15.
I drive a V6 and in city traffic so between 30-50mph is my normal speed around town and I try not to gun it at green lights too much. I haven't had it on the highway yet to see how the performance is over distance. If I get a 2mpg boost on average from the CAI it'll pay for its $200 price tag in no time considering that I don't have to ever change the air filter, and it gets me better gas mileage. I only even have to clean the filter once every 30000-50000 miles and oil it to help trap more dust.. add the boost in horsepower and I'm pretty happy with the results so far.

The truck is pretty new to me - had it a few weeks now - so it might still be 'learning' my driving or something.

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myriad46
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Postby myriad46 » Thu Jul 29, 2010 4:50 am

Are you measuring MPG with your trip computer, or are you doing the math when you fill up with gas. For the most part, my trip computer actually does a pretty good job, but not always.

As far as the 30,000-50,000 miles between cleaning your filter; I would recommend doing it FAR more frequently. It will also depend on where you drive. Dusty? Pollen? Beach? Maybe every few months. Not sure how much you drive, but it could take the average driver a few years to drive 30K. That MPG increase will go right out the window.

Bandy1080
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Postby Bandy1080 » Thu Jul 29, 2010 6:37 am

I have been looking at these for a while.

How hard was the installation?

Is this the one you got?
http://afepower.com/shop/details_new.ph ... o=54-10492

wissper
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Postby wissper » Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:29 am

Bandy1080 wrote:I have been looking at these for a while.

How hard was the installation?

Is this the one you got?
http://afepower.com/shop/details_new.ph ... o=54-10492
Yeah that's the same one I got - the stage 2. It took me literally 30-45 minutes tops.

The one thing I had issues with was removing the old air box because on the 06 there is a bolt that I thought I had to take out which is connected to a rubber grommet under the closest side to the front of the engine compartment, but the best solution I found after fiddling with the bolt trying to get it out (it's in a very awkward position where a socket won't fit) is just to work the grommet through the hole and pull the air box out first then remove the bolt and grommet afterward. That will save you some time. The rest of the installation is very straight forward. You just need a 10mm socket wrench, a 10mm wrench, phillips head and straight head screwdrivers, and that's about it. One other note - I didn't fully disconnect the MAF sensor, I just pulled it out of the air flow tube and laid it in a safe place away from where I was working then popped it back in later rather than disconnecting the cable. Probably wouldn't make a difference either way that was just easier for me.

I think I got the whole kit for $200 bucks or so .. maybe a bit more. I got the Pro 5R kit not the Dry kit.. there are mixed opinions on them but I figured the oiled filter would protect better than the non oiled filter.

This place has the same one for pretty cheap -
http://www.partstrain.com/store/details ... 204bec356b

It doesn't list the 06 on the compatible list but it's the exact same part number.
[/url]
Last edited by wissper on Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

wissper
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Postby wissper » Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:32 am

myriad46 wrote:Are you measuring MPG with your trip computer, or are you doing the math when you fill up with gas. For the most part, my trip computer actually does a pretty good job, but not always.
I measure both ways.. for real time updates I use the trip computer, but I measure it per tank as well based on actual gallons used vs. miles traveled. The last tank it was the exact same number. I also don't reset my trip computer except for when I fill the tank up to get an accurate reading over time.
As far as the 30,000-50,000 miles between cleaning your filter; I would recommend doing it FAR more frequently. It will also depend on where you drive. Dusty? Pollen? Beach? Maybe every few months. Not sure how much you drive, but it could take the average driver a few years to drive 30K. That MPG increase will go right out the window.
I live in Florida so it's pretty dusty and sandy so I will likely clean it more often.. that's just the manufacturer's recommendation on how often to clean the filter. I'll probably do it every other oil change myself though just to make sure I get the best performance from it.

deezx5
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Postby deezx5 » Thu Jul 29, 2010 8:04 am

That's a nice gain, I did a drop in K&N and average MPG went up .2 according to the trip computer.

Like somebody else said those cone filters should be cleaned and oiled after every season for best results. The filter recharge kit is only about $10 and it will last for several years. If you buy the K&N kit your blue filter will turn red so keep that in mind if that sort of thing matters to you.

Bandy1080
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Postby Bandy1080 » Thu Jul 29, 2010 10:55 am

Good looking out. Just ordered it. I will report back once I have it installed. Seems like a no brainer if it indeed does help out MPG.
wissper wrote:
Bandy1080 wrote:I have been looking at these for a while.

How hard was the installation?

Is this the one you got?
http://afepower.com/shop/details_new.ph ... o=54-10492
Yeah that's the same one I got - the stage 2. It took me literally 30-45 minutes tops.

The one thing I had issues with was removing the old air box because on the 06 there is a bolt that I thought I had to take out which is connected to a rubber grommet under the closest side to the front of the engine compartment, but the best solution I found after fiddling with the bolt trying to get it out (it's in a very awkward position where a socket won't fit) is just to work the grommet through the hole and pull the air box out first then remove the bolt and grommet afterward. That will save you some time. The rest of the installation is very straight forward. You just need a 10mm socket wrench, a 10mm wrench, phillips head and straight head screwdrivers, and that's about it. One other note - I didn't fully disconnect the MAF sensor, I just pulled it out of the air flow tube and laid it in a safe place away from where I was working then popped it back in later rather than disconnecting the cable. Probably wouldn't make a difference either way that was just easier for me.

I think I got the whole kit for $200 bucks or so .. maybe a bit more. I got the Pro 5R kit not the Dry kit.. there are mixed opinions on them but I figured the oiled filter would protect better than the non oiled filter.

This place has the same one for pretty cheap -
http://www.partstrain.com/store/details ... 204bec356b

It doesn't list the 06 on the compatible list but it's the exact same part number.
[/url]

wissper
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Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 2:14 pm

Postby wissper » Thu Jul 29, 2010 12:47 pm

Bandy1080 wrote:Good looking out. Just ordered it. I will report back once I have it installed. Seems like a no brainer if it indeed does help out MPG.
Even if you don't see a huge boost in mpg the horsepower gain is absolutely noticeable and the engine purrs like a kitten which makes it more fun to drive. I am definitely happy to be seeing some gains in MPG but even if I wasn't I'd still be happy I put it in. Gotta be careful not to get hooked on the sound of the engine though.. lol. Gunning it to hear the engine rumble with the new intake will definitely take a chunk out of the precious mpg =)

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johnathanromero
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Postby johnathanromero » Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:18 am

wissper wrote:
Bandy1080 wrote:Good looking out. Just ordered it. I will report back once I have it installed. Seems like a no brainer if it indeed does help out MPG.
Even if you don't see a huge boost in mpg the horsepower gain is absolutely noticeable and the engine purrs like a kitten which makes it more fun to drive. I am definitely happy to be seeing some gains in MPG but even if I wasn't I'd still be happy I put it in. Gotta be careful not to get hooked on the sound of the engine though.. lol. Gunning it to hear the engine rumble with the new intake will definitely take a chunk out of the precious mpg =)
The HP gains arent that great. I have dyno sheets that show the increase, before and after installing the same intake. You get maybe 5-10whp throughout your powerband. You really wont notice any difference without a tune, and exhaust. The only thing I have really noticed is that it makes a lot more noise which is great, your gas mileage will go up though as long as you can keep your foot out of it :lol:

webmastir

Postby webmastir » Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:29 am

$200+ for a CAI? that seems semi-expensive to me. i swear ones for my other vehicle (acura tl) at a bit cheaper lower to mid 100's. is $200ish normal price for a CAI for our paths?

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BMXPath
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Postby BMXPath » Fri Jul 30, 2010 10:41 am

$200+ is typical for the Pathy's CAI. I paid about $260.00 for my K&N about 2 1/2 years ago. I think they go for over $300 now.

johnathanr is correct about the HP gain. I didnt have any real performance gains until I got the exhuast done too.


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