I think you mean MPG. Increasing your GPM would be bad (Gallons per minute)


There is not really anything that you are going to do with a tuner to increase fuel efficiency. The best thing you can do is lay off the gas pedal and don't do anything that makes the truck heavier.

 

That's just it. Dodge could easily squeeze out i would guess another 30HP out of these engines through tuning and opening up the intake and exhaust. But their is no question that MPG would drop and wear and tear would increase dramatically. And for a company that offers a Lifetime Powertrain Warranty and does not want reliability to go down, then like you pointed out, you have to have a balance that combines Power, Fuel Efficiency and Reliability. As competitive as truck brands are, you will lose sales if your product has any of those in disproportionate numbers.

A perfect example of this is the Lifetime Powertrain Warranty does not cover SRT vehicles. Hmm, why is that? Oh that's right, they are tweaked to put out more power over the standard versions. Dodge knows that means the reliability will suffer and that people will drive them hard.

Well as i explained, a TRUE CAI is actually an effective product. Cooler air is more dense and you can theoretically make more power if you lower the intake air temps. These trucks have an Inlet Air Temperature sensor (IAT sensor) and the computer will make adjustments based on the intake temps. In a well designed system with large tubing and minimal bends plus a draw location with ideally positive pressure (Hood scoops, airdam scoop, fenderwell scoop) which give a ram air effect you can see noticeable gains on a truck with extensive mods at higher RPM's.

The reasons why you don't see lots of auto manufactures installing them right the factory is the potential gains vs the potential problems are not worth it. That and the fact that these systems are typically only going to be effective at higher RPM's where the engine is drawing in a lot of air. On a daily driver who drives normally any type of high flow intake system (including the stock system) is never fully utilized. Your truck is never "starving for air" under normal use. Even if you had headers.

The other major reason is the risk of damage. All the areas of the truck where you will get a ram air type effect will also allow water into the induction system during heavy rains. "Moisture" being pulled in is one thing. Large quantities of water however can cause major problems. For one, it will ruin any air filters effectiveness and restrict airflow. The water can go on to damage sensors and if enough is drawn in you could actually damage the engine I had a 96' Impala SS Calaway package which had a CAI drawing air under the passenger side front bumper. Two Mass Airflow Sensors later, i removed the system and left the filter in the engine compartment.

Car manufacturers are not going to put a system on a vehicle that MIGHT add a few more horsepower but open themselves up massive warranty claims over engine damage. How many times have you seen on the news morons who drive into huge puddles. Imagine that damage that would occour if you drove into a deep puddle at high speed with an airdam mounted scoop? Even a heavy rainstorm can overload a hood scoop system if it's not carefully engineered.

But the above are true CAI's. All these systems that K&N, Airraid and the other companies are offering are not at all CAI's. They are misusing the name. All those systems do is replace the factory airbox and ducting with a tube and a large high flow filter. That's it. They should be called "High flow inductions". Many performance experts refer to them as "Short Ram Intakes". They are simply designed to be less restrictive then the stock systems on SOME vehicles. And as has been pointed out, the factory system on the 4th gens flows more air then the stock engine can use. So adding one of these systems will do nothing. And if you look at where you factory airbox draws it's air from, you will notice it's as far from the engine as possible and near the fenderwell but with a gap to prevent a surge of water from coming into the airbox during a massive puddle hit.

As i said in my post, Tuners (IMHO) are by the best choice for a performance upgrade for these trucks. It's doesn't get any easier then one simple plug and a few buttons pressed to add a very noticeable amount of power and you can return it to stock just as easily.

But as for a CAI working more effectively with a tuner, once again as you pointed out, it will take a LOT of mods to get your engine to the point where the factory pre-throttle body induction system is hurting performance.

 

This truck has MORE than enough power for me. i'm thinking I might have to look into aluminum rims, and replacing panels with fiberglass or something along those lines if I want more MPG. Which honestly would be super cost prohibitive. Ahh well. Just means I can spend more on creature comforts. New audio/video, door inserts, and such.

 

You already have aluminum rims don't you?