With my old carbed trucks, this was a no brainer. The cold air, a denser air charge, made the engine run better. The less dense the charge, the worse it ran. Now comes fuel injection and we seem to think the same thing applies, but hold on. This year NASCAR ran FI for the first time. We expected colder temps would make the engines run better, but..........something new entered the picture. The on board computer, which no matter what the air density is, it still maintains a 14.7 to 1 ratio, thereby making the density of the air coming in of no importance. By the way, NASCAR found the cars actually used more fuel in the cooler temps (denser air). Go figure. I could be totally wrong, but this is food for thought.

Jim

 

I could have saved NASCAR a lot of testing time and money if they had just asked me first. All MPI PCM's are programed to maintain 14.7:1 AFR and the colder the air temp the AIT sensor sees the more fuel the PCM will tell the injectors to dump which gives you more power...downside being the mpg will take a 1.5-2 dump also.

Personally I put the CAI, the Powerwire and all the other super powerchip devices in the same ripoff class. The colder the incoming air temp the sensors see the more fuel is dumped into the cylinder thus making more power. Have you ever noticed how much more power your engine has in the winter months as compared to the summer months and the difference in your mpg?

 

You are right. I believe the only advantage to a CAI would be the unrestricted flow, which may be a moot point anyway. It may not make any difference.

 

do they work is a question of what you are looking for out of them, if you want a slight increase in power ( do to the cold air mentioned above as well as smoother, less turbulent flow to the tb) then yes they work, however if you want better MPG you shouldnt waste your time because, as stated the computer is too smart for that ****

 

I doubt it. Since the computer gives a 14.7 to 1 A/F ratio, no matter what, nothing should matter since the computer is in control.

 

So, nobody tested it in a dyno? i dont think they`ll work unless you put a powerchip on it, so you let the ecu know that more air is going to come.

BTW, im willing to put a k&n panel filter or a CAI, but im just looking for sound. (flowmaster super40 in the way). Do they do any diference? More or less MPG? Power¿?¿? its a 4.7. Anyone try them?

 

NASCAR dyno tested when they raced at night with cool air. No appreciable gain in power and a loss in fuel economy. It is not what we grew up learning.

 

yes they will improve power because the computer picks up on the increased airflow through airflow sensors, manifold pressure sensors and oxygen sensors showing lean if ther eis not enough fuel being put into the cylinder

it will definitely NOT help MPG, however it CAN help power, also the air could be colder when it gets to the cylinder also require more fuel, more burnt fuel = more power simple as that

 

The thing we are missing here is that the computer will adjust A/F mixture accordingly, but suppose you had a programmer that would let you change A/F mixture leaner or richer. That is where the real answer lies, not in a CAI.