Its been a while since ive been on here, since last time I had to replace entire rear end (rear axle seized up on me on freaking highway)

Anyway..... I have a buddy who i always work on my truck and his with and he was talking to a guy down at a local shop and he was telling my buddy that for fuel economy a cold air intake and throttle body spacer is the way to go. I own a 5.9 litre 360 (02 Dodge Ram Sport, my buddy 02 Silverado 1500HD 6.0L) and both are looking for some extra MPG. The guy at the shop told him he will go from at around 13MPG to 20 MPG without a doubt! So I thought I would come to you guys/girls who seem to know everything about trucks to ask what you think? Is the 300 for the cold air intake and the 50 for the spacer worth it in any way? Or is it just another MPG scheme that really doesnt do that much for economy?

I have read a million times about the spacer, some believe it gets more ***** out of the truck, some dont.

OPINIONS please

Thanks a head of time

 

+1 on the CAI. -1 on the spacer. As someone told me recently, "a tb spacer is the worst waste of aluminum since O'Doul's in a can."

 

That guy is FOS! There's no way a CAI will give you a 7mpg increase with or without a TB spacer. The most you can expect to see from a CAI is 1-2mpg and that depends on how restrictive your current setup is. The main benefit is that you will see some improvement on the top end because the engine will breathe better, but if you are stomping on the gas to enjoy that better top end that will negate any mpg gain. I put the K&N FIPK on my truck and I saw about a .5mpg increase, but it does run a little better on the highway. Not sure it was worth the $325 the kit cost, though.

And don't even get me started on TB spacers. They just do not work on the Magnum intake design.

 

Are there any gains with a CAI vs. a 14x3?

 

I can't comment about a CAI, but IMHO,with a 14X3, not only will the crappy sucking sound drive you nuts, but, you will lose bottom end. Which is the last thing you want to do with those 3:55's in there.

 

Why would you lose your bottom end? Is this personal experience?

 

I've never owned a CAI, but the concept is that the CAI pulls in cold fresh air, which provides for a more efficient fuel/air mixture at combustion. A 14X3 gives you maximum filtration, but is accessing the warm air around the engine. I would bet there are some studies out there that show the raw data and points out the differences between the two.

 

You lose a very slight amount. Nothing you notice.


There is. There is also studies the prove CAI's aren't what they claim to be. Either way a CAI or 14x3 aren't going to give you a huge boost in MPG. You have a better chance of fixing your MPG by getting a tonneau cover and keeping you tires properly inflated.

 

The difference between a CAI and a 14X3 is probably negligible on these engines for the simple fact that they use a plenum intake design. This design does not benefit much from cooler intake air because it has plenty of time to be heated while in the longer intake tract and plenum. Unlike traditional intakes where the incoming air goes right from the filter into the intake runner and then to the combustion chamber spending less time exposed to engine heat in the process. Cooler intake air in those designs is of benefit. The main benefit of a CAI or 14X3 on our engines is reduction of intake restriction caused by the stock air cleaner housing. Better breathing=increased throttle response.

 

If you are curious as to why TB spacers don't work on the newer fuel injected trucks, including ours, here's a thread for you...

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...-not-work.html