Colder air is in fact more dense and as a result the PCM will open your throttle body less at given speed or throttle position. The engine as a result works harder to take in air and move it through the system. Cooler operating temperatures also has your PCM operating in what is called "open loop" whereby less air is introduced into your system and more fuel is pumped in to make the engine work harder where it is thereby allowed to come up to proper operating temperature where it will then go into "closed loop" operation and start to read various sensors to achieve the best power/fuel efficiency as dictated by the tune on that PCM.

Warmer air is less dense and therefore requires more air to achieve the proper A/F ratio. This is achieved by opening the throttle body more at given speed/throttle this larger passage of air requires the engine to not have to work as hard, significantly reducing pumping losses and yielding better fuel economy. You are also running completely in "closed loop" where your sensors are in constant communication with the PCM which is adjusting constantly in balancing power/fuel economy while also burning less fuel to achieve the best possible emissions which thank to our government is a large portion of the factory tune placed on that PCM.

Simply adjusting the placement of an air intake as well as heat shielding can dramatically effect the way in which your engine performs. For greater fuel economy (and less power) the intake is placed closer to the engine with no shielding from engine temperatures. For greater power (at a sacrifice in fuel economy) the intake is placed farther away from the engine where it can draw cooler air from outside of the vehicle such as in a tire well. Shielding is also often used to varying degrees of effectiveness to keep heat away from the intake. Of course, one who travels off-road or even in heavy standing water must always take intake placement into consideration...

 

according to the gps because my odometer isnt accurate i get 14-16mpg in my 4x4 with 3.55's and 33's on the highway i drive like an old man thou..i travel 400 miles weekly on the same routes...and thats also with some mountain grade..so it really depends on how you drive..i get wayyy better fuel economy in the summer thou..it actually gets cold here thou so you have to warm up your engine before you go anywhere and you constantly lose traction in the snow and your in 4x4 most of the time...i get 8-10mpg in the winter time..

 

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When you omit extremely important information, and try to mislead someone, I will call you out.

Putting in a new filter and cleaning out that nest ALONE would probably have netted you 3-4 MPG or more, rather than a CAI. I like some CAIs myself, but you left out extremely important info there.

Throttle actually controls the air flow directly/mechanically, the computer does the rest with the help of about half a dozen sensors. Welcome to the computer age, my friend.

If the PCM doesn't think the truck is warmed up enough, it will increase fuel flow slightly (running you slightly richer than normal) to try and get the temp up. I'm glad this didn't happen to you, but for some people, that has resulted in the same or very slightly less MPGs. (When done by itself!)

Again you omit important info. When the speed limit is 70-75, and you run at 60, thats called grandpa/grandma driving. Thats all fine and dandy, but you need to explain HOW you get such good gas mileage and where you get it at, rather than attribute everything to a few mild upgrades.

EDIT: I forgot to add that new plugs and wires probably did the whole job, rather than a 180 t-stat. You probably omitted the fact that it'd been 100,000 miles since you last changed them.

 

For power not economy. Plus i've never seen anyone recommend running lower temp plugs... Just the t stat.

 

The lower temp plugs aren't for fuel economy. There are for (usually) hiding the busted plenum gasket, as they help reduce engine ping if you have it. Unless you have a programmer set up to use them, they can even sometimes hurt your MPGs if you don't have the oil leaking in from the broken gasket.

Some engines like them, some don't. Ya gotta use what plugs work best for you and your truck.

 

Methinks perhaps you're arguing from a position of ignorance and would do well to bow out now. The heat range of a spark plug ("colder" or "hotter") does not cause the combustion chamber to operate at a higher or lower temperature. Period.

 

I'm not really seeing it yet. I'm on my 3rd tank and it's about the same as before the airgap. It's only about .5-1mpg better.
The superchips 3815 bumped me up from 9-10 to 11-12.

 

I have alreadt stated my misteak I do not wish to mislead any one. 60 is the max speedlimit where I live common sense (as for which some folks here have none) will tell any one you wont get 17 mpg doing 70 75 or 175!

Infact misleading was never my intention. Too bad folks dont see this. Infact You are misleading others into thinking I am misleading everyone.............I'm out!

I give in You win at the internet.

 

Yes, neglect. By definition is a passive form of abuse brought about by a failure to provide adequate care.

By your own words: "The cia replaced my origional airfilter which was completely blocked by a mouse nest ie, plugged with hay sticks and leaves. So 5mps isnt all that bs flaggable."


IMO that would fit the definition...

Something that is broken is said to be in a state of disrepair. Something that is in need of adequate care is said to be in a state of neglect.