My opinion is that there is nothing you can do to definitively improve MPG.

 

would i get better acceleration or increased airflow if i do decide to go cold air?

thanks-

 

Use the search feature and you will find TONS of posts about gas mileage. Lots of snake oil stuff. The gas mileage we get is the price we pay for driving a truck with the performance a Titan has.

My advice is keep the tires at 40 psi and keep the loud pedal as quiet as possible. The CAI may help a little (very little!), but it sounds so good that it's hard not to floor it.

 

Use the search feature and you will find TONS of posts about gas mileage. Lots of snake oil stuff. The gas mileage we get is the price we pay for driving a truck with the performance a Titan has.

My advice is keep the tires at 40 psi and keep the loud pedal as quiet as possible. The CAI may help a little (very little!), but it sounds so good that it's hard not to floor it.

LOL True. I have had my 08.5 SE CC for 8 days now. avg 11 mpg on the first tank. But that sound is music to my ears, just need to crank the volume down some!!!!!!!

 

i knew before buying it, its gonna drink gas (after all its a full size truck, not a little hybrid). so with that, i guess there isn't much to do about it. but, i guess i should re-phrase the question, would i be better off getting the CAI vs. just a K&N air filter, or just leave it stock?

either way its gonna drink gas. i just contemplating on whether or not i should get the CAI.

thanks-

 

a cold air intake wont "dramatically" help mileage, there are too many factors. I actually lost about 1 mpg after i put mine on (not really a big deal for me since the sound and throttle response makes up for the lost mile. This is with a stock exhaust, so who knows, maybe thats why it didnt go up for me.

 

If you want a CAI get it, but don't expect better gas mileage. Even if it does go up (I don't think it does) it will never pay for itself. Same with the bed cover, if you want one great, get it. Just don't expect an increase in mileage. About the only things you can do is cut down on weight., maybe even get some lighter skinnier tires.

 

Helo, second time in a year we seem to be ageeing!

Weight reduction, slow starts, keeping the speed to 55-65 mph, and no hard braking...

I get 20 mpg at 55 mph, 18.5 mpg at 65 mph, and 18 mpg at 70 mph on my BFG AT/KO's at 285/79/17's.

Any faster than that and my mileage drops to 16 mpg and less...but oh boy, it's fun to hear!

 

now, another myth i've heard (and please correct me if i'm wrong), i've heard from speculation that when driving on the highway, if you either lower or remove the tailgate, the there is less drag and wind resistance?


i honestly doubt it, but is there any truth to that?

-dave

 

Myth busters did it, and got worse mileage with it down. I did it using my scangauge as a reference, and could not tell any difference. I have the electric bed cover, and have opened it while on the hwy with the cruise set with no changes to my mpg.

 

im not sure about the tailgate thing, but i can tell you that the slower you go on the highway, the better the mileage. During the summer my 30 mile commute to work is usually pretty light, so its not a problem to go 75-80mph. Since its getting cooler out, and school is back in, the speed is more like
60-65mph, which is good for about 1 mpg. On my 2004 kc 4wd im getting about 16.4 now.

 

thanks for the tips fellas. i'll probably just keep her stock. and use that money for the gas itself. or invest in a nice sounding exhaust, although the factory one purrs very nicely.

thanks again,

-dave

 

aftermarket cai will improve a little and would add 9-12 hp same with the aftermarket exhaust...

 

turn off 5.6 L engine drive 4 cylinder car :lol:

 

or a motorcycle

 

Mine get's the best mileage when it's parked.

 

You can improve mpg with the Bully dog. I average about 15 in the city with BD, I was lucky to get 14 before. It did take me about a month before I started to see an improvement because of the fun factor with the BD. WOT is great.

 

I am jealous. I have 42000+ miles on my 04 LE 4X4 CC and I have never done better than 10.8mpg on the highway and never better than 9 in city traffic.

 

I have 38k and have never gotten mileage that bad except when I have the 6500 lb. travel trailer hooked up. :dunno:

As to the OP, keeping your foot out of it is all you can do. And I actually agree with Kronos. Coast as much and as often as you can. On street tires, or mild AT tires this thing will coast for what seems like forever!

 

tires at 40 and a bed cover are your 2 best bets. I get 18-19 mpg on the highway and 13-14 in the city. I keep it at 70 with the cruise on.

 

disconnect 2 or 4 of the plug wires, and the corresponding injectors. that mimicks the cyclinder de-activation available on GM vehicles.
also run 0w 30 full synthetic and keep your tires inflate.

I do it on my truck the pesky check engine lite stays on though and it runs a little rough :dude:

 

My best yet is 22.4 MPG driving 65 MPH. I think the ECO-3 Fuel System Saver is helping to the tune of 1 to 3 MPG. The Volant Powercore, 18" Magnaflow and topper are helping. My best prior to the Volant, Magnaflow and ECO-3 was 18 MPG.

 

you added 4.4 mpg? were you rolling downhill?

 

Sorry, let me see if I can explain this better...

The topper was on there the whole time as was the use of AMSoil 0w-30 in the engine and AMSoil in both differentials and the transfer case.

In 2007 I had an AirAid TBS and got 18 MPG.
In 2008 I removed the AirAid TBS and added the Volant Powercore, 18" Magnaflow and the ECO-3. I got 22.4 MPG.
Both tests were going 65 MPG with gear in the bed. The 2007 test was with the A/C OFF while the 2008 test was with the A/C on 100%.

 

dang thats imoressive why didnt you use the TBS with the volant?

 

What exactly is imoressive? Did you skip school today?

 

Durh, you learned that also?

 

"durh" = line from benchwarmers

 

You can draft other trucks.

 

OK, you guys knock it off or you're BOTH going to detention.

On the trip where I got 22.4 I avoided drafting. Mainly because my wife was riding shotgun but also because I was trying to get a true test of the mods.

 

well that is very "IMORESSIVE"!!!! lol and im glad the mods worked out for you!!!

did you notice alot from the eco III

 

I think the ECO-3 helped out more than either the intake or the muffler by themselves. I don't want to sound too impressed with the ECO-3 because I can't explain what it does beyond what they have posted on their web site and I've only had it for 3 months. Even if it only gives a 1.5 MPG improvement then it will pay for itself in one year. That's pretty good in my book.

You also asked why I didn't keep the TBS on. I took it off when I installed my improved version of the Volant Powercore (I've had my original since November '07). I didn't think it was helping that much. I don't know much about air dynamics but it seems to me that adding threads inline with the air flow is going to restrict or slow the air flow. I've read a number of non-Titan web sites that poo-poo the whole swirly air thing saying that it might have been good for engines with carburators but didn't do much for fuel injected engines. Also, the gasket provided with the TBS was deteriorating and once I took it off there was no way I was going to put it back on with the gasket in that shape.

 

I'm using a product called Bi-Tron - It's a 3-part system that goes into your engine, your trans and, your gas tank. Been using it in my G35, my racebike, and my street bike with great success. You all can call it snake oil...I dont care what it means to you, just that it has helped my wallet a little bit. In the Titan, I fill up whenever I get to 300 miles on the trip, with an estimated amount of 160-165 miles left, and the gas gauge at 1/2 full. When I fill up, it takes about 17 gallons...so away from the dash, I get an estimated mid-high 17 mpg using whatever I have on the trip meter and how much gallons I fill up with. Trying to get it to 18 mpg, so I'm re-planning my routes and times so that I'm not around a lot of traffic.

I've read a number of non-Titan web sites that poo-poo the whole swirly air thing saying that it might have been good for engines with carburators but didn't do much for fuel injected engines. Also, the gasket provided with the TBS was deteriorating and once I took it off there was no way I was going to put it back on with the gasket in that shape.

I never thought those things worked because once the air hits the intake runners...the flow is disrupted. I doubt it does anything to help with better combustion. If you wanted better combustion, one would probably invest in something like plasma coils and better spark plugs ie. Iridium.