The Quest for 30MPG HWY is underway...

[TIO M]

Gents,

I pulled the trigger today on the CGS Air Intake and Exhaust and I am very excited. Just waiting on shipping time and will be doing an extensive R&D.

I plan on running the Air Intake alone and record data for about two weeks.

Two weeks later I'll run data on the Exhuast w/ Intake.

The other step which I'm in process is to get onboard with local tuning companies to see if we can work some software done with and w/o mods.

I will post my findings, reviews, and videos for everyone to see. My goal is to improve the fuel economy to 30mpg on the highway.

So far I have been able to attain 28.5 mpg on the hwy on my trips to and from work. This is a 28 mile drive there and back. I am cruising at 60mph, I am not in rush but just data logging. I will go up to 70mph this next week.

My other goal is to improve my fuel efficiency when towing as of right now it has gone down to between 10-12 mpg on hwy. All bad weather conditions, I am trying to obtain atleast 15mpg on the hwy with 4400lbs of boat and trailer.

My first attempt will be with SCT as they are only three hours away. Then I'll attempt with others as well once I get a list compiled.

Stay tuned.....

 

[TIO M]

Reserved for pictures

 

[TIO M]

Reserved for pics 2

 

[TIO M]

Reserved for DIY, TIPS, and Reviews

 

[182RG]

How are you measuring? 28.5.....? Color me doubtful.

 

[TIO M]

I live in Florida and its flat roads for the most part, I use cruise control and set it at 60mph. I didn't believe it either, but its just me in the vehicle. Feathering the throttle and gently on the gas pedal applying force.

It was hard to get a clear pic but its actually reading 28.8mpg.

 

[182RG]

The onboard computer is optimistic. I'd be interested to see your #'s using hand calculations over a tank full.

 

[TIO M]

The onboard computer is optimistic. I'd be interested to see your #'s using hand calculations over a tank full.

I'm gonna say lets see if I can reach 500 miles out of my current tank. If say I can average 28 strickly hwy and say I use up all 18 gallons (.5 left)that should equal me about 504 miles. So I'll see where I am tonight on mileage and my trip computer at the end this tank. Honestly anything over 430 miles will be awesome, I'm not complaning. But it'll be a lil tough I think.

 

[vulnox]

Yeah get pics with the enhanced trip information screen. That actually shows your avg mileage over the number of miles since you last reset. The screen you showed just shows average since the screen itself was last reset (or in the 10 minute window or whatever) and it's easy to make it show whatever mileage you want there.

Thats why I love that the added the enhanced trip logging section like the 2011 F-150's have. Can see the mileage over an entire "trip".

 

[IZwack]

I'm gonna say lets see if I can reach 500 miles out of my current tank. If say I can average 28 strickly hwy and say I use up all 18 gallons (.5 left)that should equal me about 504 miles. So I'll see where I am tonight on mileage and my trip computer at the end this tank. Honestly anything over 430 miles will be awesome, I'm not complaning. But it'll be a lil tough I think.

Try not to go so low. Not filling the vehicle up until theres only half a gallon left will probably result in the same MPG figure than if it was filled up at 2 or 3 gallons left (it is a ratio after all). The reason I say this is that the fuel pump is happier submerged in fuel.

 

[TIO M]

Goodpoint, I'll do that. Also one thing that I would like to see carried over from the Ford Fusion Hybrid, is when when you switch the iginition off it gives you a summary. Miles driven, time, fuel consumed and average mpgs. I think its a really neat feature, we have a Hybrid we use for work and I think it is awesome.

Yeah get pics with the enhanced trip information screen. That actually shows your avg mileage over the number of miles since you last reset. The screen you showed just shows average since the screen itself was last reset (or in the 10 minute window or whatever) and it's easy to make it show whatever mileage you want there.

Thats why I love that the added the enhanced trip logging section like the 2011 F-150's have. Can see the mileage over an entire "trip".

 

[TIO M]

Believe me I really don't feel comfortable doing that, especially with T.S. Irene projected to come up to south Florida. I might just have to do it at half thank.

Try not to go so low. Not filling the vehicle up until theres only half a gallon left will probably result in the same MPG figure than if it was filled up at 2 or 3 gallons left (it is a ratio after all). The reason I say this is that the fuel pump is happier submerged in fuel.

 

[Mishtar]

I just did a 500 mile trip from Vancouver down to Portland and back and I used cruise set around 60-70 depending on the speed limit and the best I could get was 22.5 mpg over all. I wish I could get close to 28.

 

[TIO M]

I just did a 500 mile trip from Vancouver down to Portland and back and I used cruise set around 60-70 depending on the speed limit and the best I could get was 22.5 mpg over all. I wish I could get close to 28.

Well unfortunately I had to refuel due to T.S. Irene, trying to avoid long lines.

I refueled pump clicked at 5.58 gallons with 127 miles traveled. When I did the math it came out to around 22.75 mpg overall combined with city and highway. What I was doing when I commute to work which is 30 miles one way I'd reset the meter and I would average 28mpg there and back. But when I just take it to town it would dip significantly. When i refueled my miles to empty finally read 408 miles which was the first time I have ever seen it over 400 miles. Thank god.

My goal is to achieve 30mpg on the highway with the new mods as we do a lot of highway driving. So its more of the long term on the road where it will pay off.

 

[GregV8]

Re towing, I think there is a menu option in the left display panel that changes "how mileage is calculated when towing".

 

[Spengracin]

Keep us posted, very interested in all the above, 30 mpg would be great.

 

[2TimingTom]

Try not to go so low. Not filling the vehicle up until theres only half a gallon left will probably result in the same MPG figure than if it was filled up at 2 or 3 gallons left (it is a ratio after all). The reason I say this is that the fuel pump is happier submerged in fuel.

I've read this on several different car forums and I just can't buy into it. Sure, fuel cools the pump- not going to argue that. But it's not the fuel surrounding the pump that cools it- it's the fuel as it's pumped through the pump that cools it.

I'm a habitual tank drainer. On more than one occassion I've pumped more fuel into my tank than what the tank capacity lists in the owner's manual. Been doing this for the 17 years I've been driving. Most of the time it's for cars that have over 130,000 miles. Never had any fuel system related problems.

And subbing for updates. I'd be extremely surprised if an intake and exhaust did much for fuel economy on such a new car.

 

[TIO M]

Well I'm still waiting on my order, hopefully its here by next week and then install the exhaust as time permits. I can say this from experience my BMW 325i with exhaust and open cai it did gain me a significant increase in gas mileage but I would say that the Active Autowerks software had a lot to do with tying both components together harmoniously...

 

[2TimingTom]

the Active Autowerks software

Exactly.

I would venture a guess that for normal cruising around in your BMW, you would have had the same MPG results with the software mod alone.

For normal cruising, OBDII cars don't gain much from breathing mods alone.

 

[TIO M]

Exactly.

I would venture a guess that for normal cruising around in your BMW, you would have had the same MPG results with the software mod alone.

For normal cruising, OBDII cars don't gain much from breathing mods alone.

TO be honest, before the mods I was maybe getting between 28-30mpg hwy, once the air intake, exhaust, pulleys, 11lb flywheel, and finally software it shot up to 34-36 mpg. So I know it wasn't all from Software at that point, they all tied in together.

Can you say that software only gave me a 4-6 mpg increase?