Who wants 2-3 mpg better

[rileyrs]

So keep it cool and spend less on fuel.

Good call.

 

[storlied]

Monitored my temp at 90 degrees... I'm wanting to make an airbox or something.. is there any kinda numbers for intake temp change to hp?

 

[kelvin37]

yes for every 3 degrees hotter the air is, it is like going up 1000' in altitude. and for every 1000' you loose 3% hp

 

[storlied]

So in other words 1 degree = 1hp?

 

[kelvin37]

no silly,
Air Density decreases at a rate of 2.9% - 3.0% for each 1000 ft. of elevation above Sea Level.
Atmospheric Pressure's about 14.5 psi for flatlanders (14.7 at sea level)
Atmospheric Pressure @ 9000 feet = 10.5 psi
Pressure Loss = (14.5 - 10.5) = 4.0 (4.0/14.5) = 27.58 % @ 9,000 feet

 

[kelvin37]

Now we have to remember that we are only getting this cool air to the throttle body plate , it gets warmed up some when passing through the intake manifold, but the idea is to get it as cool as possible. All cars have their HP figures established at 59Degrees ambient temp. That is the ASTM standard. The 3% per thousand is not exact , but close. We usually get a little back by using a few more rpm. , downshift, , or opening the throttle more to compensate, but it takes air to make HP, and when an engine is operated at peak egt, or on the lean side of peak(LOP) we get the best economy. This cant happen when we are hot or high unless we turbo.
Anybody have a turbo on the ir Explorer? a real mild turbo with proper reflash can actually improve fuel mileage.

 

[storlied]

There's a couple 2nd gens, v8 and v6 that are turbo but I don't think they did it for MPG improvements.

 

[NHarris]

no silly,
Air Density decreases at a rate of 2.9% - 3.0% for each 1000 ft. of elevation above Sea Level.
Atmospheric Pressure's about 14.5 psi for flatlanders (14.7 at sea level)
Atmospheric Pressure @ 9000 feet = 10.5 psi
Pressure Loss = (14.5 - 10.5) = 4.0 (4.0/14.5) = 27.58 % @ 9,000 feet

So your saying since I live in Utah, and the altitude here is around 4,800-5,000 feet I have less horsepower than someone in florida at 20 feet above sea level?

 

[kelvin37]

yes but you may not even notice the difference. you dont start to notice a giant change until about 7000 feet.

 

[NHarris]

No wonder why in the Uinta Mountains I literally had to floor the gas pedal to get the dang thing to move.

 

[kelvin37]

You dont notice the first 15 20 % because you dont use it that much, then as you get above that loss level, it really becomes noticable. for example a non turbo cessna runs about the same as a turbo up to about 7000 then the turbo kills it.

 

[EastoutWest]

I notice a difference on the blue ridge parkway... which is more like 3500-6000 ft.

By the way, great idea. I install radiant barriers in attics (the product is similar to the tape you used to wrap your intake tube) and it cuts cooling bills by up to 40%. No joke. So I definitely believe you.

 

[FIND]

Wrong. Cooler air is more dense (basic chemistry), which means there's more oxygen, and oxygen is what fuel needs to burn. More oxygen equals more efficient burn. More efficient burn, equals better fuel mileage AND power.

With warm air it takes less energy to ignite your mixture, quicker combustion means less energy wasted. Basic thermodynamics. No matter how much air and fuel you put into a cylinder, you will still only generate 1 power stroke, therefore if you put only as much air and fuel in as you need to generate the power that you need, ie a less dense mixture, you will save fuel. Basic physics. If you are burning super dense mixtures at the same RPMs as a less dense mixture, and both mixtures are in proportion to eachother for the amount of fuel/air, you are using less fuel with the less dense mixture. If that mixture meets the demands of keeping the engine turning at the RPM you need it to turn at, you are saving fuel. With your MAF and IAT functioning properly, your mixture will be the same with hot air as with cold air, only difference is that with cold air, you will have more air AND fuel in the combustion chamber. Cold air is good for getting you more power, but hot air is good for fuel mileage, though you can lose fuel mileage with hot air if you need the power you will lose by having a less dense charge in your combustion chamber, such as climbing hills, towing and so on. Check any hypermiling forum. They like hot air.

Though, the way these explorers are set up, his heat shield is very beneficial, since the air is metered before it passes over the radiator and all that other stuff, so the air is quit a bit warmer when it reaches the engine as opposed to when it was originally metered, this will cause a less dense charge to enter your cylinders than the ECU is anticipating based upon the measurements it takes at the MAF. Heating the air after metering it is detrimental to the system as you will not have a good air fuel mixture since the air is less dense than when it was metered.

The OPs system works well because of that. Not because it is in-taking cooler air, because it is keeping the air closer to the temperature that it was metered at.

 

[FIND]

You can also use the heating diesel which is better for the engine and gains power but is illegal for street use. Apparently there is a die in it now so certain officials can see if you've been running it.

There's lots of companies all over the place that do something to their gas so they're making profit off of not as much actual fuel sold.......... pretty lame if you ask me.

Looking at the fuel report for the past month I've noticed a consistant H20 level in the 'super' (90 octane, our highest) fuel while 87, mid grade and diesel have none. [I worked at a gas station] Also, two big cab companies here have been advised Not to use Fuel from holiday as they report damage to fuel pumps while on this gas. [I've also noticed my engine runs like **** and pings while on Holiday gas... I have a 90 octane tune so things like this are a lot more obvious to me than others]

In other words, our world is going to **** and people are getting greedy .. nothing is what it seems. Yet we gotta keep goin... we need fuel, they will continue to sell us crap. They make the bucks while the majority of the public doesn't notice anything.

Heating fuel oil is the exact same thing that are run in any diesel vehicle, it costs less because there is no road tax on it. The dye is added to show that tax has not been paid. You can use it for heating your home, farm equipment, or any off road diesel vehicle.