When you own any vehicle, you look for warning signs that something may be wrong and find ways to improve your gas mileage at every opportunity. Oftentimes, it’s not possible, but you can get a little mileage boost with an air intake. It can improve your vehicle’s gas mileage in a few ways, keeping you on the road longer with fewer gas station stops.
One of the ways an air intake can improve your gas mileage is by boosting the oxygen content of the air entering your engine. Air intakes bring the outside air into your engine, where a piston compresses a mixture of fuel and oxygen, ignites it, and powers the engine. The power of these small explosions change depending on the oxygen content. Air with a low oxygen content doesn’t produce the biggest explosion, and your engine works a lot harder to go the same distance, consuming more fuel.
Cold air intakes are great at bringing in air high in oxygen. Hotter air is normally under the hood of your vehicle. Most cold air intakes utilize heat shields to protect the air filter from the surrounding heat of the other engine components. A cold air intake brings in denser air that holds more oxygen. Because of the boosted oxygen content, the engine doesn’t need to work as hard, increasing your vehicle’s gas mileage.
An air intake will optimize the airflow to your engine. If the air easily enters the engine, your vehicle’s electronic control unit (ECU) won’t use more fuel to achieve the same performance. Optimized airflow enhances your engine’s performance and fuel efficiency, saving you much more gas in the long run. Many standard air intakes optimize space under the hood and minimize sound, sacrificing fuel efficiency in the process. A cold air intake with optimized airflow foregoes these factors to boost engine performance and fuel efficiency.
An air intake can do a lot for your vehicle, but that’s only possible if you get the right one. Air intakes vary, and not every type works for the same vehicle make and model. In addition, most OEM air intake assemblies hurt your fuel economy, so a replacement or new air intake won’t have the intended effect.
These models are slender, as the manufacturer wants to reduce the space they occupy and the noise they create. Unfortunately, this compromises your gas mileage. The most important step to improving your gas mileage with an air intake is to find one that works and fits the make and model of your vehicle.
Air intakes can improve your gas mileage in numerous ways, but you must find the right one for your vehicle. If you’re unsure which air intake to get, check out our inventory at Norcal Diesel Performance. We have plenty of different Duramax cold air intake systems to choose from so you can get the right one that improves your gas mileage!
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