Will a k&n intake help MPG?
- Thread starter tk6214
- Start date
Natesriv
Lead Foot
doubt it. I have a paper filter (not oiled) and have seen nothing.
For better MPG's drive easy...and no ethanol gas gives your ~3mpg on average.
Your engine adjusts itself to a pre-programmed airflow ratio, so adding a filter really only helps for a bit before your engine adjusts its parameters again.
The old days of cars are gone, this is the digital age, with so much computing power our engines adjust themselves frequently.
Looks cool though
For better MPG's drive easy...and no ethanol gas gives your ~3mpg on average.
Your engine adjusts itself to a pre-programmed airflow ratio, so adding a filter really only helps for a bit before your engine adjusts its parameters again.
The old days of cars are gone, this is the digital age, with so much computing power our engines adjust themselves frequently.
Looks cool though
doubt it. I have a paper filter (not oiled) and have seen nothing.
For better MPG's drive easy...and no ethanol gas gives your ~3mpg on average.
Your engine adjusts itself to a pre-programmed airflow ratio, so adding a filter really only helps for a bit before your engine adjusts its parameters again.
The old days of cars are gone, this is the digital age, with so much computing power our engines adjust themselves frequently.
Looks cool though
Yeah I've noticed that Chevron gas helps a ton rather than other gas. weird. I drive really easy, I read somewhere on the forum that the new K&N makes you hear the turbo more. I would like that.
whitesmoke
New member
I have plenty of real life data, you will find no power gain with stock tune but you will get a .5 mpg increase. It helps it breath a little better at cruise. You wont see any perf gains until you start tuning and even then its almost imeasurable until you get real crazy with tune
ShortThrowJoe
New member
I personally didn't see much of a power increase. Cool noise though. My stock average fuel economy was steady at 34.6, after the intake it slowly increased to 36.5 and I've been holding that ever since. And that's with an RS manual so I have that high 4.18 axle ratio. I don't know what your situation is so I can't promise the same. Just know that I do use medium grade fuel and live in Ohio (no hills here).
I actually lost mpg with the cx racing one I had it made cool noise but after awhile it wasn't cool anymore I sold it looked cool though unless you have the full enclosed box to go with it I think the Stock air box is more of a cold air del since it sucks air from under the fender or wherever I think with stick tune it's all cosmetic and noise but we all want that for a time I could had used the bucks some were else
The Champ
New member
This humored me...
On a 138 HP car, 7HP is over a 5% improvement.
So if I replace my ACDelco air filter with a K&N filter on my 462ci, 450HP '64 GTO, I will gain 22.5HP.
K&N makes a quality product, but it ain't going to add 5% to the HP number.
Uncletom
New member
I put a K&N filter on my HHR and actually lost MPG. I did not like hearing the engine gasp when I would put the peddle down so I went back to the stock air box that has a cone shaped filter in it anyway.
My MPG came back to what it was.
On my turbo PT Cruiser there is also a K&N air filter but it came to me that way and I can not put the stock box back on unless I go to a junk yard and get one.
The PT also has a Borla exhaust system that drones badly drives me batty on a long trip. The previous owner put one of those loud blow off valves in the system, my wife really likes the sound of it all. She says the blow off valve noise is what sold her on the car.
I thank all the major deities that she doesn't want to put a loud blow off valve on the Sonic
I prefer a nice quiet car these days. It's easier to sneak up on people with a quiet car.
My MPG came back to what it was.
On my turbo PT Cruiser there is also a K&N air filter but it came to me that way and I can not put the stock box back on unless I go to a junk yard and get one.
The PT also has a Borla exhaust system that drones badly drives me batty on a long trip. The previous owner put one of those loud blow off valves in the system, my wife really likes the sound of it all. She says the blow off valve noise is what sold her on the car.
I thank all the major deities that she doesn't want to put a loud blow off valve on the Sonic
I prefer a nice quiet car these days. It's easier to sneak up on people with a quiet car.
Last edited:
I put in a K&N filter in my 2014 1.8 manual and started using 93 octane gas and I can feel a difference. Basically I notice I don't have to down shift as often to regain speed after slowing down for somebody to turn in front of me or when I slow to make a turn. The car also seems to run smoother. It honestly could just be my engine getting broke in as I just made it to 1200 miles on the odometer.
There really is no way to improve mileage or Hp/torque on a stock Sonic, other than changing your driving style, because anything you do modification wise is offset by the computer. You can make it run smoother by increasing the octane of your gas.
There really is no way to improve mileage or Hp/torque on a stock Sonic, other than changing your driving style, because anything you do modification wise is offset by the computer. You can make it run smoother by increasing the octane of your gas.
ChromeLlama
New member
This humored me...
On a 138 HP car, 7HP is over a 5% improvement.
So if I replace my ACDelco air filter with a K&N filter on my 462ci, 450HP '64 GTO, I will gain 22.5HP.
K&N makes a quality product, but it ain't going to add 5% to the HP number.
K&N advertises a 7HP gain with their CAI...
