I dont want to be ugly but did you read what you just wrote??? MPG's are almost always the manufacturer's top prority. Have you ever heard of CAFE standards? those are set by the feds... they dont put turbos on every car cause its NOT free power, a turbo cuts MPGs and not everyone care about turbo performance, only a small clique. Same for a sound system. the vast majority of the buying public doesn't care about some amplified system with 4 subs.

They are all about what the govt. demands and the public desires...which these days is MPGs in both cases.

 

The way I think is if they were to care about that one mpg, then why do the trucks still get 20 mpg when I have a 98 that gets 20mpg. You would think they would get the mileage up a little higher over ten years. And I thought the cafe standards were made to be as the whole for the fleet of vehicles produced by a manufacturer. I'm pretty sure that is what it is, so the high mpg cars that they make will balance it all out. To me, more gas mileage is the same as a sound system on a pickup. If you get a pickup, do you really expect to get good mileage? The sound system and the mileage of a truck are just things people would like to get. And I've turbocharged a vehicle and not lost any mpg. It might be the whole thing of the lead foot people get when they get a power adder. It's amazing that you also seem to overlook the main point of my post also. Read my first sentence in your quote. PRICE of paper filters compared to the PRICE of cotton (k&n style) filters. I'm sorry you don't like my examples. Just make sure you note the main idea. EVERYTHING is about money.

I forgot to mention this also: If the gas mileage is the number one desire of the public, then why is the Prius not the best selling vehicle?

 

We dont buy trucks to get good mileage, but good mileage is a definate selling point otherwise we would all go buy the biggest v-8 available wheteher we needed it or not. EPA estimates show that turbo vehicles get lower mpg than the same engine without a turbo, although i am glad you didnt loose mileage in yours. to get more power turbos add air, that air needs a comparable increase in fuel to keep the air/fuel ratio balanced, and hence more power. many think that because THEIR car performs in a particular manner then that applies to every car out there.
and yes cafe standards are for the entire vehicle line, so you have to get as many mpgs out of each vehicle in your lineup to stay legal....you just dont build a prius and then blow off the rest of your line. in my area there is a 6 month wait to buy a prius, and it might be #1 if toyota had the capacity to build more, which they dont.
as far as mileage being the same as ten years ago??? a truck today may get the same mpg a a ten year old one, but most have 80-100 more HP for the same MPG. Folks can get a smaller v-8 to do the same job it took a huge one to do years ago...thats progress.
there are tons of things that manufacturers can do to get more HP, including K&N filters, turbos, and lots of other things, but there are trade offs for all of those modifications. Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette all come with cotton filters and there are no cost concerns for those buying a Porsche. I like K&N, I am just stating that they are not idesigned or intended to increase gas mileage, and lots of high end manufacturers have concerns over the filtration effectivness. Despite that I still use them and have been happy with them.

 

I want to know what you are doing to get 20mpg and i want to know now!!

 

You know that guy who's going so slow, you think he's goin backwards? You know...the guy you go roaring by with your foot to the floor...that's me!! I figured I might as well add a little humor into this thread. Don't tell texascop2, he might dissect my post and argue...shh.....oh wait...nevermind...he won't get the main idea of this post anyway. I'm just kidding. I like the way this guy (i'm guessing it's a guy) will stay honest with his opinion if only he would get my main point instead of worrying about every detail. Hey...wait....texascop2, you don't work for DPS do you? If not, you could have a future with them....I hope you are getting my humor...Hopefully you are laughing too. If not, sorry to hurt your feelings. It's all in the name of fun. Ahh, I should stop rambling and get to answering da Silvy.

Oh and thanks for telling me about the more power and same mpg scenario. Just what my point was, mpg is not the main objective of manufacturers. Oh and you might want to look at the sales figures of the toyota hybrids (mainly prius)...they have been declining. Which part of Texas do you live? I'm guessing since your name kinda has texas in it.

So anyway, I try my hardest to never let the truck get over 2000rpm. The starts are the main thing to worry about. Everyone is going to get there in pretty much the same time so there's no need to be the first to leave the red light. Try to stay below 2000rpm at highway speeds also. 2000 for me is about 70 maybe a little faster so I just keep the cruise control at around 63 or so. That usually helps me get anywhere from 19-21 mpg. I do sometimes get a little more of a lead foot and go down to 18 but I don't have a problem with that very often. I also have a 305 which I would think might get one or two mpg more than a 350.

 

I guess that makes sense, but driving that slow jet kinda takes all the fun outta it! I got 16.75 outta my 92 just doing the speed limit but that was on winter gas. I am contemplating a few mods like this to give me a little boost

 

I beg to differ about CAFE and MPG standards.

My 1990 Dodge Van had the aerodynamics OF A BRICK and with reasonable driving got @21MPG. Sad to say when I went to my new vehicle, 15 years of technological improvements had produced a Silverado which gets almost half that. The Big Three don't care about CAFE or mileage, because ultimately you're paying for it, not them.

 

Exactly.

 

I can take the ribbing....I live outside San Antonio, don't work for DPS, but their office is across the street, so we work closely quite often. I couldn't be a Trooper, write tickets and work accidents all day??? no thanks.

Not trying to be too critical of ya'lls post, I just tend to hold people accountable for the claims they are making. I try to stay on the topic of the thread most of the time. Many times on these boards someone loves a product so much that it becomes a "snake oil" and does everything...wanna go fast? does it! wanna get better mpg? does that! wanna have your AC blow colder? does that too!!! it sometimes gets ridiculus. lol. I guess some K&N folks get a bit carried away with the claims was my original point. They are great filters and do bump your HP a bit.

As far as the 2k mark on the tach? I agree completely. At 2k or less I see a big difference in my mpgs

We have a Toyota plant here that builds Tundras and when I check with a couple toyota dealers last month, there was still a 6 month wait for a new Prius....at Carmax, they are selling year old Prius' for the same price as new ones. The Toyota Yaris (41 mpg) is nearly as hard to find new. So here at least...still a huge demand.

 

Aww man...I had you pinned as DPS. Well, I think it's better not to be DPS. DPS is one of the least favorite police agencies around here. All I ever hear about is giving people a ticket. Heck, a lady in town had a blowout and flipped her car. She didn't hurt anyone but herself. As she was in the ambulance with the whole neck brace and all, a DPS officer had them wait until she signed the ticket he was giving her for inability to control a motor vehicle. She was in an ambulance but he still saw the opportunity to write that ticket. Not sure how she flipped. The blowout was on the front so she must have done some over-correcting, but still....

Over here in East Texas, the demand for a Prius is little to none. A lot of dealerships don't even carry a Prius around here since they don't sell well. I remembered seeing an article that said the sales were declining across the US. I think partly due to the lower gas prices and also because they cost so much and aren't very practical for the money. Like you said, you could get a Yaris that gets 41 mpg, and I think they are probably half the price of a Prius, so that's IMO more bang for your buck. It would take forever for the Prius to make that deficit up. I also heard the carbon footprint left by creating the battery for a hybrid is more than a normal vehicle would make in five years. Kinda funny info for those "green" people to think about.

So anyway, I know what you mean by the K&N cure all. My friend got one for his pickup and he said it added an amazing increase of 5mpg. Wow. I bet the sticker that came with the filter gave him at least 10 hp, too.