dmillerj

What I thought would be a simple question has turned into Street Outlaws. All I wanted was a little info on adding a MAF to a K&N CAI. I'm not building a Pro Mod just looking to increase the efficiency of the engine.
Thanks for all of your replies.

in2pro

Hehe sorry about that, I think the consensus is spend your money on a professional tune from a reputable shop and forgo the MAF/K&N CAI spiel

intheburbs

You asked a question about CAIs, TB spacers and changing the MAF.
We responded don't waste your money, it's snake oil, it won't change anything.
You didn't like that answer.
We tried to convince you some more, and provided examples of what actually would increase efficiency or power.
You still didn't like the answer.
Go do whatever you want.
/thread

dmillerj

Thank you all for your replies. It seems that most have an opinion on CAI's and that they are not worth the money. I didn't receive a reply form anyone that has already made these mods but several opinions on why not to make them. My approach was to include an after market Jet Performance MAF with a TB spacer and CAI. Driving 50,000 miles a year if I realized 2-4 mpg increase it would be worth it. CAI $248.00 Jet Performance MAF $160.00 TB Airaid TB spacer $100.00 Total cost of these mods = $508.00 Driving 50,000 miles---- 20 MPG---$3.00 gal cost = $7500.00 If I can realize a 4 mpg increase that 50,000 miles driven would cost $6300.00. That would be a return of $692.00 with a $508.00 investment. I don't know about anyone else but I'll take a 136% ROI any day. So, that's where I'm coming from. I'm more than a little familiar with the effect of ported heads and turbos and other very expensive mods but that's not what I'm looking for. Simple bolt on mods that may have a positive effect on gas mileage. Food for thought. The 2007 Tahoe was I believe rated at 290 HP while the 2012 is rated at 320 HP but I believe they both were rated at the same mileage so increasing hp does not automatically decrease gas mileage. It's more about how the HP gain is accomplished. Sorry for the length but I got started and couldn't stop myself.

in2pro

A custom tune will set you back about $300 bucks, I'd start there...its primary tweaks to the shift points and may include some timing adjustments which could require the use of higher octane fuels, but it keeps all of your parts stock. The oiling of a K&N filter is the biggest issue, over oiling it will toast the MAF sending any potential gains out the window....

intheburbs

I apologize for not saying sooner. I made these mods on my 2001 Burb. No difference in mileage or power, just made the engine louder at WOT. I've since returned the truck to its stock intake setup.

A 10-20% mileage improvement from a CAI, TB spacer and MAF? No way, no how. Again, ever-increasing federal CAFE standards are constantly squeezing the OEMs. If you could improve mileage by that much for such a pittance, don't you think the OEMs would do it? Isn't that obvious? And it's not just CAFE regs -how often do you see truck commercials claiming their truck gets the best mileage?

73shark

In 2007, Chevy had a CAI in their Performance Parts Catalog. I tried it and also Chevy's cat-back exhaust. Didn't see any increase in power or mpg. But the induction roar and exhaust at WOT was awesome. It certainly made one feel like a lot of power increase but the GTech Pro readings before and after confirmed it.

I've dabbled in cars for over 50 years and seen lots of things claiming to increase hp or mpg. Even foolishly tried a couple of them. Things ranging from cow magnets to those tornado things to put in the air intake to swirl the air to pellets you put in your gas tank. When I was in high school, some said to put moth ***** in the gas tank to get more ponies.

I guess what I've learned over the years is that most of the ways to increase engine performance are internal. Just look at where the base Corvette engine has come over the years and it still is an OHV design. Prodigious amounts of horsepower and better mpg than our Tahoes and Suburbans.