Airaid filter , MPG drop ?
 

After checking the OEM intake filter prices I decided to go with the
Airaid 721-182 . Which will perform better and was washable .

However I noticed a drop in the MPG , could be coincidence but 2 days after installing the filter the MPG drop from the usual 10.5-11 to 9.5 ...

My biggest concern is the way the filter suck the air , not from the end ( as the OEM) but from around sides ..
In my opinion airaid had much better air flow tan OEM but the OEM gets air right from the vent . could this be an issue .. anyone had same/different experience after installing the Airaid filter ..

Check pics

Attachment 7791

Attachment 7792

haven't had same experience but maybe airflow being changed computer still learning adjusting? id give it a whole tank to see how it does maybe 2, I don't know how the computer reacts to changes immediately

I was searching for online info and everyone seems to be happy with Airaid , noone complains about Mpg . Could be a coincidence
Im going to reset the Avg Mpg and mix the drive btw hwy and city to see what I get . Unfortunately I trow the OEM filter a switch Would had be a good idea

Yup sounds about right (I noticed a drop in the MPG) order to make more HP you need more fuel & Air

I have mentioned it here many times ....

I didnt notice a big change in the HP , also yes more fuel and air may be needed for supplying more HP but in this case I dont think replacing the filter give more HP . At least not noticeably for a 1.5MPG drop
If the MPG drop is real then I assume the cause is the lack of sucking air directly from the vent ..

I will reset the mpg and test it for a couple fuel tanks if not positive results then replace the Airaid for the stuck filter

getting worse
 

GReset the mpg for the worse. Now the number drop to 8.5mpg wtf ..
only drove for a few miles but anyway I never saw such low numbers even driving in city after resetting.
Will allow the filter for a few days more before switch back to the OM .
so disappointed. I really like the airaid, also was planning to get a airdoc . Now I don't know if any change on the intake is worth it.
With a 2600 miles road trip coming every mile point counts
what most bother me is to not find any other complain. May be the only who notice the mpg drop . Hopefully it os only the filter

... update ..... 2 hours after write the post above . I took the truck for a drive (couldn't sleep counting mpg ). Less traffic but still city drive . After 10-15 miles the Mpg is showing 10-11. Hopefully after a few days will gets around 10.5 stable .
looks like a mix between reset the mpg and the comp had to relearn with the new filter that less air restrictions doesn't mean lower mpg
I will update in a few days

Oh yes my previous post was hysterical and frustrating Well I guess we all had bad days ... :)
Good night folks

If your road trip involves coming to the midwest region you can expect a decrease in mpg as we have switched to winter blend gasoline in all cold weather states. I will usually see a 10% drop in mpg during our season as the ethanol is increased for cold weather start up.

Unfortunately the trip wont included Midwest . I had planned a trip to Wy before but way too far . Need 7 days only for drive .
this time going Miami- west Virginia - west NY - Niagara , On then NY city then miami

Not sure if the same problem will be found on the NE area

Coming north you will encounter winter blend. If you come thru Pa we can meet up, and I can follow you back out of the decaying Northeast :p

Yes Im going up thru PA .. Im stopping on the Carnegie Museum . Would likr to meet you but my way up schedule is very tight and due to the last stop in NY city the way back is route 95 .
Still not sure if we are coming back that way or PA , I would like to stop in NC too
I will post a few days before departing , if coming back thru PA for sure we can meet and you may follow me to the sunshine state .. Should I said Rainy state (rains everyday)

For what it is worth..

We did flow bench tests of H2 air filters through a 2003 and 2008 OEM intake.

The OEM filter is a Donaldson, they also make a blue core Donaldson High Flow, neither are impressive, although entirely adequate.

The two we recommend for use to customers that ask are the 1) the AFE Pro Dry-S #11-10088 which consistently flows 30% better that the Donaldson types, and 2) AirAid # 720-082 Synthaflow which flows 24-27% better. Oiled cotton gauze elements flow better over time, and our test filter did after 5K miles. A nice boost for use with our intakes.

Our tests pre-dated your 721-182 SynthMax version which uses dry synthetic filter element and we never tested that particular model so I got nothin there.

The puropse of our recommendation of #1 was for customers that wish to avoid the negative press associated with oiled filters, and #2 for those who find that irrelevant.

AFE 11-10088
http://afepower.com/catalog/11-10088/11-10088_400.jpg

AirAid 720-082
https://www.airaid.com/images/Produc...20-182-MID.jpg

Ask yourself if you are suffering from new performance partitis?
That would be defined as he who adds a performance part changes their driving habit to repeatedly test said part by mashing the throttle to see what/how they can feel any benefit. Luckily, time usually cures this ailment when the newness where off. :D

HI Doc olds

Very informative post , is there a simple way to test air flow? .. I would like to stay away from oil filters but if can get the Mpg back to 11 then switch back to OE filter .
I didnt replace it cause the perform , most cause it is washable , it would paid itself over the time .

Question : the MPG drop could be due to a lack of air from the filter or cause there is more air flow which improve the HP so more power more gas .
If the reason for losing MPG is lack of air then would the airdoc helps ?

Thank you

... Next step .. Im cleaning the MAF , Drive for a few more days , if not improvement then switch back to OM

BTW I like the concept of new performance partitis
Pretty sure is not the case cause my wife who drives the h2 90 % got the vaccinated

No simple way to test airflow without the flow bench machine that I know of. I think you have something else going on. To compare apples to apples you have to use the same fuel (if not the same gas station, then certainly the same brand), you have to make sure outside temps and humidity are consistent (on hot very humid days, mpgs drop vs cool dry days), same tires and PSI, etc....

It would be interesting to see if the MPG went back up by swapping to the OEM filter again. I agree with a MAF cleaning. I would have expected basically no measurable change when you swapped filters, definitely not a drop in MPG.

I like the AFE Pro-Dry-S which has no oil, I've been running one on my truck for about a year now. The AirAids are quality units, I find your experience interesting, but then again I have not personally used/tested the newer SynthaMax drys. Maybe they dropped the ball?

I will be careful to distinguish the AirAid SynthFlow and SynthaMax for customers that ask.

Let us know what happens after a while and especially if you put the OEM back in.

Doc Olds .. The filter Im using is a dry ( 721-182) ... Which BTW Airaid dont have available on their website ( fishy :confused: )

Just clean the MAF .. take truck for a test drive and noticed the MPG drop another point as soon as I drive 2 blocks in traffic VS driving at night with almost no traffic when Mpg went up to 11

I will do a Hwy test to see how it reacts but so far the filter is no good at all for city driving ...

Next step switch to the OEm


Will keep reporting ..

So far here are the conditions for the test

OM filter Avg 10.5 Mpg VS 8.6 Mpg Airaid dry filter (721-182)

same weather cond BTW there are not cold dry days down here
same tires
same gas brand
same driving habits

No big gain in Hp .

Did the Highway test

results ..
drive 30 miles hwy , avg speed 60
initial MPG after a week of city drive 8.6
after 30 miles 9.6

Not the results I was hoping to see
I will do a longest trip ( 200miles) before completely removing the filter and send it back


here it is the info provided by Airaid .. notice this is a dry filter , the oiled has much better air flow Attachment 7815

Thank you

Airaid dry filter back to Amazon ... Replaced for the OEM ..

After driving some miles on Hyw to get only 9.6 the mileage drop to 8.5 again after just a few city miles ... Contacted Airaid and their response was that people step on the gas to get the extra HP , wait for a few days till you get use to the new performance

Really ? ... First what performance , in fact the truck feels slower , second ,cant step on the gas while watching your Mpg sinking as a rock in water , in fact we driven slower than ever
The oiled one may be a fair addition but the dry filter is pure crap .

END OF THE STORY ...

Hey H2Miami did you ever get to the bottom of what was going on ? I mean did you just put everything back OEM, or did you try out a different filter/intake combo etc ?
I just put an airdoc in, and am happy with it, but i still have the oem box and oem filter, so i am looking to put a new aftermarket filter on. Will probably lean towards the recommendation from Doc (dry one) but just wondered if you had any more colour on what was going on in your wagon ?

thx

I put back the OEM filter and everything back to normal .
my main reason to replace expensive oem filter was cause the airaid was washable a however after finding tha Amazon sell It for $50 no sense in losing miles and risking engine to get dirt and dust .
Airaid looks well made however you can easily see trough the mesh . I wont recommended if doing Offroad or drivimg in dusty cond
before you spend money on a aftermarket filter contact Airdoc , they did a research nd can recommend the best for you ... The dry Airaid wont give you a lot of performance , check pic
In my case I would get the Airdoc and keep the Oem box and filter
btw would you take a video to check how the Airdoc change the engine sound while driving . I hear pp said sound nice while some other like the quiet oem intake .
thx

Attachment 8211