19.8mpg after HC removed!

[Mr. Creosote]

Originally Posted by chixdigit

I took mine out (gently- w/ out cracking it at all) on Tuesday night and I must have a different version of this filter cause mine did NOT look very restrictive at all... When I held mine up to the setting sun, I could definitley see the charcoal dispersed within the filter, but it seemed like about 50% of the area did NOT have charcoal in there. I could see sunlight right through it.

FWIW one fellow used vacuum gauges in his gen 1 4.7 before and after the HC filter in the intake tract. He could actually measure a vacuum difference on either side of the HC filter which does suggest it is a restriction.

[Mudi]

Did the removal and ECU reset a week ago. So far, i'm up 2.0 mpg. The dash readout was showing 15.0 with no reset from new (17000 miles) and with about 200 on it now, i'm reading 17.0. The real data will come with a few tanks of fuel.

BTW, the high fast idle at start up has calmed down substantially after pulling the neg bat terminal for 30 mins.. Worth doing that alone as I hate the high fast idle in the winter time..

[schaf921]

Sorry if asked, lots of pages:

So the only negative is that it needs to be put back in for a Smog test? In GA, I don't think they check anywhere around the air filter so just wondering. (they do check the tailpipe emission)

[RONE]

Originally Posted by schaf921

Sorry if asked, lots of pages:

So the only negative is that it needs to be put back in for a Smog test? In GA, I don't think they check anywhere around the air filter so just wondering. (they do check the tailpipe emission)

No one will know it's missing.

[Badfish]

Originally Posted by Badfish

Removed mine and reset the ECU last Friday at 18,415 miles with an average of 15.9 mpg. I'm now at 18,648 and am averaging 17.1. It keeps going up everyday too, yesterday I was at 16.8 mpg when I got home.

Update to my own post. Put on 150 more miles and have increased to 17.2.

This is a great mod. The engine definitely feels smoother, less restricted. And like someone else posted, the engine doesn't rev nearly as high on start up.

I’m considering taking my grill guard off to see if that helps my fuel economy even more. Spending $120+ on gas per week, I’ll do almost anything to improve mileage.

[Coal Dragger]

Another 100 miles and still no change in observed mileage.

[hell72]

Seems like most of you are averaging around 18/19 mpg with this mod. I'm a little reluctant to do this as my 08 5.7 4x4 just turned 7k on the odometer and is already avg'ing 18.4 on a 80/20 mix of predominately city driving. I have noticed that in the past 2 weeks since my last oil change (5/20 conventional) that my mileage had increased about .7 as well, but I also contribute that to the scorching 90+ temps with high humidity. My current comp readout is 19.4 but actual is 19.1mpg, reset every fill up on 87 octane and also hand calculated. I will admit that durring the cold weather (40's) I was getting about 16mpg.

Anyone have good gas mileage beforehand and have it increase even more? I don't see to many threads with 4x4's getting over 20 mpg.

The only mod so far has been a ProForce catback, and that was 5k miles ago

[Avid]

This is a prime example of a modification that is sure to void your warranty if a problem even remotely related to the engine/emissions system develops. Surely the engineers that developed and tested this engine put that restriction of airflow there for a reason. I for one am not risking expensive engine damage to my new truck to save a buck or two in gas money.

This is also a prime example of why I buy new vehicles. You never know what someone has done to a used vehicle, even one treated with apparent TLC.

My .02s.

[cwit]

Avid you should buy new every year and not touch your truck.

[Avid]

I've seen Toyota warranties voided for less intrusive modifications. I had a repair related to a leaking engine block heater denied warranty coverage by my then-dealer (not the same dealer I bought the Tundra from). Had to prove that the engine block heater was a toyota-part that was installed at the dealer, to get reimbursed my money months later. Ironically, I never did get my total amount spent reimbursed to me as the dealer charged more than was authorized to make the repair. Oh well, it cost them a nice commission on the new truck I bought, and future vehicles I will buy. Short-term thinking by Prestige Toyota in Billings, Montana.

Actually, a manufacturer with less integrity than Toyota could make millions getting a sizable enough group of new vehicle owners to void their warrantys with this type of mod. They can deny any warranty coverage even remotely related to the mod. Thereby SAVING the manufacturer millions of dollars. Then charge you folks millions to fix the problems created. Thereby MAKING millions of more dollars. Sounds like the double-whammy be to me! LOL.

[RONE]

Originally Posted by Avid

I've seen Toyota warranties voided for less intrusive modifications. I had a repair related to a leaking engine block heater denied warranty coverage by my then-dealer (not the same dealer I bought the Tundra from). Had to prove that the engine block heater was a toyota-part that was installed at the dealer, to get reimbursed my money months later. Ironically, I never did get my total amount spent reimbursed to me as the dealer charged more than was authorized to make the repair. Oh well, it cost them a nice commission on the new truck I bought, and future vehicles I will buy. Short-term thinking by Prestige Toyota in Billings, Montana.

Actually, a manufacturer with less integrity than Toyota could make millions getting a sizable enough group of new vehicle owners to void their warrantys with this type of mod. They can deny any warranty coverage even remotely related to the mod. Thereby SAVING the manufacturer millions of dollars. Then charge you folks millions to fix the problems created. Thereby MAKING millions of more dollars. Sounds like the double-whammy be to me! LOL.

Just like you mentioned, though, that would be short-term thinking. The customers they would lose over something like that would be phenomenal.

[Mr. Creosote]

Removing the HC filter is not going to cause any engine damage. He is right about dealers using it as an excuse to deny warranty though. There is some sort of law in the states protecting consumers (Magnesium Marshmallow Act ???) but dealers count on the fact that only a small minority of customers would defend their rights to this end. Most of us don't have the time, money, or experience to do this.

[Curb71]

I just took my truck out for a drive for the first time since I put in the TRD CAI and removed the HC filter. Drove about 170 miles with an average of 18.1mpg! the beginning of the trip was all freeway, about 70 miles and that averaged 20.0mpg! My truck before this would of averaged about 14.5-15.5mpg on this trip and never over 17mpg on the freeway-only part of the drive. Im am convinced this mod kicks ***! !!!

[thumbster]

Originally Posted by Burger Steak & Eggs

(Magnesium Marshmallow Act ???)

That's hysterical

[mannyahles2007]

You can even remove the passengers seat and throw a crate in or plastic chair. Who cares if your passenger is comfy if you are getting .15 mpg better!

Originally Posted by wileetundra

Here are some numbers to show how much (or how little) might be saved over one year by a small improvement in average MPG. The chart assumes that you drive 15,000 miles in a year and your average price per gallon is $4.00. The savings column is incremental, so if you currently average 15.0 MPG and you make improvements to average 16.0 MPG then your annual savings would be $250: you simply add the savings together for each increment, so $129 + $121 = $250.


Now compare your potential savings with the following factors:

• time and money that you spend to modify the truck
• additional drive time that you might incur by driving slower
• possibility of future repairs if your modifications end up harming the truck over the long run
• negative impact on the environment by modifying the truck
• potential for additional fees or fines if your truck fails a required inspection test

I am not saying it isn't worth it, just saying that you should consider all the factors before making a change. Personally I prefer to keep my truck in stock configuration unless I can save more than $500 per year. Even if the HC filter removal increased my MPG from 16.0 to 18.0 then it would still only save me $417 in the first year, and based on most comments above I wouldn't expect more than 0.5 improvement. So for now I will just remove unnecessary cargo such as the spare tire and some tool boxes. This may save just as much or even more and it won't cost me anything or do any harm. To each his own.