My custom cold air intake cost me 15 MPG and I still dont regret it

I spent last weekend installing one of those short ram intakes on my 2017 Civic. Everyone on this sub told me to go with the name brand long tube setup but I wanted the louder sound. Well after 3 days of testing I dropped from 32 mpg to 27 mpg on my usual commute in Portland. The engine light kicked on too because the MAF sensor got all confused. But honestly that intake noise at 4,500 rpm puts a grin on my face every time. Did any of you go with form over function and end up happy anyway?

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3 Comments

hugog434mo ago

Whoa, really dropped 5 whole MPG? That's wild, @the_cora.

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oscarthompson3mo ago

You forget about the extra trips to the pump" - that's quite a tradeoff, isn't it? 17 MPG from 22 just to hear an intake noise. I guess some people really value that sound.

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the_cora4mo ago

I had the exact same thing happen with my 2015 Mustang GT. I put a cheap short ram on it because I wanted that deep growl at WOT. My gas mileage went from 22 to 17 and I got a check engine light for running lean. But every time I hit the on ramp and hear that intake scream I just forget about the extra trips to the pump. A tune helped a lot with the MAF issue by the way. You might want to look into just a simple flash tune to clean up the air fuel ratio. It won't fix the MPG completely but your car will run smoother.

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