Sponsored Content
« Gaming Thread (wall of text edition) 11/10/2013 | Main | Open Thread, Comet Edition »
November 10, 2013

SAE/US Dept of Energy shocker: changing your ride's air filter doesn't do squat for fuel economy

That old saw about clogged air filters killing fuel economy simply doesn't apply with modern fuel injected computer controlled gasoline engines, or with modern diesels, although it DOES still apply to old school engines with traditional carburetors.

Gasoline engines were tested in THIS STUDY.

...Results reveal insignificant fuel economy and emissions sensitivity of modern vehicles to air filter condition, but measureable effects on the 1972 vehicle. All vehicles experienced a measured acceleration performance penalty with clogged intake air filters.

Diesel engines were tested in THIS STUDY.

...The two sedans did show a modest loss in acceleration performance due to filter clogging, showing measurable effects at WOT conditions.

For consumer advice, the authors conclude that changing the air filter more often than the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation will be of little or no value (driving
conditions should be taken into account and are normally discussed in the vehicle owner's manual)...

The report at the link for the diesel tests has a bunch of interesting charts'n shit and is free on the DOE's servers. SAE wants money for the full gas engine report, so I just quoted the abstract.

My own actual experience with my 98' Jetta TDI mirrors the DOE results. My intake manifold was severely clogged with carbon crud from the EGR system a while ago dramatically restricting air flow, yet the car would still get in the 45-50mpg range as it always had. However cleaning the crap out of the intake manifold improved acceleration performance quite visibly.

So, it would seem that unless you're unhappy with a modern ride's acceleration performance, you're wasting money doing frequent air filter changes.

Gotta give DOE Oak Ridge props for some truth telling here that ordinary people can use out in the field to save a few bucks.


digg this
posted by Purp at 05:21 PM

| Access Comments




Recent Comments
Defenestratus: "Man, this pisses me off. Next weekend I'm driving ..."

Miley, okravangelist: "/off rebar sock ..."

rebar: "We're gonna see a lot of beautiful animals and bir ..."

Eman Hussan: "Anyway, like I was sayin', swan is the fruit of th ..."

BEN ROETHLISBERGER[/i]: ">> So a woke Harvard MBA in NYC teamed up with an ..."

Jay in PA: "Hey everyone I have a great idea. What beer drinke ..."

Joe Mannix (Not a cop!): "How in the hell is an online ad network worth that ..."

Tom Servo: "A ten mile wide meteor would do nicely. Doesn't ..."

Smell the Glove: "@220 yup and NYC OTB went bankrupt. Only a governm ..."

Ignoramus: "@209 When InBev bought A/B it brought in cost -c ..."

Lizzy[/i]: ">>". . . leftists are trying to make it impossible ..."

naturalfake : "Bleh. Still no power.. ..."

Recent Entries
Search


Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Top Top Tens
Greatest Hitjobs

The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon
A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
More Margaret Cho Abuse
Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny
Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman
Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format
John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia
World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading
Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree
Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears
Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed"
Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility
Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips
They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan
Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq
Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town
When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool
What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means
Wonkette's Stand-Up Act
Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour
Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider
My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty
Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA
An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear
The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report!
Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet
The House of Love: Paul Krugman
A Michael Moore Mystery (TM)
The Dowd-O-Matic!
Liberal Consistency and Other Myths
Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias
John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
The Donkey ("The Raven" parody)
Powered by
Movable Type 2.64