Success: YES
Year, Make, Model, relevant equipment:
1996 Saturn SL2 auto, wider touring tires than stock (185 stock vs my 205's)
Link to gaslog
http://www.gassavers.org/garage/viewgaslog/1083
Miles in gaslog before WAI installed, weather, and approximate MPG:
4,397, KY weather, extreme highs and lows during the 4 seasons, MPG from gaslog before HAI is 26.11
Chronic mechanical difficulties before WAI
car using 1/2 quart of oil between gas fill up, roughly every 300 miles. The Saturn S-series is well documented in this field. No oil relief holes in the piston ring lands, rings gum up, engines get loose and burn oil. This had started getting worse and worse before the HAI.
Date WAI installed:
7/4/08
Miles in gaslog since WAI installed, weather, and approximate MPG:
probably 14k, live in KY so all types of mixed weather from 95*F in summer to 10*F in winter, MPG since WAI = 29.56
***All time high w/ 100% highway before HAI was 33mpg. After: 43mpg for the tank average.***
Chronic mechanical difficulties after WAI
nothing out of the ordinary, oil usage gradually on the rise (as expected). I don't associate this w/ the HAI because if you go to
www.saturnfans.com and do a search for "s-series burn oil" there's a plethora of information there on why this happens. Also, about 5k miles ago the rear o2 sensor went bad and I cannot change it because I tried and the bung cracked in the exhaust. So without a welder handy, its staying that way until I find a way to fix it correctly. Rear o2 monitors LTFT or long term fuel trim. It has a direct correlation to increased fuel consumption.
IAT increase:
roughly 50-70*F depending on traffic and humidity
Description of WAI:
aluminum flashing used as heat shield, 2 1/2" aluminum dryer vent ducting used from bottom of airbox to header, relocated IAT sensor to read actual air temp, blocked old IAT inlet housing
Other notes (anything relevant - new driving strategies tried, city/highway driving, other changes to car, honest thoughts of placebo effect, etc):
tires from 32 to 50psi, rear 02 sensor went bad months ago and hasn't been changed but I still get good mileage, stay below 70mph on highway, best mpg comes from 55-60mph driving in HOT ambient temps w/o A/C use. Placebo was never a factor because I installed the HAI the day I took a 250 mile trip and was shown the immediate effects it has on mileage.
HONEST SIDE NOTE * This car has gone from using 1/4 quart of oil between fill-ups at the beginning of my gaslog at roughly 130k miles on the engine, to now at 153k miles it uses 2+ quarts of oil between gas fill-ups (or every 300 miles). The rear o2 sensor also failed month ago and hasn't been replaced due to a cracked bung in the exhaust.
WAI hard data collection thread
John
Linear Mode
