I have a 96 GXE Auto I'm debating putting a CAI in. Since the injectors will be increasing their fuel flow rate in response to the lower air temp, I'm wondering if I'm going to be looking at a drop from like 25 mpg to 16 mpg with normal highway driving? That's not to say I drive normal - I have a heavy foot and drive about 52 miles/day, so perhaps I'll be filling up the tank twice a week instead of once every 5 days or so. Perhaps I'm too impatient, but I frequently find myself flooring the accelerator trying to pass slower cars in the far lefthand lane of the 5 lane freeway I drive to work on. I probably floor it about 5 or 6 times a day. (including from a dead stop - I like to be out in front) Perhaps this is not all that unusual. Anyway, how noticable has the increased fuel usage been to current CAI owners?

Also another thing I'm considering is if that 3" hole in the fender well will possibly hurt the re-sale value of the car.
(It will probably hurt it alot less than my hard driving)

Thanks for your input,
Van

 

I can tell u that your gas milege will go down a little because the colder the air, the more fuel your car is gonna use, but, not as much as you said it would. At the most I saw a 2 mpg drop. But, you are probably much more heavy footed than you use to be with the CAI now...

 

If I were the buyer, I would be coincerned about rust around the cutout. You won,t be able to see the inside of the fender so I would be leary about possible rust.

 

I know this forum is about Maxima autos but I was watching Wild Discovery last night and they were talking about why Lions actually try not to run long distances when hunting. This is what came out of it:
The more they run to catch their prey, the more energy they use and the more damage they do to their muscles. So, in the long run they tend to have problems with joints and muscle tissue like us(I am feeling it in my knees now from my BBall days). If you run lead footed all of the time to get out front, you are pushing your engine and transmission to the limit, which in turn, you will have other problems that will lead to bad fuel economy.
Dude, I know its tough to do in a Max but try not to push her so hard all of the time. I had and still have to disapline myself from doing the same thing. But I am more worried about dodging potholes here in MA than out-accelerating everyone.

Good luck.

 

Deezo,

Thanks for the candid advice. You are right. There are several good reasons for me to ease up on my driving. I'm always trying to spend as little time on the freeway as possible, since I have a bit of a drive to work, hence I'm speeding around alot. Just yesterday I had 2 people change lanes in front of me without actually looking long enough to notice the speed at which I was approaching them. I had to brake VERY hard in one case to keep from hitting the car in front of me. That was something of a wakeup call for me to step back and consider the potential ramifications of a high speed differential between me and the cars around which I am zig-zagging.

Van

 

Ok, you brought up the Wild Discovery; now I have to tell you about a program I saw last night. It think it was "COPS," and the theme song goes:

Bad boys! Bad boys! What you gonna do?
What you gonna do when they come for you?
.....

And the content of the show has absolutely nothing to do with any of our Maxima... I just thought I might share that with you guys... Oops, time for my medicine!

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaha.... TGIF!

 

Your gas consumption will decrease. This is likely not due to the temprature of the ambient air but instead of the volume of air entering the combustion chamber. The computer in the maxima requires that you keep the air/fuel mixture at a certain level. (i forget what it is exactly but something more like 30 or so parts air for 1 part fuel...i'm not exactly sure of the amount of air to fuel so dont kill me). When you add a CAI or increase the air flow entering the engine your mas air sensor see's this increase of air and has to compensate by adding more fuel to keep this ratio correct. If your fuel delivery does not compensate for this amount of air entering the engine, it will lean out adding stress to parts of the motor causing serious damage over time. If your fuel delivery is strong enough to match the increase of air entering the engine there should not be any more damage than stock.

Hope this helps
PB

 

When you make the cut-out for the piping, you are supposed to spray either rustoleum or a paint to seal the metal. I was extra careful and did both so I made sure rust is not injested by the car.

 

not sure what u mean i just got my cai and dojnt get what u r saying please tell me more because i dont want to mess up my car
thanks

 

Maybe I'm diverging off the topic of this thread, but I'll ask anyway. I'm also considering stepping up to a CAI from a cone intake. What I'm concerned about (among other things) is affecting structural integrity by drilling that hole in the wheel well. Is that anything to worry about? Additionally, I've read a few comments about the unlikelihood of ingesting water. How do you CAI owners feel about this?

 

Good one!!!! Why didn't I think of that?

 

It,s the part that you are unable to get to that I would be concerned with. The inside of the fender. If it,s done properly then go for it!