cold air intake - anyone done this?

[northern piper]

I haven't done any research on this other than to know that cold air intakes are supposed to improve gas milage. While my 2000 3.8 at 130,000 km is doing pretty well and tuned, proper tire pressure etc etc I'm looking at any other things that could help to improve gas milage.

Has anyone done this on their windstar? I see cold air intakes on lots of tricked out cars, mostly for bling and better acceleration, increased HP which I don't really care about.

Thoughts??

Piper

[garync1]

Really I have seen studies on if Cold air intakes really work.. If you have a very restricted system with a lot of turns and bumps and what not.. Yes it helps.. But its really not a big change.. If you notice the the Windstar has a fairly good flow pattern.. I have heard some taking out the air box and running a K&N filter on the end. But seeing how the box picks up air from the lower finder area would leave me to think the engine air would be warmer from where it collecting air now.. I will say on imports I have worked on I know it would help.. The engines are packed in so tight I have to search out where the intake tubes were going.

[wiswind]

The windstar ALREADY has a "cold air intake"......as mentioned above....the air is drawn in through the driver's side fender.....from the outside.

In other words......cold air intake is drawing air in from OUTSIDE of the warmer engine compartment.

I was at a car show yesterday and saw a LOT of "cold air intakes" that had been installed on vehicles in such a manor that the air was being drawn in from the engine compartment.......which did possibly increase airflow from whatever had been on there before....but was not drawing air in from outside of the engine compartment.

So.....on the Windstar......the K&N (and other brands) of intake puts a different air filter on in place of the one that the windstar already has.
This filter will not filter the air as well as the one that the windstar calls for.
Now.....I DO see a possible improvement in the maximum possible flow (improvement in performance......not fuel economy....when used with a modern fuel injected motor), the main gain would be the increase in possible air intake by opening up the narrow air passage where the air flows into the OEM "bullet" filter box....through the fender.
This point....where the air flows through the fender.....is the narrow point that I see in the stock windstar air intake (other than the throttle body).

I bought a filter box (complete with MAF, filter, etc) on ebay for about $25....wiht the thoughts of increasing the opening INTO the filter box....
I never followed through because I decided that I did not really need to boost performance on my vehicle....and do not feel that it would improve fuel economy.....quite the opposite......"spirited" driving greatly LOWERS fuel economy.

[bobinkski]

I have a K&N air filter in my 96. Any improvments on millage? maybe 1. I like the filter so you can wash it out and reuse it. Cold air intakes are not cheap. Anyone hear anything about hydro fuel cells, runs on water. Need to fit up a system to break down water to hydrogen and add the hydrogen to the engine. This is to increase mpg 2X!!!! sound nuts but do a search on the web.