Fuel Consumption with POD Filter

[Aussie_Watto]

I was just wondering if a POD Filter is installed on a VL does the fuel consumption increase or drop or does it stay roughly the same

[seventh path]

technically they should have better fuel economy due to the fact it is getting more air in to make a better air/fuel ratio......i havn't noticed it though....might have something to do with having a heavy right foot!!!

[ucwepn]

If the engine gets too much air this is called running lean and that can kill you're motor pretty quick, therefore with a pod fitted the ecu will re-balance the mix of air and fuel going in and it will use more fuel, I recently took my pod off and put the airbox back onwith K&N panel and i'm getting an extra 50-70 k's out of a tank

[seventh path]

hmmm....i shoulda thought that through better.....been out of it today!!!

[ucwepn]

well the companies that make and sell these pods all claim more power and better fuel economy, I find that these 2 things rarely go hand in hand. its just allot of hype, I have done about 3000km's with each fitted (pod and panel) and the airbox with hiflow panel is miles in front of the pod in power and fuel efficiency. its funny I would have thought it the other way around, oh well just goes to show the car companies know what they're doing after all.

[vlv8vic]

it certainly isnt hype mate. beleive it or not the two do compliment each other. thats what building better engines are about.
the problem youll find is trying to fit the theory to an engine with a few years and k's behind it. wear and tear etc. makes it hard to beleive i know but thats the ideal.

[ucwepn]

Well I had a new motor in my last car (Torana) and it made a difference there more power but also more fuel consumption, but that is the trade off. anyway RB30's aren't like other engines they don't need rebuilds all the time, my car has plenty of power and its certainly not a new engine, it is mildly modified but nothing to write home about. Everytime a company wants to sell something we don't need they bring out these fudged dyno figures and far out claims, its all marketing.

[Pistol]

just stuck a K&N panel filter into my existing airbox and didnt really notice alot, but still have to set up some induction so i'll see then i suppose

[ucwepn]

take both mesh screens out of the AFM and you should see a gain. also disconnect the battery for 15 mins so the ECU can reset the mixture. have you got any exhaust mods? induction is not much good without exhaust mods as well.

[Pistol]

Ive got extractors but hooked upto factory muffler, so not much good rite now, but on the list for sure

[VLACS]

take both mesh screens out of the AFM and you should see a gain. also disconnect the battery for 15 mins so the ECU can reset the mixture. have you got any exhaust mods? induction is not much good without exhaust mods as well.

how does taking the little meshes off help. there practically non existant any way. woudl the ecu have reset the mixture after like 3 or four months of having the new intake??

[ucwepn]

not sure about the resetting of the mixture after 3 or 4 months, but with the mesh's It does make a difference because they are restrictive,they are more restrictive than a standard aircleaner so if you get a highflow air cleaner it will make 0 difference if you leave the mesh's in place, I read a study on this a few months back when I was buying my aircleaner, the restriction of all the intake components was measured in litres, if I recall correctly the restriction of the standard air filter was about 3 on their scale but the restriction of the mesh's was 11. so I'll let you draw your own conclusion into that. people with gen 3's in their cars have also been removing the mesh's for a gain in flow, (they are there as a failsafe incase you have to run without a filter for some reason.

I'll try and find all the info and post it up.




here


Individual Item Peak restriction
(inches of water)
Intake snorkel 3.5
Bottom half of airbox 4
Air filter element 1
Top half of airbox (with bellmouth) 2
Airflow meter (AFM) 14.5
Convoluted flexible pipe 4.5
Total intake restriction (measured at PCV junction immediately before the turbo) 29.5



Peak restriction: 29.5 inches of water
Peak intake temperature: 50 degrees C
0-100 km/h performance: 8.0 seconds




Phase 1
Wanting to see what kind of improvements could be made just pulling bits off, we removed both of the AFM's mesh screens and also the intake snorkel. (We decided to take the protective screens off because we'd previously learnt that they're responsible for a considerable amount of restriction across the AFM. See "Eliminating Negative Boost - Part 4"). Amazingly, this 5-minute operation resulted in a total 9.5 inches of water improvement - with 6 of those coming from pulling the AFM screens. So already - without even really trying - we'd removed 32% of the total intake restriction without spending a cent. Yee-ha! And notice that there wasn't much point in worrying about the standard Holden air filter, coz it was only causing an inch (about 3%) of the total airflow restriction anyway. Stuff-all, to put it another way...


Peak restriction: 20 inches of water (down from 29.5 in standard form)
0-100 km/h performance: 7.7 seconds (down from 8.0 in standard form)
Total cost so far: Zero!

[ucwepn]

It is a hotly debated topic with allot of good points on both sides of the argument but the fact is I have removed both mesh's and I am happy with that, when I did so my car wouldn't start until I reset the ecu.

[tommo22]

i have a k&n filter on my vl you do notice that you get an extra 4kw and also a bit louder but you need a exhaust system i have a 2.5 lukey and 3 inch tip!

need extractors ring me 0433367554 south australia or message me stubth02@trinity.sa.edu.au

[Jules86]

If the engine gets too much air this is called running lean and that can kill you're motor pretty quick, therefore with a pod fitted the ecu will re-balance the mix of air and fuel going in and it will use more fuel, I recently took my pod off and put the airbox back onwith K&N panel and i'm getting an extra 50-70 k's out of a tank

So are you saying that CAI shouldn't be performed, as the air would be getting forced down the breather, or you saying something else when getting too much air?

[VLACS]

So are you saying that CAI shouldn't be performed, as the air would be getting forced down the breather, or you saying something else when getting too much air?

i think what he means is air in the mix. the ratio of fuel to air. the computer or soemthign adjusts the mix and if this doesnt happen for what ever reasons then there will be too much air in the mix. cai is great though. get as much in there as you can.

[spice weasel (BAM)]

How do u know if the computer doesn't adjust the mix. I have a CAI and how would i know if it wasn't doing what it should.

It seems fine to me.

[seventh path]

it will blow a bit of white smoke and seem really gutless....also the temp will be higher.....you can run a car lean as long as the temp doesn't go too high......but you will definatly notice it if it is running lean

[VLACS]

i didnt have any issues with that. how do you take the afm mesh off. might do that tomorrow.

[Pistol]

Hey i definitly noticed the difference when i took the mesh screens out and resetted the computer! the screens are easy to take out VLACS just unbolt the afm from the airbox with an allen key then unscrew the hose clip on the other side and youll see the screens. They have little rings around the outside that can be pryed out carefully with a screw driver and then the screens themselves drop out

[VLACS]

yeh i worked it out myself. it was easy. you dont need to take the box off though. it might be easier but its negligable. havent driven it yet. wil post my findings tomorrow night.

[Michelson4301]

A pod filter should make more power because of the reduced intake restriction, but if the pod is sucking hot air from directly under the bonnett then what's the use. Of course your fuel economy will suck and the standard box will work better, because the box has either a little funnel to suck air from behind the headlight or a big scoop to suck air from above the radiator-bonnett gap. to sum up make a box with a large tube to funnel cold air from the front of car.

[cracker]

your car isnt going to run lean if u put a pod on it. or rich. your computer will calculate what the correct a/f is. no it will not use more fuel unless it is sucking in hot air.
as u get a better burn from cold air which makes more power so u dont have to give it as much pedal. it will not suck in extra fuel its not getting more air its about getting colder which has more air molecules in it which will burn better then hot air which has less. as for a pod it has a bigger surface area to get air through. so it holds the engine back less. keeping in mind u would be hard pressed to see a difference on a stock car with he air filter in or out.\

[ucwepn]

Ummm it does make a difference on a stock car actually(filter or no filter), not a great deal but on a cold night it is definately noticable. I have done the tests I have had both (pod and panel) I have driven them both at different times of the day and with different fuel and with and without pacemakers fitted.

the panel is better unless ur going to make a heat sheild for the pod.

[vyaw2003]

Hey i definitly noticed the difference when i took the mesh screens out and resetted the computer! the screens are easy to take out VLACS just unbolt the afm from the airbox with an allen key then unscrew the hose clip on the other side and youll see the screens. They have little rings around the outside that can be pryed out carefully with a screw driver and then the screens themselves drop out

can this be explained in dumbs mans language, with pics??
Also
A K&N panel filter is this better than an air pod?