This may not seem like a formula for better gas mileage, but the additional horsepower means the engine doesn't have to work as hard to do the same work, which will result in better gas mileage. This may seem like a strange concept at first, but it is true - a more powerful engine is often more fuel efficient than a less powerful one simply because it doesn't have to work as hard to do the same work. It is for this reason that the 3.9L V6 Dakotas and Rams quite often get about the same gas mileage as a 5.2L or 5.9L equipped vehicle. The smaller motor must rev longer and higher to accomplish the same task. This becomes especially evident while towing. A good example based on personal experience is a comparison between my 5.2L V8 Dakota and my family's 3.8L V6 minivan. For everyday driving, they both get around 17-18mpg. While towing a 6,000lb car trailer back from Carlisle, I averaged 13mpg in the V8 Dakota. We went on a family vacation in the minivan towing a 2,000lb motorcycle trailer, and got 11mpg. The V6 got 2mpg less than the V8 while towing, and that was with 1/3 the load! Proof positive that more power can indeed translate into better gas mileage.
This assumes of course, that you can keep your foot out of it.
More power does actually require more fuel, so if you drove around with your foot to
the floor all the time, then installed an intake, and continued to drive around
with your foot to the floor, you will get less gas mileage than before, because
you have more power than before, and you are using all of those horsies - you are burning
more fuel. However, if you drive like this, I suspect that gas
mileage is not your primary concern anyway.
Performance Impressions:
I do not have any quarter mile times or dyno numbers to be able to give you exact HP or ET changes, but here is what we noticed after installing this intake:
- The engine's sound doesn't seem to be much different at idle and
cruise, but under load and at high throttle settings, the engine produces a
satisfying roar.
I am amazed at how good this minivan sounds now - it sounds
almost as if a performance exhaust were installed!
- The average fuel economy increased by approximately 2 MPG.
- The wheels seem more eager to spin when accelerating hard from a
stop, and we have noticed that it has improved passing power. Who
knew a minivan could be this much fun?
After developing an intake for the 4.7L Dakotas and Durangos, I realized I had all the building blocks to design an intake for many other vehicles. Readily available prototyping vehicles available to me were a Chrysler Town & Country and PT Cruiser. The PT Cruiser is a fairly popular vehicle and others seem to have that market pretty well covered, so my attention turned to the minivan. It struck me that there doesn't seem to be much of a market for aftermarket goodies for minivans, but I figured there may be enough interested folks out there to make it worth my while. Given the relatively low initial investment to develop an intake, I decided to go ahead and do it.
My intake consists of a mandrel bent 16 gauge steel tube which
I powdercoat inside and out. The tube has provisions for both the
PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) tube and the intake temperature sensor; the stock items just connect
directly to the intake the same way they were connected to the stock intake
system. A plastic zip tie ensures that the PCV hose won't interfere with
the throttle linkage. A silicone connector attaches the intake
to the engine's throttle body with a pair of high torque stainless steel hose
clamps. The filter is a K&N, which has been pre-oiled at the factory and comes
with their 1 million mile warranty. This is all excellent quality stuff. Because I
personally build each intake by hand, I can powdercoat the tube many different colors. Now, I'm not saying that
it'll exactly match your paint, but there is probably
a powder available which is close. Or, if you prefer, it can be done in a contrasting
color. There are also other things that can be done like wild custom colors such as
metallics, flourescents, translucents, iridescents, textures, prism effects, etc.
I have a set of "standard" colors which I keep in stock and which are included
in the price of the intake. However, there are many other colors and options
available for an additional fee. To get an idea of what is available, check out
hotcoat.com, (a popular powdercoating site)
and click on "Powders" or "Colors".
Click here
for more powdercoat info and pricing details.
My main goal with these intakes was to create a simple, quality intake with a reasonable price tag. That's definitely not an easy task as quality and low price do not usually go hand in hand, and I can't take advantage of economies of scale due to the low volumes involved. As a fellow hot rodder, I'm always looking for the best value for my money, and that's the mindset I use when creating my products. To be completely honest with you, the prices came out a bit higher than where I was hoping, but there's nothing I can do about that without compromising on quality; a path I am not willing to take. However, I have decided to offer these intakes in several different ways which, depending on your circumstances, might save you some money:
- Intake kit
- This is the normal intake kit, as described elsewhere on this page - it comes with illustrated install instructions, the K&N filter, the tube is powdercoated and plumbed for the PCV valve & temp sensor, etc. Basically, you pull it out of the box and bolt it on.
- Intake kit, minus filter
- This is exactly the same as above, but the K&N filter is not included. I offer this option in case you have a cheap source of K&N filters, or have a Summit gift certificate, etc. You may be able to save a few bucks.
- Intake kit, minus powdercoat
- This is the full intake kit, except that the tube is sent to
you "raw"; it will be bare metal and you
will be responsible for applying a finish to it. Perhaps you want to spray
paint it with one of those fancy color shifting paints, or maybe you would
like to have it chromed, or gold plated, who knows?
At any rate, this will save
you the powdercoating charges. Note that because the tube
will be bare metal, you should apply some sort of finish to it before
using it, otherwise it will be susceptible to rust and corrosion.
When the intake is shipped to you, the tube will be protected with
a light oil and sealed in a plastic bag to prevent rust, but once you
open it up and clean it off, be aware that you should apply a finish
fairly soon.
- Intake kit, minus filter, minus powdercoat
- Fairly self explanatory This is the
intake kit, but without the filter and without the powdercoat.
| Base Diameter | 5" |
|---|---|
| Top Diameter | 4 5/8" |
| Length | 8" |
| Effective filtering area | 109.6 sq. in. |
| Theoretical max displacement | 456.8 (7.5L) |
The 3.8L has a horsepower peak of around 5000 RPM, and therefore requires approximately 55.66sq. in. of filtering area. The "theoretical max displacement" figures in the table above refer to the size engine this filter would be able to support, given the same ~5000 RPM HP peak. As you can see, the filter is more than adequate. With 197% of the required filtering area, it is twice as big as it needs to be. What this means is that it will easily handle your engine's air requirements, and will also allow you to go a very long time before you will need to clean the filter. (Unlike conventional paper filters, K&N filters can be cleaned and re-oiled; you don't have to replace them when they get dirty. K&N sells a "recharge" kit which you can pick up just about anywhere for about $10 which allows you to clean and re-oil your filter several times.)
For details about what exactly is involved to install this intake, check out the full color install instructions in Adobe PDF format.
The requirements
are different from state to state, and many times even from city to city.
My intake does not carry a CARB EO number, so you will need to check with
whomever you use to inspect your vehicles to see if they will pass it with
an aftermarket intake installed.
Please understand - I am not suggesting this as a way to "cheat" the dealership
into providing you warranty service. The fact of the matter is that the dealership
must honor your warranty unless they can prove that an aftermarket part was the
cause of your problem. But, due to the attitudes of some service departments, it
is sometimes easier to just avoid the potential problem altogether. Due to the bolt-on
nature of my intake, this is an option that is available to you.
The prototyping for this kit was done on a 2002 Chrysler Town & Country
with a 3.8L V6. I am not certain what differences there might be from
model year to year. This intake will probably
fit many different years, but without knowing for sure, all
I can tell you is that it has been tested to work with the following
engines and years so far:
- 2001 3.3L V6
- 2002 3.3L V6
- 2002 3.8L V6
- 2003 3.3L V6
- 2005 3.8L V6
Feel free to take a look at the on-line install instructions; that may be enough to allow you to determine whether this intake will work on your vehicle or not. If you do order one and discover that it doesn't work, just let me know and I would be happy to refund your purchase price (less shipping) if you can return it in re-saleable condition.
I am definitely interested in finding out what other years this intake might fit. I will generally offer a discount to anyone willing to try an intake on a vehicle which I don't have data for, check out the Beta Testing and Prototyping section of my web site to see if your vehicle might qualify, and/or drop me an e-mail.
Each is built to order, and if I need to order a special
powder or something, that's obviously going to take longer than usual. I will
make every effort to get your intake to you as quickly as possible (with the
exception of sacrificing build quality, of course). Once I have all the
required materials, it takes about a day to build your intake. So, the actual
time required could range from a few days to a couple of weeks.
If you have paid via credit card, I will charge your card just before I am actually ready to build the intake, to verify that the number is correct and that the card is accepted.
How to Order
If you are ordering a non-powdercoated intake, or an intake with one of the standard powdercoat colors listed below, ordering is very simple; just add the appropriate intake to your shopping cart and proceed through the normal checkout process. However, if you would like a color which isn't listed below, you will need to contact me first to let me know what you have in mind. I will then get back to you with a price. (Some colors and finishes require multiple coats and/or multiple powders, additives, etc. and the powder prices vary quite a bit so I am unable to give a set price - the cost will depend on what color you want. I could just say any non-standard color is a fixed, higher price, but then I'd have to set the custom color price to reflect the most expensive powders available, which you may not need. This way will save you some money.) You can contact me at jon@steigerperformance.com.Note: The colors in the drop down listboxes below refer to the color you would like the tube to be powdercoated.
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