Poor gas mileage; short ram recommendation?

[cash_money]

Hey guys,

I have a 2005 MS3 2.3L Hatchback with 38,000km and I only get about 400km to the tank with highway driving.

I've been reading the forum, from what I gather a CAI in theory can save you gas provided that the driver's habbits remain the same.

I originally wanted a CAI but I don't want to take a chance with the water and I am not planning on removing it for the winter. So I thought a Short Ram would be appropriate. I don't expect HUGE results, but since I have to change my airfilter anyway, I thought the Short Ram would be better than stock.

My only concern is that it is going to be loud. Under normal conditions, without hammering the gas off the line, how loud will it be relative to the stock system? Are their any problems with the short ram?

Anything else I can do to improve my mileage?

Thanks in advance!

[Donutz]

Try resetting your ecu.

[cash_money]

any suggestions on how to do that?

thanks

[-RJ3-]

cash mula,

Just remove the positive cable from your battery terminal and wait for 20 seconds and put it back on.

Just remember your radio time, and presets will reset, and if you have a code for your head unit, this will reset also.

[cash_money]

cash mula,

Just remove the positive cable from your battery terminal and wait for 20 seconds and put it back on.

Just remember your radio time, and presets will reset, and if you have a code for your head unit, this will reset also.

thanks for the info. I actually just changed my battery last week. so i guess i already reset it.


I am not too concerned about performance, I just thought (in theory), the SRI and CAI would save gas if the driver's habits stayed the same...

my concern is that the SRI will be quite loud, I kinda wanna keep it low key.

btw, wen i was driving this morning (8*C), the car was pretty responsive. In the afternoon ( ~17*C) the car was pretty sluggish. im hoping the SRI improves it a little.

[Flagrum_3]

Do you have a MS3 or a Mz3? If its an Mz3 the regular MS cai will be better for economy the longer air travel will create cooler air and you shouldn't worry about water.I for one have had no problems with mine and just went thru the worst winter in years and thru several torrential rains...absolutely no problems!.The short ram will decrease the air flow and pick up warmer engine-bay air, two reasons for it to underperform.


_3


.

[cash_money]

Do you have a MS3 or a Mz3? If its an Mz3 the regular MS cai will be better for economy the longer air travel will create cooler air and you shouldn't worry about water.I for one have had no problems with mine and just went thru the worst winter in years and thru several torrential rains...absolutely no problems!.The short ram will decrease the air flow and pick up warmer engine-bay air, two reasons for it to underperform.


_3


.

i have a 2005 mazda 3 sport (hatchback); sry my shortform was wrong.

how come everyone is paranoid with the CAI if its not a problem in the winter?

[yearoftherat]

cash mula,

Just remove the positive cable from your battery terminal and wait for 20 seconds and put it back on.

Just remember your radio time, and presets will reset, and if you have a code for your head unit, this will reset also.

ALWAYS DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE FIRST NEVER THE POSITIVE !!!!!

[Flagrum_3]

i have a 2005 mazda 3 sport (hatchback); sry my shortform was wrong.

how come everyone is paranoid with the CAI if its not a problem in the winter?

Beats me, maybe it stems from earlier versions or 'other intakes', but the new version of the MS Cai has a shield, which probably helps...All I can say is that I've driven thru just about anything and have had no problems. :)


_3



.

[yearoftherat]

The short ram will decrease the air flow and pick up warmer engine-bay air, two reasons for it to underperform.


_3


.

A SRI with a heat shield will generally perform better that one w/o one. I had a SRI and found that it has better performance at lower end RPM's.
A CAI performs better through the whole RPM range.

[trix241]

Hey guys,

I originally wanted a CAI but I don't want to take a chance with the water and I am not planning on removing it for the winter. So I thought a Short Ram would be appropriate. I don't expect HUGE results, but since I have to change my airfilter anyway, I thought the Short Ram would be better than stock.

My only concern is that it is going to be loud. Under normal conditions, without hammering the gas off the line, how loud will it be relative to the stock system? Are their any problems with the short ram?

Anything else I can do to improve my mileage?

Thanks in advance!

Im running a short ram... and there is definitely a louder growl but nothing crazy.... so yes its louder than stock. Under normal driving... you probably wont notice the sound unless you rip it.

[bhrm]

400km to the tank highway driving?

how fast are you driving?

I drive 100km/h, 90% highway, and I get 600 to 700km per tank to empty

[Donutz]

ALWAYS DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE FIRST NEVER THE POSITIVE !!!!!

^^ What YOTR said.

[bhrm]

slowing down increases fuel mileage by a lot. Proper shifting, keeping the car light and not keep junk in the trunk. Oil changes. Tire pressures, alignment.

[skunk2]

there might be something else wrong with the car....i have an 05 2.3 and i can get around 650 km all highway driving before the lights turns on. im almost and 80K now.

[p-o-g-i]

....My only concern is that it is going to be loud. Under normal conditions, without hammering the gas off the line, how loud will it be relative to the stock system?.....

An intake (short ram or cold air) will not make a difference in noise, unless you suddenly push it. Even then, the "loudness" is nothign to worry about. I would doubt you could even tell if your radio is on.

Perfromance exhaust/ cat back/ axle back etc. that's a different story....

[cash_money]

there might be something else wrong with the car....i have an 05 2.3 and i can get around 650 km all highway driving before the lights turns on. im almost and 80K now.

WOW, thats insane. I am starting to do more highway now, and I am only at like 420km.

can you suggest anything else that could be wrong? I am going to get an alignment done next week because it drifts a little to the right. that shouldnt eat up 200 clicks though...



A SRI with a heat shield will generally perform better that one w/o one. I had a SRI and found that it has better performance at lower end RPM's.
A CAI performs better through the whole RPM range.

where can I find a heat shield? Are they compatable with all makes of SRIs?




ALWAYS DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE FIRST NEVER THE POSITIVE !!!!!

Yup, always do the negative first!



Beats me, maybe it stems from earlier versions or 'other intakes', but the new version of the MS Cai has a shield, which probably helps...All I can say is that I've driven thru just about anything and have had no problems. :)


I dunno, I think I am going to play it safe and go for the SRI... Im a pansy.



Im running a short ram... and there is definitely a louder growl but nothing crazy.... so yes its louder than stock. Under normal driving... you probably wont notice the sound unless you rip it.




400km to the tank highway driving?

how fast are you driving?

I drive 100km/h, 90% highway, and I get 600 to 700km per tank to empty

I'll be honest, I tend to rip it to work if I am late down the 427 @ 6am, but only for short periods to get infront of slow dodge caravans... for the most part im only going 100-120km/h with traffic. my house is only 5km away from the highway offramp, so the stop and go shouldnt make a difference.



slowing down increases fuel mileage by a lot. Proper shifting, keeping the car light and not keep junk in the trunk. Oil changes. Tire pressures, alignment.

mine is AUTO... not sure if that makes a difference.


An intake (short ram or cold air) will not make a difference in noise, unless you suddenly push it. Even then, the "loudness" is nothign to worry about. I would doubt you could even tell if your radio is on.

thats good to hear! i dont wanna be classified as a ricer...



On another note... Does anyone notice that when the car heats up it goes slower and needs more peddle to move??? At 6am my car seems to push just fine. When I get home at 3pm it takes a lot longer to get to speed... damn 4 cylinders...

[yearoftherat]

where can I find a heat shield? Are they compatable with all makes of SRIs?


There are only a few companies that makes a SRI with a heatshield. I had a Simota and it had a CF heatshield.
I know K&N has a CAI that converts to a SRI but no shield.

[bhrm]

automatic is 100km less range roughly than manual

but otherwise you should get at least 500km+ a tank

alignment *could* eat up quite a few KM's. I had it done my family's jetta and got back probably 100km a tank, that along with new shocks/struts because I used to off road with the jetta quite a bit.

[cash_money]

automatic is 100km less range roughly than manual

but otherwise you should get at least 500km+ a tank

alignment *could* eat up quite a few KM's. I had it done my family's jetta and got back probably 100km a tank, that along with new shocks/struts because I used to off road with the jetta quite a bit.


should I be driving tip tronic?

[Soyabean]

tip tronic i dont think will save that much more. Try a tune up. Maybe ur spark plugs are dirty. Or put in a fuel system cleaner or fuel injector cleaner

[bhrm]

I find cruise control on highway helps too.

[cash_money]

I find cruise control on highway helps too.

at the time of day i am on the hwy there are a few slow patches so it doesnt really work for me :(


tip tronic i dont think will save that much more. Try a tune up. Maybe ur spark plugs are dirty. Or put in a fuel system cleaner or fuel injector cleaner

thanks im going to try that.


I think im going just grab an SRI, I kinda dont want to have to have that little fear in the back of my mind when Im driving in the rain/snow. Basically I want to know if the SRI is better than stock for gas mileage provided the car is driven equally...

Just an addition, I went to mazda yesterday and the dealers were instructed not to sell the CAI's any more because they cause the check engine light to come on...

[bhrm]

I have a K&N air filter put in. Figured for $50 for a reusable filter that lets in more air is good enough for me.

Try going to work earlier?

That's what I'm planning to do to avoid traffic. Leave my house at 6:50 to get to work at 8. Leave at 4.

[cash_money]

I have a K&N air filter put in. Figured for $50 for a reusable filter that lets in more air is good enough for me.

Try going to work earlier?

That's what I'm planning to do to avoid traffic. Leave my house at 6:50 to get to work at 8. Leave at 4.

cant leave any ealier than 6am cuz i need my sleep!!!


another thing I need to worry about is having the CEL come on... it seems like these intakes are more hassle then they are worth.

[ZooLander]

On another note... Does anyone notice that when the car heats up it goes slower and needs more peddle to move??? At 6am my car seems to push just fine. When I get home at 3pm it takes a lot longer to get to speed... damn 4 cylinders...

Not sure what it is like for cars as I only started driving a car with a slight kick yesterday! I can tell you for sure that it makes a world of a difference on my street bike. I would say that I get several extra HP and can really feel the pull in the power band when driving in the cooler weather. Been caught in several down pours with the bike and it has K&N filter on it. No problems before/after/during the wet weather. On that note, be sure that your filter is clean. You will likely notice a difference.

I don't think your wheel alignment will eat up more than 50 or 60kms (~10%/tank) unless your axle is mangled - in which case you should probably not be driving your car! One of the other posts suggested running some injector cleaner, ensuring your tire pressure is proper, etc. Do all the general maintenance to your car first before you start looking elsewhere for suspect problems.

[zoom_concept]

My 2 cents,

the only CAI intake(s) that actually work without having a CEL is either the Injen CAI or the Mazdaspeed Option..

another intake that wont give a CEL issue is the Simota but its expensive but the plus i the pretty carbon fiber look..

If you are just looking for a bit more air flow and increase efficency but not spend a lot + use of OEM parts...

either K&N or Simota Drop drop in filter into the stock air box and removed resonator, in a sense acts like a short ram w/ shield plus go a bit further and replace the secondary cat w/ a straight pipe, and you got a nice gain in power but not in a sense break your wallet....

[cash_money]

thanks for the input guys, but i bought the K&N filter back in June from cta patrique. he was great to deal with and gave me an AMAZING price on it.

as well, I never got a CEL other than the first time when I forgot to re-attach a sensor.

[Jooky]

You should check out the sticky by Scarboro that is in the performance section, with a K&N filter and some basic pieces from home depot you can make a nice quiet cold air intake. Only makes it a touch louder than stock you might not even notice it.

[cash_money]

You should check out the sticky by Scarboro that is in the performance section, with a K&N filter and some basic pieces from home depot you can make a nice quiet cold air intake. Only makes it a touch louder than stock you might not even notice it.

lol thanks for the suggestion bud, but i already bought the K&N as per the previous post...and im loving it:)