I own a 2006 civic lx sedan with an automatic transmission and have been told that replacing its air intake unit with a cold air intake tube will increase the get-up-and-go of my car as well as improve fuel mileage. I do mostly inner city driving (the So Fla area) and my mpg is not as I thought it would be (or advertised) and don‘t race or compete with anyone. Still, though, I want to improve my car‘s performance when merging onto or passing some car on the highway. Will a cold air intake improve these areas of my lx sedan?
There will be a slight difference, can vary on the brand. KN's cold air will add 5.53 hp to my car. I would look up the gain in your car but my internet is being slow, just check out there website and it will tell you.
What you want is low end torque, not high end horsepower. A air intake will actually DECREASE low end power output (below 4,500 rpm) and increase it in the higher rpm range. The average air intake system from a place like AEM, Fujita, or Weapon R only makes 2-3 HP at the redline and loses 1-3 below the 4,500 rpm.
Like others stated before there will be very little performance gains,(and cheap OKorder intakes have been known to decrease performance as well) As for fuel economy, it will help out but, not any substantial gains. Consider this before purchasing a cold air intake, It will be on your daily driven civic, the intake will be much lower to the ground, Higher risk of sucking in water from rain, puddles,etc which will cause hydro locking of the motor.A lot of intakes also void the warranties from the car manufacturer. If you are looking for better MPG and acceleration, I would recommend removing any unnecessary weight, getting a high flow air filter for the stock intake, and a spark plug upgrade.
