Mileage Gain from DT headers?

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sailor95

sailor95

10 Year
Joined
May 3, 2011
Threads
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376
Location
Denver, CO.
Been looking for anything i can get to improve my mileage even in the slightest on my cruiser. My parents are hating the mileage on it and said find something to help it. I have 285's and the KN+Borla. im getting at most 300 miles out of a tank, without clunking out. Ive seen the dyno sheets that prove they add power but do they do anything in the slightest to mileage?
 
I doubt headers (or any exhaust kit) will give enough of a gas mileage improvement to justify the purchase based on saving money. In order to improve power, improve sound or replace a cracked manifold sure. But if you compare mileage gained to the cost of headers it would take a ton of miles just to recoup the cost of the headers.
 
-2 mpg - because your foot is in it all the time.

Obviously if you are fixing a problem related to the manifolds that decreased your mpg it will improve it back to about stock.

If you want to improve mileage remove the roof rack - that ought to give you plus 1. Remove the K&N will probably improve things.
 
Well shes got 261k on the clock so i imagine they couldnt hurt. 300 miles out of a tank about right though?
 
As MidTex says, even if headers added 1 or 2 mpg, which I doubt (never have for me anyway, the opposite if anything), it would take a LOT of miles to pay down the $1500 for headers and install. Eg, adding 2 mpg is saving something like $.05 per mile, so it would be 30,000 miles before you start saving any money on gas.

AFAIK, the best you can do for the cruisers fuel economy is to return it to stock config (no lift, or large tires, or open intake etc), remove the roof rack, keep it tuned (clean MAF and TB, new O2 sensors etc). The you might get +1 or 2 mpg...

edit: also keep tire pressure up above 40 PSI.
 
Before the KN and Borla though i was having trouble getting more than 240 out of a tank though, I feel they both helped power a little too, so i would imagine the headers paired with the other two "performance" parts could be a greater improvement. Any mileage gain is takin into account, because after highschool im handing it down to my little sisters and getting a new car for college. So it will have Alot of miles to even out the cost. For the record this is the end of my sophomore year.
 
I havent noticed any difference with the headers

I have been playing around and not running my full roof rack saves 1-2MPG.
 
Your best bet is to give it a good tune-up.

Re-place the O2 sensors and air-filter if they have some miles on them. If you want to go so far as modding, get some street/mileage oriented tires and run higher pressures.
 
The best mpg boost I've found consistently works for Land Cruisers looks like this:

250px-Honda_Civic_Si.jpg


I kid. But honestly it's a 5,000lb vehicle with a V8. Just be glad the V8 has something to prove and buy the exhaust purely for the sound :D
 
Very true, haha well by the good and trusy seat of pants-o-meter, is there a good difference noticed?
 
That much gain by removing that dinky rack??
 
Maybe remove the cross-bars and strap them up inside incase they are needed
 
Rob,
How exactly do they come off?

TLC Dan
 
I picked up 2-3 mpg with DT headers AND new O2 sensors. I was planning to try both combos but never got my old O2's removed from the OE manifolds as they were rusted up tight. I'm assuming most of my gain was the 02 sensors but anyway went up to about 18mpg highway from 16-.
 
AimCOtaco said:
I picked up 2-3 mpg with DT headers AND new O2 sensors. I was planning to try both combos but never got my old O2's removed from the OE manifolds as they were rusted up tight. I'm assuming most of my gain was the 02 sensors but anyway went up to about 18mpg highway from 16-.
Click to expand...

I got this same result from installing both at the same time as well. I chalked it up mostly to the O2 sensors as my prior experience with headers (on an 01 Tacoma and an 85 4runner) did not result in increased fuel economy.
 
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