[Blu3Z3rg]

For reference, I've done some decent tweeking on Mustangs and their ECU's, and that's where most of my information comes from on this topic. Some things I will state as fact, some I won't, and I will try to be deliberate on this.
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With temperatures outside reaching 90+ and heat indexes in the good old 110's my truck has decided that sitting in stop and go traffic with the air on and pulling a trailer is too much for it. The temperature gauge goes up past the 220 mark, but not quite all the way to the RED ZONE. Now, what does your car do when this happens?

Well, I know that with my mustang ECU, the computer actually RICHENED the mixture some to help it cool down. This may be true across the board, as a lean mixture becomes too lean due to the temperature of the engine. This is opposite of why you need it when your car is cold. The fuel burning helps warm it up, and then it leans it out when you are at operating temperatures. Go PAST operating temperatures, however, and the extra fuel is supposed to help cool it down. Like I said, I don't know if this is true across the board or not, but take it into consideration.

Now, if we're putting on grill blocks, and making our HAI to suck up that heat from the motor, AND it's 90+ degrees out, the computer will start throwing more fuel in there. Not good for fuel economy.

My hypothesis: A HAI will increase MPG's in temps less than 80* and a CAI will increase MPG's MORE than 80*

My testing: I have an intake (properly tuned using calculations for intake size, port size, TB size, cam specs, displacement, etc.) and a make-shift heat shield. When the temps are hot (80+) I will be putting on the heat shield. When they are less, I will remove. Since the next couple weeks look to be in the 90+ range, this shouldn't be too hard to figure my MPG's.

I will also be monitoring the tire pressure, only filling up in the morning before everything has warmed up, and installing or removing the shield itself only in the morning.

My last partial tank I watched it as the engine certainly took longer to warm up, which made me thing I should have a way to close/open it as it warms/cools, but the engineering behind that is just farther than I really need to do atm.

Lemme know what you think and lemme know any suggestions/questions/concerns!
Blu3