air intake resonator removal?
 

Anyone ever removed the air intake resonator on their car? Did it improve mpg or just get noisy?

removing the air intake resonator will not increase mpg. I removed mine on my Q45 and ran a cool air duct up thru the hole it left in the bottom of the air box.

It just gets noisier in most cases. If the resonator is an actual restriction in the pipe, it could potentially increase your fuel economy, depending on how you drive. If you drive like a "normal" person, it probably will, because you're probably working the throttle quite heavily. If you drive like most of us do, no chance.

I think that little point is where alot of discussions get out of hand on whether or not something will improve MPG...

Someone once did a semi-scientific study of this on the Insight, climbing a hill repeatedly with and without the resonator. Removing the resonator reduces horsepower at any given throttle angle between 1000-1500RPM, but has no discernable impact on engine efficiency.

I tell you what, though, once I removed mine, I could hear the engine better. It's hard to tell what the engine is up to when you can barely hear it.

On Saturn S series, it really makes them sound good.
In the winter it raises the IAT a bit but not like a real WAI.

I remember on '88-89 Civics with DPFI systems, people wanting to remove the "restrictor" plate in the intake plenum... Thinking that because the plate blocked part of the access to the throat, they'd get more HP if they removed it.

Of course, they were dead wrong. The "restrictor" plate that they were all referring to actually directs airflow into a swirl pattern into the intake throat, increasing it's velocity to help atomize the fuel better.

My first civic vx was hit in the corner where the air intake is and the resonator had been broken and removed, the rest of the intake was intact, after owning the car for a few months I chose to buy a used intake so I could get that broken resonator back, engine noise dropped, engine ran smoother, power increased and my gas mileage improved slightly.

Makes sense to me, but it also kind of reminds me of that stupid throttle body spacer "tornado" crap that "swirls" the air as it enters the manifold. Hey, if it works, more to you :D

It's not even close. You'd actually have to see it to understand why it's necessary.

Mine is actually hanging off at about a 90 degree angle to the flow of air, so its not really in the air path. I was thinking it probably wouldn't do much for MPG at first but then I starting thinking about it creating drag on the input of air then my train of thought got more technical about creating vortex drag etc etc...but that's my problem sometimes, the easiest solution gets covered up by over thinking...guess that's why I'm an engineer...LOL