V6 petrol fuel economy with snorkel

[Sam McLeod]

Just fitted a genuine Nissan snorkel to my D40 (VQ40DE unleaded with 5 sp auto) and on my first tank of fuel the economy seems to have dropped. Any thoughts?

Should I have had the computer reset after installing the snorkel?

Sam

 

[KraftyPg]

Any thoughts?

Lot's but they aren't all relevant to the topic at hand.

There is some data that will suggest a snorkel can improve fuel economy but for me it's far from conclusive and wont happen in all cases. If it's a dramatic change I'd say there is other factors at play which may or may not include the snorkel.

As for the ECU reset, you could do it because it wont hurt anything but it probably wont do much. It's reasonable to assume that resetting it after changing the way the engine gets air is not unlike resetting it after a fuel filter change. They recommend the ECU reset when changing the fuel filter incase the ECU has been compensating fuel delivery due to the filter getting older and less productive etc, adding a snorkel could be considered doing something similar for the air delivery.

For that reason I'd consider doing an ECU reset but it does pay to remember while it might do something for the air intake it may do nothing for the overall feel of the car or the way it runs because it's constantly going to learn from everything it does and it will quickly settle back into what it knows from you, your driving and the way the vehicle is used.

 

[Sam McLeod]

Thanks Krafty. I'll try the reset and see if that works.

I think the only way to really improve fuel economy is to get an exhaust system from Beaudesert Exhausts.

The problem there is getting permission from the Minister for War and Finance to spend the cash!

 

[longy509]

Sam not sure if u know or not but u can do the reset yourself quiet easily

 

[Sam McLeod]

Yeah thanks Longy.

I thought I might have to take it to a performance shop but reading the posts on here and the Frontier forum, I found the reset procedures and tried the most basic one first. (Disconnect negative terminal and switch on ignition for 10 seconds)

I'll see how that goes.

 

[b2tf]

May not help but I actually cut the front right off my airbox and allowed air to go straight thru the front grille into the box. Combined with a K&N filter I'm seeing a slight improvement in economy.

I also agree about the exhaust, you can hear and feel the strain in these engines trying to breathe. Im not real keen on putting a new exhaust on though because coming from 4 worked V8's I absolutely hate the sound of a whiney V6. My ute has had a hotdog put on it at the rear prior to me buying it and Im already wanting to change it.

 

[Sam McLeod]

UPDATE:
After resetting the ECU and a couple of weeks normal driving, fuel consumption has dropped from 16.6 to 14.6.

 

[Aussie Frontier]

What fuel are you running in it?
I get better economy on 95 than I do on 91.I reset the ecu every service and it takes a few tanks for it to settle down. Best so far was down to 11.3 but mine is a 4x2manual.I have found that if the truck isnt driven regularly the economy goes down too .All I did was put in a K&N drop in filter.

 

[Sam McLeod]

Just 91 - but mine's an auto. Don't know if that means much these days. When I was an apprentice mechanic - a long, long time ago - autos gave up about 7% economy over manuals.
But I thought 16 l/100km was normal for a V6 petrol.

 

[Aussie Frontier]

I get 11's in my VQ40. Try a few tanks of 95 and see how it goes. Also an ECU reset after the second tank should have it reading only the 95 fuel.

 

[Sam McLeod]

I'll give it a try. Thanks.

 

[b2tf]

I dont measure in L/100 but I am lucky to be getting 200kms to half a tank of 95 in mine at the moment. I will be getting rid of the car after my wedding in a few weeks time, very disappointed with it, sick of spending a considerable percentage of my business cash on fuel. If I wanted to do that I should have just kept the XR8 - it was more fun to drive too.

 

[Aussie Frontier]

I dont measure in L/100 but I am lucky to be getting 200kms to half a tank of 95 in mine at the moment.

Depending on how many litres you have to fill it with ( my low fuel light comes on with only 18 odd litres left in the tank) that would be around the 16l/100 mark . For an Auto D40 with gear loaded that would be around the average I think.

 

[b2tf]

Might be the average but it's not working for me. I'm disappointed with it.

Going to try and get into a Ranger at some stage I think.

 

[Aussie Frontier]

Well the petrol engine was never going to be as good on fuel as the diesel

 

[RazorBlade]

I dont measure in L/100 but I am lucky to be getting 200kms to half a tank of 95 in mine at the moment. I will be getting rid of the car after my wedding in a few weeks time, very disappointed with it, sick of spending a considerable percentage of my business cash on fuel. If I wanted to do that I should have just kept the XR8 - it was more fun to drive too.

I've never really understood people who complain about fuel economy but never really bother to figure out how much fuel the car is actually using. Saying that your car gets 200k to half a tank is so unbelievably inaccurate that you can't possibly know if your car is using to much juice. You really need to be watching L per hundred over a reasonable period of time while taking note of the driving conditions to get a proper idea of fuel economy.

With these utes it's very tempting to lay the boot in at every possible chance and to be lazy while driving around town by running a higher gear and letting the motor drag you around = using hit loads of fuel. The best thing you can do to improve your fuel economy is modify your driving style.

 

[RazorBlade]

Well the petrol engine was never going to be as good on fuel as the diesel

It is fast though......

 

[Aussie Frontier]

Oh dont get me wrong the VQ40 is a weapon .I wouldnt trade mine for a second.
I can suck down a full tank of 95 in less than 200kms easy beans when playing silly buggers on the racetrack lol

 

[b2tf]

I've never really understood people who complain about fuel economy but never really bother to figure out how much fuel the car is actually using. Saying that your car gets 200k to half a tank is so unbelievably inaccurate that you can't possibly know if your car is using to much juice. You really need to be watching L per hundred over a reasonable period of time while taking note of the driving conditions to get a proper idea of fuel economy.

With these utes it's very tempting to lay the boot in at every possible chance and to be lazy while driving around town by running a higher gear and letting the motor drag you around = using hit loads of fuel. The best thing you can do to improve your fuel economy is modify your driving style.

Given that I have watched this things consumption since I got it and I reset the trip meter every time I fill it to monitor it, no I don't think saying it gets 200kms to a 1/2 tank is inaccurate.

Now as for whether it is using too much fuel or not, well maybe it isn't when compared to other vehicles of the same make and model. Maybe it is normal, but it giving me the shits watching it labour around town unable to pull even a simple trailer without struggling, and draining the tank in the process. It isn't the right car for the jobs I need to do, I now realise that and I will get rid of it when I can as a result.

I dont blame anybody else - I picked it, but I now believe I could have chosen a better car. Wouldn't buy another Navara again, petrol or diesel.

 

[Nakkers]

I dont measure in L/100 but I am lucky to be getting 200kms to half a tank of 95 in mine at the moment. I will be getting rid of the car after my wedding in a few weeks time, very disappointed with it, sick of spending a considerable percentage of my business cash on fuel. If I wanted to do that I should have just kept the XR8 - it was more fun to drive too.

Well with mine I was getting between 330-380klms a tank depending on city or highway, so I sold it and got the diesel. Much happier now, miss the power a bit though, it was a fun car to drive.