What did you do to your Mirage today?

[Eggman]

Eggman,
. . . . The snorkel is inside the engine bay so that means that it is pulling engine bay air. At a stand still this air is at least 25 degrees above ambient and at highway speeds it is about 10 degrees above ambient. What would really be neat would be a way to pick up cool ram air. Cheap super charging at speed.

But isn't the engine more efficient with warmer intake air temperatures?

Not sure if you've actually measured your intake air temperatures or not.

[Mechanic]

Eggman,
. . . . Volumetric efficiency is higher with cooler air. The colder the air the denser it is which means that you can burn more fuel and make more power. Warmer air is less dense but the fuel is easier to vaporize and it burns quicker. The only thing is is that with modern fuel injectors and computer control systems the higher temperature has a very minimal effect on the burning of the fuel in the combustion chamber but temperature still has a large effect on power output. Colder air always translates to more power.
. . . . I have a ScanGauge so I am able to directly read the Intake Air Temperature. So the numbers that I quoted above are accurate. When the vehicle is stopped the IAT climbs very quickly and then it slowly comes down as vehicle speed increases and air flow through the engine bay increases. My other Mirage after I tore off the left front fender and inner fender liner didn't suffer from this. The IAT was always just a few degrees above ambient whether I was moving or not.
GOD Bless and Thanks,
rich!

[dspace9]

I was cleaning out my Mirage with my shop vac today, and I discovered my driver's side floor mat is in real bad shape. What started as a dime-sized hole from my boot, has become a chunk missing.

[Mechanic]

Dspace,
. . . . Hum! Not good! Time for a st of WeatherTech mats. How many miles do you have on your Mirage?
GOD Bless and Thanks,
rich!

[dspace9]

Dspace,
. . . . Hum! Not good! Time for a st of WeatherTech mats. How many miles do you have on your Mirage?
GOD Bless and Thanks,
rich!

Hey rich, I have 136,000 km's on my 2014 Mirage. So that is 84,000 miles.. but I use it every day, every season eh.. and I think having the clutch petal means more foot movement, and my steel toe boots for work are bulky. Like your favourite jeans, the cotton wears out! Thanks rich cheers!

[Eggman]

Eggman,
. . . . Volumetric efficiency is higher with cooler air. The colder the air the denser it is which means that you can burn more fuel and make more power. Warmer air is less dense but the fuel is easier to vaporize and it burns quicker. The only thing is is that with modern fuel injectors and computer control systems the higher temperature has a very minimal effect on the burning of the fuel in the combustion chamber but temperature still has a large effect on power output. Colder air always translates to more power.

The Mirage gets better fuel economy in warmer temperatures. That's a fact. And I've never noticed any appreciable power gain in cold weather.

[MCMfan92]

The Mirage gets better fuel economy in warmer temperatures. That's a fact. And I've never noticed any appreciable power gain in cold weather.

This.

This falls into the category of KISS. KEEP. IT. SIMPLE. SILLY.

Measure IAT in the summer AND the winter. Also, see if a shop with a hub dyno is willing to let you open the bay door in the winter for a HP comparison in the summer vs the winter (hood both open and closed) so, two ambient temperatures, and see if there’s actually a difference in performance.

If negligible or no difference, then, by that logic, we can assume, that no matter where you put your air filter, the power will stay about the same.

If there is a difference, we should be designing an intake that takes advantage of that temperature difference.

My .02

[Mechanic]

Eggman,
. . . . Yes, our Mirages get better fuel mileage during warm weather but it has nothing to do with the air temperature of the incoming air. It has to do with heat losses from the heater and heat losses directly from the block. That heat of course comes from the fuel that we are burning. Also a cold engine is not as efficient as a warmed up engine and it takes longer for engines to warm up during cold weather. Another loss in efficiently is due to letting vehicles idle for longer periods of time to allow them to warm up before driving them.
. . . . The ScanGauge can measure HP directly and indirectly. I am not sure that the direct measurement is accurate and I know that indirect methods have inaccuracies in them. The ideal would be to put the car on a dyno and measuring the HP as you change the temp of the intake air and then you could plot them. Of course dyno time is expensive.
GOD Bless and Thanks,
rich!

[MCMfan92]

Eggman,
. . . . Yes, our Mirages get better fuel mileage during warm weather but it has nothing to do with the air temperature of the incoming air. It has to do with heat losses from the heater and heat losses directly from the block. That heat of course comes from the fuel that we are burning. Also a cold engine is not as efficient as a warmed up engine and it takes longer for engines to warm up during cold weather. Another loss in efficiently is due to letting vehicles idle for longer periods of time to allow them to warm up before driving them.
. . . . The ScanGauge can measure HP directly and indirectly. I am not sure that the direct measurement is accurate and I know that indirect methods have inaccuracies in them. The ideal would be to put the car on a dyno and measuring the HP as you change the temp of the intake air and then you could plot them. Of course dyno time is expensive.
GOD Bless and Thanks,
rich!

Here in Salt lake, it’s 125 for 3 pulls... I have a turbo fusion I was going to do a baseline with, and ended up not having the funds to do so.

I’m more than happy to take my mirage to the dyno. I just need to save a bit.

[Eggman]

Eggman,
. . . . Yes, our Mirages get better fuel mileage during warm weather but it has nothing to do with the air temperature of the incoming air. It has to do with heat losses from the heater and heat losses directly from the block. That heat of course comes from the fuel that we are burning. Also a cold engine is not as efficient as a warmed up engine and it takes longer for engines to warm up during cold weather. Another loss in efficiently is due to letting vehicles idle for longer periods of time to allow them to warm up before driving them.

Forgive me but I think you are off base here. But good luck with your hood scoop. I hope you capture data before and after so we know the modification's performance with data rather than opinion.

I'll look forward to your hood scoop modification. You have a lot of ideas for your Mirage. Any progress on your turbocharger/supercharger project?