Air Intake and Snow Driving

Okay so the fall and winter are not far off around my area and I have two questions regarding my truck.

First one has to deal with performance. I was thinking about adding a full K&N Cool air intake to my 01 Tacoma for better performance and MPG. Has anyone done this? Does it increase the performance and MPG? Just wanted a second opinion before buying.

Next one is driving in the snow and wet snow weather. Now I have a 4WD Tacoma but Toyota's are rear wheel drive when in 2 Wheel drive right. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) So is what I was thinking is if there's a little more weight in the back does that increase traction in that type of weather? My idea was to buy some sand bags and put them in 4 corners of the bed when the weather gets snowy. Would doing this allow my back wheels better traction and control instead of having no weight in the bed? How many bags should I buy? I was thinking 4 50LBS Bags. One in each corner for evenly distributed weight adding 200LBS to the bed.

 

Stick with your stock intake. You are better off. Save the money. They do very little other than make noise. Tacoma are rear wheel drive. Adding weight to the bed for traction is a good idea.

 

There are bags that fill the majority of the bed. People fill these with sand or water. The bags distribute the weight more evenly on the back of the truck but they DO take up most of the bed. I have seen them on AutoAnything.

 

I spend allot of my time driving in the snow here during the winter. Adding weight helps! Personally i dont really add anything more than about 50lbs. (All my snowboarding gear and wifes stuff) thats usually always in there. But as long as you keep it evenly distributed you will be great. And just remember because your adding the weight and you have 4x4 DOES NOT mean you can speed and be crazy. Just an fyi.

 

Intake simply do not increase mpg. You are paying for the noise and maybe a little hp.

Good plan with the sand bags, but you paid for 4x4, why not use it?

 

What?? No one? Anyone? Okay....

DECKPLATE MOD!!!

If you're looking to do any aftermarket intake just stop right there. First off I wouldn't buy K&N anything but that's me. And you can have an "aftermarket" intake for like $15 and some elbow grease. Add a drop in performance filter from AFE and bam you have yourself a nice intake with a sexy growl and a little power boost.

 

If you are going to use sandbags, best placement is over the rear axle. Do not put them behind the rear axle.

 

Alright Thanks. I appreciate the help. Now why are so many of you against K&N or the Cold Air intake? Is it all for show? Someone have bad experiences with them or is it just not worth it?

Also just recently I have noticed a lot of engine knocking from my truck and nothing has been done to it expect an oil change. Now the weather is starting to get chilly around here but that still shouldn't have the great of an affect on it already. Also as a firefighter, I end up sometimes being rushed out of the house late at night and starting my car and driving right away. Would installing a remote starter and allowing it to run for a minute or two before driving it help?

 

No need to warm up, I always start up and drive cold or hot, keep the revs down for a mile or so.

 

Oh, huh. Why has my engine started to knock?

 

Mine doesn't knock after 68K and ZERO time idling to warm up. That's just a waste of fuel.

 

And here is a study that explains why you won't get better mpg with a performance air filter.

Pretty simple, under anything but wide open throttle the filter isn't the controlling restriction, the throttle plate is, so even a clogged filter doesn't matter.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/pdfs/Air_Filter_Effects_02_26_2009.pdf

 

Just add some weight to the back( above the rear axle) I wouldn't do more than 4 sand bags. Always make sure your tires are good with pressure too, cold weather can effect your PSI. With your four wheel drive it does help you get around 100% better but don think its a invincibility cape, snow and ice can still screw you over whether you have 4wd or not.

The intake stuff is cool and all but just get a AFE pro dry filter and keep the intake stock. You'll be happy with that, its low cost and saves you money on replacing filters in the long run. K&N will just make you wanna drive crazy then you use more MPG/

 

You can also use buckets of cement tied down over the rear axle. Iv done that before with previous trucks and it works great for two wheel drive. Iv never had an issue with my tacoma in the snow though. If its really bad out ill stick to four wheel drive and thats it. Iv lived in NH all my life and have never had any problem getting around. I'd recomend tire up grades because the stock Dunlope All seasons that come on tacomas, suck in my opinion. I think the TRD's come with all terrains though. With an all terrain tire you will be much happier.

Air filters are a preferance. I have a K&N and i love it. I feel it gives you a little more power between the 2.5k to 5k rpm range. But if you are not using it for what its intended for then dont bother. It wont save you any gas milage. Just my opinion.

 

Fact