Humidity = Poor performance?

What does everyone think about humidity effecting performance? It has been REAL thick here in RI these past few days and the truck seems sluggish. There have been high ozone days for the past week and it seems like the truck is a bit piggish during those days?
Any thoughts on whether the humid air is effecting my performance? Or am I just imagining things?

 

mine is the same, seems very slugish the last few weeks, and its been very hot and humid here as well, 34 - 36 C with humidex, hope thats all it is....

 

Pretty sure it is. Especially if you are experiencing the same thing. Less O2 in the air means less O2 going into the engine I would think. And I never noticed it before the real humid stuff came in. We have been around 90-92 with some seriously high dewpoints. Around 70 or so I think.

 

If it is really that kinda humid up there then-yes- it could be affecting your performance.

As humidity increases, the density of the oxygen in a given volume of air decreases because the water (humidity) takes up space. This in turn means you have less combustibles in a given air charge for your engine.

Hotter air also decreases performance because in a given volume of air the molecules are farther apart, also resulting in less to burn in a given volume.

I loved the winter in New England when I had my supercharged Dakota- The butt dyno went WILD..and I real dyno'd about 2-4 hp higher while tuning. Jet engines are FAR more sensitive to these phenomena.

 

Sorry I just geeked out like that...I was just studying some review stuff about this topic this past week....

 

No need to apologize. You are absolutely correct. Additional humidity will decrease the density of the air charge going into the combustion chamber. It can have as noticeable affect on performance as altitude or temperature.

 

could effect performace enough to drop 1 or 2 mpg?
maybe the humidity is whats killing mine
past two weeks have been at least 32 up to 41*C with humidity

 

humidity here is terrible... good to know

 

Tell me about it...

 

I get what you're saying, and you're right in essence, but humid conditions do not mean "less O2 in the air". It just means less oxygen gas in a given volume of atmospheric gas.

 

You think it would make the truck seem sluggish? Truck just feels a little piggish when I srtep on the gas. Humidty is so bad up here this past
week, I could go outside and with 10mins my shirt is soaked.

Would the humid air make the engine have to work harder in accelerating?

 

Yes- The humidity means that the charge air for the engine isn't as good...so the engine won't respond as fast as does in drier air.

 

I hear ya. I went out this AM for a few things around 9 or so. Truck was peppy as usual, and it just so happens to have been a lot less humid this morning than it had all week by a good amount. Give it a few hours and I'll have to go out and cut it with my knife.