I installed the works drop in a week ago. I was happy with the construction, and happy with the sound/added power. I wish it included a cleaning kit. For the money it doesnt seem like too much to throw one in.

Before we put it in we were at 24 mpg at the end of most days. Now, no matter how hard we try it is only 22 mpg max. Anyone else notice this, or have any input.

the car has more air flow and requires more gas to have a balanced a/f ratio

Tuned?

you need to tune a filter? and what consist of a tune? what is it?
sorry, im totally new to this. thanks

Why not? My car with a drop-in filter made 266 whp. Made 288 whp after 1 psi increase in boost and a tune. Mpg went up to 20 from 18.

I have always seen air filters say they would help mpg. And so far all the K&Ns have given me no noticable increase, but never a decrease. It makes sense to me that the ecu would compensate for increased air flow, but most threads ive read have said that an intake would lean it out. And not that it would lean it out and the ecu would compensate to make it rich again. So, you saying it would increase fuel consumption due to increased air flow makes sense to me, but is def. contrary to what everyone elses says. To sum up, im still confused why my mpg went down from 24 to 22

It wouldn't be from you digging into the gas pedal a little more the hear the sucking sound of that new filter would it..LOL

Really, your right foot can cost you two MPG real easy from one week to another. Takes a little more time to come up with a good average anyway. At best you might have combined driving over the past week but if its mostly city/town I wouldn't worry about it, again you can vary by two MPG real easy from one week to the next.

This is a topic that I have seen many times over the years, in multiple companies that I have worked for. What many people tend not to realize is that fuel efficiency is a very subjective measurement. As other members here have already said, a lot of it depends on your driving style and environment. The mix of city and highway driving, changes in traffic, and even a change in weather can easily change your MPG by 5-10%. And lets face it, we all get a little inspired to drive more spiritedly when we get a new upgrade for our cars. This accounts for a majority of people that claim to experience lower MPG after a modification.

An air filter, not just the WORKS drop in, but a majority of aftermarket intakes, make power and increase efficiency by decreasing restriction and turbulence. More air and a straighter flow through the pipe and sensors allows for a more laminar flow and ultimately less restriction in the intake manifold. The efficiency is all dependent on environment, while the power is there regardless (most of the time at least). If an engine spends more time in open loop than closed loop, or vice versa, it could also change an air filters effectiveness on fuel efficiency.

This post is not to say you are incorrect about losing MPG, but rather to show how easily it can be misconstrued that you are losing MPG all together because of the modification. I have to agree with RT, take a long term average of all you MPG, and evaluate your driving style to see if that changes anything. If you still have concerns, contact me and we can talk about maybe getting an tune for you.

Yeah, we plan on mapping it out over several weeks. I have done 3 days on the same stretch of road, both directions with no spirited driving while monitoring mpg. The weather has become much colder and dry air. All changes should point to better gas mileage. Anyways, thanks for the replies, and I will update after a month or so.

weather affects MPG as well. i take a big dip in the winter months.

Okay, update for anyone who cares. After having the filter installed for about a month, we went to the dealer and had the factory reflash done. After we left, the car was having a mild problem. Giving the car slight throttle especially up a hill, the car would stumble a bit.
So, went back to the dealer and reported the problem, and the service manager decided the MAF sensor needed to be replaced without telling us. At this point they havent noticed the works air filter. On the next visit, they noticed the works filter and asked me to take it off because he could void my warranty. I took it off, and we noticed the problem stopped. My wife also gets 25 mpg now on her 45 min. commute on hilly back roads. So, as much as I liked the sound and the added pop the car got, our car experienced some driveability issues. Im looking at cobb AP right now, does anyone have any opinions on a panel filter like works while running cobb ap stage 1?

I put the Works filter in at about 1200 miles. Currently I have over 22k.

So far I've had both the dealer flashes with the works filter in, and have NO other modifications. The car always hesitates when pressing the gas at any rpm in any gear ( same issues you had)... Curious about to your outcome above, I took the works filter off today and replaced with the stock filter.

To my surprise, the car has NO hesitation issues at any RPM. With the works filter in during low RPM city driving, hitting the gas in 4th would always result in a "bog" then a "burst" of power... Putting the stock filter back in results in a steady, predictable pull and no "bog" whatsoever. I haven't been able to test MPG, but I recall similar drops when putting the filter on. I could never make more than 24MPG combined on HWY280 though. I'll be able to gauge millage when I go down south on Friday...

And I wonder if the cold air makes the issue worse with this particular filter. It always had the problem, but if it was in the 20s or 30s it seemed to be way worse. I just ordered cobb ap, and will prob be leaving the filter off for fear of causing damage.

I noticed this too.
When I am hitting the gas on the interstate, I can feel the car hesitate a bit.
I thought it was bad gas that was causing the hesitation.
I still have my stock paper filter as a backup. I really like the sound of the works filter.