I have a 2009 Toyota Camry 2.4L 4 cylinder about to cross 67,000 miles. With the recent increase in gasoline prices in my state and desire for a little more performance, I'm thinking about putting on a cold air intake and a better high performance air filter. I've heard that a better intake can increase gas mileage on the low end and give a little more horsepower on the high end.
Is there anything I should know if I decide to make the purchase, and is it a bad idea? I know someone with a Scion FR-S who put one on and it seems to runs fine without a check engine light but I'm not sure if it would mess up how the car runs or damage the computers on my Camry. Thank you
I'll go out on a limb and say that you'll never make back the money you spend on these components.
Thank you for your feedback. You're probably right in terms of making the money back in terms of gas savings alone
I've had a short cold air intake (K&N) on my 2008 Camry for five years (50K miles). The reason I had this done is because the OEM air filter box literally cracked and turned to powder, as I was digging underneath the filter for leaves, gunk and that kind of thing.
I was so pissed about this literal disintegration of the box (this generation of Camry has terrible plastics, inside-and-out) that I replaced it with something more solid, which was the K&N short intake air filter.
The ECM learned the new idle quickly. If you get a check engine light, it's likely that some of the oil on the filter coated the MAF. Just clean the MAF. (Quick and easy. Scotty has videos on this).
Is there any real "performance" gain? After five years, I would say, "not really." So, if that is why you'd consider replacing the air filter housing/assembly, you'll be disappointed. On the other hand, I've had no problems in the five years the K&N product has been under the hood.
Thank you for your feedback. This reply has probably helped the most so far since you have the intake I was looking to buy. I have a scan tool that can clear check engine lights easily so I could do that if I had any issues. And I agree with you on the plastics being awful on this generation. My radiator cracked a month after I bought the car, leaking coolant all over the engine and it was $550 to get the OEM parts and work done. Needless to say that was frustrating given I expected a Toyota Camry to be relatively trouble free...
Besides this air filter housing, the dash turned to gum in the Central Texas sun. (Luckily, the local dealer had a replacement. It was replaced, gratis, under an extended Customer Service Program). The lower dash also cracked (it hooks into the glove box). I went to a salvage yard for a replacement. Likewise, the lid of the center console cracked, again, replaced with a salvage piece.. The sun visors flapped down, twice replaced, in traffic. (Scary). There are some clear coat issues. And the trunk latch had to be replaced. (All of this in the last three years, or so) But the tranny and engine are in good shape, so I keep it up. Best of luck to you.
Interior quality control seems to be very poor for this generation of Camry. I have also noticed the dashboard turning into what feels like gum every time it is over 70 degrees out which is often here in Florida. But if the engine and transmission still run fine, it doesn't matter too much. Hopefully can get another 50-75,000 miles out of this car before I sell it in a few years time
So let me get this straight: you intend to buy a cold air intake and if the computers tell you you have a bad air/fuel ratio, your plan is to basically tell it to shut up every time it turns the light on? That's not a good idea.
I feel like I've said this five times today, but if you want more power and MPG you'll need an intake with a larger MAF sensor than stock and you'll need a professional tune to optimize it. Replacing the intake with an aftermarket that has the same size MAF will not yield results as you are still flowing the same amount of air through the manifold.
If you are looking at this as a mod for MPG, you will never make your money back. You would be much better off leaving the car stock and paying for the gas as it is.
Bottom line: If you just want to do an intake and nothing else, it is not worth doing. There is no magic bullet for better MPG and regardless of what intake companies say, you MIGHT....and I mean MIGHT....get 1 to 2MPG absolute max out of a properly tuned intake. 8 - 10HP is achievable and you will not feel that physically. The mental placebo effect may make you think you can tell a difference, but you can not feel that small of a gain by the seat of your pants.
Save your money would be my suggestion.
I would not shut the computers up on my car if there is an actual issue. I'm not sure where you got that from. I only replied to someone that I have the ability to turn the check engine light off, but if it comes on persistently then I would get the car looked at. From what I have been hearing it isn't worth the money so I think I'll leave the car stock for now and just replace the air filter since it's been overdue for a replacement for a while now. Thank you for your feedback
Never use air filter oil on the K&N or any other air intake filter. It's supposed to be dry. The oil will quickly foul up the MAF sensor, unless you like cleaning it once a week.
