Water-methanol injection is a tried-and-true method of adding power to your vehicle. This process has turned out to be especially effective with modern turbodiesels. Most typical systems inject a mist of water-methanol into the intake of the engine only under high load/full-throttle situations. As a result, the system remains dormant under most normal driving conditions, limiting usefulness for the average driver.
| snow Performance Mpg Max Boost Cooler boost Cooler Kit
Snow Performance, a leader in water-methanol technology, has developed an injection system called the MPG-MAX Boost Cooler that overcomes this downfall. A small injector is activated under low load/cruise conditions to improve combustion efficiency, resulting in better mileage and low-end power. When needed, one or two larger injectors can be activated via a solenoid valve to make maximum power under heavy-load states.
Using this setup, mileage gains can be experienced across a large range of driving conditions. Depending on fuel prices and amount of water-methanol injected, this kit can actually pay for itself in a reasonable amount of time. Sure, diesel prices have dropped drastically since nearing $5 per gallon more than a year ago, but rest assured, they will come back up, and when they do, a kit like this can really help ease the pain at the pump.
The results of our mileage calculations after three tanks of gas using the MPG-MAX system definitely showed an improvement. On average, about one gallon of water-meth was used every 100 miles and improved mileage by 2 mpg. We were using -20 windshield washer fluid that is about 30 percent methanol for the testing. Even better gains should be possible using a 50 percent methanol-to-water mixture like the Boost Juice that Snow Performance sells. Another option is buying methanol in bulk from a local supplier and mixing it with distilled water.
In our quest for big numbers on the dyno we ended up installing an aggressive tune in the ECM with a programmer in conjunction with the MPG-MAX system, and the result was 493 hp and 980 lb-ft with the EGTs reaching a dangerous 1,550 degrees. Impressive numbers, but honestly, out of the configurations we tested on the dyno, our favorite was the one with the MPG-MAX kit only. There was plenty of power and torque for any load this truck can legally pull, the exhaust temperatures were not even close to an issue, and our truck never spewed a trace of black smoke so often seen from modified diesels.
Overall, the Snow Performance MPG-MAX kit delivered everything the manufacturer claimed it would. We experienced a real-world increase in mileage of 2 mpg over a range of driving conditions, and at full-throttle we gained 59 hp and 173 lb-ft with a reduction in exhaust temperatures.
The numbers speak for themselves, this system really works.
Without the Snow system, our truck put down 369 hp and 683 lb-ft. Using the MPG-MAX kit alone, without any fueling modifications (via programmer) on the truck, 428 hp and 856 lb-ft were making it to our rear tires. On top of that, the max exhaust temperature reached only 1,250 degrees before the turbo. That is 100 degrees less than this truck used to see when it was completely stock and producing about 300 hp. More careful tuning of the system could result in even lower exhaust temperatures and greater power gains.
| snow Performance Mpg Max Boost Cooler results
