Engine air filters made of gold

[PuddleJumper]

buy a washable filter, oil it lightly, pat dry with a towel and let dry for an hour or two then pat dry again and pop it back in. I have a stock K&N drop in if you want one, PM Me. you can reuse them almost infinitely for about 50-70$,

With a caveat. I don't recommend those for offroad if your gonna be doing any type of mudding or water crossing. Seen to many guys have a simple hydro lock. We pull the plugs fix it and then have to wait for the filter to dry or run no filter. I just keep a dry spare when i know I'll be dealing with water of any type. Other than that its perfect for daily use.

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[Rahkmalla]

buy a washable filter, oil it lightly, pat dry with a towel and let dry for an hour or two then pat dry again and pop it back in. I have a stock K&N drop in if you want one, PM Me. you can reuse them almost infinitely for about 50-70$,

Paging @ShadowsPapa

I don't remember the specifics, but from my memory: the chart ShadowsPapa posted shows that K&N air filters are closer to not having any air filter whatsoever than they are to the next worst air filter. Hopefully the guy with the source can post.

 

[ZeeJay]

For strictly paved street, to work, to store, in an area free of fugitive dust, things like that reusable is fine, diminishing return for power vs cost, but yes can be washed and reused, minus cleaning/oil kits. For an off-road application no. I professionally deal with engines, it’s my trade and I can tell you with an absolute certainty that dirt will kill an engine faster than anything else. Problem is the “K&N” type are billed as performance, because go fast sells, reusable doesn’t. Engine is the same vacuum pump it will always be and the only way to increase air flow is to have less surface area on a filter. Compare the two that’s all it takes. Some will argue well I haven’t an issue in X amounts of miles, I’m just saying what ever the cost if you off-road at all in any way stay clear, dirt is a death sentence for an engine.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

This isn't from your home made box test using flour. This is a real ISO filter test sequence.
(Project Farm also has a few things to say about these filters - they weren't fans of the K&N as I recall)

K&N restricts a lot faster (quicker to reach limits) In other words, the capacity to hold dirt is horrible -

One of the least efficient filters out there -

They pass a lot more dirt during their useful life -

And read the TEXT with this one - the AC filter ran for 60 minutes before reaching capacity and passed only 0.4 grams
The K&N ran for half that time before reaching capacity and passed 7 grams

To add to what ZeeJay has said - you may THINK your streets are clean, but go out and take a broom to them. You don't have to go off road............ and if you live in farm country, ask the person responsible for keeping your home clean how things work out certain times of year.
I've also been in the trade - engines and more - since the 1970s, and know that you may think your roads are clean and there's little dust, what do you see on the paint after you drive it a couple of days. That's just what settles on it - the engine is pulling in a lot of CFM.
Only a quarter mile track is going to be clean enough, IMO, to use these and even then, wow, the dirt and dust still thrown in the air during the races........They scrub those tracks, wash them down, mop them (literally) and there's still dirt in the air.

Keep a couple of spare quality filters handy. They'll keep the dirt and crud off the MAF and other picky parts. Having a spare with you means if you underestimate the depth of the mud or water, you can recover with a clean dry good filter on the other side.

Check out Project Farm for some fun stuff, but the above, as the charts say, are the results of real ISO testing.

Think about this -

 

[steveorama]

This isn't from your home made box test using flour. This is a real ISO filter test sequence.
(Project Farm also has a few things to say about these filters - they weren't fans of the K&N as I recall)

K&N restricts a lot faster (quicker to reach limits) In other words, the capacity to hold dirt is horrible -

One of the least efficient filters out there -

They pass a lot more dirt during their useful life -

And read the TEXT with this one - the AC filter ran for 60 minutes before reaching capacity and passed only 0.4 grams
The K&N ran for half that time before reaching capacity and passed 7 grams

To add to what ZeeJay has said - you may THINK your streets are clean, but go out and take a broom to them. You don't have to go off road............ and if you live in farm country, ask the person responsible for keeping your home clean how things work out certain times of year.
I've also been in the trade - engines and more - since the 1970s, and know that you may think your roads are clean and there's little dust, what do you see on the paint after you drive it a couple of days. That's just what settles on it - the engine is pulling in a lot of CFM.
Only a quarter mile track is going to be clean enough, IMO, to use these and even then, wow, the dirt and dust still thrown in the air during the races........They scrub those tracks, wash them down, mop them (literally) and there's still dirt in the air.

Keep a couple of spare quality filters handy. They'll keep the dirt and crud off the MAF and other picky parts. Having a spare with you means if you underestimate the depth of the mud or water, you can recover with a clean dry good filter on the other side.

Check out Project Farm for some fun stuff, but the above, as the charts say, are the results of real ISO testing.

Think about this -

Was this study paid for or performed by AC Delco? LOL

 

[Jrgunn5150]

It always amuses me that people think old dirty filters somehow don't filter anymore.

They filter better lol.

 

[Hootbro]

It always amuses me that people think old dirty filters somehow don't filter anymore.

They filter better lol.

Until it exceeds the delta p limit of the filter and then it is a detriment. Would need a filter restriction gauge installed to measure that.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Until it exceeds the delta p limit of the filter and then it is a detriment. Would need a filter restriction gauge installed to measure that.

A detriment in air flow.

It doesn't allow more dirt through.

A clean filter does.

 

[Hootbro]

A detriment in air flow.

It doesn't allow more dirt through.

A clean filter does.

A clean filter is not a open sieve, it is still filtering anything of harmful particulate size.

About the only filter companies I have seen make the argument for dirtier filter = better filtration is the oil impregnated fiber filters like K&N and the like because they actually do filter like crap when new.

 

[BourbonRunner]

A clean filter is not a open sieve, it is still filtering anything of harmful particulate size.

About the only filter companies I have seen make the argument for dirtier filter = better filtration is the oil impregnated fiber filters like K&N and the like because they actually do filter like crap when new.

They talk about how its better when its dirty but neglect to mention the risk of over-oiling your K&N and it nuking your MAF as a result...

 

[Cburd61]

I just bought a Wix at O’Rielly Auto parts today. $29.95.

 

[starrskream]

Paging @ShadowsPapa

I don't remember the specifics, but from my memory: the chart ShadowsPapa posted shows that K&N air filters are closer to not having any air filter whatsoever than they are to the next worst air filter. Hopefully the guy with the source can post.

that’s plausible, idk for sure tbh. I buy them because they’re washable and reusable. The ones I’ve had over the years(since 1993) I wash beginning of summer and end of summer. They definitely catch dirt.

 

[starrskream]

With a caveat. I don't recommend those for offroad if your gonna be doing any type of mudding or water crossing. Seen to many guys have a simple hydro lock. We pull the plugs fix it and then have to wait for the filter to dry or run no filter. I just keep a dry spare when i know I'll be dealing with water of any type. Other than that its perfect for daily use.

indeed. Spare filter is always a good thing to keep on hand

 

[Minty JL]

Check out rockauto.com. Wix filters very reasonably priced.

Rockauto FTW

 

[ShadowsPapa]

They talk about how its better when its dirty but neglect to mention the risk of over-oiling your K&N and it nuking your MAF as a result...

That catch is that when it's dirty, it's a problem for letting air through. Yes, a filter filters more/better as it gets dirty, but the amount of air going through is restricted.
Jeeps aren't performance vehicles, race vehicles, or needing "more air" than the factory or a good quality paper filter can supply. The CFM flow just isn't that high.
Another video out there shows a guy using a K&N on his Ford pickup - and showed on the dyno how yes, it was marginally better for hp and torque - above about 5,000 RPM.
So - how many here run their 3.6 over 5,000 on a regular basis? Most seem to cringe when it hits 4,000 RPM.
As far as "seat of the pants" changes - LOL - full frontal placebo. You aren't pulling enough air through that thing taking off from a stop to notice any real difference with a gas engine. Valves are in LOW LIFT mode at that point until you get 3,000 RPM and by then, you won't be paying attention to notice any "change".
I run dual quads on a 360 with a comp cam and pull through a heck of a lot more air than these little engines can muster - and run less "filter per CID" than Jeeps do.

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