Performance Filters a waste of time or not ?

[D1CKY]

Are prformance airfilters, whether panel or closed induction kits worth the money ?

As going by the comment below from this thread http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?t=312254&page=2 they seem a waste of time and the standard paer elements are better :S



JonC
Forum User

Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 597



Re: Panel filters - Do they actually make ANY difference?
Not sure if this has been posted before, but this test shows that foam filters perform badly in filtering efficiency, while "wet/oiled" cotton was a little better.

http://mkiv.com/techarticles/filters_test/2/

In the test below, it showed that a clean paper filter is in fact the least restrictive.

http://www.bolhuijo.com/airflowtest/

With this in mind I intend to stick to the standard oem or a good quality paper filter and change it regularly to have the best performance and protection.




What do yous guys/gals think ?

 

[scott7912]

On my old clio FF182 i had a viper induction, by itself it was probably worse than the standard filter, i.e. it lost power low down the revs and gained higher up, which was crap. Once i had a cat back magnex and ktec remap it seemed to be much better.
With my Trophy i have fitted a k&n panel filter, which i could tell improved the car straight away, didnt feel any faster but better sound and possibly better throttle response. Tomorrow im going to remove the pointless acoustic valve and fit a larger bore pipe down to the front grill.
Each to their own like, but im sticking to the standard box for now.

 

[lasbazrre]

Agreed , just spend £30-40 on a ITG or K&N panel filter , Engaine bay looks OEM , better response and a bit more noise.

leon

 

[Neil G]

Never liked oil foam filters anyway so changed to a green cotton one instead of the ITG

 

[Henry]

i've used them before and must admit that i'm of the opinion that they're not worth the expense; not sure about the arguments suggesting that they don't filter as well as OE paper elements (re. oiled cotton) but i just can't be rs'd to wash and re-oil the things and, for the sake of a tenner every year, can't see the point. it's the filter box that presents a restriction (if there is a restriction in the system).

as said though - it's obviously a horses for courses thing

 

[cat171]

Never liked oil foam filters anyway so changed to a green cotton one instead of the ITG

I've got a green cotton one too, not got round to fitting it yet though

 

[Scottland]

Whats the difference between something like an ITG and a Green Cotton one then?

 

[D1CKY]

Whats the difference between something like an ITG and a Green Cotton one then?

I was gonna ask the same about an ITG and a K & N Panel Filter ? ?


Lol

 

[davebem]

Im going to get flamed for saying this but a standard Renault 172mk1 paper filter is less restrictive than a itg filter.

 

[D1CKY]

Im going to get flamed for saying this but a standard Renault 172mk1 paper filter is less restrictive than a itg filter.

Is it ?

So why would ITG take a filter out for it ? :S

 

[davebem]

Theres still a benifit to having an itg. Its cleanable and re-useable where a renault one has to be changed at each service. Its also does a better job of filtering the air.

 

[mattjk]

Im going to get flamed for saying this but a standard Renault 172mk1 paper filter is less restrictive than a itg filter.

Thankyou there is some people on here with some sense!


Dont agree with what you said about filtering though. Paper will filter better than foam as the article explains its all about the surface are, unwind the paper filter and youl see what I mean!

 

[D1CKY]

What about a cotton filter ?

 

[Neil G]

Im going to get flamed for saying this but a standard Renault 172mk1 paper filter is less restrictive than a itg filter.

Probably is

I remember when I used to be a Subaru owner....STI paper filter was proven to be the least restrictive of the panel filters you could buy to fit in the original box.

 

[mattjk]

What about a cotton filter ?

Cotton is better than foam for sure.

 

[Rob669]

I saw one of the Clio Cup racing teams changing an air filter between races at Donington Park - it was the standard paper element!

 

[Fred@BTM]

loads of motorsport teams use standard filters

 

[mini-valver]

Unless they are sponsored by a filter company, they'd use standard ones because of cost and the minimal difference they make..........

 

[JonC]

The results in those tests far from being conclusive. However, based on their findings, I tend to err on the side of caution. I rather spend more to have the filter changed more frequently to ensure the best protection and longevity for the engine rather than risk unfiltered dirt getting into the engine causing potential long term damage for the gain of more noise and marginal if any increase in bhp.

Although each manufacturer is different, I'm shocked at how much particulates gets past foam!

 

[davebem]

Im going to get flamed for saying this but a standard Renault 172mk1 paper filter is less restrictive than a itg filter.

Thankyou there is some people on here with some sense!


Dont agree with what you said about filtering though. Paper will filter better than foam as the article explains its all about the surface are, unwind the paper filter and youl see what I mean!

Thanks matt. I thought an itg would filter better after cleaning one once in petrol and seeing all the crap come out of it. I could be wrong though as never attempted to clean a paper filter.

 

[Andyman]

The results in those tests far from being conclusive. However, based on their findings, I tend to err on the side of caution. I rather spend more to have the filter changed more frequently to ensure the best protection and longevity for the engine rather than risk unfiltered dirt getting into the engine causing potential long term damage for the gain of more noise and marginal if any increase in bhp.

Although each manufacturer is different, I'm shocked at how much particulates gets past foam!

Or why dont you lock the car in a garage and never use it again. That way then, it will last a lot longer and help preserve it

 

[mattjk]

Thankyou there is some people on here with some sense!


Dont agree with what you said about filtering though. Paper will filter better than foam as the article explains its all about the surface are, unwind the paper filter and youl see what I mean!

Thanks matt. I thought an itg would filter better after cleaning one once in petrol and seeing all the crap come out of it. I could be wrong though as never attempted to clean a paper filter.

Nah paper filters best hence why manufacturers use them as standard. The oil thats used in those ITGs is pretty thick and horible.

You cant really clean a paper one well you could use a hoover or air compressor but best to get a new one.

 

[David Ramsey]

I haven't got an enclosed induction kit so I can't comment on those. I removed the standard airbox and fitted a green cone and must say it's made no difference, just the noise has changed

 

[JonC]

Or why dont you lock the car in a garage and never use it again. That way then, it will last a lot longer and help preserve it

Where's the fun in that? Besides my garage is full of none car related junk!!! In the same vain, why don't you run your car without a filter by having an unfiltered pipe run from the front of the car directly to the throttle housing to get maximum bhp and noise?:rasp:

 

[Andyman]

Or why dont you lock the car in a garage and never use it again. That way then, it will last a lot longer and help preserve it

Where's the fun in that? Besides my garage is full of none car related junk!!! In the same vain, why don't you run your car without a filter by having an unfiltered pipe run from the front of the car directly to the throttle housing to get maximum bhp and noise?:rasp:

Nah, im happy with the Maxogen thanks :rasp:

Bit of a difference between one of the many after market filters and IK's versus no protection at all. 90% of folk on here have some sort of induction modification with out problems.

Think if your worried about slight long term damage due to a aftermarket filter you need to look at the bigger picture

 

[JonC]

Well, what ever floats your boat. For me, if a paper filter is good enough for Renault and Clio Cup race teams, then thats good enough for me.

 

[D1CKY]

I now have an ITG Panel Filter fitted in place of the K&N Panel filter i had before.

Is the ITG better than the K&N ?

O rshould i have kept it ?