How To Clean Afe Dry Air Filter

Do you recall your first car? Your first modification? Was information technology an intake? I bet it was an intake. I bought my start car in high school. Sentry out ladies; it was an extremely clean, pearl white, 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS (automatic and with a Bomex body kit…. I was 17), and yes, the very kickoff matter I did inside a calendar week of owning it was buy a inexpensive, used intake from some guy on Craigslist. It felt cool to finally own a "modded" auto, and I'k sure near of the gearheads reading this can chronicle.

Unremarkably, an intake is one of the first ideas that come to mind when someone starts modifying a car. Intakes are a relatively cheap, power-producing part (on nearly applications) and the results can normally be immediately felt and heard, specially on turbocharged applications. If you take been post-obit this engineering blog, you may have noticed that I have been the guy writing well-nigh our performance intake development for the by twelvemonth. This means that I field a lot of questions from our community about intake performance. One of the nigh common questions, and a topic that is still hotly debated amongst us gearheads, is whether one should use a dry or oiled filter. At that place is no difficult-prepare answer to that. Information technology depends on a few things, and then allow's quickly talk about it.

Dry Filters

We all know what a dry out filter looks similar. Almost all factory cars come with i and they are unremarkably made with either a paper or foam element. Due to this, their filtration properties are generally hard to beat.

Stock intake for the 2016 ND Mazda Miata

Stock intake for the 2016 Honda Civic 1.5T

Stock intake for the 2015 Ford Mustang GT

Air intake filters must run into minimum filtration standards and trap a certain amount of air contaminants to prevent harm to the engine, and then by OEM design, they are more restrictive with respect to airflow. Although these types of air filters are great at keeping contaminants at bay, over time, the accumulating dirt and trapped particles causes an farthermost decrease in power and fuel economy. These filters are already restrictive to begin with, so when you add together a layer of dirt to the mix, it's almost like trying to exhale through a paper luncheon pocketbook within another paper tiffin handbag. Try it! Tough, right?

Stock air filter for the 2016 Ford Focus RS

Due to their materials and construction, the air flow of even the high-performance dry air filters will usually exist less than an oiled filter of the aforementioned size. The upside to dry filters is that they require less maintenance. They aren't always reusable, since using water to clean them will impairment the filter chemical element. Their life can be extended by using compressed air to blow some of the dirt off, but that can only be washed and so many times. OEM dry filters are by and large effective upwardly until 10,000 to 15,000 miles (check your service transmission), and so they must be replaced. Dry out filters are commonly used in vehicles that are driven in drier, dustier climates, where airborne contaminants are way more plentiful than in wetter climates. Many people run dry filters in these environments because at that place is usually then much dust, that an oiled filter would need to exist cleaned constantly. So, in what situations would an oiled filter perform improve and how do they differ from dry filters?

Oiled Filters

In almost aftermarket intake kits, companies supply their product with an oiled filter. Oiled filters flow more air through their media considering they are constructed from a more open cotton fabric that is coated with a thin layer of oil.

Generally, loftier-performance dry filters can catch up to 99% of the incoming contaminants due to the smaller micron size of the filter media, while oiled filters take hold of about 98% of what passes through – a minute difference, merely a difference none-the-less.

The oiled filter material relies on the tackiness of the oil to catch contaminants while the more open media allows a higher catamenia charge per unit. The oil acts as a sticky trap for incoming air contaminants, providing an important layer of protection to go along the air free of debris. These filters typically come pre-oiled with a specific amount then they can drop right in without the user having to do anything. Oiled filters are what y'all run across in most race applications (excluding off-road). They aren't always conical as pictured higher up. Many companies offer a direct drop in replacement for the stock air filter, and often, there is a slight bump in performance.

Another do good is that these filters tin final a lot longer than their dry out counterparts. Oiled filters take the reward of being completely washable and reusable, so yous don't have to keep buying filters once they become as well dirty. All you must do is follow the instructions to clean the filter and you're all fix!

Inside the Mishimoto airbox for the VW MK7

Prototype intake 2015 WRX intake pipe with a make new Mishimoto filter

Notwithstanding, with greater airflow from these filters comes great responsibility. Oiled filters must be regularly cleaned, maintained and properly oiled, or else they can get detrimental to performance. You may accept too heard that oiled filters can damage your mass airflow sensor (MAF). Let's nip this right in the bud. Ordinarily the only manner for something like this to happen is if you over-oil your filter when re-applying the oil. If there is likewise much oil on the filter, some of information technology tin can get sucked in through the cotton gauze and impairment the MAF sensor. This is where y'all must be careful and follow the instructions on how to clean your oiled filter.

Check out our Mishimoto Powerstack Performance Air Filter

If properly maintained, an oiled filter can look equally new as the day y'all purchased it. This boosted maintenance schedule would exist a drawback for some, simply for us gearheads, it's just some other day under the hood.

The giant five-inch filter for our 2016 Chevy Camaro SS intake!

There are benefits to both types of air filters. If you are looking for performance, but are not interested in being bothered with maintenance, a loftier functioning dry filter might be right for yous. If you want slightly more than airflow and are prepared to properly maintain information technology, an oiled filter (OK, here comes the plug) like ane of our Mishimoto operation air filters would exist a cracking choice. All of our filters come up pre-oiled with the right amount of oil for that filter's surface expanse, are fully cleanable/reusable, are made right hither in the USA, and of course, take the Mishimoto Lifetime Warranty.

The departure in existent-world performance betwixt a dry out and oiled filter tin sometimes exist very small, but what information technology comes down to is the type of driver you are, and the type of environment you are driving in. When you're trying to shave the ane/100 of a second off your lap time, every ounce of power helps.

Choosing the right filter is ever important, I promise this article helps you make the right option. 'Till next fourth dimension, and thanks for reading!

-Diamaan