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Air filters - why no brand war about them?
1. maybe since you only change them so infrequently people don't think about it
2. they all look the same and they are simpler, like no confusing array of drain back valves and springs and metal on metal vs metal on rubber?
3. might be intereting to compare them tho, since its pobably all media size based????
2. they all look the same and they are simpler, like no confusing array of drain back valves and springs and metal on metal vs metal on rubber?
3. might be intereting to compare them tho, since its pobably all media size based????
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Comments
Again, if you compare the OEM side by side you will see a construction difference. Now, for the most part this has primarily made a difference on my toyota, others not so much.
As to changing, I change once a year and the filter are not very dirty by that time. However, new Buick I just changed at one year, 19,000 miles and it was filthy. The passenger air filters are always filthy at one year as well.
At $6-$20 each air filters, if accessible can easily be changed every year
the oil filter areas were
Purolater 94 in2
Supertech 71
Castrol wix 64
If you pick up a Honda air filter and compare it to a couple of the brands mentioned, you will never buy anything but the Honda filter.
Big difference!
I'm not questioning your claim; just curious if you know who makes the Honda brand air filters. I'm presuming that none of the automobile manufacturers actually makes their own filters.
I'm guessing there are only a couple producers of my particular Honda part number and most brands cross-source (buy from the same manufacturer). Some might even be OEM. >;^)
Since there are many more part numbers in air filters as compared to oil filters, I would suspect a great amount of cross-sourcing.
Anyway, I only use the stock airbox and filter 4 out of 12 months each year. When the weather is nice, I use a K&N cone filter. >;^)
As for the WIX OIL filter in K-mart labeled as Castrol (or Penske), I think that is Wix's second grade line. Their Wix branded filters along with the NAPA Gold are a little bigger in most numbers.
--- Bror Jace
the minimopar oil filter study said the two NAPA filters were the same and NAPA would not tell him the difference (is there a napa website?? )
the minimopar filter in the ford size has the napa s at 337 in2 (59 pleats and the wix at 349 61 pleats - about the same.)
what scares me about NAPA and any company that does not build their own filters is that they can switch off to an unknown vendor if they get under cost pressure or say the owners just want more profit.A filter maker (who are those? - Purolater, wix, ??????) may be a little less likely to cheapen the product.
brucer2: I have never had a discernible problem with a FRAM air filter, myself.
I just bought a couple NAPA air filters today. NAPA signifies the filters with a NAPA company designater located in Gastonia, North Carolina. That is the location of WIX.
I have a Penske air filter purchased at K-mart for a Ford V8 and it has the same problem but was manufactured on a different assembly line because the molding marks are a little different. I'm trying to remember if I've seen one of these rubber-gasket-surrounding-media filters that had a neat, trim edge. My Honda's filter is encased in plastic and does not have this problem.
As for NAPA vs. Castrol, the following is true for the Honda part number (#1334). The NAPA Gold is the better filter and their Silver line is a step down. The external casing for the Honda filters are different from each other. Now, both Castrol filters (white & black) are using the Silver line casing (smaller) and I'd guess that the only difference between them is the filter media. But, that is just a guess.
--- Bror Jace
I change mine just under 10K, to insure free breathing and clean air. Filters just don't cost so much that I would be willing to take the risk. I am convinced that clean air and oil is the combo that helps assure a long lasting engine.
So a new filter would actually be the best for flow and worst for particulates.This is why many condemn the K&N style,which seems to gain efficiency as it loads.
I leave this on 8 months out of the year but put the factory air box and paper element back in during the winter months. This keeps the K&N free from too much salt, etc ...
Anyway, I notice a slight difference in power when the K&N is in place at wide-open-throttle, 3,000 RPMs and above (I also have an aftermarket exhaust on the car). So, the K&N probably does flow better and give me a modest (single digit) horsepower increase.
Also, lab testing of my engine oil shows that its filtration ability is at least competent if not very good.
Gonna probably switch it back this weekend. >;^D
--- Bror Jace
To me, i buy an air filter based on cost. Change them at 10k-15k miles which is about once a year for me.
The truck had 108,000 miles on it when I put the filter in. I pulled the filter out at 130,000 and inspected. It was loaded up with dust and dirt. I put it back without cleaning. I plan to clean it at about 150,000 miles. I also inspected the Mass Air Flow Sensor, it was clean and free of oil. The hose from the filter box to the intake also was clean. The throttle valve was a bit brown, but that is fairly normal for the car and I "hosed" it down with carb cleaner. 136,000 miles on it now, runs like a top, doesn't burn a drop of oil.
As for performance, I did notice an improvement in throttle response and a bit better acceleration. However, where I really noticed the power improvement is in towing. I pulled a trailer last summer six or seven times between Atlanta and Columbia, SC. Wow, what a difference. Before the K&N, towing really labored the truck. Due to the low horsepower of the truck, I have to run it in third gear when it pulls a load. Before the K&N, 2500 rpms, or about 65 mph, was about it. After that the engine really started to buzz and labor. After the K&N 75 mph was a breeze and 3,200 rpms was no more noticeable than 2,500 rpms, other than increased throttle sounds. No other performance upgrades on the car. By the way, gas mileage stayed about the same in routine driving, but towing mpg improved about 3 mpg.
It may let more fine particles through, but I change the oil with Castrol and an FL1A filter every 3,000 miles. So far so good, but I wouldn't use it on either of my other cars that have substantially more horsepower and a more delicate engine.
I recently bought several Penske air filters at KMART, believing that the WIX origin of the filters was a dynamite recommendation. Any filters made by WIX are very likely to be excellent choices.
So no, I don't think that the K&N lets more junk through. As long as it is well oiled, you should be fine.
I'm not sure about the flow and efficiency rates for the different types of media (foam vs. paper. vs cotton gauze, etc ...) but I measured the cone of my K&N and it has about 89-90 sq.in. of surface filter area. This compares very well with my factory element which has less than 50 sq.in. Even if the media flowed at the same rate, the K&N has almost twice the area.
Cleaning the filter, I did as the K&N cleaning kit suggested but as I was handling the thing while it dried, I noticed that it still looked dirty and still had an oily film over much of it. I hosed the beast down with Simple Green (a gentle-enough degreaser), let it sit for 1/2 hour then rinsed it out under the faucet in a bucket.
Jeepers! As much stuff ran out of it the second time as the first! Then, I rinsed it again in fresh water to get rid of any trace of Simple Green and still more stuff ran out of the filter. But, it looked MUCH better at this point so I merely let it dry then re-oiled it.
Our weather turned bad today (more snow & slop) so I will put it back on the car in a week or two. During the winter months, I run the stock airbox and paper filter.
--- Bror Jace
Wix had the smallest filter area - 10% less than supertech, and 30% less than purolater.
That doesnt make them an excellent choice to me.
Still, for many applications (like domestic V8s) they are very good.
--- Bror Jace
My two cents - now I'm broke.
why they don't standardize is beyond me - you know a 4 hp is different than a 3.5