undecided
08-12-2005, 02:32 PM
Sorry in advance for the long post!
I found this site while searching for more information on engine air filtration. Regardless of your opinion on the subject, I think this is good reading for everyone here. It isn't specifically for our vehicle, but an air filter is an air filter...
http://home.usadatanet.net/~jbplock/ISO5011/SPICER.htm
The following is my opinion, along with some observations:
First, I think it is clear that both foam (amsoil) and cotton (k&n) filters allow for better airflow, while at the same time allowing in more dust. However, it should be noted that the effeciency of these filters compared to the paper (ac delco) filter isn't that far off. The k&n had an efficiency of 96.8% (the lowest) compared to almost 100 by the paper filter. But really, that is only a difference of about 3%...not really that bad in my opinion. It sure beats running no filter and catching 0% of the dust. I think it is all a matter of perspective. Also, a lot of this depends on the tolerance of the engine...how much dust can it handle? Obviously the best thing for it would be to run it in a clean room with no dust, but that's just not going to happen. Realistically, filtering out almost 97% of the dust seems reasonable to me.
As far as maximum dust collection goes, the cotton and foam filters fill up a lot faster than the paper filter. That is probably due to a smaller surface area (less pleats or no pleats). What does that mean? Really it just means you have to clean the filter more often than you would have to replace a paper filter. To me, that is worth having to do to see the benefits of the increased airflow. I suppose if you had a cone filter, there would be more surface area though and would therefore allow for more dust collection.
Anyway, I guess in my opinion if you have a good quality engine (such as our 2.4L toyota) and you perform regular oil changes and keep your cotton or foam filter clean, you should have just as long an engine life as with a stock paper filter.
One more note...looks like from the data that the foam filters better than the cotton...this might be a win for weapon-r fans!
Well...that's my two cents!
I found this site while searching for more information on engine air filtration. Regardless of your opinion on the subject, I think this is good reading for everyone here. It isn't specifically for our vehicle, but an air filter is an air filter...
http://home.usadatanet.net/~jbplock/ISO5011/SPICER.htm
The following is my opinion, along with some observations:
First, I think it is clear that both foam (amsoil) and cotton (k&n) filters allow for better airflow, while at the same time allowing in more dust. However, it should be noted that the effeciency of these filters compared to the paper (ac delco) filter isn't that far off. The k&n had an efficiency of 96.8% (the lowest) compared to almost 100 by the paper filter. But really, that is only a difference of about 3%...not really that bad in my opinion. It sure beats running no filter and catching 0% of the dust. I think it is all a matter of perspective. Also, a lot of this depends on the tolerance of the engine...how much dust can it handle? Obviously the best thing for it would be to run it in a clean room with no dust, but that's just not going to happen. Realistically, filtering out almost 97% of the dust seems reasonable to me.
As far as maximum dust collection goes, the cotton and foam filters fill up a lot faster than the paper filter. That is probably due to a smaller surface area (less pleats or no pleats). What does that mean? Really it just means you have to clean the filter more often than you would have to replace a paper filter. To me, that is worth having to do to see the benefits of the increased airflow. I suppose if you had a cone filter, there would be more surface area though and would therefore allow for more dust collection.
Anyway, I guess in my opinion if you have a good quality engine (such as our 2.4L toyota) and you perform regular oil changes and keep your cotton or foam filter clean, you should have just as long an engine life as with a stock paper filter.
One more note...looks like from the data that the foam filters better than the cotton...this might be a win for weapon-r fans!
Well...that's my two cents!