whats the best air filter
the factory filter or an OE equivalent paper filter...won't void the warranty. As far as K&N goes, I'll never use one again, and I wouldn't go so far as to call it a filter...maybe an insect trap. Put one on a dodge pick-up a long time ago, went weeling up in coal country (coal dust roads)....afterward there was as much coal dust inside the throttle body and throughout the intake as on the ground. Maybe they're better now, but I'll never use em again on a DD. That was a pain in the rear end to clean up. So, how much coal did my engine ingest?
Ron
2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded
)
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top (
sold)
2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded
) 1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top (
sold)
If you want the max power, you need to get a cold air intake (CAI) and make sure the plumbing draws in colder air that is sealed off. Short ram intakes (SRI) basically draw in air from the engine bay which is warmer than what a cold air intake would draw from around the lower part of the bumper.
Colder air is denser, therefore carries more oxygen molecules for more power.
Both SRI and CAI have their pros and cons. Both typically use K&N style oil filters.
That being said, I agree with Ronzuki. I also used to have a SRI on a previous car with a K&N style oiled cone filter. While it did allow my engine to rev faster and gave the engine a throatier sound, I really doubted it filtered the air better than a OEM style filter. In fact, I would sometimes find that the air filter's oil went through the filter and would be running towards the MAF sensor and tubing to the throttle body. That's NOT a good thing. This was even with an oil application following K&N's instructions carefully. Since that car, I decided to forgo intake mods as they give marginal performance gains yet increase the risk of contaminants entering the engine.
Simply put, paying close to $250 for some tubing and a lower-filtering filter for a minimal performance gain is not worth it to me. Even high-end CAI kits from K&N in muscle cars only give about a 5% performance gain.
I also want to say that in Japan, the tuners seem to like foam air filters. I don't see them much in the US, but I would see them on JDM tuner cars in Japanese auto magazines and sold in auto parts stores in Japan.
They look like this:
Colder air is denser, therefore carries more oxygen molecules for more power.
Both SRI and CAI have their pros and cons. Both typically use K&N style oil filters.
That being said, I agree with Ronzuki. I also used to have a SRI on a previous car with a K&N style oiled cone filter. While it did allow my engine to rev faster and gave the engine a throatier sound, I really doubted it filtered the air better than a OEM style filter. In fact, I would sometimes find that the air filter's oil went through the filter and would be running towards the MAF sensor and tubing to the throttle body. That's NOT a good thing. This was even with an oil application following K&N's instructions carefully. Since that car, I decided to forgo intake mods as they give marginal performance gains yet increase the risk of contaminants entering the engine.
Simply put, paying close to $250 for some tubing and a lower-filtering filter for a minimal performance gain is not worth it to me. Even high-end CAI kits from K&N in muscle cars only give about a 5% performance gain.
I also want to say that in Japan, the tuners seem to like foam air filters. I don't see them much in the US, but I would see them on JDM tuner cars in Japanese auto magazines and sold in auto parts stores in Japan.
They look like this:
2025 Mazda CX-50 Preferred Hybrid
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Sold)
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Sold)