I have some comments:

1. At 350 cfm, the difference in initial pressure drop beteween the best and the worst is about 1.6 in H20. This would amount to about 0.4% of the absolute pressure so this should translate into a power difference of about 0.4%.
2. The pressure drop difference will depend on the air flow. At higher flows it will be greater and there will be a greater change in power. And at lower flows, the difference will be less.
3. The size of the filter (i.e. its frontal area) has a big effect on the pressure drop so a larger filter will have less pressure drop and more power. If an aftermarket filter has a larger frontal area, it will have less pressure drop and more power will result.
4. If a low pressure drop filter clogs rapidly, it will soon have a higher pressure drop than one that was initially lower.

 

I can't help but laugh when I listen to a group of people with all sorts of modifications on their cars which can and will shorten the life expectancy of their engines, transmissions, differentials, etc. carrying on about foam air filters and the Vararam.

Some of these people are blown with stock internals, some are running very high stall converters, some are running ET Streets or drag radials at 16-18 lbs of pressure. Some are launching at 6000 RPM or thereabouts, some are running cams with the stock springs, some are running aggressive tunes. Some are running race gas, toluene, and other gasoline additives, some are defeating torque management and other safeguards. Some are running non GM approved fluids and lubricants, some are altering the cooling system, some turn up transmission line pressures. And then some add a myriad of modifcations to their cars, have them "tuned" by a local or national "tooning" guru, and have no idea whatsoever as to what was actually done in the tuning. And the list goes on and on.

And ironically some of those are the main one's sounding the alarm about "foam filters." I am not pointing to the originator of the thread, but you know who you are.

Its like listening to an alcoholic admonish teenagers on the evils of smoking.

Like watching someone with morbid obesity consume 8,000 calories in one sitting and wash it all down with diet Pepsi.

Any time you deviate from stock in an effort to improve performance results you take chances. If this is unacceptable to you then leave it stock and don't race it. Better yet, put it in one of those zip lock bubbles and never drive it.

 

It seems no one has ever stated to what size(how many microns) dust particles can harm an engine and what size its nothing to worry about...I would think that would be the most important fact. Small dust getting in no big deal but grains of sand not good. Study it all you want. Until someone knows exactly where the size of the dust particles begin to hurt the motor these studies are useless...

 

That's what I said!!!!!!!!

 

When was the last time any heard of an engine being destroyed based on what goes through the air filter. I've seen lots of damaged, unusable engines... but not any that got that way from poor air filter choice.


Some of this stuff is splitting hairs.... There are plenty of other mods that create way more wear & tear issues. And then there's driving style and habits. I would think if you are 'getting on it' when you take off from a stop light... it is putting the engine at more risk than a more free flowing filter.

 

Isn't that what oil filters are for? Stuff the engine spits out? If it isn't spit out, it's probably going to get burned and crapped out the exhaust.

 

So what's your point?

 

Nobody considers what the temperature is inside the cylinder when the particles are inhaled on the intake stroke. I'm sure it high enough to vaporize some of them (the 'don't care' size) and certainly on the power stroke most of the rest are vaporized.

Its primarily just the compression stroke one might be worried but then didn't the cylinder wall just get lubricated a tad? I'm sure its not bone dry so, whatever particle hit the wall certainly are enveloped in some latent oil molecules and either scraped away or vaporized in the power stroke.

I'd go for more air. Mainly 'cuz I don't expect to keep my car for 200,000 miles. I'm sure it'll be fine the day I sell it if I drive it fairly sane during the course of ownership.

..rickko..

 

...What you said sounds like great. (Enter the freeway and then floor it....without the filter....and we WILL FEEL the instant pick up, and the time it takes to redline...etc). Its an effective way, the way you do your own unscientific air-intake performance test. But I got a question. When you do these tests, do ever think of FILTERATION at any point, or is that not an important thing to you...

 

Went right past you didn't it?

The point is that most, if not all, of the performance stuff discussed on this board, and driving techniques discussed on this board, will shorten the life span of your car. MOST OF IT much quicker than a foam filter could ever hope to.

Broken valve springs, excessively lean conditions, overly aggressive tunes, have by a long shot, killed more engines here than cotton gauze filters, foam filters, paper filters, etc.

The "leading cause of death" among LS1/LS6 engines on this board is hardly foam filters. It is probably tuning. As already mentioned/asked, when have you ever seen anyone here lose an engine due to the Vararam and it's foam filter when used as directed?

Very few of the cars discussed on this forum are going to die of old age.

I have an aftermarket torque converter. Do you think I will get 150,000 miles out of my transmission? Or even 100,000 miles?

I doubt it. But it was a decision I made when I decided I wanted more performance.

 

EB, that was a friendly jab. I appreciate all the time you spend writing this stuff and your thoughts given concerning the topic.

However, you seem to have forgotten the post by Andy a few weeks back. He has documented several engine failures that were caused by a poor filter. He didn't name the filter. Only the destruction it caused.

I also agree that we do several things to our cars that will shorten the life of various components. I do think there is a difference between abuse and being aggressive. Improper filtration I consider abuse.

Here's the post by Andy.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...you&forum_id=1

 

Just get the best filter for your purposes and whatever intake you're running and change your oil every 3,000-5,000 miles and you shouldn't have any problems?
Are we reallly talking about "dust" particles getting into the engine???
Give me a brake.

 

.


You guys worry WAY too much. In high school I ran my fast cars
with no filter. I may have even sucked up a leaf or two in the fall
and plenty of dust from the dirt roads I would drive on.

 

 

I know it was a friendly jab, but I cannot help but observe the obvious irony in some of the statements and actions I see here.

And yes, there is a very thin line between "abuse" and being aggressive. The definitions of each will vary among owners.

Maybe I missed something. I did read the posts by Andy, but I do not recall documentation of "several" cases of engine failure caused by poor filtration. He also never identifies the intake system.

What I saw of that which Andy showed, and what many others saw in that thread started by Andy was NEGLECT on the part of the owner of that car. Andy never comes out and says what filter or intake system caused that damage. Nor does he say if it was used as per the manufacturer's recommendations.

He also mentions nothing as to what, if any, maintenance schedule was followed at all.

All we see is a dirty throttle body. We have no idea how many miles of neglect caused that.

 

TTT

BC

 

I would say "no", as least as to the Blackwing. Donaldson (the manufacturer of the Blackwing) uses at least one layer of sub-micron diameter fibers, which imparts not only better filtering efficiency, but at no or little reduction in air flow. Don't ask me how I know, I'd have to kill you.

 

Folks, you are all assuming this is a truly scientific study by unbiased sources. Some of us know the truth and it would surprise you. Let me just say to not automatically assume this is an emperically based unbiased scientific study.
That being said, K&N as well as many other aftermarket filters are used throughout the racing field in both automobiles, motorcycles and marine craft. I expect there are many reasons for this and better air flow is just one of them.

 

.


The screen in the Mass Air Flow sensor should be enough
to block most of the things you don't want in your engine.

 

All I know is that I ran the crap out of my motorcycle, 60,000 hard miles for 10 years. 90% of it was off road dirt trails and gravel roads. I had nothing but a cheesey foam filter. Sucked in gobs of dirt for sure. Probably some water too with as many streams a ran it through. Ran like a champ. Sold it to a kid down the street, he ran it for at least another 4 years or more(I moved after that).

So even with the posts of dirty throttle bodies and messed up blowers(it was a blower that was trashed not a motor) out there. Until I start seeing guys with motors taking dumps on them I'm sticking with my free flowing filter. Since the C5 has been out since 97' and with all the C5s out there using K&N or foam filters and no one posting trashed motors because of it, I think is all a bunch of