High-performance air filters are a great investment for car owners. Not only do they provide a slight increase in horsepower, but they also improve fuel economy. This is because they draw air from outside the engine compartment, where the air is colder. Switching to an aftermarket direct replacement air filter is a win-win move, as it saves you money in the long run and increases efficiency for both you and your car.
Plus, it makes better use of natural resources and reduces waste. One of the benefits of a high flow air filter is that it doesn't need to be changed every year like normal filters. All you have to do is clean it approximately every two years. High flow air filters offer better airflow and better filtration of the air entering the engine, which can lead to higher horsepower by about 3 to 5 HP and improved fuel efficiency.
In some of the more expensive units, the filter comes with a cold air intake unit that extracts air from outside the car instead of the hot air used inside the engine compartment. Cold air is denser and therefore will burn better, thus improving your engine performance. High-performance air filters are more expensive because they're made of a more expensive filter material that can be washed and reused rather than thrown away every 15,000 miles. They don't clog as quickly or as easily, so you get more bang for your buck.
We have a large selection of high-performance air filters from Edelbrock, Ford Performance, K&N, aFe, Injen, Flowmaster, RIPP Superchargers and more that get to work. Unless you're going to spend a lot of money on a cleanable K&N type filter, there are no real benefits of improved air filters; after all, it's basically a folded sheet of cardboard. Using an aftermarket air filter helps reduce fossil fuel consumption and harmful emissions. To clean it, spray oil on both sides of flat filters and only on the outer surface of cone filters.
A dirty filter can decrease power because the air is literally pushed at the price of your vehicle's energy. The filter not only provides clean air to the combustion process, but it also helps your vehicle deliver better mileage. Oil has been used to trap dust in air filters for almost the entire time that internal combustion engines have existed. It's worth noting that not only are some oils not compatible between different brands of filters for optimal performance, but some dissolve competing filters. On the other hand, a K&N air filter installed on my Kawasaki Concours not only gave me that cold grunt noise when accelerating, but I noticed a smoother idle and a small increase in top speed performance above 7,000 rpm. To measure the airflow of a particular air filter, you will need two pressure gauges and accessories to drill the air inlet before and after the filter is installed.
