I've used a k&n drop in filter for 20 years. The same filter, just rinse and lightky re-oil. I have not had any issues with it. I've put about 80k miles on the filter and it still works great.
Yeah, ok. But has your engine been protected? Looks like the K&N is actually very bad at its main job, filtering. It was almost as bad as no filter at all in this test.
I'm surprised the AEM is so good without any 🛢️ on it that's impressive for being a "dry flow" filter so there's really no chance to mess up your mass air flow sensor from the oil 🛢️ on the filter + easier 2 clean👍👍
@@you_can_fuck_your_own_ass_69 no its been debunked that oil gets on a sensor after it has been oiled properly. Keyword. Dont over oil it and you will NEVER have a problem. People like to WELL over oil thinking more is better. A very light coat of oil is all that is needed. Never had a problem in 35+ years.
By far, the most reliable, easy to understand, not wasting my time, scientific test, I have ever seen!!! I am also an engineer in Auto Sales Business, who has a stage1 remapped Z4 20i. Now, If you have renewed the test after you remap your car, this video should have been your Phd :) please update it while your car is remapped.
Thank you. I just ordered an AEM to replace the K&N engine air filter on my car. I put a Mahle in the cabin this time but I'll most likely put a K&N one in there around my next oil change. Honestly got it for the reusable aspect rather than performance. I don't like waste 😅 but i also don't want my engine to go to waste from the lack of filtration from K&N so thanks again for this video 🙏🏼
@@gwenc8900 It definitely does. I had a remapped 1.4Tjet with a slightly bigger turbo . It did 180+ on dyno with stock filter.After upgrading to a aftermarket performance filter it gained like 5hp. It did 184.8 .9
@@whitegptjet I think it's placebo effect here. I have a 455bhp/634nm custom mapped M140i, and I use the standard BMW air filter. Even at the power I am running, the various air filters I tried made zero difference. You have to remember, BHP can not be measured, only calculated, and if you put the same car, on the same dyno, with the same filter fitted, and do 10 dyno runs, you will get 10 different figures. So many things come into play, and every dyno & mapper has their own calculations for measuring BHP. Any tiny variations of plus or minus 5 BHP are simply down to these natural variations on each run. People are always looking for gains on engines and believe any old shyte, and performance filter manufacturers are just selling a dream. An engine is basically just an air pump, and so long as you are getting enough air into the engine (even from a standard filter), the intake temps, timing, and fuelling can only do so much. Adding more air flow from the intake won't gain you any extra power unless everything else is adjusted to balance that out and take advantage of it. The thing which is holding my car back is fuelling, and to get my engine to around 480-490 BHP an upgraded high pressure fuel pump is needed. I could fit one and keep the standard air filter, and still get the same power regardless. Just for balance, I work in the motor industry too, and actually sell parts including K&N filters. We had the reps from K&N in to our office, to 'train' us about their products. We all came away with the same opinion, which was basically overpriced shyte.
@@DjNikGnashers Hi. I believe you. All turbos work the same: they are set to gain particular overpressure compared to non-turbo engines. If there is too high air pressure special valve releases part of this additional air or there is mechanism inside turbo which decrease air pressure (depends on model). So until we don`t have too much overboosted engine k&n air lifter shoud not give any gains.
hello folks, Absolutely authentic and transparent test. Thank you very much Sir. Best testing I've got ever seen on YT. It will be difficult to be even better! Greetings Marcel
Thanks for this review, I like K&N filters but knew they let in too much dirt so I dont use them. After seeing this, the AEM is comparable and is a better filter as far as good air flow with good filtering.
So happy that you also came to the conclusion that a somewhat dirty filter is more efficient than a new. Not easy to convince people about that. Worked with filtration for 8 years
to test the flow performance of the filters try using your diy chamber and pull air using a blower fan or better a vacuum cleaner, then measure the pressure drop inside with an low pressure sensor. For remapping the car if you don’t want to add too much extra stress on components you can try keeping the old torque up to higher revs until you reach the desired horse power. for example 250Nm @4000rpm would give you 140Hp
This video is EXACTLY the information I was searching for. I run the AEM and felt they were a good balance over the Factory box. Granted, I don't see as much of a difference as if I used a K&N but the efficiency of filtration and balance of performance for my daily drivers are putting my mind at ease.
Not to mention you don't have to spend $10-$20 bucks every 10,000miles. I personally didn't buy a AEM for performance, truth is the only time you get any performance is a WOT, which the average person doesn't drive that way. The reason I did get a AEM is in the long run I'm saving money. Does't cost me 20 bucks to vacuum my filter every other oil change. :D
After so many years of pondering how really those filters outperform one another now I got the clearest idea. Thanks for this very helpful info. More please on some aspects about car performance!!
Excelent ca de fiecare dată! Eu de la tine am aflat și de atunci tot Mahle iau. În plus, îs făcute la Timișoara. Dacă ai putea testa și cu motor aspirat natural ar fi ceva. Totuși pentru 2-3 cai în plus, nu știu dacă are sens uzura în plus a motorului, mai ales la cât praf e la noi...
I have been saying for years that newer cars (1970 and up) are equipped with cold air intakes and filters calibrated to handle the cubic air flow of the engines they build and install. Air filters handle air for full throttle max rpm with room for flow after they start getting dirty. At normal driving the air flow is even way less. It probably averages somewhere below 50% of WOT max RPM so that gives the partially dirty filter even much more use before it actually starts restricting in most cases. The medicine show is still alive and well in every corner in this day and age. From automotive and marine performance to computers, phones, kitchen appliances, soaps and medications. All you need to do is advertise like your some kind of expert and get people to say they have used the product and rant and rave about it because everyone weather they believe in God or not, wants a cheap miracle. In many cases many of the claims can't be proven or dis proven and in these cases I assume they are just marketing claims.
It really depends from car model to car model, some have fantastic air intakes and others have intakes that are just barely good enough for stock power.
Exacto, una persona objetiva, esto es marketing, las compañías se pelean y destrozan y contratan a you tubers, semi expertos, cuando las empresas grandes tienen super equipos de prueba y controlados y certificados, y auditados por los gobiernos y departamentos de consumidor, y no por laboratorios artesanales sesgados a modo. Exagero diciendo que el KNN es como no tener filtró. Exagero.
No one wants a cheap miracle….we just want affordability while increasing performance. Especially with ALL THE PRICES GOING UP. A miracle fixing inflation would be a “cheap” miracle 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
I had used drop in and open Filters from K&N; BMC; JR; INJEN and No names - in about 12 cars and about 700.000 kilometers and never had any Problem with them. Maybe there´s mostly no really power increase but - on low rpm`s you can feel definitely a better and more sensitive throttle response! And the Intake noise is sometimes also better!
Absolutely with you. Plenty people here saying lost of claims for the air filter but is as well the rest of the maintenance including the oil quality and oil filter quality.some people uses engine oils of £20 and oil filters of £3 and then say that the maintenance is done😂😂😂
Give your engine more time and those particles the KnN is allowing to pass wi score your piston and cylinder walls and start to cause oil leaks at the seals. You aren't really gaining any power, just induction noise an a very small throttle response increase. Get a Wix gold paper filter.
That recyling gave me an idea. I checked the part number for the air filter in my car, and turns out all BMW E46s have the same filter, from 316i with barely over 100hp to M3 CSL with 360hp.
@@JTa-l6yThe opposite: are better on NA engine. On new turbo engine air pressure on intake is constantly measured... If is less the waste gate open later to give same air pressure. Obviously in standard condition... If you make big tuning is different.
@ziofrenko not always as my car has twin turbos and doesn't have a maf sensor, my car uses speed density by a boost pressure sensor and a map sensor. Thus getting g more air since the wastegates are electronic controlled and by boost pressure only. Most newer cars use a maf sensor aka Mas airflow sensor that meters measured air coming in. And adjust fuel and boost accordingly. The only place u run into problem is by running a bov on a maf car and can cause the car to run lean or to rich and stall. On a car with speed density it doesn't matter. As there is no maf to Metter air coming in. Also having a high flow air filter doesn't effect either vehicle only bov or bod aka diverted valve. And a tune. But just a filter ur ecu should acount for more air adjusting a/f ratio and to do it properly u have to remove negative battery cable and wait a few hrs then re connect this will reset the long term and short term fuel trims. And force ecu re learn.
If the stock ECU map is that conservative, it's possible that the airflow through the filter is simply not a performance bottleneck at stock tune. It would be interesting to see the results of different filters after tuning.
That is the video about filters I was hoping for. There's not a lot information about the particle reduction aspect of these filters. Thank you for your work mate
Paper filter - clean every other oil change. K&N/ re-washable - clean 1-2 times between oil changes. You want to clean the rewashable ones more frequently, as the impacted dirt has a chance to become drawn in more easily and the oil on oiled ones begins to dry out and lose effectiveness. So it's all fine... Just keep the airbox clean. The inbox and air box resonator can house a lot of debris that just bounces around and gets pulled in. May as well use a shop vac and get the immediate stuff camping out and then run an air pressure hose through the snorkel and push it out the wheel well/ bumper.
Hey Sergiu, as you said yourself, since you ride a turbo diesel engine, the air is exactly regulated because of the Turbo. Also keep in mind, that a diesel Engine regulates its power by changing the ratio of diesel to air, which means it always runs with too much air. While a gasoline engine always tries to have the same ratio between air and gasoline. Which means that, more air is automatically more gas and therefore more combustible mixture. I know it is a bit more complex than that, but this would be too long. As you also mentioned, most of the time the car manufacturers oversize the Filter, so what i would find very interesting is what would happen with a "naturally aspirated engine". But then again it would have to be one with limited Airflow. Btw. I really like your Videos ;) Best Regards
Perfect. Finally, someone showed the reality to those Internet magicians where reality is and proved it with measurements. I keep saying that all the mess in the engine, on the turbo blades, then in the cylinders, in the oil, and then you grind everything in the engine nicely.
It's not the amount of air that gives you power, but its temperature. On my car with a standard filter, I modified the intake to get more cold air from outside. This gave a noticeable difference from the standard intake system.
It's actually both. The key is to increase the amount of oxygen, which you can achieve in two ways: 1) Increase the amount of air inducted into the engine. 2) Cool the air, or make sure it's as cool as possible, since cool air have a higher density/more oxygen per volume than hotter air.
@@marcusjosefsson4998 ah yes but then your forgetting one thing aswell.. with more more cold air you need more fuel.. that’s why fuel upgrades are essential in any high power modification to any engine
@@deathtoming2201 True. I didn't forget it, just stressed the importance of cool air/oxygen since that's the core issue here. The air is a prerequisite to be able to burn more fuel, so it's always a good start.
After I have seen your vids about the filters it let me thinking if a K&N is the right choice. They filter less dust ( in my area it's not dusty) and no big hp benefits. I have put this morning a K&N filter in my Seat Exeo with 2 liter engine. The main reason for me it's the sound it gives. Now I hear the turbo sucking air and I love to hear that. I have cleaned the air hoses before the filter just to make sure I don't have unnecessary dust that could harm my engine
I used Green Filter, I don't know if this brought more power, but the engine responded a little better and consumed a little less. Engine sound was better. Good Test!
Why would you think a foam filter will be any different? A paper filter is almost the same as no filter at all as the engine gets all the air it needs. The only thing you're going to find is the foam filter lets through more particles that will damage your engine over time, especially if used in very dirty conditions
It is interesting that the new and used filters were different up to a point and then the same. I'd like to guess at a potential cause of this. Below a certain RPM, the turbo isn't making boost. This means the engine relies on having the draw air in itself. A blocked filter will reduce this. As soon as the turbo comes on properly, the engine has an exess of air and the turbo sucks harder through the filter. As such, even with a slighty blocked filter, the turbo will compensate and make up the target boost pressure (usually by actuating the vnts a little more to increase the turbos "suck")
Remember guys, the engine is a air pump. It breaths air. The only way for a Naturally aspirated engine to breathe IN more is to free up the exhaust side. A restrictive exhaust will restrict how much air it can breathe in. This is why you feel MOST gain when you do both sides. Both work together for max gains.
You'll typically lose power with aftermarket because it reduces scavaging. Engineers are pretty smart. For a DD stock car, keeping it stock is best in terms.of the engine and exhaust
@@JohnBoulding Yes engineer's are smart but lack common sense. I own several cars and the only car i own that is 100% stock is my truck that is my daily driver. My other "cars" are all modified.
@@ACommenterOnTH-cam cool snd modding is fun..but my main point is for the typical car, adding exhaust mods, intakes, etc you will rob lower end torque to gain sound..they aren't performance mods. With an ECU tune, some mods can add power but most guys just slap on bigger mufflers and piping, and intakes , and wonder why the car isn't faster.
Thank you for this video, the result surprised me, but also pleased me, as now I am confident that leaving the original filter in my car is all I need to get maximum power from my engine !
K&N have or had an article on their website which basically said: When the engine in running, the vibration from the running engine shakes the filter, this causes the cotton to sway back n forth really fast, its the swaying back n forth that is catching the particles. I've been running K&N for years, the top of the airbox is as clean as it was in 2006 when the car was new. The bottom of the airbox gets quite nasty after a while. It would be good to see you do the test again, with added vibration to simulate the running engine. See if there is any truth in it?
I've learnt a lot from your video. Thanks. Next time I need a new filter, instead of forking out £20 to £30 for a new one, I'm going to cut out the filter material from the old filter and replace it with a few layers of J-cloth or microfibre cloth. I reckon this will cost about £15 to £25 LESS than a new filter and will probably work just as well. I might experiment with soaking the cloths in the oil used to lubricate chain-saw blades as this is quite a 'sticky' type of oil.
I have to admit, I am quite impressed that the Dyno proves on a commonality that high-performance air filters do not necessarily make the best gain. Rather, the gain is done electronically and mechanically through the engine itself. I’ve known for over a decade how bad K&N filters are and have profusely tried to share the same knowledge so others are aware of how bad they actually filter particles. I was a diehard K&N fan, until somebody educated me like this guy did as well. If you can hold your filter up to the sun and see that burning ball through some of the micro pleats, you know the filter is not filtering. This is the baseline reason why K&N suffers at filtration for particles, but exceeds an air passage. Great job on explaining it here as well too!.
Every car responds differently to aftermarket filters. Every manufacturer tunes differently. A Hemi Ram loves a K&n filter but the V6 Ram uses the same air box and can't be improved by any means including a legitimate cold air intake because it's already getting more air than it'll ever need. Painting with such broad strokes is idiotic. K&N filters are completely fine for normal people who just commute to work and have enough common sense to oil them properly. I've put them in every vehicle I've ever owned, makes a difference on some V8's depending on how restrictive the oem filter is. I'm making it my goal to educate people based on my 30 years of experience with them...instead of just talking out my ass like you.
Yesterday I replaced k&n air filter.I repeatedly tested the same throttle as my usual driving habits. The response to upshifts and downshifts is more sensitive than before.i can tell the difference.big difference.
Even tho yes more particles travel through cold air intakes testing them inside a shop where there is the same warm air going in through the fan system your gonna get roughly the same results. Only difference in that instance is the cold air allows more air in which no1 usually measures. By allowing the cold air intakes to suck up that extra air you are rewarded with a faster spool on a turbo charger and more air to be sucked in by a supercharger. Colder the air the more power from the combustion chamber.
Hello Sergiu I'm a big fan of your work, can you please test foam filters like Uni or Pipercross. And I know one trick to help partical retention is to place women nylon stocking over the air filter, I wish to see if it's working. You are the best at what you do !
There are other videos on TH-cam testing these ‘covers’ - they help with particle retention but then you literally lose all of your increased airflow/power… 🧐
A K&N works by the pulsating intake of the intake cycles. (The gauze gets agitated and the moving strands creat a finer filter) Having it tested on a flow bench means it will flow alot but not filter.
Completely expected result. And open intake systems can even reduce the power due to 2 reasons: 1. more intake of hot engine compartment air and 2. some stock intakes have a resonance function in naturally aspirated cars, which increases the airflow (which is lost when the stock intake system is removed or modified) 🤓
The first one is correct, the second one not so much. If you put in a cold air intake without a remap, the engine will misscalculate the amount of air and thus the mixture. Which it will fix with fuel trims during normal load, but not WOT. So the performance loss is mostly due to people not remapping it afterwards. And if the resonators counteract pumping losses, itll be minimal.
For testing it would have been good to retest the original filter at the end to see if there was any effect caused by heat soak. But thank you for the video. I love watching dyno tests.
Excelent video-ul! Cautam asa ceva de cateva luni si nu pot sa cred ca am gasit chiar de la un roman, felicitari! Mi-am luat un filtru con pentru masina si, chiar daca suna mult mai bine motorul, nu puteam nici cum sa merg cu el linistit pe strada ca si daily driver. Tot timpul imi statea pe cap ideea ca "da, acum e bine, dar in 20.000km cum va fi?". Multumesc tare mult, m-ai salvat de o groaza de stres! Subscribed
Hi. Nice video. The experiment about the dust is very importat. I need to mention that at new cars 2013 year and after putting a different filter ecu needs 3-4 days to read changes about air mettering. Fiesta 1.0 ecoboost 140ps. When i put k&n filter, hks and original the differences were after the third day. I start seaching about that and that happens.even new bikes
The engine mapping will only allow to combust what it's programmed for, you only see a difference if the filter is extremely dirty. You technically only lose pumping efficiency at a small scale, which mostly means you have to rev higher for the same power. BUT the "power" is felt in the accordion effect the air goes through. Which is why you see the "gains" at the start of the graph. Would LOVE to see the dyno graph with mid RPM throttle articulation that a normal drive goes though. And comare after 🥰 This makes a car feel more responsive when the throttle is moving. It's mostly noticeable on turbo cars. You should also note that any wet filter will contaminate the MAF sensor ;-) and if you go that route, remember to clean it after a few hundred miles when you first install it.. then again later after a thousand miles. Some 15 years ago I took the time to use my scanner and confirm everything I was feeling regarding throttle response and wet filter contamination affecting the MAF. Anyway, if you don't want to go through all that then buy a performance dry filter.. which in most cases is anything stock in any car made in the last 20 years for the stock tune :) AND! Clean your MAF every 15-30k
Real Talk! unless the ecu is asking for more air than the intake can provide the upgrades don't matter. For most of us it just sounds better going from 40 to 80 MPH.
They won't make a video of that because someone n/a engines react very well to better flowing air filters and then they will make an ass of themselves.... Every time someone wants to bash these tipe of filters they use a turbocharged engine where the amount of air in the engine is regulated ....
I've ordered BMC ones for my Naturally aspirated V10 with 2 filters. I'll let you know if there is gonna be a noticable difference. People say these stock audi paper filters are already very restrictive. If it would have to work on a car then it would defenitely be this one right?
@Yeah Right Exactly... Basically it depends on multiple factors. I'd love to see a comparison with an N/A engine. And multiple tipes, with or without MAF, electronic and mechanic throttle body and with or without a tune. It would be very interesting to see which setup reacts the best and/or worst and the amount of gain's.
There is a major flaw with this test when it comes to filtering. A leaf blower provides clean and consistent airflow, unfortunately an engine doesn't create clean and consistent air flow, the nature of an engine creates pulses. Those pulses make the little fibers in the K&N swing and drastically improve the filtering capabilities. David Vizard has a video perfectly explaining this.
My insight is the issue is probably not with the filters it is with the bottle neck design of air intake box were the air is restricted at the point of entry. I`m no engineer but from my personal experience it may have a noticeable affect on your vehicle if you open up the entry bottle neck to a much larger diameter. You most likely will notice transmission shifts smoother with faster throttle response, but you will lose the engine braking affect when you take your foot off the throttle pedal. It would be interesting to redo this test with your stock air box modified with a larger air entry area.... Great detail and most important the facts, thank you for your time I`m a new fan of your channel !
Ive just rebuilt a high performance 6.2 LS3 that had Camshaft/lifter problems ... it was rebuilt professionally.. 80,000km ago .. Most parts were salvageable and/but the valve Guides are Boarder-line worn out but reusable ... I was told but a reputable LS Cylinder head rebuilder that what mostly causes most Valve Guide wear in cylinder heads is Particles from the Intake system ... When/as he was telling me this ... I knew that the OTR K&N filter I had removed in the beginning was 'Notably' dirty ... but probably still high flowing .. My conclusion is 1)Cotton filters need to be cleaned and 'Oiled' regularly, 2) They take time to be Cleaned, Dried and Oiled 'Properly' (like 4hrs on a Hot day) Depending on $'s v's Time v's HPower ... a Disposable or 'quick Cleanable' far outways the the Big Wank of a Racing Brand to be wasted in City Driving and Rare Burnouts ...
I believe the difference in filters will show up differently in other platforms. My car is restricted on exhaust side... I replaced with K and N filters...had a noticeable difference when driving. Maily in throttle response and top end pull through 3rd. Now a full cat back added... LOTS of difference. So, if you change your filters and you have other restrictions....extra air just isn't going to do much on the intake side if it can't get out. A tune would show the biggest gains.
Also worth noting that small oil particles can be induced in to the intake air track from these filters and this can coat the element of the MAF sensor causing over time the sensor to read lower than expected - this in turn actually causes a slight loss in engine power due to the slight under reading of air mass intake caused by this contamination.
@@makantahi3731 I am not talking about dust or the filter itself, I am talking about the oil soak in the filter being sucked in to the intake system and contaminating the MAF sensor. You are right PCV and EGR contribute most to the intake system, so that’s exactly why these are passed in to the intake system AFTER the delicate MAF sensor, so not relevant to my comment at all.
That`s what happened to my Golf 4 Gti 1.8t back in the days. And believe me, the loss of power was significant. Since around 2010 all my cars get Pipercross, non-oiled filters. Sure, no extra power but just a little bit of cleaning every now and then and no waste, gives a good feeling.
Totally agree. If you care about your engine longevity and/or live in a dusty environment, don't fit any of these 'high perf' filters, specially K&N. The induction noise can be amazing and intoxicating but It was just scary to see how much dust one of these allowed into my 2003 Porsche C4S plenum. On an NA engine, you're better off just improving your exhaust, remapping the ECU, porting and polishing heads on the extreme.
I live in the north where it’s colder, would I be okay with a k&n filter, I just bought one yesterday idk if they’ve changed since but I bought one yesterday
Good morning, CONGRATULATIONS on the video lesson on filters... I just missed testing the pipercross polyethylene foam filter, or VW (RacingLine)... I await your response... thank you!
Hey man if you use box panel filter just upgraded to Big box panel filter you be more more better air some can add air compressor or compressed inside is help push easy in low rpm wind air comes fast flow inside box if you like looks stack or forge panel filter or carbon is best I use and is giving me natural roar of engine sport bass reduce noise weakness RPM engine I trust forge the are the best in game any car for value money if you want pay 700 plus go eventuri is good.
People made fun of me for having a HUGE tall K&N filter under the hood of my truck. Ontop the Holley carb - it barely left room for the hood to close. I lived around farm fields. Agricultural dust is very fine. Where I lived I got PLENTY of that very fine agricultural dust. So the more permissive pilter with the larger surface area made plenty of sense.
I’ve been using K&N for 17years in two cars - both turbo diesel - one car is now at 212k miles and the other 115k miles. I drive mainly rural roads and/or motorways. My view is that the pollutants on UK roads are mainly exhaust from other cars, particles of that size are going to go through all filters test IMO - I do concede that salted roads in winter may justify using OEM paper filter. I’ll probably give that a go as a precaution now I’ve started to worry after a combined 327k miles. Ps is there anyway I can in-watch this and worry about something else 🤣
With all the information so far, I think Sotck OEM Mahle Filter will work well. Also, You have done good work and put great effort for this video. Kudos to you have thank you for your efforts.
with the serial engine, the only advantage of the "sports" filter is the longer service life, or for some it is basically just cleaning and lifetime use.
I wish you would have chosen K&N’s dryflow filter instead-most people are aware that their oiled filters breathe very well, but don’t filter anywhere near the OEM filters.
would love to see a filtration test of a few foam filter brands eg itg and pipercross against paper standard and K&N/BMC. I argue foam filters have better filtration when oiled correctly (they are used in offroad/dirtbikes afterall) but not quite as free flowing as the cotton filters (not a bad thing in terms of engine protection)
I used K&N on my Harley because the K&N is reusable and saved me money in the long run vs buying new paper filters every few month and also because my Harley had cams, performance exhaust and a tuner.
I use the AEM. It's nice not having to buy air filters anymore and I just ensure I change my oil on the more aggressive use schedule (every 5k instead of 7.5k).
I appreciate the effort behind the test. But you took the wrong engine.... A turbo diesel engine with a high-pressure fuel injection system. It simply has its performance figures pre-set. Even if you blew extra air into the intake with a rotary vacuum cleaner, you'd hardly know anything. Because the turbo uses its own pressure through a regulator. Same thing with the injectors, they have their own fuel rate set. and the pump has some pressure. This test, you want to do it on a petrol atmospheric engine. Where even a small leak in the intake can make the car completely inoperable.
Thanks a lot it's by far the best video I've seen on TH-cam, I almost put a K&N to my car but after seeing this is just isn't worth it, the AEM looks like a better option just to get a nice engine sound.
Good video, thanks for that. So these performance filters do not bring anything in terms of performance. OK. I still have one and there is a reason: the normal filters are made of paper. At that time with the VW Touareg, water could get into the airbox due to the design. That dissolved the paper filter, parts of it were sucked in, engine damage, turbocharger, suction area, the chunks everywhere. To avoid this: filter on cotton and metal mesh. Please keep that in mind. 😉
![The ULTIMATE Air Filter Test [Engineer Tested]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RdbFAG5xbyY/mqdefault.jpg)
![The ULTIMATE Air Filter Test [Engineer Tested]](/img/tr.png)
Probably one of the nicest guys in all of TH-cam. Thanks for all the efforts. 👍👍
K&N is the manufacturer of AEM and Spectre. All of the filter types cross over between all of them. I've worked at K&N for years.
I've used a k&n drop in filter for 20 years. The same filter, just rinse and lightky re-oil. I have not had any issues with it. I've put about 80k miles on the filter and it still works great.
80k miles probably isn’t enough to notice a difference in engine life.
I believe it’s worth the price upfront. Washable filter will pay for its self within 3 yrs
Never had a K&N throw a code. If you over oil them your doing it wrong.
Yeah, ok. But has your engine been protected? Looks like the K&N is actually very bad at its main job, filtering. It was almost as bad as no filter at all in this test.
150,000 in 6 years
I'm surprised the AEM is so good without any 🛢️ on it that's impressive for being a "dry flow" filter so there's really no chance to mess up your mass air flow sensor from the oil 🛢️ on the filter + easier 2 clean👍👍
@@you_can_fuck_your_own_ass_69 no its been debunked that oil gets on a sensor after it has been oiled properly. Keyword. Dont over oil it and you will NEVER have a problem. People like to WELL over oil thinking more is better. A very light coat of oil is all that is needed. Never had a problem in 35+ years.
By far, the most reliable, easy to understand, not wasting my time, scientific test, I have ever seen!!! I am also an engineer in Auto Sales Business, who has a stage1 remapped Z4 20i. Now, If you have renewed the test after you remap your car, this video should have been your Phd :) please update it while your car is remapped.
Thank you. I just ordered an AEM to replace the K&N engine air filter on my car. I put a Mahle in the cabin this time but I'll most likely put a K&N one in there around my next oil change.
Honestly got it for the reusable aspect rather than performance. I don't like waste 😅 but i also don't want my engine to go to waste from the lack of filtration from K&N so thanks again for this video 🙏🏼
Makes no sense. Why would you put a k&n cabin filter in next time
It would have been interesting to see how the filters performed after the remap. Thank you for video and information as per usual.
Yes, exactly!
As the original filter is well calibrated enough for the original power, doesn't it limit the power after remap?!
This. Performance parts benefit greatly after a remap I was able to achieve 20bhp with just CAI and downpipe.
@@gwenc8900 It definitely does. I had a remapped 1.4Tjet with a slightly bigger turbo . It did 180+ on dyno with stock filter.After upgrading to a aftermarket performance filter it gained like 5hp. It did 184.8 .9
@@whitegptjet I think it's placebo effect here.
I have a 455bhp/634nm custom mapped M140i, and I use the standard BMW air filter. Even at the power I am running, the various air filters I tried made zero difference.
You have to remember, BHP can not be measured, only calculated, and if you put the same car, on the same dyno, with the same filter fitted, and do 10 dyno runs, you will get 10 different figures.
So many things come into play, and every dyno & mapper has their own calculations for measuring BHP.
Any tiny variations of plus or minus 5 BHP are simply down to these natural variations on each run.
People are always looking for gains on engines and believe any old shyte, and performance filter manufacturers are just selling a dream.
An engine is basically just an air pump, and so long as you are getting enough air into the engine (even from a standard filter), the intake temps, timing, and fuelling can only do so much. Adding more air flow from the intake won't gain you any extra power unless everything else is adjusted to balance that out and take advantage of it.
The thing which is holding my car back is fuelling, and to get my engine to around 480-490 BHP an upgraded high pressure fuel pump is needed. I could fit one and keep the standard air filter, and still get the same power regardless.
Just for balance, I work in the motor industry too, and actually sell parts including K&N filters. We had the reps from K&N in to our office, to 'train' us about their products. We all came away with the same opinion, which was basically overpriced shyte.
@@DjNikGnashers Hi. I believe you. All turbos work the same: they are set to gain particular overpressure compared to non-turbo engines. If there is too high air pressure special valve releases part of this additional air or there is mechanism inside turbo which decrease air pressure (depends on model). So until we don`t have too much overboosted engine k&n air lifter shoud not give any gains.
Great video! I've been using K&N air filters for well over 10 years and no issues. About 300,000KM on my Silverado.
hello folks,
Absolutely authentic and transparent test.
Thank you very much Sir.
Best testing I've got ever seen on YT.
It will be difficult to be even better!
Greetings
Marcel
I just love your very detailed reviews with a dash of humor! Keep em coming! =D
Thanks for this review, I like K&N filters but knew they let in too much dirt so I dont use them. After seeing this, the AEM is comparable and is a better filter as far as good air flow with good filtering.
I used a K&N filter for like 150k km and now the engine consumes alot of oil :(
WIX is actually doing the same as AEM, but WIX is a lot cheaper.
If its about filtering micro dust, take Hengst or Alco filters.
@@bogdaniojescu5889 I just bought a k&n filter🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️ is it really that bad
@@nizo6673 my engine had 358k km and it eats 1l of oil every 300 km.
@@bogdaniojescu5889 Is that due to the air filter, or is it just worn from all the use?
Really awesome test!
Benson and Gabor two of the best testers of automotive products on YT 👍🏻👍🏻
@@RickyG84 😁 don't forget the king of us all, Project Farm! :D
So happy that you also came to the conclusion that a somewhat dirty filter is more efficient than a new. Not easy to convince people about that. Worked with filtration for 8 years
but look how less the air volume it can only get mate.
Haven’t changed mine in 40km and it’s still pretty damn clean haha no use changing
I'm 63 years old & have owned 14 vehicles in my driving history since 1975 when I was 15 years old..I've used K&N Clean & Oil filters since then👍
Excellent video.thank you knowing the filters are a scam is very angering.Liars and cheats all around us,all the time
It's well known among auto engineers the larger particle score your pistons rings.But idiots out there won't listen to logic
@GTNova000 as if that can be proven.. I'm sure there are plenty of scored chamber walls and damaged piston rings from dirt out there.
63 years old, and still believing the same old shyte sold to you by marketing companies selling you a dream.
Sad mate.
But the video shows it's a bad filter compared to dry one.. personally my maf sensor went faulty with k&n after some 3 months of use
to test the flow performance of the filters try using your diy chamber and pull air using a blower fan or better a vacuum cleaner, then measure the pressure drop inside with an low pressure sensor.
For remapping the car if you don’t want to add too much extra stress on components you can try keeping the old torque up to higher revs until you reach the desired horse power. for example 250Nm @4000rpm would give you 140Hp
Respect pt munca depusă, realizez ca a ti-a luat foarte mult timp ! Excelent video!
This video is EXACTLY the information I was searching for. I run the AEM and felt they were a good balance over the Factory box. Granted, I don't see as much of a difference as if I used a K&N but the efficiency of filtration and balance of performance for my daily drivers are putting my mind at ease.
Not to mention you don't have to spend $10-$20 bucks every 10,000miles. I personally didn't buy a AEM for performance, truth is the only time you get any performance is a WOT, which the average person doesn't drive that way. The reason I did get a AEM is in the long run I'm saving money. Does't cost me 20 bucks to vacuum my filter every other oil change. :D
Yep, classic case of confirmation bias 😅
After so many years of pondering how really those filters outperform one another now I got the clearest idea. Thanks for this very helpful info. More please on some aspects about car performance!!
Excelent ca de fiecare dată! Eu de la tine am aflat și de atunci tot Mahle iau. În plus, îs făcute la Timișoara. Dacă ai putea testa și cu motor aspirat natural ar fi ceva. Totuși pentru 2-3 cai în plus, nu știu dacă are sens uzura în plus a motorului, mai ales la cât praf e la noi...
I have been saying for years that newer cars (1970 and up) are equipped with cold air intakes and filters calibrated to handle the cubic air flow of the engines they build and install. Air filters handle air for full throttle max rpm with room for flow after they start getting dirty. At normal driving the air flow is even way less. It probably averages somewhere below 50% of WOT max RPM so that gives the partially dirty filter even much more use before it actually starts restricting in most cases. The medicine show is still alive and well in every corner in this day and age. From automotive and marine performance to computers, phones, kitchen appliances, soaps and medications. All you need to do is advertise like your some kind of expert and get people to say they have used the product and rant and rave about it because everyone weather they believe in God or not, wants a cheap miracle. In many cases many of the claims can't be proven or dis proven and in these cases I assume they are just marketing claims.
It really depends from car model to car model, some have fantastic air intakes and others have intakes that are just barely good enough for stock power.
Exacto, una persona objetiva, esto es marketing, las compañías se pelean y destrozan y contratan a you tubers, semi expertos, cuando las empresas grandes tienen super equipos de prueba y controlados y certificados, y auditados por los gobiernos y departamentos de consumidor, y no por laboratorios artesanales sesgados a modo. Exagero diciendo que el KNN es como no tener filtró. Exagero.
No one wants a cheap miracle….we just want affordability while increasing performance. Especially with ALL THE PRICES GOING UP. A miracle fixing inflation would be a “cheap” miracle 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
I had used drop in and open Filters from K&N; BMC; JR; INJEN and No names - in about 12 cars and about 700.000 kilometers and never had any Problem with them.
Maybe there´s mostly no really power increase but - on low rpm`s you can feel definitely a better and more sensitive throttle response! And the Intake noise is
sometimes also better!
It's in your mind.
@@matthewking5612 …th-cam.com/video/GS69owXpGdY/w-d-xo.html
I have a bridge to sell you, real cheap!
Absolutely with you. Plenty people here saying lost of claims for the air filter but is as well the rest of the maintenance including the oil quality and oil filter quality.some people uses engine oils of £20 and oil filters of £3 and then say that the maintenance is done😂😂😂
Give your engine more time and those particles the KnN is allowing to pass wi score your piston and cylinder walls and start to cause oil leaks at the seals.
You aren't really gaining any power, just induction noise an a very small throttle response increase. Get a Wix gold paper filter.
That recyling gave me an idea. I checked the part number for the air filter in my car, and turns out all BMW E46s have the same filter, from 316i with barely over 100hp to M3 CSL with 360hp.
I kinda like that the AEM doesn't need to be replaced as often. Not surprised that OEM is ideal for a typical daily driver.
KN is exactly the same.
Higher flow air filters are better for forced induction vehicles with either turbo or supercharger.
@@JTa-l6yThe opposite: are better on NA engine.
On new turbo engine air pressure on intake is constantly measured... If is less the waste gate open later to give same air pressure.
Obviously in standard condition... If you make big tuning is different.
@ziofrenko not always as my car has twin turbos and doesn't have a maf sensor, my car uses speed density by a boost pressure sensor and a map sensor. Thus getting g more air since the wastegates are electronic controlled and by boost pressure only. Most newer cars use a maf sensor aka Mas airflow sensor that meters measured air coming in. And adjust fuel and boost accordingly. The only place u run into problem is by running a bov on a maf car and can cause the car to run lean or to rich and stall. On a car with speed density it doesn't matter. As there is no maf to Metter air coming in. Also having a high flow air filter doesn't effect either vehicle only bov or bod aka diverted valve. And a tune. But just a filter ur ecu should acount for more air adjusting a/f ratio and to do it properly u have to remove negative battery cable and wait a few hrs then re connect this will reset the long term and short term fuel trims. And force ecu re learn.
If the stock ECU map is that conservative, it's possible that the airflow through the filter is simply not a performance bottleneck at stock tune. It would be interesting to see the results of different filters after tuning.
Felicitari pentru continut. Videourile tale necesita foarte mult echipament si pregatiri!
Fucking hell, what a quality video. Mad props, mate. Thanks for all the time and study you put into this!
That is the video about filters I was hoping for. There's not a lot information about the particle reduction aspect of these filters. Thank you for your work mate
Paper filter - clean every other oil change.
K&N/ re-washable - clean 1-2 times between oil changes.
You want to clean the rewashable ones more frequently, as the impacted dirt has a chance to become drawn in more easily and the oil on oiled ones begins to dry out and lose effectiveness. So it's all fine... Just keep the airbox clean. The inbox and air box resonator can house a lot of debris that just bounces around and gets pulled in. May as well use a shop vac and get the immediate stuff camping out and then run an air pressure hose through the snorkel and push it out the wheel well/ bumper.
Hey Sergiu,
as you said yourself, since you ride a turbo diesel engine, the air is exactly regulated because of the Turbo. Also keep in mind, that a diesel Engine regulates its power by changing the ratio of diesel to air, which means it always runs with too much air. While a gasoline engine always tries to have the same ratio between air and gasoline. Which means that, more air is automatically more gas and therefore more combustible mixture. I know it is a bit more complex than that, but this would be too long. As you also mentioned, most of the time the car manufacturers oversize the Filter, so what i would find very interesting is what would happen with a "naturally aspirated engine". But then again it would have to be one with limited Airflow.
Btw. I really like your Videos ;)
Best Regards
Perfect. Finally, someone showed the reality to those Internet magicians where reality is and proved it with measurements. I keep saying that all the mess in the engine, on the turbo blades, then in the cylinders, in the oil, and then you grind everything in the engine nicely.
AEM and K & N dry flow engine filters are the only ones I use. I use the K & N cabin filters as well for over 8 years
It's not the amount of air that gives you power, but its temperature. On my car with a standard filter, I modified the intake to get more cold air from outside. This gave a noticeable difference from the standard intake system.
It's actually both.
The key is to increase the amount of oxygen, which you can achieve in two ways:
1) Increase the amount of air inducted into the engine.
2) Cool the air, or make sure it's as cool as possible, since cool air have a higher density/more oxygen per volume than hotter air.
@@marcusjosefsson4998 ah yes but then your forgetting one thing aswell.. with more more cold air you need more fuel.. that’s why fuel upgrades are essential in any high power modification to any engine
@@deathtoming2201 True. I didn't forget it, just stressed the importance of cool air/oxygen since that's the core issue here.
The air is a prerequisite to be able to burn more fuel, so it's always a good start.
You mean ambient air, right? It's not necessarily "cold"..
👍👍@@marcusjosefsson4998
Merci ! Enfin quelqu’un qui compare les filtres avec un passage au banc en plus 💪🏼🤙🏼
I loved this video. You are bringing the truth out. Many people don't believe me when im explaining this to them.
Thank you for the proper explanation of having direct intake air filter vs placing the filter exposed under the bonnet
Awesome vid! Also so much information gained from this video so much more than others I’ve watched. TY!!
After I have seen your vids about the filters it let me thinking if a K&N is the right choice. They filter less dust ( in my area it's not dusty) and no big hp benefits. I have put this morning a K&N filter in my Seat Exeo with 2 liter engine. The main reason for me it's the sound it gives. Now I hear the turbo sucking air and I love to hear that. I have cleaned the air hoses before the filter just to make sure I don't have unnecessary dust that could harm my engine
An honest review a breath of fresh air
I used Green Filter, I don't know if this brought more power, but the engine responded a little better and consumed a little less. Engine sound was better. Good Test!
Can you please do a comparison against foam filters? Something like a pipercross, I would like to see how well they filter etc.
Why would you think a foam filter will be any different? A paper filter is almost the same as no filter at all as the engine gets all the air it needs. The only thing you're going to find is the foam filter lets through more particles that will damage your engine over time, especially if used in very dirty conditions
@@darrenpardoe they filter better than kn does
It is interesting that the new and used filters were different up to a point and then the same. I'd like to guess at a potential cause of this. Below a certain RPM, the turbo isn't making boost. This means the engine relies on having the draw air in itself. A blocked filter will reduce this. As soon as the turbo comes on properly, the engine has an exess of air and the turbo sucks harder through the filter. As such, even with a slighty blocked filter, the turbo will compensate and make up the target boost pressure (usually by actuating the vnts a little more to increase the turbos "suck")
It may have helped it spool. But dynos aren't typically very accurate at the beginning of the run
Remember guys, the engine is a air pump. It breaths air. The only way for a Naturally aspirated engine to breathe IN more is to free up the exhaust side. A restrictive exhaust will restrict how much air it can breathe in.
This is why you feel MOST gain when you do both sides. Both work together for max gains.
So small carb for lawn mower on v8 and free up exhaust right?
Oversized exhaust = No scavenging effect
You'll typically lose power with aftermarket because it reduces scavaging. Engineers are pretty smart. For a DD stock car, keeping it stock is best in terms.of the engine and exhaust
@@JohnBoulding Yes engineer's are smart but lack common sense. I own several cars and the only car i own that is 100% stock is my truck that is my daily driver.
My other "cars" are all modified.
@@ACommenterOnTH-cam cool snd modding is fun..but my main point is for the typical car, adding exhaust mods, intakes, etc you will rob lower end torque to gain sound..they aren't performance mods. With an ECU tune, some mods can add power but most guys just slap on bigger mufflers and piping, and intakes , and wonder why the car isn't faster.
Your level of effort is incredible. Amazing!
Well I had fuel consumption difference between Mahle and K&N in a BMW 318. It was 0.5l less fuel consumption with K&N so YES they make a difference
Thank you for this video, the result surprised me, but also pleased me, as now I am confident that leaving the original filter in my car is all I need to get maximum power from my engine !
K&N have or had an article on their website which basically said: When the engine in running, the vibration from the running engine shakes the filter, this causes the cotton to sway back n forth really fast, its the swaying back n forth that is catching the particles. I've been running K&N for years, the top of the airbox is as clean as it was in 2006 when the car was new. The bottom of the airbox gets quite nasty after a while.
It would be good to see you do the test again, with added vibration to simulate the running engine. See if there is any truth in it?
Very good Point!
Thats bs
@@dzenan.m No its not. Go read K&Ns website.
@@theenglishtrucker1849 🤦🏻♂️ thats what I AM calling bs
IT'S NOT BS, IT HAS BEEN TESTED THE CORRECT WAY WHICH IS IN AN ACTUAL RUNNING ENGINE!!
I've learnt a lot from your video. Thanks. Next time I need a new filter, instead of forking out £20 to £30 for a new one, I'm going to cut out the filter material from the old filter and replace it with a few layers of J-cloth or microfibre cloth. I reckon this will cost about £15 to £25 LESS than a new filter and will probably work just as well. I might experiment with soaking the cloths in the oil used to lubricate chain-saw blades as this is quite a 'sticky' type of oil.
I have to admit, I am quite impressed that the Dyno proves on a commonality that high-performance air filters do not necessarily make the best gain. Rather, the gain is done electronically and mechanically through the engine itself. I’ve known for over a decade how bad K&N filters are and have profusely tried to share the same knowledge so others are aware of how bad they actually filter particles. I was a diehard K&N fan, until somebody educated me like this guy did as well. If you can hold your filter up to the sun and see that burning ball through some of the micro pleats, you know the filter is not filtering. This is the baseline reason why K&N suffers at filtration for particles, but exceeds an air passage. Great job on explaining it here as well too!.
Every car responds differently to aftermarket filters. Every manufacturer tunes differently. A Hemi Ram loves a K&n filter but the V6 Ram uses the same air box and can't be improved by any means including a legitimate cold air intake because it's already getting more air than it'll ever need. Painting with such broad strokes is idiotic. K&N filters are completely fine for normal people who just commute to work and have enough common sense to oil them properly. I've put them in every vehicle I've ever owned, makes a difference on some V8's depending on how restrictive the oem filter is. I'm making it my goal to educate people based on my 30 years of experience with them...instead of just talking out my ass like you.
Very informative videos, really liked it. Please keep uploading the great videos like this.
Excellent review! I love the evidence based decision
Yesterday I replaced k&n air filter.I repeatedly tested the same throttle as my usual driving habits. The response to upshifts and downshifts is more sensitive than before.i can tell the difference.big difference.
Thank you for sharing this. Hopefully I was able to change my filter out soon enough to prolong the life of my engine.
When you make another video with performance air filters please test the filter from pipercross.
Even tho yes more particles travel through cold air intakes testing them inside a shop where there is the same warm air going in through the fan system your gonna get roughly the same results. Only difference in that instance is the cold air allows more air in which no1 usually measures. By allowing the cold air intakes to suck up that extra air you are rewarded with a faster spool on a turbo charger and more air to be sucked in by a supercharger. Colder the air the more power from the combustion chamber.
I put an AEM in my new Subaru as soon as I got home from the dealership. It’s been a year and thanks to your video I may swap back to the OEM filter
Best analysis of balance between power and engine protection
Hello Sergiu I'm a big fan of your work, can you please test foam filters like Uni or Pipercross. And I know one trick to help partical retention is to place women nylon stocking over the air filter, I wish to see if it's working. You are the best at what you do !
There are other videos on TH-cam testing these ‘covers’ - they help with particle retention but then you literally lose all of your increased airflow/power… 🧐
A K&N works by the pulsating intake of the intake cycles. (The gauze gets agitated and the moving strands creat a finer filter) Having it tested on a flow bench means it will flow alot but not filter.
Completely expected result. And open intake systems can even reduce the power due to 2 reasons: 1. more intake of hot engine compartment air and 2. some stock intakes have a resonance function in naturally aspirated cars, which increases the airflow (which is lost when the stock intake system is removed or modified) 🤓
The first one is correct, the second one not so much. If you put in a cold air intake without a remap, the engine will misscalculate the amount of air and thus the mixture. Which it will fix with fuel trims during normal load, but not WOT. So the performance loss is mostly due to people not remapping it afterwards. And if the resonators counteract pumping losses, itll be minimal.
For testing it would have been good to retest the original filter at the end to see if there was any effect caused by heat soak. But thank you for the video. I love watching dyno tests.
Excelent video-ul! Cautam asa ceva de cateva luni si nu pot sa cred ca am gasit chiar de la un roman, felicitari! Mi-am luat un filtru con pentru masina si, chiar daca suna mult mai bine motorul, nu puteam nici cum sa merg cu el linistit pe strada ca si daily driver. Tot timpul imi statea pe cap ideea ca "da, acum e bine, dar in 20.000km cum va fi?". Multumesc tare mult, m-ai salvat de o groaza de stres! Subscribed
Hi. Nice video. The experiment about the dust is very importat. I need to mention that at new cars 2013 year and after putting a different filter ecu needs 3-4 days to read changes about air mettering. Fiesta 1.0 ecoboost 140ps. When i put k&n filter, hks and original the differences were after the third day. I start seaching about that and that happens.even new bikes
I see many comments saying to test foam filters that would be really interesting .
Some brands to test pipercross and ramair .
The engine mapping will only allow to combust what it's programmed for, you only see a difference if the filter is extremely dirty. You technically only lose pumping efficiency at a small scale, which mostly means you have to rev higher for the same power. BUT the "power" is felt in the accordion effect the air goes through. Which is why you see the "gains" at the start of the graph. Would LOVE to see the dyno graph with mid RPM throttle articulation that a normal drive goes though. And comare after 🥰
This makes a car feel more responsive when the throttle is moving. It's mostly noticeable on turbo cars.
You should also note that any wet filter will contaminate the MAF sensor ;-) and if you go that route, remember to clean it after a few hundred miles when you first install it.. then again later after a thousand miles.
Some 15 years ago I took the time to use my scanner and confirm everything I was feeling regarding throttle response and wet filter contamination affecting the MAF.
Anyway, if you don't want to go through all that then buy a performance dry filter.. which in most cases is anything stock in any car made in the last 20 years for the stock tune :) AND! Clean your MAF every 15-30k
What going happen ?
Real Talk! unless the ecu is asking for more air than the intake can provide the upgrades don't matter. For most of us it just sounds better going from 40 to 80 MPH.
Curious to see the exact same test on a naturally aspirated engine
They won't make a video of that because someone n/a engines react very well to better flowing air filters and then they will make an ass of themselves.... Every time someone wants to bash these tipe of filters they use a turbocharged engine where the amount of air in the engine is regulated ....
I've ordered BMC ones for my Naturally aspirated V10 with 2 filters. I'll let you know if there is gonna be a noticable difference. People say these stock audi paper filters are already very restrictive. If it would have to work on a car then it would defenitely be this one right?
@@DJSPYROOF It would be interesting to see...
@Yeah Right Exactly... Basically it depends on multiple factors. I'd love to see a comparison with an N/A engine. And multiple tipes, with or without MAF, electronic and mechanic throttle body and with or without a tune. It would be very interesting to see which setup reacts the best and/or worst and the amount of gain's.
@@DJSPYROOF did u do it
There is a major flaw with this test when it comes to filtering. A leaf blower provides clean and consistent airflow, unfortunately an engine doesn't create clean and consistent air flow, the nature of an engine creates pulses. Those pulses make the little fibers in the K&N swing and drastically improve the filtering capabilities. David Vizard has a video perfectly explaining this.
bonito nombre xdd
My insight is the issue is probably not with the filters it is with the bottle neck design of air intake box were the air is restricted at the point of entry. I`m no engineer but from my personal experience it may have a noticeable affect on your vehicle if you open up the entry bottle neck to a much larger diameter.
You most likely will notice transmission shifts smoother with faster throttle response, but you will lose the engine braking affect when you take your foot off the throttle pedal.
It would be interesting to redo this test with your stock air box modified with a larger air entry area....
Great detail and most important the facts, thank you for your time I`m a new fan of your channel !
Ive just rebuilt a high performance 6.2 LS3 that had Camshaft/lifter problems ... it was rebuilt professionally.. 80,000km ago ..
Most parts were salvageable and/but the valve Guides are Boarder-line worn out but reusable ...
I was told but a reputable LS Cylinder head rebuilder that what mostly causes most Valve Guide wear in cylinder heads is Particles from the Intake system ...
When/as he was telling me this ... I knew that the OTR K&N filter I had removed in the beginning was 'Notably' dirty ... but probably still high flowing ..
My conclusion is 1)Cotton filters need to be cleaned and 'Oiled' regularly, 2) They take time to be Cleaned, Dried and Oiled 'Properly' (like 4hrs on a Hot day)
Depending on $'s v's Time v's HPower ... a Disposable or 'quick Cleanable' far outways the the Big Wank of a Racing Brand to be wasted in City Driving and Rare Burnouts ...
I believe the difference in filters will show up differently in other platforms. My car is restricted on exhaust side... I replaced with K and N filters...had a noticeable difference when driving. Maily in throttle response and top end pull through 3rd. Now a full cat back added... LOTS of difference. So, if you change your filters and you have other restrictions....extra air just isn't going to do much on the intake side if it can't get out. A tune would show the biggest gains.
Very good information, definately an eye opener for a lot of people.
Also worth noting that small oil particles can be induced in to the intake air track from these filters and this can coat the element of the MAF sensor causing over time the sensor to read lower than expected - this in turn actually causes a slight loss in engine power due to the slight under reading of air mass intake caused by this contamination.
pcv and egr make the most of dirt in intake, not dust that passed filter
@@makantahi3731 I am not talking about dust or the filter itself, I am talking about the oil soak in the filter being sucked in to the intake system and contaminating the MAF sensor.
You are right PCV and EGR contribute most to the intake system, so that’s exactly why these are passed in to the intake system AFTER the delicate MAF sensor, so not relevant to my comment at all.
That`s what happened to my Golf 4 Gti 1.8t back in the days. And believe me, the loss of power was significant. Since around 2010 all my cars get Pipercross, non-oiled filters. Sure, no extra power but just a little bit of cleaning every now and then and no waste, gives a good feeling.
@@makantahi3731 Those are always placed after the MAF.
@@makantahi3731oil from the PCV is burned. Silicon goes on to travel through your engine and scratch your pistons and cylinders
Love your reviews man!! Very scientific!! Keep up the cool reviews!! 👍🏻
Totally agree. If you care about your engine longevity and/or live in a dusty environment, don't fit any of these 'high perf' filters, specially K&N. The induction noise can be amazing and intoxicating but It was just scary to see how much dust one of these allowed into my 2003 Porsche C4S plenum. On an NA engine, you're better off just improving your exhaust, remapping the ECU, porting and polishing heads on the extreme.
I live in the north where it’s colder, would I be okay with a k&n filter, I just bought one yesterday idk if they’ve changed since but I bought one yesterday
@@nizo6673 IMHO, As long as it is not too dusty where you at, I can't see why not. Just be aware that it doesn't filter dust as good as OEM. Enjoy
@@Fred82ndAbn I did want a bit more sound of the turbo spooling up my car is a 2019 I’m not to worried as my car is still new only 2 years old
Thank you for this video! Clear and exactly what I was looking for!
Good morning, CONGRATULATIONS on the video lesson on filters... I just missed testing the pipercross polyethylene foam filter, or VW (RacingLine)... I await your response... thank you!
I Would like seeing you making a Test with a Pipercross Airfilter.
Really great Video and great to see all the Results you got out of there .
Hey man if you use box panel filter just upgraded to Big box panel filter you be more more better air some can add air compressor or compressed inside is help push easy in low rpm wind air comes fast flow inside box if you like looks stack or forge panel filter or carbon is best I use and is giving me natural roar of engine sport bass reduce noise weakness RPM engine I trust forge the are the best in game any car for value money if you want pay 700 plus go eventuri is good.
People made fun of me for having a HUGE tall K&N filter under the hood of my truck. Ontop the Holley carb - it barely left room for the hood to close. I lived around farm fields. Agricultural dust is very fine. Where I lived I got PLENTY of that very fine agricultural dust. So the more permissive pilter with the larger surface area made plenty of sense.
Great test! Really appreciated the dyno run which makes this an actual test thus no statements based on personal feeling or suggestions
This man is sth else.huge respect for you mr.gabor
Amazing video! Definitely going to reference this video when talking about intake systems!
Best video on this subject I’ve seen. Thank you
I’ve been using K&N for 17years in two cars - both turbo diesel - one car is now at 212k miles and the other 115k miles. I drive mainly rural roads and/or motorways. My view is that the pollutants on UK roads are mainly exhaust from other cars, particles of that size are going to go through all filters test IMO - I do concede that salted roads in winter may justify using OEM paper filter. I’ll probably give that a go as a precaution now I’ve started to worry after a combined 327k miles. Ps is there anyway I can in-watch this and worry about something else 🤣
Merci ! C'est une excellente vidéo 😀
With all the information so far, I think Sotck OEM Mahle Filter will work well. Also, You have done good work and put great effort for this video. Kudos to you have thank you for your efforts.
great video Sergui , well explaned and good documentation
Respect the effort he put in the review.
Excellent video! I was hoping to see a comparison to the aFe dry filter -- but this is a great start!
Good quality for such a small channel.
Thanks for your work.
with the serial engine, the only advantage of the "sports" filter is the longer service life, or for some it is basically just cleaning and lifetime use.
I wish you would have chosen K&N’s dryflow filter instead-most people are aware that their oiled filters breathe very well, but don’t filter anywhere near the OEM filters.
would love to see a filtration test of a few foam filter brands eg itg and pipercross against paper standard and K&N/BMC. I argue foam filters have better filtration when oiled correctly (they are used in offroad/dirtbikes afterall) but not quite as free flowing as the cotton filters (not a bad thing in terms of engine protection)
Agree, for example Pipercross i would really like to know.
I used K&N on my Harley because the K&N is reusable and saved me money in the long run vs buying new paper filters every few month and also because my Harley had cams, performance exhaust and a tuner.
I use the AEM. It's nice not having to buy air filters anymore and I just ensure I change my oil on the more aggressive use schedule (every 5k instead of 7.5k).
Ive read the AEM have to be replaced after 12000 miles, to make them clean will make the micro dust filtering all the time less and less working well.
I appreciate the effort behind the test.
But you took the wrong engine....
A turbo diesel engine with a high-pressure fuel injection system.
It simply has its performance figures pre-set.
Even if you blew extra air into the intake with a rotary vacuum cleaner, you'd hardly know anything. Because the turbo uses its own pressure through a regulator.
Same thing with the injectors, they have their own fuel rate set. and the pump has some pressure.
This test, you want to do it on a petrol atmospheric engine.
Where even a small leak in the intake can make the car completely inoperable.
Thanks a lot it's by far the best video I've seen on TH-cam, I almost put a K&N to my car but after seeing this is just isn't worth it, the AEM looks like a better option just to get a nice engine sound.
super interesant, de asemenea ar fi ideal de testat cum se comporta si un motor benzina fara turbo
A foam filter like the Pipercross dry filter would be interesting too in this test.
Good video, thanks for that. So these performance filters do not bring anything in terms of performance. OK. I still have one and there is a reason: the normal filters are made of paper. At that time with the VW Touareg, water could get into the airbox due to the design. That dissolved the paper filter, parts of it were sucked in, engine damage, turbocharger, suction area, the chunks everywhere. To avoid this: filter on cotton and metal mesh. Please keep that in mind. 😉
but if water passes through kn it will be damaged