AFE Stage II: Blue vs Gold. And other Turbo questions

[JasonCzerak]

I got second hand a Stage II kit for cheap ($100). The filter wasn't cared for so much. After 1/2 bottle of the cleaning solution it was still black-ish. One can of the Gold (on the orignal blue) and it's starting to be gold-ish.



So I need to get rid of this filter. In the mean time I'm running it since all the material is coated. I'll be checking tonight to see if there' s any dust or oil on the turbo. (50 miles of drive time).



BTW. I love this thing! ohh wow.



Pluses:



Idle at 2000RPM = 2-3PSI of boot. closer to 3000rpm it's about 10psi. Low boost fueling will most defiantly come on quicker



Sound: b1tch1n'



Response is gota be up. the butt dyno meter is feels an improvment.



Boost: 0-2-10-30-40-???psi real quick. Getting on the highway, 5th gear at 1800rpm get straight, roads have the wet look color. at the top end of 5th I lose the rear end (when the road was dry color), back out, grab 6th and I see the boost go from 12 to 30 to 40!!!



Here's the thing, stock turbo, I hear the whistle, then I hear a different noise, is that over speed?



Minuses: install, You have to remove the fender to get at one of hte bolts! Argh. I"ll do that this weekend for now, 2 of the 3 are stable.



Questions about hte media:



I understand the Blue flows more, and has less layers.



I understand the gold filters better and flows a bit less.



Now, knowing how internet pictures some times are not always the SAME or CORRECT.



The Blue one I have, has the end of the filter with the inverted filter for some more area. The pictures of my blue doesn't have that while pictures of the yellow online doesn't have it either. What's the scoop on this?



As far as experience. Is there a noticeable sound difference between the two on the highway?



What about spool, is it possible to tell the difference between the two?



Performance stuff:



I plan on getting a sps62 or 64 or if I can save enough, the smaller silver bullet. will the stage II need modifications to fit? What about with ATS manafold as well?



With bigger turbo pushing 55PSI will there be a noticeable difference between the blue or gold?



Over all, is there any real reason to go with the blue over hte gold?



Via geno's it's $140-ish for the Gold + Black pre filter + cleaning kit. I'm leaning toward that for the most part unless there are any good reason to stick with the Blue.

 

[JApol]

The gold and black one is the PG7 which is the only aFe that meets the filtration requirements for the cummins. There is a little bit less whistle with the PG7 but the better filtration is worth it.

I know what your are talking about the differant sound at high boost. I hear the sound differance at about the 25 PSI mark.

My advide is the ditch the old filter and spend the money on a brand new PG7 and not worry about the filtation.

 

[JasonCzerak]

The gold and black one is the PG7 which is the only aFe that meets the filtration requirements for the cummins. There is a little bit less whistle with the PG7 but the better filtration is worth it.

I know what your are talking about the differant sound at high boost. I hear the sound differance at about the 25 PSI mark.

My advide is the ditch the old filter and spend the money on a brand new PG7 and not worry about the filtation.

That's what I'm thinking as well. The more I read (really slacking off today at work) the more the PG7 is the way to go.

 

[d90boy]

PG7 is the only option IMHO and I recommend getting a prefilter as well. It will keep all the bugs, mostly flies, out from between the pleats which are hard to get out.

 

[JasonCzerak]

I just went a head and ordered the new stuff from geno's



PG7, Black prefilter (the blues aren't the same blue as my truck), and a re-fresh kit. $150 with shipping.



I've never had a washable filter this large before. How much oil and cleaning spary does one use to clean one of these things?



With the one I had here, one entire can of oil seems to cover things.

 

[CBrahs]

explain the wierd noise you are hearing on high boost. Is it like the turbo screams? I had that same problem w/ my 06 dmax after i installed the 5 inch turbo back (except for that squished down pipe) system. I have the 5 inch turbo back killed the kitty on my new truck and do not have that screaming sound.

 

[JasonCzerak]

explain the wierd noise you are hearing on high boost. Is it like the turbo screams? I had that same problem w/ my 06 dmax after i installed the 5 inch turbo back (except for that squished down pipe) system. I have the 5 inch turbo back killed the kitty on my new truck and do not have that screaming sound.

it's like the whistle goes away and a gear noise start. I'll have to winder her up on the highway a few times. since I got the new intake I've only make 2 40+psi runs and wasn't sure want to expect.

 

[JApol]

at higher boost levels the turbo sounds like a high volume air leak through a large hole. The sound I hear is it sounds like the hole has been plugged. I have checked and rechecked all connections to ensure that they are tight.

 

[McLaughlin]

I was under the impression a prefilter (cover) was not to be used with the PG7. Did I understand the AFE dealer wrong?

 

[JasonCzerak]

Geno's only sells the PG7, and has pre-filters as well. if hte prefilter is just a big net, I don't see why it would hurt.

 

[McLaughlin]

Geno's only sells the PG7, and has pre-filters as well. if hte prefilter is just a big net, I don't see why it would hurt.

I think it had something to do with additional flow restriction since the PG7 is supposed to flow less then the blue filter. But then the question is does the prefilter improved the level of filtering of the blue system for fine dust or is it more of a "screen" for the big items and to help prevent heavy oil/dirt build up on the main filter itself.

 

[JasonCzerak]

I think it had something to do with additional flow restriction since the PG7 is supposed to flow less then the blue filter. But then the question is does the prefilter improved the level of filtering of the blue system for fine dust or is it more of a "screen" for the big items and to help prevent heavy oil/dirt build up on the main filter itself.

good question.



One would assume it's for the big things, water, ect. I have not seen it personally but I would assume it has rather big holes.



The filter I got from my second hand kit has a few bee's and flyes stuck in hte media. and a hole lot of black that never did wash out.

 

[JCarrier]

I ran the Pg7 for almost a year on my AFE stage II. I switched to the blue AFE and I am a lot happier. Cooler EGTs and more sound. If your off road in the dust a lot then the PG7 is for you. If your not then I recomend a blue filter. No residue inside my intake tube after 2200 miles of the blue filter. just my . 02

 

[JGheen]

I ran the Pg7 for almost a year on my AFE stage II. I switched to the blue AFE and I am a lot happier. Cooler EGTs and more sound. If your off road in the dust a lot then the PG7 is for you. If your not then I recomend a blue filter. No residue inside my intake tube after 2200 miles of the blue filter. just my . 02

I too am running the blue filter on my Stg. 2 kit. Got the blue pre-filter and it has been working great. I drive a lot of highway miles so I just got the blue one instead of the PG7. The pre-filter seems to be working great and is also appearing to filter out quite a lot of the dirt as well as the larger particles. The pre-filter mesh is almost like a really firm nylon panty-hose type material. I personally would not run without one after seeing how well it filters. PG7s are nice but the blue does just as well with the pre-filter IMHO.



Joe

 

[JasonCzerak]

how much quieter can I expect the PG7 to be?



heck. I may even dyno the 2. Clean up the Blue one again and save it for dyno day and make one pull with the Blue

 

[JasonCzerak]

new filter arrived

Geno's is outa the black prefilters



So I got a blue one on the way. the PG7 is nice looking!



Unfortunately, they don't have the "inverted top" for the PG7 for our trucks. That'd be cool to get that little bit more surface area.



I'll have my truck back from the body shop tomorrow to report back on the "sound"



BTW, these filters ARE pre-oiled right? looks like this one is. the media it self is really white, but the oil makes it yellow?

 

[JApol]

Yes, the filter is pre-oiled. The filter should have come in a plastic bag to keep the cantaminates off of it while being in the box. If you like the blue color more clean the filter and use the non PG7 filter cleaning kit

 

[JasonCzerak]

Yes, the filter is pre-oiled. The filter should have come in a plastic bag to keep the cantaminates off of it while being in the box. If you like the blue color more clean the filter and use the non PG7 filter cleaning kit

pre-oiled, cool. yes in a plastic bag.



I have a blue pre-filter on the way. no biggie there for color.



I was just bummed about the inverted end not there, ohh well.

 

[DBohl]

I use the blue filter in the winter (less dirt in the air ) then switch to the PG 7 in the spring using a pre filter on both

 

[JasonCzerak]

Been a few days since I got my AFE PG7 installed.



Much quieter!. I would say 40%. . Lets put it this way. With the Blue, All you could hear is turbo and exhaust, more exhaust as the waste gate opened. No motor chatter at all!



With the PG7, you get a bit of both, some motor chatter, some turbo depending on your foot position. In cab highway whistle is much more comfortable for highway trips.



Turbo bark, quieter and less. you can still turn heads of the ricers when you let of the throttle at 25psi



Idle boost. at 2000rpm, it's a good 2psi. with the blue, It would bounce between 2 and 3psi. So a little less in that department.



I *think* I can feel the spool up difference between the blue and PG7. EGT's are up a little bit over the blue as well



The pre filter is cool! we'll have to wait until the next rain to see how well it repels water.



I'm going to stick with the PG7 since well, it's new, not abused, and it's a daily driver, kinda stupid not to. .



I'm going to attempt to clean up the blue filter tonight to turn the black/gold to white. It might be up for sale as well. Tho, if I can bet certain that the filtering capability of the blue isn't compromised as I think it may be, I may keep it just for them long summer nights cruising around making a but more noise :-laf