aire filter article?

[snuff]

hey been looking for the article on air filter flow, i can't seem to find it. i thought i read it here or in one of the tdr magazines. thanks... .

 

[CKelley1]

issue 65 page86. just remember flow is not everything. a k&n or airaid will reduce engine life by up to 75% and the open air boxes will lower efficiency and raise egt

 

[HBarlow]

issue 65 page86. just remember flow is not everything. a k&n or airaid will reduce engine life by up to 75% and the open air boxes will lower efficiency and raise egt

I agree. A mechanic friend who was a Dodge dealer tech for six or seven years has told me many stories of customers bringing their late model Dodge-Cummins trucks in with warranty complaints about oil consumption, smoking, low power. He says the first thing he always did was pop the air intake box cover.

The next thing that happened was the service writer called the owner to tell him his engine was trashed, his warranty was cancelled, and they would be happy to replace his engine at his expense.

I don't remember how many times over the years I've been a TDR member Joe Donnelly has published test reports or comment about his testing reporting that aftermarket air boxes and air filters will do nothing for the performance of engines until horsepower exceeds something like 450 hp.

I can't grasp the reason why so many are fascinated with aftermarket air filters.

 

[steved]

I can't grasp the reason why so many are fascinated with aftermarket air filters.

Its called good marketing... claims of "instant" horsepower from a $25 filter are very convincing for some people.

 

[GaryOwen]

More air filter info in issue 56 pages 150-156. It noted that an aFe Pro-Guard-7 air filter in the stock air box yielded 3. 2 more hp and 1. 0 lb-ft more torque. It also noted that there is typically a slight reduction in filter efficiency with this filter. The added performance may not be worth the added contaminates if operated in dusty conditions.



Personally, I wouldn't shell out the money for an aftermarket filter for such a small increase in performance. However, the 2003 that I recently sold had an AirAid filter that attached directly to the hose already installed when I purchased the truck with 79k miles. It wasn't the drop-in type. I had oil samples run on the truck and the silicon levels were less than average for trucks with a stock air filter. The last oil sample was at 488k miles and it was noted the filtration was performing very well.



Perhaps I just had a good filter, or perhaps it wasn't as dusty where I drove, but I had very good service from the filter. All that being said, I would recommend sticking with a stock air filter setup. The added performance is not worth the cost and possible risks.

 

[meanmatt]

I always find this topic fun to debate. I know the Dodge/Cummins warranty is very specific. So it can become voided very easily . However it is only 100,000 miles ,which is only a short amount of time if people keep their trucks as long as they bragg. Now on to the 75% more wear . If 500,000 miles was a concrete number guaranteed if you used certian filters. Now you put in a product that nocks off 75% of the life . You are now down to 125,000 miles. Thats still past warranty. In my opinion the guys that show up to the dealer with 50,000 miles and oil consumption and low power did alot more then just put in a drop in air filter .





I personally do have a drop in filter in a stock un modified air box. My reason for running this kind of filter is more political than performance. It is my personal battle against inflation , and help lower the overall maintence cost over the life of the truck . So I'm placing a bet with my engine . We won't know who won for about 30 more years , the time it will take me to put 500,000 miles on the truck . Chances are the truck will rust out , or be replaced because my truck needs have changed. Long before the bet is up ,so the world will probably never see who won the bet .

On a final note I don't think anybody reads the instructions that come with the washable filters. I know mine stated the recommended service was at 50,000 miles . So over service probably causes most of the problems with these filters.

I can't wait to read comments on how wrong or crazy I am now.

 

[FourBarR]

I ran a K&N filter for 300,000k. the truck does not use oilbetween changes at 6000k. I recently went to a paper Baldwin filter because I got tired of servicing the K&N.

 

[MMeier]

223k on my '03, most of it with an aFe set up on it. . oiled gauze , same as K&N in my book. No issues as of yet. 89 4 Runner with an actual K&N in the stock box, whole time in the dusty/sandy desert area I call home. About 340k on it, runs fine, doesn't use/leak oil either.

 

[HBarlow]

Its called good marketing... claims of "instant" horsepower from a $25 filter are very convincing for some people.

I think you answered the question.

As someone wrote above, it is entirely possible, even probable that the faiied engines my friend has seen also had other mods before he saw them in the dealer's service bay.

For those who already own and are satisfied with your aftermarket filters, I have no argument and certainly no criticism of your decision. It is your truck, your money, and your decision to make. I post when these threads come up from time to time just to point out to newcomers or folks who have been around awhile but are just now considering aftermarket products that their value is unclear and arguments can be made against them regardless of the claims they may read in the fancy full-page color advertising to be found in many truck publications.

 

[steved]

I was thinking about this some more...



I did run a K&N in my 99... it seemed to work ok, never had any issues. I scrutinized this filter when I pulled it because of what I read elsewhere... there were definite pinholes in it. I have seen later K&Ns, and they appear different than the one I owned... maybe the failed engines caught up with them? FWIW, I put nearly 150k on that K&N in that truck (201k when traded) in every nasty condition you can imagine including a severe dust storm in northern New Mexico.



I did run a TruFlow (Amsoil oiled-foam filter) early on in this 04. 5... but cleaning was a pain. It was chucked...



I have switched back to paper, in a drilled factory airbox... silicon levels have been near zero. However, one thing I would argue is the statement that the factory setup will support 450HP, and here is why:



Using my 04. 5 as a base, when it was new off the lot, I could pull the filter minder completely in with a single WOT run on a NEW paper filter. At around 4k miles, I got tired of the filterminder constantly pulling in and I swapped to a different paper filter (Napa ProGold), and that did help the problem but did not solve it. I figured it was the airbox and filter, so I bought the TruFlow and drilled the box with 1-inch holes... problem solved. This was on a stock 600CTD truck with ZERO performance mods. I eventually switched back to a paper filter and it made no difference, indicating the box (not the filter) was the actual restriction.



Fast forward to six months ago, I started down the slippery slope. At a best case scenario (by adding advertised rating together), I'm seeing around 435HP at the crank (assuming 325HP stock, 40HP injectors, and a 70HP tune). I can pull the filterminder in with a single WOT run on a stock airbox and paper filter. This indicates to me that the filter is now the restriction (this is a Baldwin).



Now assuming that the vacuum required to actuate the filterminder does constitute a restriction, then that restriction isn't going to help with performance/mileage. I would say the airbox was marginally adequate for a stock truck, and I could see it being a detriment on anything past stock.



But at the same time, how many of us run at WOT 24/7/365???



And don't get me wrong, even with the filterminder pulling in, I will continue to run paper filters... I don't run WOT all the time! There was an airfilter study (on the net) done with a DuraMax filter that tested multiple brands of filters... for filtering, an AC Delco paper was the best overall choice.

 

[HBarlow]

I posted the 450hp figure from my feeble memory. I'm not certain I remember Joe's findings correctly. He may have reported a stock air inlet/filter assembly would support up to 400hp.

 

[snuff]

thanks for the info was reading all the past mags and must have missed it.

 

[Wingate]

There is a guy at work that is rebuilding an 06 5. 9L. He has never done anything like this before so i've been getting alot of questions. When he pulled the pistons out of it, he called and said every top compression ring was broken. He asked what could have caused this to happen..... I asked about performance modules and air filter set-up. He said it was running an Edge module and a K&N cold air kit.

I believe the damage to have been from a faulty filter or intake plumbing leak. Either way, allowing infiltered air into the combustion chambers.

IMHO, due to computer controlled fueling (FRC fuel limiting) the idea that you are going to free up air flow and gain hp/torque/fuel mileage is an un-measureable and unbelieveable bunch of marketing hype!. The fuel mapping on the current 5. 9l and 6. 7l engine looks at many parameters, such as IMAT, IMAP, engine speed,desired engine speed, etc... and determines how much fuel the engine can have according to the mapping (FRC fuel limit). The max. fueling is easily attained with the stock airbox and filter setup, so adding extra air will not increase fueling. I guess the arguement could be made that the air flowing easier would allow quicker spool-up. I would argue that again, with FRC fuel limiting, you will only get amount of fuel for a given set of parameters.

On an old carbureted gasser, or on an old tweaked up mechanical, I could see a hp advantage by freeing up airflow. But then again, theres no warranty consideration to worry about. Just some mindless rambling... ... .