Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Is The BHAF Worth It?

[MKline]

I'm curious to know if the BHAF is worth putting in when I have a perfectly good stock air box and a relatively new filter. Can you actually tell the power increase or lower EGT's?

 

[tgrfan2]

I put one in last weekend and towed the fiver 160 miles. I am getting a little more smoke on launch, but really didn't feel any change in power or noise. It did reduce EGTs some so I am happy with the change. After adding a 3K GSK my EGTs rose pretty quickly to 1300 at times. I will get a cover for it next although so far I haven't seen any road spray on it. My filter was getting dirty and I only spent a little over double the price of the OE filter. I got my Baldwin from Fleet Pride.

 

[MKline]

I also forgot to ask if it does any good to drill holes in the bottom of the stock air box, or is that just a waste of time?

 

[Matthug]

Pretty much just a waste of time unless you just want you turbo to be very loud, the restriction is the small surface area of the stock sized filter. The BHAF has about 3 times the size of the stocker, it flows twice as much as a K&N in the stock air box (even with holes cut underneath) and lasts 3 times longer than the stock filter.

The general consensus is the BHAF is good to 400-450 HP before it becomes necessary to have something that flows more like an AFE. The BHAF is only $50-60, an AFE is 250+, I can buy 5+ BHAF's for the price of 1 AFE and at my power level there will be zero HP gain. Yes yes I know the AFE is cleanable, but I don't care unless you get the proguard 7 (more $) than it's not filtering as well as the BHAF.

 

[WDixon27]

i got my bhaf from a link i found on a search here for $38 delivered compared to almost $60 from a local napa, it's cheep and probably does some good, maybe even good enough to overcome the fact that it's sucking hot under hood air, i made a shield from steel i had laying around and eventially will see if i can come up with something that seals off as much of the hot radiator/exhaust manifold air as possible

 

[MKline]

I can see where a heat shield might be a good idea. I am a welder by trade so I think I will have to come up with something.

 

[Van Blom]

I used to suck the little vacuum gizmo to about half way on full acceleration with a clean stock filter. I've had the BHAF on for 20,000 milea and I still can't get the gizmo to move at all. You decide.

 

[tp0d]

BHAF all the way. I have no shield, and have no problems. I DO however have a turbo heat shield from fostertruck.com, and it works nice. My BHAF has been on there about 25k now, with a prefilter, and it almost looks new under the prefilter. I got mine from http://www.fleetguardfilters.com/ for a pretty good price. part number AH19037



Just make sure you isolate the airbox screws before using the BHAF. I used a 1x3 piece of furring strip, or you could knock them outa the fender. . Also check your AC line for rubbing, prolly want to wrap it w/ something. .



good luck



-j

 

[MKline]

I think I will be getting a BHAF.



Thanks for the imput.

 

[JHastings]

Also, here is a site with a template that works good for a heat shield. http://cumminsdatabase.com/read.php?id=15

I used it and it bolted right in. Don't know if it helps but it doesn't cost anything if you got junk steel laying around.

Jamie