UNI Air filters-- anyone using them?

[Hohn]

I was talking with someone involved in building a Baja project vehicle, and he was talking about their plan to use UNI air filters.



Well, I'm curious, so I go surfing and find http://www.unifilter.com/



The UNI filters are oiled foam (like Amsoil)- NOT oiled gauze (like K&N, AFE, etc. )



These filters are VERy popular for motocross, ATVs, and other off-roaders and have a reputation for great filtration among the Baja racers.



I would imagine that an oiled foam might not flow QUITE as much as the oiled gauze, but the filtration seems to be a much higher quality.



They list a drop-in for the CTD on their website. But they also list a universal cone filter with various IDs available.



What's the ID of the stock air snorkel? I wonder if one of these couldn't be made to work.



BTW- they're WAY WAY cheaper than an AFE or similar- these go for around $50.



Justin

 

[HoleshotHolset]

OEM air snorkel is 4" ID...



Matt

 

[JohnE]

VERY popular oil, uh, air filter in the Duramax crowd.

Personally I don't like oiled filters except for the Fleetguard. BTW they only have oil filters.

 

[NVR FNSH]

I run Uni filters on all three dirt bikes and haven't had any problems. The factory airfilter on just about any dirtbike is an oiled foam element so they can't be all that bad... Not sure how the flow & entrapment data compares to the stock paper CTC filter or K&N.



Amsoil makes a similar oiled/foam filter for the CTD.



Brian

 

[Hohn]

Greg, Scotty mentioned that you guys were working with UNI on the filtration for both the T-rex race truck and the Baja Bomber chase truck. That's where my interest came from.



I have seen the Amsoil foam filter-- it looks like it would be pretty decent for filtration, but not much for flow. I would say for mild bombs you could get away with it. I haven't a clue how well it flows. Amsoil doesn't market it as high-flow, so I bet it's not.



It would be nice if we could talk UNI into a larger cone-filter with the 4" flange. Is the largest one they make big enough to flow?



Keep us updated please, Greg. I would love to go high-flow, but I am not willing to give up filtration to do it. And imhp, the PG7 isn't proven, and it's STILL an oiled-gauze design which I don't care as much for.



Justin

 

[DPelletier]

I've been riding and racing dirtbikes for decades and we currently have 5 bikes, some comments;



- keep in mind that the foam doesn't do much in the way of fine filtration. It's all in the foam filter oil. I generally use PJ-1 or Bell Ray filter oil. These filters need to be cleaned after every ride or so on a dirt bike. Now on a truck, depending on the conditions, you obviously can go longer than every day! BUT be prepared to clean them OFTEN. They choke off significantly when dirty. Filter oil is expensive.



- On a 2 stroke engine, if you suck up a little filter oil, it's not a big deal. On a Cummins?



Closing thoughts; an expensive and maintenance intensive way to go, but IF you're racing off-road and IF you can ensure you get a big enough filter to flow the requirements of a bombed CTD, the filtration is great.



Dave

 

[Hohn]

Dave, would you suck up more filter oil with the foam than you would with oiled gauze?



True, it sounds like the could be high-maintenance, but they're also EASY to clean. I would say they are quite a bit easier to clean and reoil than a gauze design. Then again, the gauze filters don't need as much maintenance.



The posts on K&N letting so much through has me thinking about the merits of the whole oiled-gauze approach.





I think Dave is on to something about filter size. I would guess that one reason that dirt bike filters need to be cleaned so often is that they are so small?



Maybe an oiled-foam BHAF would be the best of all worlds?



Justin

 

[DPelletier]

Justin,

Probably not, but then, that's why I don't run my RE0880 anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I think its probably a good idea for certain applications, BUT you would need to clean it often (with the $15. 00 per litre Bel Ray or equivalent) and I imagine it would have to be quite large in order to flow enough air at low enough velocities to prevent the filter oil from being sucked in to the inlet and to prevent dirt from being sucked through the media.



For a Baja race truck? Definitely



For a 4x4 enthusiast? Maybe



For a daily driver 97% on pavement? Probably not worth the effort



It's pretty easy to figure out the airflow requirements, but I'm wondering if you can find any data on filter efficiency using certain oils at a given velocity. You'll probably just have to guess and see how it works out.



Cheers

Dave



ps. They are easy to clean. Using gasoline is a bit of a pain, but you can try some water based cleaners and oils such as No-toil.

 

[DPelletier]

Greg,

On our more dusty races, we use filterskins which are pulled off during pitting. You may want to think about a custom filterskin set-up.



Dave

 

[NVR FNSH]

Greg,

Can you run remote/in-cab air filter in the race truck? I don't know the rules for that class.



Brian

 

[NVR FNSH]

Isn't this thing supposed to be a race truck... .



Brian

 

[NVR FNSH]

I was right there with you until you said Beastie Boys. I think Offspring might be more appropriate



Brian

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

I gotta agree with Brian on that one Greg

 

[DPelletier]

You guys must be alot younger than me. I listen to AC/DC or Van Halen on the way to a race!

Hey NVR FNSH, what do you ride and I assume you race by your username? Come on, ya musta finished one?!



Dave

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

Yea I know, Beasties is an inside joke.

 

[NVR FNSH]

I ride a dual sported '99 WR400 and/or a soon to be dual sported '90 KX500. My user name is actually the personalized plate on my CJ-7 - I'll NeVeR FiNiSH working on it because I'm a procrastinator and there's always something to fix on it. I've entered two AMA D-36 enduros and houred out of both - I just don't ride/train enough to keep up a race pace for +85 miles. I did take first in my class - C Vet - at the Training Wheels Family Enduro in '02 - of course a 9 year old had a better score than I did. Luckily he wasn't in my class



Brian

 

[DPelletier]

Brian,



It's all good! I know what you mean about the 9 yo. I figure I only have a year or two at best before my 13 yo son outrides me.



Dave

 

[Hohn]

So this is going to be an oiled-foam filter that flows enough to support a BOMBED CTD??



Justin

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

YES!!!

 

[Hohn]

WOOHOO!! Sign me up when this is available. I assume it costs less than the $200ish that other intakes go for?



jlh