The Stack Exchange network consists of 180 communities from Q26A, including Stack Overflow, the largest and most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge and develop their careers. But does the brand of car air filter really make a difference? Let's take a look. You'll get about 1BHP more from a good quality filter. But unless you're the princess who slept in the pea, you won't notice.
What better quality filters DO have is that they take longer to clog. So, they don't really GIVE you more power, they're better at AVOIDING energy loss once you've driven a couple of thousand miles. I think it depends on the application. I paid good money for a K&N air filter for my old traveler, an 18-year-old Subaru 4-cylinder.
After installation, I heard a pretty clean grunt noise from the engine when accelerating, but the idle and mileage and gasoline performance were the same. On the other hand, a K&N air filter installed on my Kawasaki Concours not only gave me that cold grunt noise when accelerating, but I noticed a smoother idle and a small, yes small, increase in top speed performance above 7,000 rpm. So there you go, I think they're worth the money and time spent cleaning them every few thousand miles if used in a performance application, but for a normal old car, the standard, cheap paper filter is the way to go. Buying a premium air filter for your car will provide optimal airflow, maximum engine performance and best fuel efficiency. The air filter's ability to remove harmful dirt, debris and foreign matter from the engine air intake is directly attributed to the long service life of the engine. Often referred to as OEM filters or original equipment manufacturers, they are produced by the brand name company.
There are also many aftermarket or discounted home air filters available for purchase. So what's the difference? To tell you the truth, the biggest difference you'll see is the cost of HVAC filters. OEM filters are often much more expensive because you pay for one brand. When comparing the material from which each air filter is made, they will look and feel identical. The only difference you can occasionally see is if the OEM filter material is limited or has a patented design.
The other difference you may notice is simply the brand and name of the oven filter. Both brands are the best in the car air filter business. It all comes down to price and maintenance. If you don't mind the extra cost of buying oil (which will degrade if not properly stored) to refill the air filter, or if you have an off-road truck or SUV that does serious work on the ground, you can place your bets at K&N.Your car's oil filter sifts dirt particles the same way a filter sieves ground coffee in a coffee maker. It is a popular mistake to think that dirt particles in a car filter are filtered the same way as through a filter in a coffee maker.
That's not how an oil filter works. The design of the media in an automotive oil filter forms a kind of labyrinth through which the fluid must “negotiate” its way. With careful engineering, a filter manufacturer like Purolator designs the media as a kind of labyrinth through which fluid will pass, but particles will not. The engine air filter does not have to be changed almost as often as an oil filter. Most vehicle owners have heard of the need to change oil and filter at regular intervals, but few understand the value of changing their car's engine air filter. A vehicle ingests 10,000 gallons of air for every gallon of fuel it consumes.
In other words, the volume of air entering the engine is ten thousand times the volume of gasoline. Imagine, if the air entering the engine is dirty, and the air on roads and highways contains all kinds of pollutants, such as soot, dust and dirt, what will this unfiltered air need to damage critical engine components and possibly cause cylinder wear? While you may not notice the effects right away, over time the presence of contaminants will cause a much greater chance of needing major repairs or a new engine. Therefore, it is so important to change the engine air filter at least as often as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. However, if you are driving in particularly dusty conditions or off-road it's a good idea to change your air filter more often. Always follow the “normal” service schedule in your owner's manual when replacing your oil filter. The fact is that most of us most of time drive short distances which really requires us to follow a “severe” not “normal” service program.
The reason is that if your vehicle doesn't drive on road for long distances then oil doesn't have chance to heat up enough for water condensation and crude fuel to evaporate from crankcase over time this condensation builds up and can cause costly damage to internal engine parts. All filter media are same each type of filter requires unique medium to work properly explained Kevin O'Dowd Director of Marketing & Communications for MANN+HUMMEL Purolator Filters. Nothing can be done about unpleasant odors on road for example in construction area or in farm country many motorists don't know that if their vehicle is 2001 model or newer it is probably equipped with cabin air filter device that is designed to keep air inside car clean and free of dust smoke and even unpleasant odors that enter through ventilation grilles even when windows are closed. All filters are practically same filtration is about capturing and retaining debris and contaminants that could otherwise cause gradual wear and tear or even catastrophic engine failure. And since most oil filter features are buried inside filter it's easy to assume that all oil filters are same when it comes to filters brand does matter. When it comes down to it buying premium car air filters will provide optimal airflow maximum engine performance best fuel efficiency longer service life protection against harmful dirt debris foreign matter unpleasant odors dust smoke soot dirt particles water condensation crude fuel wear tear major repairs new engine catastrophic failure etc. So does brand of car air filter really matter? Yes it does! It's worth investing in premium car air filters for optimal performance protection against costly repairs and long service life.
