air filters....what to use eh?

[B33mEr]

Personally i dun use any aftermarket filter b4, so dunno in the real world la, juz my hypothesis. So tats wat astroboy said, wat is da purpose for de filter:wink:

If really wanna get omp, then perhaps i will choose the stoke, bigger displacement, chip etc, MAF etc.



ha! i juz use smiley based on my feeling towards the picture or motion of it, regardless its original intentional meaning...soli~

Mayb i shall open a new thread with topic:" smileys....what to use eh?"

Hmm... well if wanna get more ooomph one can go many ways ... but replacing the stock filter with an aftermarket is one of the cheapest way to "feel" more power and better throttle response. Again whether it adds HP or not is debatable.

If you wanna stroke your engine or go for bigger CC please do by all means ... i would rather go S/C with cams, headers, some work on the exhaust port, race cats and a shorter diffs with quaife (lsd) ... I would if i could lol :wink:

P/s: I'm sure all of you notice the CAI on the M3 CSL is factory fitted by ///M division ... taking the que from the aftermarket intake companies that been doing CAI for years lol I rest my case

 

[B33mEr]

Taken from the wiki on the CAI - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_air_intake

History

The aftermarket company K&N Engineering first offered air intake systems in the late 1980s. Those intakes consisted of rotationally-molded plastic intake tubes and a conical, cotton gauze air filter. In the late 1990s a proliferation of intake manufacturers such as AEM, Airaid, Injen, True Flow, and Volant entered the fray. In addition, oversea manufacturers imported their designs lending to the popularity of Japan domestic market (JDM) air intakes in sport compact markets. K&N and many of the other intake companies now offer intake systems in metal tube designs, allowing a greater degree of customization (the tubes can be powder-coated or painted to match a vehicle).

[edit] Mechanics

All cold air intakes operate on the principle of increasing the amount of oxygen available for combustion with fuel. Because cooler air has a higher density (greater mass per unit volume), cold air intakes generally work by introducing cooler air from outside the hot engine bay. However, the term "cold air intake" is often used to describe other methods of increasing oxygen to an engine, which may even increase the temperature of the air coming into an engine.

Some strategies used in designing cold-air intakes are:

* increasing the diameter of the air intake, allowing increased airflow.
* smoothing the interior of the intake to reduce air resistance.
* providing a more direct route to the air intake.
* tuning the length of the intake to provide maximum airflow at certain engine speeds (RPM).
* using a more efficient, less restricting air filter.

 

[B33mEr]

To all the naysayers here's the BMW Performance Airbox with BMW Performance Air filter for E46 lol ... Even BMW recognize that the standard paper filters are restrictive lol

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=EV53&mospid=47725&btnr=13_1247&hg=13&fg=95&hl=3

Supposedly it increases 6hp :dontknow: No one yet have verified it but knowing BMW they've always been conservative when it comes to quoting HP numbers

 

[divespyder]

I upgraded to K&N - not much difference felt from stock. Then i discovered AFe... ooooo monster sound to go with the power boost! Grrrr!!! Cheap mod for the effects felt. never looked back since.

 

[Ade]

BMC seems a viable alternative...at least for me.

 

[stanleycck]

The BMC, CAI is about 1.8k, the last time I asked..........if your pockets are deep, go for GruppeM or BMW Performance........RM3.8k and above

 

[bikerz]

how much for afe?

 

[bmw23]

Bro, how much aFe and where to get it

 

[gendong]

just a thought : how many of us actually changed to 'performance' filters? these few pages shed some light on the issue.

i know it boils down to preference, but really would like to hear from members on your experience. stock vs performance.

 

[Chrix]

With panel filters, the difference can hardly be "felt". Only with full intake replacements will you feel (?) and hear the difference. However those are freaking expensive if you ask me. So if you looking for a noticeable difference from stock, you gotta go the full intake replacement route.

I just went with a replacement panel filter and de-baffle the airbox since I was in there. Intake noise is louder past 2000rpm on WOT. No other noticeable difference other than that.

Plan to remove the itty bitty snorkel and route a hose & see if it does anything for me..

http://www.brazeauracing.com/airbox.htm

ps; found a lizard in the airbox tho. haha

 

[B33mEr]

After using BMC CDA for a good 3 years i would say the sound it makes is the main selling point plus it looks good on the engine bay too :4: Definitely it breathes easier too But in all honestly if you replace the bmw paper filter with a K&N or BMC panel filter our standard airbox will perform better since it draws air from outside the engine bay plus if you install an air scoop (ala RPi) it should increase the performance gain a bit too.

 

[gendong]

means it would actually produce some degree of difference to the feel(performance?) of the engine? what kind of sound would one expect from the change?

 

[Ade]

there's also another school of thought saying the paper filters are the best and the washable filters are old technology that is being marketed to be so-called performance filters...so, how?!

 

[B33mEr]

means it would actually produce some degree of difference to the feel(performance?) of the engine? what kind of sound would one expect from the change?

Are you talking about replacing the stock BMW panel filter with an aftermarket like K&N? If so the i would say it allows the engine to breathe easier and improve throttle response. You can feel the difference albeit very small.

there's also another school of thought saying the paper filters are the best and the washable filters are old technology that is being marketed to be so-called performance filters...so, how?!

Yes I would agree, that for filtration, paper filters are the best but doesn't offer the best airflow. Washable filters comes mainly in two types, cotton gauze (K&N, BMC) and polyester foam (ITG and Pipercross too i think) it does increase airflow which will make the engine breathe better but at a cost which is less filtration that you would with a paper filter.

Take your pick which is more important ... For me regular oil change negates the less filtration capabilities of my BMC :4: