Are performance air filters worth the extra money
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Do Performance Air Filters Really Boost Your Car’s Performance?
There is a fad advertising that when you replace your car’s air filter with high performance filter types or install induction kits, you can boost your car’s performance or add extra power to your car’s engine. This has made car owners and drivers both excited and skeptical about the effectiveness of these performance air filters. So, how effective and beneficial are they really?
How do Engines Work?
Your car’s engine is a machine that uses a system of moving parts to power your car and make it function. The engine achieves this by creating a chemical reaction called combustion. Combustion is a reaction process that needs fuel and oxygen from the air to produce fire and heat, which power the car to run. In principle, the more air and fuel that are combusted properly, the more power it gives your car. Conversely, the less air or fuel, the less power your engine generates.
How do Air Filters Work?
Standard air filters are made of paper materials that sift and absorb contaminants from the air. Air filters make the air that flows into your car free from dirt, toxins, and other pollutants that can cause your engine to fail during combustion.
Problems in engine performance can be associated with the current status of your car’s air filter if it is not replaced when needed. Air filters accumulate dirt and dust over time, leading to older filters becoming restrictive in airflow. This occurs because the dirt and dust make the filter materials less permeable and absorbent.
When an air filter becomes airflow-restrictive, less air enters your engine, resulting in less power being produced.
What are Performance Air Filters?
Performance air filters are marketed as power-boosting filters, typically coming as part of induction kits. Induction kits are essentially air filters with piping that helps concentrate airflow into the engine.
There are various types of air filters made from different materials that claim to help boost car performance. However, these claims are generally based on the combustion principle of “more air and fuel equals more power.” Manufacturers produce air filters that are less airflow-restrictive yet still effectively filter out dirt and pollutants. Thus, the more air the filter allows in, the more power can be generated.
Do Performance Air Filters and Induction Kits Really Increase Performance?
Scientifically, these specialized filters do help improve airflow into the engine, thus enhancing combustion efficiency, but only to a small extent. The most popular filter brands, K&N and Air Raid, increase airflow by up to 0.14 percent. The performance of these filters may vary based on their type and positioning in the engine bay.
Air filters are usually placed in the car’s airbox, which is engineered to be the point where air from the atmosphere flows into the engine. Some performance air filters fit in the airbox, while others and induction kits require the removal of the airbox to install.
The airbox is designed to collect air from the surroundings and feed it into the engine’s pipes. Filters placed in the airbox allow direct air intake from the surroundings, ensuring that the car receives cool air for the engine. Cool air is dense and contains more oxygen than warm air, resulting in a more effective combustion reaction. Thus, more power is generated.
Filters that necessitate the removal of the airbox draw air from both the surroundings and the engine bay. The air in the engine bay is hot and thin, resulting in less oxygen. With less oxygen, there is a diminished combustion reaction, leading to no extra power being produced.
The Verdict
Performance air filters can improve your car’s performance slightly, provided you use the right type for your vehicle. If your car is designed with an airbox, you’re better off with air filters that fit in the factory airbox. If you own an older car without an airbox, you can experiment with different filters and induction kits.
Alternatively, simply replacing your old standard air filter may provide noticeable improvements as well. If you aim to significantly enhance your car’s performance, consider options beyond the air filter, such as an ECU remap.
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