Air filter ~ huh?

redbug · 03-22-2006, 07:43 PM

Help me out, guys, please. Just got my little red bug March 1st and have been having a blast getting the high mpg's. The current tankful is at 68.2mpg.

As part of the "normal" upgrades I wanted to change out the air filter for a better one, like the K&N. The other day I went to look at it to see how to make the swap, and it looks almost boobytrapped with all those extra things clipped onto the top cover of the air filter. On the left, there's that big one that looks like a springie thing you open with pliers.

How much stuff needs to be taken apart to change the air filter?

kookmyers · 03-22-2006, 07:50 PM

I hear ya!
i had the same experience. in the end, i did not remove anything else. i had to pull and pry to get the top away from the bottom just enough to get the new filter in. i am probably being made fun of now by the others who figured out the right way.....

Guillermo · 03-22-2006, 08:08 PM

The insight air filter is almost as large as the one used on Hondas with 3x more HP. So it's not likely "upgrading" to a K&N filter will increase the air flow in our case, but it is guaranteed to increase the contaminates at get into the engine.

Calpod · 03-22-2006, 10:51 PM

Guillermo wrote:

Quote:

"upgrading" to a K&N filter will increase the air flow in our case, but it is guaranteed to increase the contaminates at get into the engine.

That statement is true is you install the filter dry, K&N filters are designed to be lightly oiled, it is the oil that traps the small particles that would get into the engine.

Any particles even small ones tend to keep going in a straight direction, and when they have to turn they don't do it very well, this is the reason filters are designed with pleats, not only to increase the area but to force the particles to stick to the oiled surface when they turn.

I installed a K&N on mine about 5 years ago, and it's still there, I've only washed it and oiled it a couple of times and still looks as good as new.

The stock filter is adequate for our cars, but if you are going to replace it and don't mind buying them then you should keep the stock filter.

It's only a matter of preference.

Billy · 03-23-2006, 11:50 AM

I'm with Guillermo and CalPod.............3 yrs ago I tried the K&N filter, for about 30,000 miles. I had it properly installed, lightly oiled. It was OK, and did seem to give very slightly more airflow and acceleration. But I did not see any MPG gain as I was hoping. So now with my new Insight, I am just sticking with stock.

For Redbug; it's easy, just practice it a few time. Just unfasten the clips on the air box, and pull the box apart and slide the filter out. I do this every 2 weeks or so for cleaning, and carefully blowing out the filter with compressed air.

Guillermo · 03-23-2006, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calpod

K&N filters are designed to be lightly oiled, it is the oil that traps the small particles that would get into the engine.

Actually washable filters like the K&N rely on an initial layer of dust to trap fine particles from passing through. The base dust is an important part of the filter. The oil is there so a layer of dust will stick to the filter that has holes larger then the dust. The K&N lets in the most contaminents when it is new and just after it's been washed even after it's lightly oiled. If you study the oil analysis forums they can show you lots of proof. I learned a lot about air filters in my previous job because i was the engineer responsible to choosing the air filter size and type for off road heavy equipment (among many other things). The worst thing to do is to clean or replace the air filter more often then neccessary. Every time the filter is removed contaminents are introduced to the engine. Industrial machines have pressure sensors to determine when it's time to clean/replace the air filter. This is the best method. Visually inspecting the air filter to determine if it needs to be replaced is not acurate because all filters are designed to function with a layer of dust on them, that's normal.

Don't worry the K&N filter will not kill your engine right away, but the chances the engine will need to be rebuild before it reaches 300,000 miles will increase significantly.

A race car is designed for maximize performance while sacrificing it's lifespan that's what filters like this are designed to do.
Some people don't want to keep their cars a very long time so their choice makes sense. Most people feel a difference because they want to feel a difference. Testing has shown these filters can make a slight difference in some cars but not all of them.

ElectricTroy · 03-24-2006, 07:27 AM

K&N filters do not clean the air as well as the original Paper filters provided by Honda.

Do NOT use them.