Best Air Filter?
- Thread starter DShane
- Start date
2point5RS_Dan
HATER DAN
Filters and intakes come up and I haven't written a big ol' condescending effortpost in a while so buckle in and lets take a look at some real info and not just some second hand ricer bullshit which we would normally see, aka 15 posts of MY KN IS AWESOME GET ONE blah blah blah shut up.
So the first thing I go to is miata guys. They're usually engineers who go to the deepest details. Two seconds of googling dumps this thread:
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=420216
Not a lot of concrete evidence or links like I'd expect, so I dropped miata from my search string.
Ah bob is the oil guy
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest1.htm
Some interesting stuff, but subaru owners are stupid, poor, and have the attention span of goldfish, I doubt any of them got through the first paragraph.
On to the next one:
http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html
This one has graphs breaking up the words, so I think some people might be able to stomach this one. Basically KN lets a lot of flow through, but more dirt.
For all the stupid ADD people, just watch this and realize LOVING with your intake is dumb:
Sure there are times where you will get more power with an intake change, but you'd have to have a non-stock turbo and a lot of other mods for the intake to be a restriction. Run stock until your tuner says not to.
So end results?
You cannot let more air in without flowing more dirt.
Final thoughts
On an NA setup, there is literally no gains, sure you can throw an intake, exhaust, etc on, but you could just shut up and learn to drive better for free. On a turbo setup, there are better mods you can do than throw on ricky ricer ebay intakes. K&N is shit and known to let more debris through. Yes blah blah blah you can run them and have no issues plenty of people get along just fine every day.
I have personally seen a K&N panel filter fail at a rallycross, folding in half and getting sucked into the intake, letting dirt by, and killed the turbo after we took it all apart and cleaned everything it still failed on the ride home.
I personally run 9 dollar wix panels from rock auto (PN: WIX Part # 42728 or CA9113) in my stock intake, on both my race car (that I actually LOVING race) and my DD. If I had a stock 302 mustang or an sti with an aftermarket turbo or something with more displacement/power, sure I might look into intake options, but its a stupid 4 cylinder sewing machine. It makes 110whp. Your money is better spent on tires than ricer crap.
Stop buying into marketing BS.
So the first thing I go to is miata guys. They're usually engineers who go to the deepest details. Two seconds of googling dumps this thread:
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=420216
Not a lot of concrete evidence or links like I'd expect, so I dropped miata from my search string.
Ah bob is the oil guy
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest1.htm
Some interesting stuff, but subaru owners are stupid, poor, and have the attention span of goldfish, I doubt any of them got through the first paragraph.
On to the next one:
http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html
This one has graphs breaking up the words, so I think some people might be able to stomach this one. Basically KN lets a lot of flow through, but more dirt.
For all the stupid ADD people, just watch this and realize LOVING with your intake is dumb:
Sure there are times where you will get more power with an intake change, but you'd have to have a non-stock turbo and a lot of other mods for the intake to be a restriction. Run stock until your tuner says not to.
So end results?
You cannot let more air in without flowing more dirt.
Final thoughts
On an NA setup, there is literally no gains, sure you can throw an intake, exhaust, etc on, but you could just shut up and learn to drive better for free. On a turbo setup, there are better mods you can do than throw on ricky ricer ebay intakes. K&N is shit and known to let more debris through. Yes blah blah blah you can run them and have no issues plenty of people get along just fine every day.
I have personally seen a K&N panel filter fail at a rallycross, folding in half and getting sucked into the intake, letting dirt by, and killed the turbo after we took it all apart and cleaned everything it still failed on the ride home.
I personally run 9 dollar wix panels from rock auto (PN: WIX Part # 42728 or CA9113) in my stock intake, on both my race car (that I actually LOVING race) and my DD. If I had a stock 302 mustang or an sti with an aftermarket turbo or something with more displacement/power, sure I might look into intake options, but its a stupid 4 cylinder sewing machine. It makes 110whp. Your money is better spent on tires than ricer crap.
Stop buying into marketing BS.
Well said Dan. Please "sticky" this info, as there seems to be an influx of "Hey Bro, I just got my first turbo Subaru and the first thing I NEED to do is an intake!
Last edited by a moderator:
CoupedUpSubie
FWD-FTW
Wow, I love being able to just clean my K&N and throw it back in but I may be switching it out. Only reason I haven't yet is because I have no problems. I have been told all the things that could happen, and knew of the failure at a rallycross but nobody actually gave good information on the problems. My MAF never got oil on it and my intake tubing is pretty clean.
Paper filter will likely go in sometime soon. Unless there is a better alternative.
Paper filter will likely go in sometime soon. Unless there is a better alternative.
i-wagon
Well-known member
Dude guy bub, think dan just proved a paper one is good 'nuff.
Dan I'd like to see something similar about exhaust, pretty sure I lost low end with mine
IBratmanI
Subaru Ambassador- AdidaSubarus
I hate paper filters. Way too many of them have been soaked and partially sucked into the intake tube. It wasn't normal driving conditions, but still. I like being able to reuse a filter, and have never had negative effects.
MAINIAC XV
The Eco Man
I used an Avo drop in from Rallitek while running a 3" Magnaflow cat back with a Cobb stage 1 93 tune and my 07 Spec B ran great.
i-wagon
Well-known member
Personally I have a K&N in my imp and bike just because I can clean them
CoupedUpSubie
FWD-FTW
RedForester08
New member
I have the OEM Subaru filter with the same Snorkus back intake set up of the WRX / STI. If it can handle 305HP than there is nothing my NA 2.5 173 hp will be an issue. See pic below. This does include the proper piece in the fender so everything is good and tight. Your stock airbox can be used. The best setup improvement is the Snorkus from the Turbo cars as it drops the intake air temps by 15+- deg compared to the stock one the 06-07 Imprezas come with. Flame away I got $20 into the used parts.
2point5RS_Dan
HATER DAN
I really like these setups. Stock, they work, cheap. My legacy has one. I'd convert my RS to it too, but the whole direct dust intake on stage thing I like the obfuscated bay area intake the stock setup provides.I have the OEM Subaru filter with the same Snorkus back intake set up of the WRX / STI. If it can handle 305HP than there is nothing my NA 2.5 173 hp will be an issue. See pic below. This does include the proper piece in the fender so everything is good and tight. Your stock airbox can be used. The best setup improvement is the Snorkus from the Turbo cars as it drops the intake air temps by 15+- deg compared to the stock one the 06-07 Imprezas come with. Flame away I got $20 into the used parts.
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RedForester08
New member
Ya on stage they must suck up dust like a shop vac.
i-wagon
Well-known member
Check with Gabe. I got my replacement one from him. That setup is nicer than the factory way for the na
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MAINIAC XV
The Eco Man
flat4awd
Owl's Auto JDM
Some good points made, I use a K&N drop in. I like that I can buy an air filter once, clean it and use it for the life of the vehicle. I've used everything from stock paper, to ebay, to k&n, to more expensive cone style intake setups, and I prefer the stock airbox with a k&n drop in. A more free flowing intake design will inherently suck in more air, but it will also suck in more debris with it. The MCM videos do a good job showing just how well so called "cold air intakes" do power wise.
sooch
Type-RA
weapon r intake is the best performance part for the $$$