Engine Masters' Air Filter Test

[bigjoe1]

This was a long time ago, but when I tested air filters, the 3.95 element from pep boys made exactly the SAME POWER AS THE 40 dollar K & N unit-- THe K & N filter top ALWAYS LOST power every time I tried one on my dyno.



JOE SHERMAN RACING

[cjperformance]

But breathable top filters look so good ! They must be better !

[kimosabi]

Good to see the B & B dropped base cleaner did so good. Confirms what I experienced myself.

I wish they had tried the ultra low profile Spectre air cleaners with the two cone filters on too. Lots of controversy around those.

[mag2555]

That's a great series of test and very imformative , but they need to expand the host vocabulary because once a hear the word narly used I no longer want to listen to him!

[englertracing]

Disappointed no R2C was involved in that testing. Off to find a nice used salad bowl

that is what i was just thinking

[redliner]

I saw this also. I do not have room for a 14 x 4 air filter. I was thinking about duplicating the velocity stack air filter set up. Does anyone make the velocity stack for a dominator?

[BOOT]

Definitely interesting. I'm surprised that big block didn't swallow some of those filters, lol.

Yah kinda surprised the small filter on the velocity stack did so well.


Would have like to see many more combos/parts tested, maybe even just a filter lid to simulate a hood, hopefully they will revisit it someday. R2C substacks for one. Basically just tells me you need as much open area above the carb as you can spare.

[BOOT]

Good to see the B & B dropped base cleaner did so good.

I think that was the spun alum top, the vent clearance as mentioned earlier.

[Krooser]

Hot Rod did an a-b test on piston rings...std vs a thin metric pack. The results were not what many would expect.

[dwilliams]

I'd like to see a test including one of the 1960s Ford air filters that came on some of the high performance engines. 14x4 filter element, large radius into the carb mouth, huge annular volume around the outside of the filter, and one or two large snorkels, sometimes with hoses for cold air induction.

On a 289, it looked like a metal spare tire housing across the top of the engine...

[Cris]

The K&N filter top outperformed a standard 14x3" filter, provided you didn't allow air to enter from the sides. They taped the side element shut and that worked better than either having (only) the side element or both the side and top element.

[plovett]

The K&N filter top outperformed a standard 14x3" filter, provided you didn't allow air to enter from the sides. They taped the side element shut and that worked better than either having (only) the side element or both the side and top element.

I'm glad somebody else noticed. That is the single most interesting result of the testing. The round element by itself outperformed the round element/filter top combo. That doesn't seem too surprising. But the filter top by itself outperforming both the combo of the two, and the round element by itself was a bit startling to me.

JMO,

paulie

[BOOT]

That's why they did the salad bowl.

I've always herd carbs like air from the side over the bleeds and not the top but their results shows the opposite.

[MadBill]

According to Captian Obvious the vast majority of engines get dynoed and tuned being fed from above with either a flow meter or nothing...

[plovett]

In a car the "top flow" path may not work well if the hood is 1/8" over the lid. I don't know.