AFE or K&N

6spd · 03-29-2011, 08:00 PM

"cool" sounds? Like what kind of cool sounds do you mean?

JTTZR · 03-29-2011, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VQinside

hey are you guys getting any cool sounds of the engine by using panel filters?

You need good ears to hear a difference. I suppose it gets a little bit louder above 5k rpms (I have K&N drop-ins).

VQinside · 03-30-2011, 08:49 AM

haha my car is too quiet, its driving me crazy, it needs some sound action coming from the engine but not too much!
I guess I'll just have to get the exhaust.

GZ3 · 03-30-2011, 09:50 AM

^ get some HFC or TPs!

H2O_Doc · 11-28-2013, 09:27 AM

I got to reading this thread after searching for information on the often debated CAI, SRI, filter gains topics. I also got to reading an old article (with interesting data) on NICO see: K&N Air Filter Review - Debunking the Myths (and why OEM is better) for the original.

Useful data (I think), more empirical than most comparisons, but I'm not sure I agree with the conclusions. So, I'm posting and possibly throwing gasoline on the campfire, but I am interested in what others thinks about the data and conclusions.

To be clear: air filters were being tested, not 370Z performance with various filters. I think this matters (in part), but doesn't change our abilities to draw conclusions; we simply need to consider how the differences in vehicles might affect what we can or cannot conclude. Here are the details:

"SCOPE:
This report presents the results of an ISO 5011 test of several air filters designed for the GM Duramax Diesel. The test was independently performed under controlled conditions using a $285,000 machine at Testand Corp of Rhode Island (manufacturer of the machine)."

Below are some of the relevant data:

H2O_Doc · 11-28-2013, 09:30 AM

H2O_Doc · 11-28-2013, 09:32 AM

Here is a sort of synopsis of the author's conclusions:

'The reason I started this crusade was that I was seeing people spend a lot of money on aftermarket filters based on the word of a salesperson or based on the misleading, incomplete or outright deceiving information printed on boxes and in sales literature. Gentlemen and Ladies, marketing and the lure of profit is VERY POWERFUL! It is amazing how many people believe that better airflow = more power! Unless you have modifications out the wazoo, a more porous filter will just dirty your oil! Some will say, I have used aftermarket brand X for XXX # years with no problems. The PROBLEM is you spent a chunk of change on a product that not only DID NOT increase your horsepower, but also let in a lot of dirt while doing it! Now how much is a lot? ANY MORE THAN NECESSARY is TOO MUCH!

Others are persuaded by the claims of aftermarket manufacturers that their filters filter dirt “better than any other filter on the market.” Sounds very enticing. To small timers like you and me, spending $1500 to test a filter sounds like a lot. But if you were a filter manufacturer and you believed your filter could filter dirt better than any other media on the market, wouldn’t you want to prove it? Guess what. Test your filter vs. the OE paper. It will cost you $3000 and for that price you will have the data that you can use in your advertisements. Your investment will be returned a thousand fold! EASIER than shooting fish in a barrel! So why don’t these manufacturers do this? Hmmm? Probably not because they would feel guilty about taking more market share.

Now I am not saying that ALL aftermarket filters are useless. A paper filter does not do well if directly wetted or muddy. It may collapse. This is why many off-road filters are foam. It is a compromise between filtering efficiency and protection from a collapsed filter. Now how many of our vehicles collapse their filters from mud and water?

However, if a filter is using “better airflow” as their marketing tool, remember this….Does it flow better? At very high airflow volumes, probably. BUT, our engines CAN’T flow that much air unless super-modified, so what is the point? The stock filter will flow MORE THAN ENOUGH AIR to give you ALL THE HORSEPOWER the engine has to give. And this remains true until the filter is dirty enough to be recognizeable. At that point performance will decline somewhat. Replace the filter and get on with it.

Hopefully the results of this test will do 2 things. Shed some light on the misleading marketing claims of some aftermarket manufacturers and/or give us new insight on products already on the market that are superior to our OE filter.'

scionide · 11-30-2013, 04:42 PM

Off topic ish but does anyone know the part # for the AFE conical filter that's equivalent to the K&N filters used on the Stillen G3?

03-29-2011, 08:00 PM	#16 (permalink)
6spd A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: South Florida Posts: 3,001 Drives: Q50RS Rep Power: 25	"cool" sounds? Like what kind of cool sounds do you mean? __________________ -Jay- jonathanjamesphotographer.com

03-30-2011, 09:50 AM	#19 (permalink)
GZ3 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: SATX Posts: 3,296 Drives: Z Rep Power: 21	^ get some HFC or TPs! __________________ 09 GT-R 12' 370Z 7AT HANDED DOWN 12'+13' 5.0 SOLD

03-30-2011, 08:49 AM	#18 (permalink)
VQinside Base Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 109 Drives: 2010 370Z Rep Power: 15	haha my car is too quiet, its driving me crazy, it needs some sound action coming from the engine but not too much! I guess I'll just have to get the exhaust.

11-28-2013, 09:27 AM	#20 (permalink)
H2O_Doc A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Northern VA Posts: 1,083 Drives: '14 370Z, '12 4Runr Rep Power: 14	I got to reading this thread after searching for information on the often debated CAI, SRI, filter gains topics. I also got to reading an old article (with interesting data) on NICO see: K&N Air Filter Review - Debunking the Myths (and why OEM is better) for the original. Useful data (I think), more empirical than most comparisons, but I'm not sure I agree with the conclusions. So, I'm posting and possibly throwing gasoline on the campfire, but I am interested in what others thinks about the data and conclusions. To be clear: air filters were being tested, not 370Z performance with various filters. I think this matters (in part), but doesn't change our abilities to draw conclusions; we simply need to consider how the differences in vehicles might affect what we can or cannot conclude. Here are the details: "SCOPE: This report presents the results of an ISO 5011 test of several air filters designed for the GM Duramax Diesel. The test was independently performed under controlled conditions using a $285,000 machine at Testand Corp of Rhode Island (manufacturer of the machine)." Below are some of the relevant data:

11-28-2013, 09:30 AM	#21 (permalink)
H2O_Doc A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Northern VA Posts: 1,083 Drives: '14 370Z, '12 4Runr Rep Power: 14

11-28-2013, 09:32 AM	#22 (permalink)
H2O_Doc A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Northern VA Posts: 1,083 Drives: '14 370Z, '12 4Runr Rep Power: 14	Here is a sort of synopsis of the author's conclusions: 'The reason I started this crusade was that I was seeing people spend a lot of money on aftermarket filters based on the word of a salesperson or based on the misleading, incomplete or outright deceiving information printed on boxes and in sales literature. Gentlemen and Ladies, marketing and the lure of profit is VERY POWERFUL! It is amazing how many people believe that better airflow = more power! Unless you have modifications out the wazoo, a more porous filter will just dirty your oil! Some will say, I have used aftermarket brand X for XXX # years with no problems. The PROBLEM is you spent a chunk of change on a product that not only DID NOT increase your horsepower, but also let in a lot of dirt while doing it! Now how much is a lot? ANY MORE THAN NECESSARY is TOO MUCH! Others are persuaded by the claims of aftermarket manufacturers that their filters filter dirt “better than any other filter on the market.” Sounds very enticing. To small timers like you and me, spending $1500 to test a filter sounds like a lot. But if you were a filter manufacturer and you believed your filter could filter dirt better than any other media on the market, wouldn’t you want to prove it? Guess what. Test your filter vs. the OE paper. It will cost you $3000 and for that price you will have the data that you can use in your advertisements. Your investment will be returned a thousand fold! EASIER than shooting fish in a barrel! So why don’t these manufacturers do this? Hmmm? Probably not because they would feel guilty about taking more market share. Now I am not saying that ALL aftermarket filters are useless. A paper filter does not do well if directly wetted or muddy. It may collapse. This is why many off-road filters are foam. It is a compromise between filtering efficiency and protection from a collapsed filter. Now how many of our vehicles collapse their filters from mud and water? However, if a filter is using “better airflow” as their marketing tool, remember this….Does it flow better? At very high airflow volumes, probably. BUT, our engines CAN’T flow that much air unless super-modified, so what is the point? The stock filter will flow MORE THAN ENOUGH AIR to give you ALL THE HORSEPOWER the engine has to give. And this remains true until the filter is dirty enough to be recognizeable. At that point performance will decline somewhat. Replace the filter and get on with it. Hopefully the results of this test will do 2 things. Shed some light on the misleading marketing claims of some aftermarket manufacturers and/or give us new insight on products already on the market that are superior to our OE filter.'

11-30-2013, 04:42 PM	#23 (permalink)
scionide Enthusiast Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: so-cal Posts: 436 Drives: 11 370z PW 6mt Rep Power: 14	Off topic ish but does anyone know the part # for the AFE conical filter that's equivalent to the K&N filters used on the Stillen G3?