# Whats the best performance air filter?



## isherdholi (Sep 18, 2007)

as above...

I was wondering if anybody has any experiences of any of the aftermarket air filters (e.g. K&N or Green, etc). Do they give any small gain in feel/power/fuel efficiency?

I drive an BMW E46 320i by the way.

Thanks in advance


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## hibberd (Jul 5, 2006)

what they cost versus what they deliver I wouldnt bother unless you are looking to tune your engine too. I had one on my SD1 Vitesse and on my MX-5 but never noticed anything from it..I had K&N...


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## 182_Blue (Oct 25, 2005)

Definitely be careful what you buy as i have seen people loose power fitting some induction kits, or are you just looking at putting one in your OEM box ?


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## isherdholi (Sep 18, 2007)

Yeah, I'm not really interested in an induction kit, just looking for a drop in filter to use with the stock air box.


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## 182_Blue (Oct 25, 2005)

isherdholi said:


> Yeah, I'm not really interested in an induction kit, just looking for a drop in filter to use with the stock air box.


TBH i have never bothered, no gains to be had generally, just keep the original one and change it often IMO, also you may need to tell the insurance if you add an aftermarket sports version !


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## smyrk (Sep 25, 2009)

Ive got a e46 318 ci coupe. I think Ive got a pipercorss induction kit. stainless exhaust and its been remapped and to be honest ive never drove another one and i bought this one how it is but i wouldnt imagine its much faster than another 318


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## Pandy (Jan 19, 2008)

Ive got an ITG panel filter in my airbox and i like it :thumb:


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## isherdholi (Sep 18, 2007)

Pandy said:


> Ive got an ITG panel filter in my airbox and i like it :thumb:


Never heard of that particular brand - where can you get those?


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## Pandy (Jan 19, 2008)

I got mine from a Rover specialist, best bet would be to check the stockists off the ITG website

They are a well known brand for performance air filters

http://www.itgairfilters.com/


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## [email protected] (Jan 9, 2006)

I use pipercross, for me the way i drive performance is much of a muchness but its one less thing to pay out for every 6-12months, just take it out clean and dry it and put it back.

Same theory as a stainless exhaust tbh not gonna rust so wont need renewing


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## rich1880 (May 26, 2010)

I'm a K&N fan myself, great direct replacement.


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## robj20 (Jan 20, 2009)

Just avoid kits that place an open filter in the engine bay you will loose power, go for either a replacement panel, or a cold air induction kit. I dont bother with filters on my old cars anymore. Its as cheap to replace bits of the engine as a filter would cost for me.


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## -damon- (Aug 19, 2010)

never put a performance air filter on a bmw,one of my freinds is a bmw machanic and its unreal the amount of problems they cause.try go for a panel filter tho k&n would be my choice with a million mile guarantee


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## isherdholi (Sep 18, 2007)

-damon- said:


> never put a performance air filter on a bmw,one of my freinds is a bmw machanic and its unreal the amount of problems they cause.try go for a panel filter tho k&n would be my choice with a million mile guarantee


Yes - thats exactly what I'm after - a replacement panel filter to use in the stock air box.

Has anyone tried the Green cotton filters? Are they any good?


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## robj20 (Jan 20, 2009)

I like pipercross filters they seem to be easier to clean and flow just as well as the cotton type.


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## Maggi200 (Aug 21, 2009)

ON my car I've had pipercross, itg and K&N and there was nothing between them, although all added a throaty sound and definitely boosted torque a little none added any power


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## ivor (Sep 24, 2008)

I run a pod filter on my toy and suffer no power loss but then it bolted onto a big turbo 

Aftermarket filter from my experience are not worth having unless you change the exhaust to one that is less restrictive, It's alright being able to take more air in but you then need to able to push more air out


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## big ben (Aug 25, 2009)

standard air box and filter every time for me... 

manufacturers dont spend all that money developing things for nothing, most other air filters loose you power...

if you want more noise than just drill holes in the air box


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## -damon- (Aug 19, 2010)

big ben said:


> standard air box and filter every time for me...
> 
> manufacturers dont spend all that money developing things for nothing, most other air filters loose you power...
> 
> if you want more noise than just drill holes in the air box


i would normaly agree as thats what i normaly do but i now have a pannel filter and think its great the car feels a lot more free through the revs


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## jay_bmw (Jan 28, 2010)

As above the manufacturer has spent a fortune desigining the std airbox.

as a e46 330ci owner myself, being on the forums, its quite obvious the panel filters lead to problems with oil killing off the MAF sensor (which itself costs around 180 quid) theres no real performance benefits or induction noise.


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## minimadgriff (Jul 8, 2007)

Makes sure it is a filter that doesn't have to be oiled. The oil kills air flow meters


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## Knight Rider (Jun 17, 2008)

-damon- said:


> never put a performance air filter on a bmw


This can be true on many BM's



big ben said:


> standard air box and filter every time for me...
> 
> manufacturers dont spend all that money developing things for nothing, most other air filters loose you power...
> 
> if you want more noise than just drill holes in the air box


Again, good advice, and I have heard that drilling hiles in the "trumpet" of the E39 airbox will give you the sucking air sound with no adverse affects



330ci said:


> As above the manufacturer has spent a fortune desigining the std airbox.
> 
> as a e46 330ci owner myself, being on the forums, its quite obvious the panel filters lead to problems with oil killing off the MAF sensor (which itself costs around 180 quid) theres no real performance benefits or induction noise.


Yes,

On a BM, you would be looking at around 150 for a half decent air filter set-up, you would gain possibly 3-4 bhp? maybe. As 330ci says, I have heard of many people having problems with the oil in the filters doing damage.

On my E39, I tried a TOTR CAIK, it sounded great, but apart from a lighter wallet, didn't really feel any different (other than the feel you get when you "think" there has been an improvement!)

Was then told I had wasted the best part of £300 as the car had the same BHP as before, but with the risk of a ****-up!

Just IMO

HTH


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## keano (Aug 11, 2008)

ITG are rated very highly. ( i have a pipercross myself) but i doubt either would provide anything, other than confidence that they wont deteriorate.


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## AcN (Nov 3, 2010)

Better get a phenolic spacer... Same amount of air, but MUCH MUCH MUCH cooler air for your engine, resulting in a very nice high end torque gain.
It might be a pain in the ass to install, but IMO, it's worth a lot more than a performance air filter, which in the end will only result in a bigger noise when pressing the pedal. But if you still want to go that way, Apex'i dual funnel air filter is the way to go  washable air filter, filters muuuuuch more than any other filter (including HKS mushroom thingy, K&N, Green Filters), but it indeed costs an eye 

But being objective, i'd just say "leave it as it is or put a turbo"


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## rtjc (Apr 19, 2009)

Yes manufacturers have spent allot on developing their air intakes, but they also spend allot making them quiet to meet regulations and also routing pipework etc for economy. I i say at least remove any resonator pipes & boxes on the stock setup and replace the filter for a free flowing one. Resonators are there to calm the air and mute sound. However, every vehicle is different, some have very restrivtcive intakes some not. So long as an open intake gets enough cold air, from a nice feed or where it is placed perfectly it shouldnt "lose" power


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## yellasei (Dec 3, 2010)

i used an ITG panel filter in my seicento and noticed nothing, it also needed cleaning quite a lot. the positive side it was cheap.
i now have a BMC filter fitted and that seems to make a slight power increase.......well you gotta notice something with only 54bhp under the bonnet, lol


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## Griff.. (Dec 18, 2010)

Cosworth air filters are oil free and getting good reviews!


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## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

big ben said:


> standard air box and filter every time for me...
> 
> manufacturers dont spend all that money developing things for nothing, most other air filters loose you power...
> 
> if you want more noise than just drill holes in the air box


I agree. An induction kit without any form of segregation or cold air feed will just result in heat soak and a loss of power. And any gains from a panel filter (other than possibly noise) are going to be negligible.

It's a cheap and easy mod to _sell_ to people. Unless you're doing some serious tuning, I doubt you'll see any benefits. Though on the upside, it's nice to be able to pop it out, clean it, and back in again..


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## Nigelo (Mar 3, 2010)

A stock air box can be very restrictive, as it's designed to be quiet - even the megane RS250 cup has sound deadening in the airbox. If the engine is getting all the air it can use then changing filters etc will have little or no impact apart from noise. 

If you have a turbo car with a good intercooler then it becomes more complicated, as the intercooler does a lot of air cooling (so people often opt for an in-engine bay short intake)

End of the day, it really depends on how restrictive the intake is, and every car model is different. If it is a turbo car and you remap it, you might need an intake or panel filter change to make the most from it. A panel will be quieter and easier to put in than an intake, an will be louder than standard, but quieter than an open cone filter.

It will make more noise difference in a 'non-turbo' car than a turbo'd one

Good manufacturers of panels / intakes are k&n, green, apexi, itg, pipercross. There are some almost car manufacturer-specific brands that will be recommended (like ones specialising in BMW etc) but it's best to read magazines and forums dedicated to those cars for the best advice)

Oh, and apexi won a recent test for their open cone, so they might be a good place to start!


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## hmsilset (Dec 28, 2010)

Apexi:thumb: it is some kind of paper filter, so dont clean with water.


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## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

hmsilset said:


> Apexi:thumb: it is some kind of paper filter, so dont clean with water.


Agreed, very good filters that actually filter the air and flow very well indeed.

That said, the intakes on modern cars are very very good, so you're unlikely to gain anything other than induction noise.


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