Performance Air Filters

[mudinuri]

Hi all,

I"ve not long had my Air Filter replaced with a bog standard filter, but I was reading that a Performance Air Filter will make a heck of a difference. Is this correct and if so what Filter would you recommend?

1998 Rav4, 3 door, 2L Petrol, Manual.

I"m on a budget, so no really expensive ones please.

Cheers

[Uncle Buck]

To be honest David, there aren't any filters that will make an enormous difference to standard cars. Many of us use a K&N panel filter or Pipercross, but the improvement is very small in outright performance terms. Part of the appeal is not having to replace the stock offering at service time. Over several years of ownership you can save a few pounds & have a small improvement in performance and/or fuel consumption. :)

[Cyker]

IMHO not worth it; You get slightly better airflow and slightly worse filtration.

For a panel filter, I doubt you'd notice any difference. Anyone who says it'll make a 'heck' of a difference is at best exaggerating and at worst lying.

Some people say they do, but I suspect this is just because the filter is new. I just changed my filter recently and it did feel a bit nicer and that was just because my new OEM filter wasn't all blocked up like the old one (Seriously, where is my Yaris sucking in all these insects from??!!)

The main advantage of, e.g. the K&N panel filter is that it is reusable so you just need to buy it and some of their special oil, and then you can just clean and re-oil it instead of buying a new one every couple of years. (Caveat: You have to be very careful not to over-oil it or it may bugger up your MAF sensor)

If you're going for a proper performance intake, you're looking at induction kits and cold air intakes which will improve intake more, but are also more expensive and more complicated, plus they'll jack up your insurance. They do sound pretty cool tho'

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi,

If you need any help we insurance for a modified vehicle then please feel free to drop me a line.

Regards,

Dan.