Engine air filter OEM vs replacement

Where is the K&N gang here .

I am sure they got their set of data and BS story on why dumping oil on their filters is a good idea.

 

Thank you. Dirt doesn't stick to oil.

 

Back in the day i loved my old K&N filters, worked really well on my old cerebrated cars.

Before i knew how bad Oil filters were for newer cars I used K&N oil filter on my old 04 Acura TL and surprisingly it still went to over 300k.

 

I love my K&N filters. The best money ever spent! Prove me wrong!

 

I am not sure thicker is better?
In home depot there is an aisle full of home HVAC filters. Most have a common thickness of one inch and different micron filtration specs-they vary a lot.
I think air volume thruput and particles stopped are what we want for our engines-no air volume restriction to choke the engine and smallest particles removed to keep abrasive dust out of engine intake, combustion chamber's piston walls and valves. I trust Toyota to balance these issues, so I just get the thicker factory model.

 

Good info!

Thanks!

 

K&N air filters definitely flow more air than probably any other filter. BUT, that extra air flow comes at a cost of terrible filtering. Watch projectfarm on youtube video testing air filters. I would never use a K&N if I wanted my engine to last a long time (300,000+ miles) without rebuilding it.

 

I’d imagine the thickness of a filter “assembly” is probably a consequence of the required throughput compared with the filtration requirements. If you need to filter very fine particulates, then the media probably restricts airflow a lot. To increase airflow to the required level, I’d imagine packaging more media via more pleats (and larger width per pleat) results in more surface area through which air can flow, while still filtering to the required level.

 

Spot on! The thicker filter allows for more surface area. So in theory should allow for a longer effective life.

 

I have them too .

 

Sarcasm dude

 

I do have them also. Engine and cabin. But just for convenience of spraying them off and being on my way. At no point is 3.2 hp worth shouting on the mountain about. Lol.

 

You guys worry too much.

 

I don’t think it is really a worry. Just the love of learning technical things and how that data can affect the vehicle in a good or bad way. Also fun to pass along information that most don’t go searching for.

“Once you stop learning, you start dying.”-Albert Einstein

 

The Mahle/Clevite LX3003 claims 99.9% efficiency for their replacement filters. I wonder how that compares to the Toyota OEM?

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3853686&cc=3441448&pt=6192&jsn=592

 

Okay, let the fun begin... I called Mahle to confirm this statement of 99.9% efficiency, the technical person (also a Toyota guy) got confirmation from the engineers that it is in fact 99.9%! Sounds like I know what filter I am buying. I also reached out to Baldwin (we use their oil filters on our industrial equipment) and their filter efficiency is 99.6%. Lastly I reached out to Toyota and many dealerships until I was in complete nauseum. No one knows what the efficiency is of either Toyota filter.... Like it was stated above Denso does not publish that data. Wix was the same story as Denso, they told me they do not have the specs yet online there are two different points 99.5% and 99.9%. The guy said it meets Toyota/Lexus specs.

List of engine air filters and their efficiencies for 5th Gen 4Runner:

Mahle LX3003: 99.9% (Confirmed by Mahle)

Baldwin PA4435: 99.6% (Confirmed by Baldwin)

Hengst E1293L: 99.6% (Confirmed by Hengst)

Wix 49350: 99.5% (Unsure on validity since Wix stated it meets Toyota/Lexus specs and would not give me a hard number)

NAPA Gold FIL9350: 99% (Website statement)

Purolator ONE A36122: 99% (Website statement)

Carquest Premium 83350: 99% (Website statement)

NAPA Proformer SFI 29350: 98% (Website statement)

 

I've already ordered a Mahle for my truck.

Napa told me that Wix makes their filters. If true, I guess that could mean that Wix is also at 99% (if it's the same filter just rebranded) or it could mean that they make something for NAPA according to NAPA's specs (and price point).

 

For whatever its worth, I've used Wix engine and cabin air filters for years and have never noticed any difference in filtration, etc. I'm actually a fan of Wix and still use them for both my 4Runner and my wife's Outback.

 

Just replaced my Wix cabin filter with a Mahle today. Mahle box says "Made in Germany."

The difference in construction and weight is significant. The Mahle is much heavier and sturdier.

Will that translate to better filtration? The efficiency numbers suggest it will but I can't tell for sure in the moment. One thing I can say is that when handling both filters, you can feel the difference in quality immediately.

Engine Air filter comes tomorrow. I will update then.

 

Thank you for that update! Excited it was Made In Germany. I wonder if they have pulled some production out of China? I will be getting mine on Monday and will be taking physical measurements like I did the Toyota ones to calculate surface area and pleat count.

 

nice

 

I'll let you know if the air filter is also made in Germany or not when I get it.

If you can, you'll want to test the thickness of the filter material too.

The cabin filter material seems quite a bit thicker than the wix I just took out.

 

How can you really know how well a filter is working? You would need to measure particulates going in and coming out. And then, what effect does one filter have on engine longevity versus the other? IMO, there's a trade-off between good filtration and efficient airflow.

 

Isn’t the cars computer going to adjust for the amount of airflow anyways?

 

The filter efficiency is based off of ISO 5011 tests performed by the filter OEM. You are correct though the higher efficiency the less flow. Also the comment above is correct, the computer is able to make adjustments. Plus the performance detriment would be found at full throttle not partial throttle. The throttle body is the actual restriction until WOT.

But less foreign particles going into the combustion chamber means less wear particles. Plus that is less particulate matter (silica) that is in the oil which would then go to the bearings. It’s a full circle. Now my 142,000 mile engine has had plenty of particulate matter through it, so if I can start now maybe it can last a little longer.

At the end of the day this is just information for people who nerd out in the weeds. Being an ops engineer we try and squeeze every bit out of our equipment to keep uptime high and customers happy. This mentality has trickled into my personal life when maintaining our vehicles and other things around the house.

 

Lake Speed Jr. said the same thing recently.

 

I'm still rocking the Airaid P/N 851-438 dry filter that I scored for $17 on clearance at Rock Auto a while back. Airraid is a brand of K&N. Engine hasn't blown up yet!

 

How . . . how . . . how could you? That's like the ultimate DIY maintenance betrayal next to reusing a drain plug gasket.

 

^It replaced a Fram air filter if it makes you feel any better. And I don't re-use a drain plug gasket, I always use new Dorman gaskets