Looking at getting a new panel filter for when i get MY05 STI remapped, What do you guys suggest i was thinking green or cosworth

 

'Do luck' gave the best bhp increase in the recent jap performance mag.

 

STI, Green, K&N, cosworth etc.

The Do luck one wasnt tested against all the panel filters out there, and personally it looks cheap and nasty, cosworth and STI are both service items so they are replaced every 20k miles but offer excellent filtration

Tony

 

Green and K&N are excellent long life/cleanable choices. STi and Cosworth need to be replaced much more regularly (at the same frequency as a paper filter).

I use K&N in my own cars and wouldn't touch that "No Luck" filter with a bargepole due to its construction. Make of the above what you will.

 

+ 1 for the K&N filter.

It's very good and i've been using the same one for about 5yrs now. When you first get it the light covering of oil it comes with that is there to trap particles of crap you don't want to get in the engine will find it's way onto the MAF sensor but don't worry as it won't damage the sensor. Once you've done a few hundred miles clean the MAF sensor (be gentle) with brake cleaner and it will be good to go.

Every time you do an oil and filter change pop the filter out and give it a blow with an air hose to get the flies and bits out and pop it back in. It won't need a proper clean and re-oil for for 20K-30K+miles and it comes with a 100K miles guarantee.

It's a great bit of kit and will do you for over 400bhp.

 

I wouldn't agree with that. If a new filter appears to have excess oil on it as it comes out of the packet, the better option is to simply wipe it off the wire mesh carefully with some kitchen or workshop paper towel. If you get the excess off it won't shed anything into the induction tract, and because of the mesh, there's no chance of taking "too much" off.

I used to habitually take the MAF sensor out and run a finger or white tissue over the front just to see if there was any dirt/oil contamination. I've never seen any after using the procedure above.

I'd definitely disagree with that. You may be able to judge it right if you're lucky but there's far too much of a risk of concentrated high pressure air from a workshop blow gun damaging the structure of the cotton and compromising the filtration efficiency. In fact K&N specifically say not to use an airline for exactly this reason, and they should know.

As far as servicing procedures go mine are very simple. Take it out and have a look at it, knock it against a bin or sink to get rid of anything loose enough to fall out, and if necessary turn the filter the other way round in the airbox so the clean part is getting the bulk of the airflow. Whenever it looks dirty enough to need it, clean and re-oil it the proper way.

 

I have been using k & n filters for over 20 years now and have bought well over 17 of them in that time. Regarding cleaning them splitpin has stated exactly the same procedure that I have always used & what the manufacturers recommend . Those of you who have fitted k & n filters from new if you examine the filter after 6 - 8 months ( depending on how much mileage you do ) you will notice that a one half of your filter is almost black, and the other side is red. Simply remove filter , give a few light taps to remove any grit/flys, etc and put filter back in 180 degrees and away you go. When the whole filter is black , then consider re oiling as k& n specify.Which I believe is the similar to the instructions above, +1 for k& n

 

Ok great thanks for the advice K&N it is then

 

green panel filter for me mate.

 

In my experience very few filters have so much excess oil on them from new that you would really have to give it a good wipe before installing it, and certainly in the last few years manufacturers have been doing a better job of oiling their filters just right so there is as little excess on it as possible.

After the first few hundred miles after installing a new oiled filter there is always some oil residue on your MAF. After that initial use and until you clean/oil it again there is no more oil to come off it. Obsessively cleaning the MAF sensor every week or whatever may in the end be detrimental to it because the more you handle it and clean it the more likely you are at some stage to do some damage. Some bits on your car weren't really designed to be taken on and off quite so often and prefer to be left in place until it really has to come off. I never touch the sensor with anything apart from the jet of cleaning fluid that comes from the brake cleaner can. That is sufficient.

I've been cleaning my filter the way i've always cleaned it for for over 5 years now and my filter is still in tip top condition and working as the manufacturer intended. Giving it a blast of air from a safe distance every oil change so as not to damage the filter to get the flies and bits of grass and other crap out works well, and the fact that i'm still using the same filter 5yrs on without issue bares this out.

Just giving it a knock won't get all the flies and crap out that's embedded right into the mesh. Those of us passing between 300-350g/s of air through the filter generally find flies, grass and other bits of crap properly stuck onto and poking into the mesh so rather than poking the filter with a screwdriver to dig out those embedded flies and bits and possibly risking real damage to the filter, a blast of air from 6"-8" away does a great job.

Whether you do it to the word as per manufacaturers instructions or you use your common sense and experience is down to you. I use my common sense and experience. If you don't have much experience and are not sure what to do read the manufacturers instructions.

 

How do you know? Have you tested its filtration efficiency?

I didn't say it would. The point I was making is that K&N describe their cleaning procedure very specifically, and advice against the use of high pressure air for a reason.

I don't see anyone on here suggesting that the medium should be "poked with a screwdriver" (or similar). That is, as you suggest, a downright bad idea. The point I was making is that if a foreign object has lodged within the filter with sufficient force to stick

Quite. Maybe when you have some more experience, we could revisit the subject.

For anyone in doubt, the K&N FAQ is here, and the cleaning procedure here. Not that you'll be needing this anytime soon SD99.

 

Perhaps i shouldn't have said as per the manufacturer intended because i don't follow their guidelines however, i haven't tested it's filtration efficiency!! Has anyone else??...Have you??



I would just like to say that the way you reply to a lot of peoples posts can only be described as decidedly condescending. You do it a lot of the time. Have you got a very sharp object stuck up your **** or something. Is that what makes you such a grumpy git. Keep a civil finger on your keyboard when you reply to peoples posts as it might earn you a swift kick in the cojones one day. Perhaps you might like to reply to me in this manner in person, we'll see how condescending you are then!!

I've been cleaning my filter this way for long enough now with excellent results to be able to say, from experience, that the manufacturers way isn't the only way. I'll stick to what i know...from experience!!

 

HKS hybrid for me.

 

green panel for me

 

Another for green can hear and feel the diffrence.

 

As above I check for dirt/oil contamination on the face of the airflow meter on a reasonably regular basis. And the reason I asked whether you'd tested it is because of your comment about it "working as the manufacturer intended". I was interested to find out whether you were basing that comment on actual knowledge or otherwise. Your response speaks volumes.

My posting style is direct and to the point, and when I ask a question it's because I'm interested in the answer.

It's interesting to note that the only other individual who's suggested that my style is condescending (although at least you can spell it) has admitted to having a bit of a problem with his ego. The only individual on this thread who hasn't been civil is yourself. Glasshouses, stones, etc.

You can stick with what you know in the privacy of your own home. When you offer advice in the forum that, in the opinion of others, potentially counterproductive, it's a bit silly getting all het up and on your high horse when someone disagrees with you. Especially when your "advice" is directly contrary to the manufacturer's own care and cleaning instructions. This is a discussion forum. If you don't like/can't handle sensible reasoned discussion, don't involve yourself in it.

 

Hi, can you explain what it is about the Do-Luck filters construction that makes it so unappealing? In theory as a filter it offers superior performance to its competitors due to it's layered foam design and egg box surface (increases air contact area which gives it an advantage).

Regs
Jules.

 

to Split Pin,

I have recently changed to a K&N panel filter but did not think to wipe off any potential excess oil before installing the part. would you advise checking the maf sensor for cleanliness or would it be best left alone.

Also, what do you use to clean it with?

 

Dont worry too much about the oil on a K&N filter, read this

http://www.knfilters.com/maf/maftestresults.htm

 

I,ve used a K+N panel filter for the last 11 years with no problems.When I sell my cars I keep it and use it on my new car. Steve.

 

I got the Do-Luck after speaking to one of the guys at ScoobyWorld on Wednesday and the build seems to be ok, after fitting it and taking the car for a test drive i felt it was a little stronger in places, but not a massive increase, but i was not expecting one.
I will be showing the filter to my father and ask him what he makes of the filter as he has been in the filtration industry for the past 40 odd years.
I did read the test in the mag but tbh the test results would be better if the ran the same test every day for a week and then see what the results would be, that would be a better indication of what each filter would be capable of.

 

HKS is the daddy!!

 

Primarily the fact that liquid loaded synthetic foam filters tend to rely on relatively large quantities of liquid/viscous filter media designed to trap the dirt. In the past, there have been problems with this medium being sucked out of the foam and contaminating mass airflow sensor measuring cells, with obvious consequences for the engine.

Cotton-based panels tend not to suffer the same problem as they require much less liquid to start with, and what they have is much lower viscosity, and tends in any case to be effectively retained by the natural fibres.

Given that, once you get away from marketing bullsh*t and into the real world, there is next to nothing to be gained in performance terms from changing panel filters. As such personal preference in this area is to stick with something I know I can trust, and don't need to worry about. Even if we assume that the results of that magazine group test are accurate and the Do-Luck filter is worth 1bhp over a K&N or Green, I'd rather have the predictability than one extra horse.

See comment above re. marketing bull. The "egg box" thing is a moot point, given that K&N/Green etc, and even OE Subaru filters use the pleated/corrugated construction, which again maximises the available surface area. As such the Do-Luck is not likely to have any notable advantage in this regard, in comparison to its competitors.

If you've already used the filter I wouldn't worry about it too much. Wiping over a new filter is something I do as a precaution rather than consider a necessity.

I don't actually clean MAF sensors, I just occasionally wipe over the front of them with a piece of pristine white tissue, purely as an indicator of how much, if any, crud might have found its way inside.

 

+1 splitpin totally agree with though's point's

 

thanks Splitpin