The Ultimate Air Filter Buying Guide | PartsAvatar

3 Which Top Brand Air Filter Should I Choose?

Mann Air Filter

Soot, fine particles, pollen and many other contaminants are still available on buildings, on farms and, yes, every kilometre you travel. If the air filter is not in perfect shape or unconditional, dirt particles may penetrate the combustion chamber, develop markings on the pistons and cause early wear of the engine. In the case of insufficient filtration, even electrical components such as sensors on the track between the air intake and the combustion chamber could cause loss and could be lost in the worst condition. Naturally, all this is easy to overcome.

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Part Numbers: C35-148, C27-006, and more. 

Features

A. Tough Performer

Thanks to the excellent quality workmanship in original equipment, MANN-FILTER air filters are highly durable and preserve their form. Except for the heavy mechanical loads, for instance, in confined locations or areas that are difficult to enter, the filter elements are easy to fit. They effectively and accurately filter the air intake to ensure the optimal mixture of the air-fuel–a critical requirement for sustained motor performance.

B. Clean Solution

Most air filters from MANN-FILTER can be totally incinerated and can thus be safely disposed of.

C. Flame-Retardant

If the air filter is not handled with a flame retardant impregnation, glowing cigarettes may pose a grave danger. This special impregnation is insoluble in water and is already present in numerous MANN-FILTER air filters. If warm ash is consumed in the air intake, it reliably stops the air filter from exploding into flames. They are valuable protection for commercial vehicles that are capital intensive.

D. In Top Shape

MANN-FILTER provides a range of items with hundreds of shapes that satisfy growing demands even in confined areas, whether trapezoidal or oval-conic or stepped.

E. High Performance In A Compact Size

Micro-grade G reflects MANN-FILTER’s desire for a more spatially efficient solution, greater dust capability and long operating intervals in the automotive industry. The gradient structure of the cellulose fibre filter medium is up to 20% higher than the paper filters comparable with the regular cellulose filter media.

F. Stable Performance

The stabilizing technology of a spiral wound strap eliminates not only weight but also expands lifespan and increases water rigidity. The technology is being pioneered steadily by growing numbers of MANN-FILTER air filter

F. STABLE PERFORMANCE

The stabilising technology of a spiral wound strap eliminates not only weight but also expands lifespan and increases water rigidity. The technology is being pioneered steadily by growing numbers of MANN-FILTER air filters.

Advantages of MANN-FILTER Air Filters

• Functional reliability over the entire operation interval
• High efficiency of dirt removal and low flow resistance
• Low flow resistance
• 100 per cent waterproofing in the long run
• Special impregnation of paper produces very robust plates.
• Engine, airflow metres and other critical sections are optimally secured.
• Extreme resistance to flame due to certain impregnations

For more information and detailed product lines, visit our Mann Filter- Air filter Section.

Wix Air Filter

I. Standard Air Filters

An efficient air filter can avoid the absorption of microscopic airborne particles (such as pollen, spores, or asphalt). Clean air quality is essential for the proper operation of the engine. It also promotes the efficiency of the engine, torque and promotes fuel consumption. The pollution also increases the harm caused to piston rings, bushings, and cylinders.

Part Numbers: , , WA, and more.

Features:

A. Flame Retardant Filter Medium

All WIX filters are in line with the F1 or S1, so the fire can not spread, rather it extinguishes the flames. They protect passengers against fire in case of sucking of the air supply system, e.g. ignition source.

B. Durable And Airtight Filter Seals

We use the polyurethane mixture to produce seals that are characterized by their unique elasticity and compressive strength at high temperatures. WIX filters remain airtight except under certain working environments.

C. Pleats Stabilized By Ribs

Adjacent WIX Filters do not cling to each other, since special ribs stabilize them. Owing to its uniformly dispersed distribution, filtration occurs on the entire medium surface and maximizes cleanliness.

D. Modern Filter Media

The current filter media in WIX Filters air filter ensure a filtration quality of 99,9 percent for particles of only a few microns based on cellulose or synthetic fiber. Each filter has its media chosen and is consistent with the vehicle manufacturers’ specifications.

E. Synthetic Non-Woven Panel Filters

Synthetic non-woven have exceptionally fine filtration characteristics. The absorption of cellulose is higher but less rigid. Therefore, placing the filter medium into a plastic frame developed by injection solves the problem of rigidity. An external reinforcement is a special mesh that defends against damage during service. This approach provides proper engine safety and does not distort the filter under tough operating conditions.

F. Panel Filters With Cellulose Bloating Paper

Because of the various sizes and shapes of these filters, significant consideration must be paid to ensuring that each filter is subject to the strain of regular driving conditions so that the completeness of each filter is assured by means of chosen fillers, stabilizers, or a retaining net for the metal, to stabilize the filters.

G. Round Filters

The filter may have the form of an oval ring or a cylindrical ring. But the space for the air intake system is considerably reduced in today’s passenger cars. Big circular and complex-built filters are also primarily equipped for luxury high-capacity vehicles. Carmakers use them rarely.

II. Heavy-Duty Filters

Machines with heavy-duty rarely run in sterile conditions. In addition, they consume a lot of environmental pollutants. WIX Filters offers efficient engine abrasion safety.

Features:

A. Pleats With Ribs

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This technology guarantees that pleats are spread uniformly, thus ensuring an acceptable distribution of the airflow over the whole filter surface.

B. Pleat-Stabilizing Fingers

A stabilization that keeps the pleats from breaking down and lacking stability.

C. High-Quality Filter Material

They stop up to 99.9 percent of the pollution and guarantee a full life of the engine under engine specifications.

D. Silicone Seals

Seals of this type are most commonly found in WIX filters and are resistant to external pressures (temperature and vibration); they will not crumble, will not get difficult over time, and, above all, ensure the right pressure. They don’t deform because of their elasticity.

E. Metal Bottom Caps With A Handle

To remove and install the filters easily. They are used in specific models.

F. Air Flow Indicator

    Difficult environments under which the machinery works (such as humidity, polluted atmosphere, air) can minimize air filter quality. The airflow indicator will determine whether the filter functions properly. The indicator guarantees optimized air filter maintenance.

For more information and detailed product lines, visit our WIX- Air filter Section.

K&N Engineering Air Filters

K&N® washable, reusable High-Flow Air Filters ™ uses a state-of-the-art design of layered, oiled cotton media engineered to boost airflow and trap contaminants, and are built to provide a boost in horsepower. Each air filter is reusable, is planned for the entire lifetime, and is supported in the K&N 10 / Million Mile Limited Warranty. K&N replacement filters are designed to conveniently fit into your airbox. Modify today and get superior airflow and top efficiency in the most successful product of K&N!

Part Numbers: 33-, PSA, 33-, and more

Benefits:

• Original red air filter since .
• Increases horsepower.
• Easily washable and reusable.
• Increases the performance of the vehicle.
• Protects your vehicle’s engine.
• Minimizes waste.
• Easy to install. 

For more information and detailed product lines, visit our K & N Engineering – Air Filter Section.

Fram Air Filter

A. Extra Guard Air

Buy Fram Air Filters Now

Part Numbers: CA, CA, CAA, and more.

Features:

• If the air filter is clean, it avoids the dust and dirt from entering the engine and improves airflow. 
• The particles that could damage the engine can be prevented from entering in and the engine wear may be increased.
• Dirty air filters limit airflow which contributes to reduced acceleration and horsepower and reduces overall efficiency.

B. Tough Guard

• Planned and designed to catch and retain more dirt with advanced features.
• Pre-oiled media engineered to attract and trap finer dirt and dust particles improve the potential for dirt preservation. Enhances the potential of holding dirt.
• Due to the presence of a heavier filter screen that extends into the urethene you can achieve increased durability, provides greater integrity and minimizes the likelihood of collapse and tearing while driving through tough conditions.
• For continuous airflow and less restriction, the pleat-lock glue bead feature permits the pleats to lock into position, so that it can help with the overall performance of the engine. 

C. FRAM Uultra® Premium Air Filter

• Protection from dust, dirt, and other particles.
• The proprietary filter media captures double the dirt, including small dirt particles which cannot be captured by regular air filters.
• Due to the presence of a heavier filter screen you can achieve increased durability and provide greater filter integrity. 
• For continuous airflow and less restriction, the pleat-lock glue bead feature permits the pleats to lock into position, so that it can help with the overall performance of the filter. 
• A new FRAM Ultra Premium Air Filter will boost your vehicle’s power and acceleration when a blocked engine air filter is replaced at recommended OE change intervals.

For more information and detailed product lines, visit our FRAM Filters – Air Filter Section.

Beck/Arnley Air Filters

Part Numbers: 042-, 042-, 042-, and more.

Features:

• Matches OE form, fit, and function.
• To regulate proper airflow, they are made from high-quality fiber materials.
• Constructed for durability.
• Designed to withstand under-hood conditions.
• Application is designed for specific vehicles.

For more information and detailed product lines, visit our Beck/Arnley Air Filter Section.

Purezone Air Filters

Part Numbers: 9-, 9-, and more.

Key Features

• Give good motor protection throughout the traditional air filter change interval to normal everyday driving conditions.
• Designed in the media area to match the OES.
• Air Filter Laboratory Tests of 97.5% Minimum efficiency according to ISO .

For more information and detailed product lines, visit our Purezone – Air Filter Section.

Champion Air Filters

The features are as follows:

• Horsepower (HP) will be restored.
• Superior protection for improved engine performance
• Up to 99% of air contaminants are removed by premium media.
• Improved design without restricting airflow for maximum filtration.

6 What Are The Warning Signs Of A Bad Air Filter?

As the air filters have a massive impact on the proper functioning of the vehicle, it is highly essential that you replace them in a timely manner. A dirty or clogged air filter can even lead to driveability issues. Following are some symptoms that you may notice if you don’t replace your air filter at the suggested intervals.

A. Reduced Fuel Economy A very clear sign of a dirty or damaged air filter is the decrease in fuel economy. If the air filter is damaged or clogged, it will restrict the airflow which lowers the oxygen in the mixture. Your engine makes up for this by using more fuel to generate enough power to drive the same distance or speed as you do with a clean filter.

B. Misfiring Of The Engine An insufficient flow of oxygen from a clogged air filter allows unburnt fuel to leave the engine in the form of soot. This soot covers the spark plugs which makes it impossible to deliver the necessary spark to combust the air-fuel mixture. The engine will find it hard to start, resulting in misfiring or rough jerks.

C. Strange Engine Noise Are you hearing unusual noises than smooth vibrations of the engine? Then your engine may not be getting sufficient airflow which means the air filter needs replacement. The engine air filter might have been dirty or clogged reducing the airflow and altering the air-fuel mixture. This air-fuel mixture creates black soot over the spark plugs. This strange noise usually arises as the soot covers the spark plugs and it does not fire properly.

D. Check Engine Light Comes On Carbon deposits accumulate in the engine if the supply of air is inadequate which triggers the check engine light. If the light comes on, check the air filter if they need replacement before you run any other diagnostics. And this is one reason, most manufacturers recommend changing the air filter after every 15,000 km to 25,000 km.

E. Dirty Air Filter A brand new air filter will be in white or off-white color. But as days go by, because of the accumulation of dust, dirt, and other particles, they will appear darker. The dust particles on the inner layer of the air filter will not be visible even in bright light. So every time you take your car in for maintenance, make sure your mechanic visually inspects the air filter as it is highly essential.

F. Decreased Performance Is your car sluggish? Does it respond normally or jerks as you press the accelerator button? If these are the reasons, then there are good chances that the air filter is dirty and is preventing your engine from receiving clean air to function properly. To eliminate this issue, all you have to do is replace the dirty air filter.

G. Black Smoke/Flames From The Exhaust Some fuel may not burn completely in the combustion cycle if the air supply is insufficient. This fuel exits through the exhaust pipe. If you see black smoke from your exhaust pipe, get your air filter replaced by the mechanic. You may also see a flame at the end of the tailpipe or hear a popping sound. This condition is hazardous and needs to be diagnosed immediately.

H. Gasoline Smell In The Exhaust Do you smell petrol as you start your car? This can happen if there is insufficient oxygen in your fuel injection system and the excess unburnt fuel leaves your car through the exhaust pipe. Instead of black smoke in the exhaust pipe, you will smell gasoline. This is a clear sign that your air filter needs replacement.

I. Reduced Horsepower If your car does not respond adequately or if you notice jerking movements when you press the accelerator, this could indicate that your engine is not receiving all the air it needs to perform. Since it improves airflow, replacing your air filter can improve acceleration or horsepower by up to 11%.

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After getting an oil change yesterday, the people there said my air filter was pretty dirty and it needed to be changed soon. They didn't have a replacement, but said the one I need is like 50$.
I was wondering if you really need to replace the air filter, or if you can just clean it.
If you can clean it, that means those people took out my air filter, saw how dirty it was, and then put it right back in. That seems kinda strange to me. That's like a doctor doing an operation on someone, and he checks everything else out while he's in there, sees there's a kidney stone in the kidney and leaves it there and tells you later that you should get a new kidney soon. I don't know what kind of exotic car you have to own a $50 air filter that needs replaced, unless...

For most cars, there's two different strategies for buying air filters:

1) Buy the cheap air filters and replace them when you change your oil (or perhaps every couple of oil changes, if it's not dirty, but air filters get dirty fairly quickly if you drive off-road a lot, as I do).

2) Buy the expensive air filter that you clean instead of replace. It's the last air filter you should need to buy for your car. Sounds like a great idea and I've done that ... once. But then I went back to the cheap air filters because replacing them is a lot easier than cleaning them.

It's possible you have the expensive air filters that you're supposed to clean, but have gone so long without cleaning it that it seems like a lost cause. Otherwise, it's hard to imagine having to pay $50 to replace an air filter. Yes, you should replace it regularly (yearly is "average," no longer than every 2 years for low mileage driving in "clean" locales, 6 months if you drive a truck on a farm), and no, you can't clean it. $50 sounds high, but you are paying for labor which might be worth the money since changing a filter can be difficult (it certainly is on my Highlander). You can always do it yourself for around $15-25 from your local auto parts store. Thank you for reminding me that I need to replace my air filter.

This will be the first time I've done this with my new truck.

And look! An instructional video! Looks about as difficult as on my last 10 vehicles.

Googling indicates that it will cost me between $12 and $56.

ps. I have never cleaned an air filter, nor, to my knowledge, had a kidney stone.

zoobyshoe said: I didn't know there was such a thing. How do you clean them?

I had one of the K&N's once. You need a special oil and there is a procedure.

To the OP: Just buy one at a parts store and do it yourself. They are usually quite simple (unless your car makes the air filter particularly difficult to access, but most cars are pretty straightforward). Probably shouldn't be more than $20 (USD) and an hour of your time (probably more like 15 minutes after you have done it a few times). So you have a cleanable air filter installed?

I've never had one of those.

Press the button for my solution:
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2ieP1ZdYIgfpfVSJf3T6MW-kSyUBpmD5iQm6hda20a4zKDfDr

~$10 for the cheap disposable ones.

ps. I would never jeopardize the life of my $10,000+ investment by worrying about whether or not to pay $10-$50 annually to keep it properly maintained. But that's just me.
pps. I change my own oil and filters.
ppps. I am so glad I got rid of my Chrysler Ebola...

I was wondering if you really need to replace the air filter, or if you can just clean it.

They load up with dirt in direction of airflow.
Knock the dust and leaves off incoming side with a soft brush.
If you have an air gun like in that video blow thru it backward.
Look at outgoing side - when it begins turning dark it's time to replace.

I grew up in S Florida where they last ten years because the seabreeze is clean air.
Since moved to midwest now they only go ~2 years, maybe 30 K miles...

SteamKing said: If you can replace or rebuild your engine for less than $50, I wouldn't worry about it.

I paid $50 for my first car. I think it might have been the fact that the drivers door was missing that got me such a great deal.

That was in .

I think I spent another $500 trying to get that damn bug to go over 45mph.
Took the whole thing apart.
Put the transaxle back in backwards.
I ended up with 4 reverse gears, and 1 forward gear.

I had the fastest backwards car in town.

zoobyshoe said: I didn't know there was such a thing. How do you clean them?

Here's the procedure for cleaning the K&N Air Filters.

Instead of buying replacement air filters, you get to buy the cleaning "accessories" periodically.

The bigger pain is Step 3, which requires you to let the filter air dry naturally after cleaning. It turns a 5 minute replacement job into a few hours where your vehicle is unavailable because you're waiting for your air filter to dry.

That's not really a huge pain, but it does require at least a small amount of planning. You clean it at night before you go to bed and then finish the job in the morning after the air cleaner is dry.

Some people swear by these air filters. Personally, I just decided to just go back to the cheap ones that are easy to replace. K&N and similar style air filters are a bad idea for 2 reasons...
first, they let more dirt through the filter. They are designed as a performance upgrade which let's more air into the the engine. The trade-off is less effective filtering and more engine wear.
Second, they use an oily substance to make dirt stick to the fibers of the filter media. This oil can come off of the filter and stick to the heated wire of your mass airflow sensor, causing it's measurement to be skewed. Don't expect the manufacturer to waranty a MAF failure if you install a re-usable filter.

Periodicly removing your air filter and blowing it out with compressed air will extend it's life, but sooner or later you will have to replace it. This is not something most mechanics do because they don't make any money doing it.

Most garages sell oil changes below cost just to get your car in the the shop where they can inspect it and find profitable work they can sell you. The $50 air filter is probably the same one you can get at AutoZone for $25. The shop just markes it up to make a profit. After all, that's what they're there for right? It is a business.

Most garages sell oil changes below cost just to get your car in the the shop where they can inspect it and find profitable work they can sell you. The $50 air filter is probably the same one you can get at AutoZone for $25. The shop just markes it up to make a profit. After all, that's what they're there for right? It is a business.

The lady told me that I needed to replace my air filter soon and that they didn't have one in stock, and she told me it was 50$. Was she talking about the K&N air filter? Because I looked up the prices of the air filters for Mazda 2's, and the K&N air filter is about 50$. But if it's a reusable air filter, why would I need to buy a new one?