pod filters, does the brand really matter?

[Guest MP0wer]

I was never a fan of using them, I much prefer the tested and proven airbox, but now I will be having to put one in there due to space restriction as the supercharger is going in, I will probably design a COLD BOX and channel in cool air to it.

Does the brands really matter, Should I grab an Apexi, K&N etc? or just grab a cheap one off SCA or Trademe? Apparently the POD filters in SCA are all made by Simota Taiwan.

Edited April 11, 2015 by MP0wer

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2132]

I would be more concerned about the supercharger eating a sub standard one than any power differences

[Michael. 2313]

Depends how good each individual filters performance is.

Good Filtration while allowing good flow... that balance is the key.

Actually just getting more cold air to the intake should be the main focus.

I would trade a small amount of power if I knew my intake air was being filtered properly.

[aja540i 1906]

I would stick with k&n, i have them in both my cars and the cleaning kits are readily available, also i believe they still have a million mile warranty in the u.s. so they must be pretty reliable. A cold air box is a must with a pod filter, also make sure the plumbing is up to scratch, nothing like trying to suck air through a collapsed plastic tube!

[Guest MP0wer]

So I'll just go buy the Apexi or K&N then,

Never thought brands in these things mattered that much, always found the oiled filters to be more of a gimmick and harmful to maf if re-oiled poorly.

[gjm 3258]

So I'll just go buy the Apexi or K&N then,

Never thought brands in these things mattered that much, always found the oiled filters to be more of a gimmick and harmful to maf if re-oiled poorly.

There is some appallingly poor construction in some air filters, as in some oil filters. Good ones may not make any difference in terms of power, but they certainly will make a difference when it comes to reliability.

[Top Secret 2]

If I remember correctly, there was a test a while back which tested all the major air filters on the market for filtration and flow etc., and Apexi came away with the win. From memory they aren't oiled either, so they don't muck around with your MAF (or at least they didn't with my old Silvia).

[euroriffic 609]

The fram air hog would be my choice. Are oil free and come in different sizes and a good well known brand. That's what il be using when I get my sh*t together and build my Cai. Get them thru BnT

[Michael. 2313]

The Apexi power intake filter is the only one I would use. From what I've seen it offers the best filtration, ahead of K&N

[Guest MP0wer]

Okay, on the subject of pod air filters, as pathetic as it sounds, I was doing some reading in some Australian forums, and apparently K&N were the Top performers, overall in Airflow to Filtration, Apexi has good filtration but poor airflow then Simota (Same as SCA Cheap $30 ones under names as Calibre/3A), however Simota has a bit poorer filtration but good overall.

From ISSUE 51 of ASM;

10 Pod Filters were tested on their: air flow & filtration.

AEM dryflow ($100): flow 9th, filtration 3rd
APEXI power intake ($125): flow 7th, filtration 6th
HKS direct drive ($125): flow 6th, filtration 9th
K&N rr-3301 ($125): flow 4th, filtration 1st
REDLINE airforce 1 ($40): flow 2nd, filtration 10th
SIMOTA power stack WE-002 ($29.95): flow 3rd, filtration 5th
TENZO WS002-CH ($19.95): flow 8th, filtration 4th
3A Racing ($28.95): flow 1st, filtration 2nd
TRUST airinx ($120): flow 5th, filtration 7th

I guess I will just shell out $100 to grab the 3" K&N from the nzairfilters site. But its not like I pop in a cheap air filter from SCA and my engine explodes, lol.

Edited April 12, 2015 by MP0wer

[my_e36 43]

If these guys are to be believed....

[Michael. 2313]

http://mkiv.com/techarticles/filters_test/2/index.html

The tests can be so ambiguous I find, it's really hard to know what you're dealing with.

[polley 916]

I have a simota I got from bnt. It keeps the rocks, birds and small infants out.

[hybrid 1043]

Everything is subjective, including any claims of HP gains, it all depends on the circumstance. This is a sales trick for noobs.

Pod filters only work if you have a sealed cold air box around it with adaiquite air supply into the box at max RPM. The problem with most pod filter applications is people remove the filter and box setup.

This is a bad thing because instead of your engine sucking in cold air it is sucking in warm/hot air form your engine bay. All modern ECUs which measure air temparature will retard ignition etc as the air temp goes up. This is a safety reaction to stop pre-ignition in the cylinders.

Ideally you want a flat filter to evenly distrubute the air across the MAF sensor. However this is minimal and in real world examples dont make much difference in a normal NA setup. Something like the M3 CSL filter which is inside the carbon airbox it is more critical, because it is closer to the intake plenium chamber where swirling or uneven air pressure is more of a problem. The M3 CSL isnt tuned using a MAF so can get away with this setup more practically.

Here is mine, A 89mm pod filter with cold airbox (pod obviously inside the box). My engine is dynoing slightly higher than stock @ the same ambient air temps. Mine is a Simota brand which Ive had in the car for 4 odd years now and its been awesome. K&N at the time didnt do a 89mm pod filter so I went with these guys. Been impressed.
http://www.broomfish.co.nz/shop/index.php?cPath=500_580_591

I would like to build a carbon airbox type setup with flat panel filter system .. There are some companies who make this type of setup for my engine, but it is very very expensive. It would only improve the look and sound in return. I would also need to realitically retune for Alpha-N instead of MAF.

[Guest MP0wer]

Pretty much what I thought really about POD Filters. Lovely Airbox by the way Hybrid/Josh. Do you have instructions how you made it with some more pictures? Looks so flaw less.

[Michael. 2313]

Pretty much what I thought really about POD Filters. Lovely Airbox by the way Hybrid/Josh. Do you have instructions how you made it with some more pictures? Looks so flaw less.

Josh always does flawless work.

A do it once do it right kinda guy

[hybrid 1043]

Haha cheers Michael. Had my fair share of mess ups too. All part of the learning process I guess.

Pretty much what I thought really about POD Filters. Lovely Airbox by the way Hybrid/Josh. Do you have instructions how you made it with some more pictures? Looks so flaw less.

In the build thread ...

http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/24294-operation-weapons-grade/page-21#entry334460

[Apex 693]

Another thing to consider is noise reduction. I supercharged a car once and used a pod. The noise was horrid, cool for a week or so and then its just annoying.

Ended up modifying the OEM air box and used dynamat (s) on the inside of the box.

Power wise there was no differance.

K&N has always served well, 10 years is not uncommon.