virgin

Hands up ! Who uses a induction air filter and who reckons the panel is best ?

timmyjmy93wrx

i use K&N inuction kit - sounds great and luks good
i think others (correct me if i rong) will say that the induction kits perform better but are not as good for the cars as the panel filter.

greasemonkey

Use a K&N panel filter at mo. Ran an induction kit in the past and don't notice any difference in performance between this and the panel. Only difference is that car is quieter, which suits me just fine. There are also a few people here running big power on the standard induction pipework with any problems, so it's not like it's a big bottleneck or anything.

It's also worth checking here before buying a cone, as some can cause MAF sensor misreads unless the ECU is either remapped or an airflow computer is used to compensate, while some can also promote premature MAF failure, which can lead to pretty serious consequences if not caught.

As with all engine related things, proceed with caution, and if in doubt, ask.

The_Judge

I fitted a K&N panel filter yesterday. Either I'm getting all fingers and thumbs in my old age, or it isn't exactly the same size as the OEM panel filter... Either way, it took me 30 minutes in the rain!

nom

My thinking is it's best to stick with a panel until the panel becomes the restriction... I believe this to be somewhere around the 320 mark (?) but that's very vague, and there's no empirical data to back that up! There is a measurable pressure drop across the standard system, but it doesn't appear to make much of a difference to the running of the car, except at spool-up where an induction kit can help as long as you can remap the car to take account of the additional airflow, otherwise it can lean it out at this point & make things worse...
The K&N induction kit I've heard is only rated to 350bhp anyway, so overall I don't think the induction kit adds much.
Except noise, if you like that sort of thing

greasemonkey

Judge, the K&N carries a bit more meat around the sealing flange than a lot of filters, but this isn't really such a bad thing as there's no chance in hell of it leaking once installed.

It's worth taking their fitting instructions about removing the airbox seriously, it's far quicker this way!

The_Judge

Bugger, what do they say about hindsight...?!

Although, having said that, the instructions in mine were for a Nissan something-or-other...!

Anyway, how are the wild roses today?

SiHethers

I'm using the GGR kit, which has a K&N cone about 2.5x the size of 57i. This has only made a difference above 5000rpm (other than the jet taking off noise). Deltalogging and road dynoing has shown 0.5-1psi more boost above 5000rpm compared to the airbox (which I think is due to the airbox causing a slight -ve pressure at the turbo inlet, bringing compressor choke point closer, which is released with the free-flowing cone) and 5-10lbft torque more from 5000-7000rpm.

In other words, not a lot

But I'm determined to give my little td04 a hard time, until it gives up. Then I fit its big brother

Simon