Dry vs Oil Air Filter

http://www.shelbystore.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=air+filter

Are there any advantages to what air filter you get, dry vs. oil? Seems the oiled would catch more and smaller particles, but can screw with electronics in your intake system.

From the research I have done

"Oil is better flowing but does not filter as well as there dry filter. IE Oil = HP and Dry = cleaner air to the motor."

"In a stock car the difference is about 1-2HP. With a supercharger the difference can become more noticeable."

"The dry filter requires less steps to clean due to not oiling the filter and has no chance of fouling the MAF sensor. Which there is not a huge chance of happening if an oiled filter is properly cleaned."

""Wet vs Dry"
The dirt released from the filter comes from cleaning the oil off, which the dust clings to. It's the "release agent". A dry filter is put in a bucket and agitated. You will get the surface dirt out but not the deep dirt. So each washing leaves the filter less efficient that it was new. Think vacuum cleaner filters. It will never be 100% efficient again, a oiled gauze filter is. Again it's Flow vs Filtration. Dry filters have come into vogue due to the great "Oil on Mass AF sensor" debate. Foam filters are synthetic not natural fiber. Oil will not penetrate the foam, it sticks to it. Foam filter manf use a thicker sticky oil to cling, but it WILL shed off. Did we use foam for years on powersports and trucks? Yes, when they were carburated and the motor wasn't affected by ingesting a little oil.

MAF Fouling. (urban myth?)
Oiled Mass Air sensors is pretty much an urban myth. Check out the K&N website for the actual scientific testing they had done.
http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/MAFTestresults.htm
A lot of dealers make a big deal about this because they've been scared into it by the warranty techs. Keep this in mind. A GM dealership has NO way to test a mass air flow sensor. The book tells them to put the MAF on a same year vehicle to see if it's bad. !!
Can it happen? Sure. From over oiling. If a cheap offshore filter has oil on the inside of the bag wrapping the filter than it's over oiled. Don't use it. The biggest culprit is the owner reoiling the filter after cleaning. Ever read the instructions before doing it? You oil a small area and let it wick thru the filter for 30 min. You DO NOT try to get the cotton all red in 30 seconds
Several manufacturers now list the amount of oil they put on their filters from the factory. It's done by a computerized sprayer. The amount averages 0.6 oz. Very little.

Current manufacturers of filter (vs re-packers) spent a lot of time and engineering to get the correct configuration to achieve the best Flow vs Filtration AND correct MAF air signal. Number of pleats per inch, pleat depth, all play apart in "straightening the air" as well as filtration. This is an area that very few kit builders (vs filter manf) spend any time. It's usually what fits in the space. IMO it's very important to know who's filter a kit has in it. Did they cut corners there?

There are lots of hype, myths and legends out there on the errornet. Also some facts. Do your research from multiple sources."

"The biggest difference in maintenance. The dry flow filters that many company's produce now, will not require any cleaning at all , while still maintaining a very high filtration rate. This is by far the single biggest advantage, because we all know how the dirt and grim clogs the pores on a oil filter, an then requires cleaning, and the oil solution. "

Not really, regular filters are just fine. I never use oiled filters. Their price definitely doesn't justify their so called "performance" over a standard filter.

LOL research boy Jarrod knows it all!

My .02, I have a K&N in the motorcycle, 2001 Vstar, the truck, 2009 F150, and the mustang, 2008 4.0. In the truck I noticed ZERO difference, in the bike and the mustang under heavy acceleration or WOT personally I believe you can hear the engine breathe better (if that makes sense) and on the bike specifically it seems to accelerate off the line harder.

I also had one on a Saab 2T that gave me all sorts of problems with the turbo. Ended up frying the MAF and pulling the filter. I sent it to K&N with receipts for repairs and they reimbursed 75% for the turbo and the labor. (only 75% because it had 50K miles on her). It did gain about 5mpg though.

The bike picked up about 2mpg (43-45) and the mustang gained zero. The truck seems to have gone down but i doubt its the filter.

So I guess sometime they work, sometimes there unnoticeable and sometimes they make things worse. Hope that helps a little with real world experience.

Leonard 95 wrote:LOL research boy Jarrod knows it all!

Just call me Jarrod1.0

Shelby10' wrote:

Leonard 95 wrote:LOL research boy Jarrod knows it all!

Just call me Jarrod1.0

Is there an APP for that??

Im not gonna get on and quote 10 different forums and give you 10 different answers. Its like the oil debate that hits just about every forum you search, everyone has a different answer.

My opinion, if its brand new, oil ones arent too bad, its people that go to clean them and reoil them that usually has a problem. Its very easy to under or over oil them, which would cause the problems people compain about with the MAF and such.

I have had 3 different intakes on 3 different car/truck/suv... all 3 I have been using AFE Dry Flo filters and have been impressed with them. I have been looking for a universal dry flo to fit my truck lately to replace my s&b oil one.

I think its again up to you on what you want, I doubt there is really that much difference in HP between the two and if you want oiled and want some more protection, K&N and AFE both make pre-filters that you could buy and help with filtering particles.

I would stick with AirRaid...they are the only filter that is a direct fit for the Shelby with the molded tab to hold it in place.

They offer both Dry and oiled....pick your poison.

Leonard 95 wrote:LOL research boy Jarrod knows it all!

He's using Jarrod1.0! :) That's the only search engine I use anymore.

IMO... I've seen people treat them like a corn dog and basically deep fry them in oil. It takes very little oil to properly coat these. The cotton acts like a wick. The oil will spread.

JLT or C&L ?

Just have a "Ask Jarrod" section! :)

Bama or Brenspeed ?

Leonard 95 wrote:Just have a "Ask Jarrod" section! :)

Thats actually not a bad idea......