Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

First off, I want to thank Modern Automotive Performance for donating the 3 hours of dyno time needed to complete this test. The test was performed on a AWD DynoJet. Peak boost was 29.0 plus/minus .5 psi for each filter. This test takes into account only power produced and in no way tested filtering ability.

CAR USED FOR TESTING

2005 Mitsubishi Evolution VIII GSR SSL
Evo IX turbo w/ported exhaust housing
E85 fuel (winter blend = 70% ethanol)
Buschur TBE w/testpipe
Buschur ported/coated exhaust manifold
Buschur coated SS o2 housing
Buschur Deluxe FMIC with Buschur LICP/UICP
Kelford 272 cams w/ GSC beehive springs
Evo IX BOV
Buschur intake pipe
Buschur ported IM/65mmTB
FIC 1050cc injectors
Walbro 255HP fuel pump
Buschur old air filter (eBay style, dry, no longer available)
Tune with MAF scaling set for the Buschur filter

FILTERS TESTED

Buschur (old style, old and rusty)
http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...9429.sized.jpg

Perrin
http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...9437.sized.jpg

Amsoil
http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...9435.sized.jpg

Vibrant
http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...9433.sized.jpg

K&N - FIPK
http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...9432.sized.jpg

Apexi (note small filter inlet in 2nd picture)
http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...9430.sized.jpg
http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...9431.sized.jpg

K&N - small
http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...9436.sized.jpg

no filter
http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...9438.sized.jpg


RESULTS

Buschur: 378whp/361wtq (old style, no longer available)
Perrin: 376whp/345wtq
Amsoil: 374whp/344wtq
Vibrant: 371whp/351wtq (current style Buschur air filter)
K&N - FIPK: 369whp/355whp (comes with Typhoon intake kit)
Apexi: 367whp/357wtq
K&N - small: 367whp/346wtq (caused more knock than others)
no filter: 375whp/358wtq (not recommended to run filterless!)

http://www.dsmstyle.com/photopost/da...FilterTest.jpg


CONCLUSION
The car's tune was properly setup and scaled for the old-style Buschur air filter so take those results with a grain of salt. Excluding the Buschur, the Perrin filter showed the highest peak whp which was ~10whp higher than the K&N's which CBRD noted a few months ago (thats the thread that spurred the idea for this filter test). The Amsoil filter was very close on Perrin's heels and considering their claims if being the best filtering air filter and very minimal maintenance (no oil, just blow out with air compressor to clean) it may be a very good choice for a street car. K&N's performance in this test was extremely disappointing especially since that is all they do! Apexi makes a good filter but the small inlet really hurt it in the test; this is their Evo kit and MAF adaptor and its really odd to me that they wouldn't use a filter with a larger flange. The runs without an air filter really go to show that at this power level a good performance air filter poses very little restriction. It is also interesting to note that the owner of this car, Scheides, has already ordered a Perrin air filter and Vibrant MAF adaptor to replace his old rusty Buschur air filter with. I will most likely be running a Perrin on my car, but I am still considering the Amsoil due to its filtering ability. I personally run a Vibrant on my car right now and the inside of my MAS is very dirty leading me to believe it does a very poor job filtering the incoming air.

Pardon the salt and dirt every where; its the middle if winter here in Minnesota and is impossible to keep anything clean.

http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...9443.sized.jpg

http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...9427.sized.jpg

MAP shop car (white VIII RS) & Scheides's car afterwards for lunch
http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...9444.sized.jpg

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Please note the red generic filters would not fit my adapters so they could not be tested.

Here are a few quick pictures and initial impressions of some of the filters:

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...m/IMGP1264.JPG
Perrin - generic - Amsoil - Vibrant

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...m/IMGP1265.JPG
Perrin: Oiled foam type filter, massive surface area, came drenched in oil so I rubbed some of it off with paper towels, can't see daylight through filter.

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...m/IMGP1266.JPG
generic cone: cotton gauze oiled filter, open top for more filtering area, looks to be very high in quality, can't see much daylight through filter leading me to believe it will filter decently, possible flange leakage as its not molded directly to the filter base.

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...m/IMGP1267.JPG
Amsoil: Dry filter, easy cleaning with only an air compressor, extremely high quality in appearance, the best filtering air filter available according to Amsoil, open top with plastic internal velocity cone, I'm the most impressed with this filter.

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...m/IMGP1268.JPG
Vibrant: Dry filter, good quality, open top for extra surface area, can practically see through the filter so I'm guessing this does nothing but keep bugs and birds out of your turbo.

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...m/IMGP1270.JPG
K&N: The excess black rubber on the filtering media (oiled gauze cotton) really disturbs me, this does nothing but cut into the available surface area for filtering/airflow, is between the Vibrant and the generic filter in terms of light that can be seen through it, based on appearance only the K&N is the worst quality.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Woot! What a blast! Tons and tons of dyno pulls and the car is running like a champ. It was a good time and I'm glad we finally put this test together. It was amazing to see how all the different filters performed by just swapping them out. I have logs from each and every pull we made today. AFR's were very consistent from filter to filter, and the only real curve ball was doing no filter at all; which made no more power than the higher performers. I'm glad to see my old rusty buschur filter holding up and performing like a champ; it's too bad the newer ones they are pimping do not perform the same as the old ones.

All in all I'm sure we'll keep adding info to this thread as time goes on. Please keep flaming to a minimum, we did what we could with what we had. Please take this test at face value. We have no hidden agenda or anything to gain from posting these results; just did it for fun! And of course, for the most powerful cars on the street


ps--special thanks to Modern Automotive Performance for donating the dyno time. If you're interested in any of the products featured here, contact them!

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

interesting. who knew there'd be a filter test!?

-A. Swift

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

good info, thanks for taking the time!

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Should have thrown an egay filter on too just for comparison purposes. Good thread!

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

I had two generic eBay filters to be tested too but they didn't fit any of the MAF adapters.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Thanks for letting us be a part of this guys! Now it's time for my shameless plug ;)

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Amazing difference in the filters. Very nice work guys! I think this is the first time I've seen this kind of test. Simple, but damn the results are astounding!

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Is the Amsoil filter the same as the AEM ones? They look extremely similar and both are dry filters. The Amsoil does have a wire mesh unlike the AEM though.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

The K&N also physically looks much smaller then the others, and I'd think that would have a part in why it's numbers were lower. It would be interesting to know what a K&N size similar to those others tested would have done.

Cool test guys.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Were the numbers pulled as a "best run" number or an average? About how many runs did you do with each filter?

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Each filter got 3 pulls and the results listed are the highest peak whp runs.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

No; the Amsoil is different and the filtering media is unlike any other dry-flow filter. Its manufactured by Donaldson and its a patented nano-fiber technology that Amsoil has exclusive rights to for automotive and motorcycle applications.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

The larger of the two K&N's is the air filter K&N chose for their Typhoon and FIPK kits; its actually much larger in person than it apprears in the pictures, and due to the very wide base it has about the same filtering area as the others do. The ~10whp gains with the Perrin over a K&N filter (they tested one similar in size to the Vibrant and Amsoil filters) have also been reported by CBRD which is a very large, professional, race shop in Pennsylvania. When I had my S2000 is when K&N started to get a lot of bad press regarding poor quality control, poor filtering quality, and sub-par performance. This test just backs that up and I'm very interested to hear, if K&N responds to me, their reasoning for the poor performance.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

I did, these two clowns almost ran me off the road as I was getting on to 169 from 55. I was in the silver Mercedes trying to wave to Scheides, but he was too cool to look over. :madashell::lol:

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

HAHA Scheides asked me if he just got flicked off but I said no the dude was smiling and waved; we had no clue it was you though!

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

that's cuz kracka was givin him a chubster and showing him the "rules of the road" as george carlin said it best..

-A. Swift

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

lol. Great test thanks for taking the time.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Kracka's head did pop up at the last minute..... :-)

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

^ lol.

Good test guys!

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Good stuff, thanks for the testing. Makes me :( because I already have a K&N on order. But I don't think I could fit two of those in my engine bay.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Haha sorry man! All I could see was your black leather glove after I waved you over, then I just didn't look over when we passed ya, sorry man! I was at work till almost 4am Friday night/sat morning, then up early for this test so I was *really* glazed over at that point!

Nice car though ;)

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

What are the dimensions of the air filters you ordered? Also, why not just run one filter on the MAS?

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Not sure how much of an effect this would have but, I've read over on 3si that the oiled filters can cause problems with the MAS. When the filter is soaked with too much oil (like you mentioned with the Perrin), it gets coated on the sensor element.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Over-oiled filters can cause a problem, but properly oiled ones will not. If your MAS does become dirty just get some MAF Cleaner Spray from the car parts store; I actually picked some up this morning for $7 since the Vibrant filter let too much crap through and coated my MAS in dirt/dust. The Perrin was drenched in oil which is why I rubbed some of it off but unlike previous years the K&N's are no longer over-oiled from the factory so they were good to go straight from the box.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

I don't think anyone mentioned the details of this one yet, but the SMALL K&N filter we tested was about 2.5" of filter media in a cylinder, it fit really well but it was *HILARIOUS* hearing this filter on the dyno. The intake sounded like when you stick a vacuum nozzle on your skin, pffffffffwwwwwtttttt!!!!! The car was obviously not getting the air it needed and it would knock randomly, making it perform super inconsistently.

Also, we made it a point to not test the stock airbox. It's been widely proven that aftermarket intakes make power over stock, even with tuning. Let's not kid ourselves here. Besides, that would then require us to change the intake pipe, put on the air box, blah blah blah. Too many variables to change! Besides, I took off all of the brackets for my stock box almost 3 years ago. I have them, but hell if I'm putting them back on the car!

Incidently, my old-style buschur filter is officially for sale; pm me reasonable offers ;)

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

That's exactly what I was trying to say. Both the K&N's looks smaller then the better performing ones, which I would think would be part of the reason it put down smaller numbers. I know I don't buy a filter because it's the part number for my car, I go on their site, research the dimensions available, and buy the biggest one I can fit in that location.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Scheides is talking about the small K&N not the large FIPK one. The large K&N has just as much surface area as the Vibrant, Amsoil, Buschur, etc. due to its very large base. It is K&N's choice filter for the Evo. The FIPK filter is MUCH larger than it appears in pictures. The only reason we tested the small K&N was because it was sent to me for free and it fit the Vibrant MAF adapter. The FIPK filter used a special K&N MAF adapter due to its large size. Also, as I previously mentioned, CBRD tested a K&N filter identical in dimension to the other cones we used and the Perrin still beat it by ~10whp.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

The FIPK K&N is what K&N recommends for the car. The surface area of the filter media is more than enough to make it comparable to these other filters. If you got one that fit the adapter we had and got it to be the same roughly 5" or 6" length as the others in this test, it would probably perform very similarly to the FIPK filter tested.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Dyno chart added to the first post.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Was doing some thinking and couldn't this test be somewhat bias since your car is tuned for the Buscher filter Scheides? Wouldn't it be a better to test a stock EVO (non-flashed ECU) and swap out filters?

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Cool test guys! Interesting results too.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

I think the K+N didn't do well because they also have too much oil on them..doesn't allow for much AIr to flow through..

-A. Swift

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

Yes, but the simple fact is that you cannot get that same filter anymore, so it doesn't hardly matter that it won, except to me...looking for what will be best to run and make power above what I already ahve :) The car was untuned for all the rest of the filters, some of which performed very close to the same. AFR and boost was kept (rather, stayed) very close, so it was as level of a playing field for all the other filters.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...re_4.sized.jpg

http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...re_5.sized.jpg

http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...re_6.sized.jpg

http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...re_7.sized.jpg

http://www.scheides.com/albums/evo-a...re_8.sized.jpg

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

The K&N filters were fresh from the factory sealed back and I was impressed with the proper oiling of them. Unlike years previous, they no logger seem over-oiled from the factory. Plain and simple, K&N got a fair shake in the test and they under-performed.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

We chose to test with a modded Evo since they flow a lot more air and therefore are much more demanding of the filter's ability to flow air. The MAF was not tuned for any of the currently available air filters.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

I was just messing with ya. My buddy in the car is a real car guy as well and I told him a couple of EVO buddies were coming up on us fast. He was impressed when I told him what you're putting down for street numbers. He's got a newer yellow 911 right now that he drives on nice days.

Re: Air Filter Shootout Test - Results!
 

haha I bet he was even more impressed when he saw how awesomely unclean my car was! Funny that you spotted us like that, maybe my HID's grabbed your attention? :)