K&N type oil-less engine air filter

I believe. Where I used to live, after a manual hand car wash, a light layer of debris coats the car after fresh sealant coat the day before. Next to the levey river, they imported sand. It was windy for 3 straight weeks and you literally had a thin layer o nthe car. Then we had to drive through the wind also. Went thru a fresh filter in 3 months. In cold climates, you won't ever have tow orry aobtu dust.

 

If the science is sound, and you save hundreds of dollars over the lifetime of the car, and there's statistically lower wear that may or may not cause the demise of your engine - why quibble over it? Doesn't everyone like saving money?

We're talking measuring the pressure drop across the filter with a filter minder.

As long as air is coming into the engine, air flow doesn't drop - that's mechanically impossible. Also, a pressure drop caused by the air filter, as long as it's within the range of the filter minder, will be compensated for by less throttle loss.

You can buy a filter minder for the price of two air filters and install it in 10 minutes.

 

What exactly does that MEAN ??
What is "throttle loss" ??

How difficult can it BE to inspect your filter every 6 months or so ?

I'm pretty sure that by the time your "monitor" detects a problem, it will already have been running like crap for a while.

 

Throttle loss is the extra work done by the engine to create a vacuum behind the throttle plate. It leads to a loss of efficiency. That's one reason why diesel engines are more efficient - they don't have a throttle body. It's used to slow down a gas engine.

You can inspect your filter w/o a gauge. In addition to the extra time it takes, technically it also opens up your intake and allows dirt into the engine. A filter minder is much faster to gauge the health of the filter and accurate. It takes a few seconds to check and does not crack open your air intake.

Pixel XL ?

 

My gauge's max range is 635 mm H2O. That's equal to 0.0622 bar. With a quick Google search most engines see 10x that vacuum at idle. The extra vacuum created by a loaded air filter can be counteracted by a slightly more open throttle.

I have a used air filter that came with the car when I bought it. It's at least 15k miles old and barely registers the lowest range (50 mm H2O) of the gauge. But I also have a cheap prefilter that collects stuff and keeps the main air filter clean.


I'm speculating that there's probably way more restriction in a Prius exhaust system than 0.06 bar.

Pixel XL ?

 

I haven't seen that exact one but have seen similar things.......and I think they are more likely to fail than to do what they promise.
To each his own.

 

You need to get away from carbs and move into the 21st century.

It's not as simple as that when you are dealing with fuel injection and all of it's associated sensors and computers.

 

Are we still fighting about air filters?

I bet 80% of Priuschat members, or just Prius owners in general, never even look at their filters, tire pressure, oil level...

You are preaching to an empty auditorium.

 

I enjoy a good debate. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. Couldn't care less about how someone else's car is treated unless I'm buying it.

Pixel XL ?

 

In your case, it was definitely put through it’s paces and tested.

 

YOU need to get a clue what you're talking about before you insult people who clearly know more about the topic at hand than you do.

 

Clear to you maybe but that doesn't make it true.

IF.....the high manifold vacuum is created by a restriction BEFORE the throttle plate, opening the plate more won't really accomplish much.
Of course, it depends some on the degree of the blockage.

 

Yes, your argument depends on an enormous amount of air filter blockage. You didn't read post #45 (quoted below)? The throttle plate produces 10x the vacuum AT IDLE compared to the maximum of what a filter minder can record at highway speeds.

Do you understand that the vacuum in the engine is a SUM of the complete intake circuit. That is a sum of the pressure drop across the air filter, snorkel, throttle body, and intake manifold. A throttle adds an enormous amount of drag to the intake flow, compared to even a fully-loaded (expired) air filter. All the computer has to do is open the throttle a hair or two to compensate.

Edited:. Needed some coffee

 

And you need to take some automotive techology classes. What you're claiming is bass-ackwards. Carburetors and manual (cable) throttle bodies needed constant adjustments to tune right compared with FI and today's sensors.

Now in the 21st century: the computer adjusts the flow of air with an electronic throttle body based on readings from an air flow sensor (MAF) and intake manifold pressure sensor (MAP).