Tuesday, March 8, 2011

DIY: The Right Way to Shop for an Air Filter (Part 2 of 3)

As promised last Saturday, I’ll be devoting this entire week to DIY and how to procedures to help you with simple repairs that you can do on your own—say no to shop repairs and possible rip offs!

To start with, let’s continue last Saturday’s topic on air filter. If you’re mounting an air filter by yourself, that goes to say that you’ll be the one to shop for the replacement filter. You need to be wise with this. After all, your car’s air filter determines your engine’s health and performance.

So, how do you shop for an air filter, and what are the things that you need to consider? Well, the first point to remember is the fact that air filters have to do two things: they must allow air to flow through while trapping the damaging particles present in the air.

Material is the primary thing to consider when shopping for an air filter. Most stock filters are made from paper, and paper is a poor material. First, it doesn’t allow that much airflow. And two, it gets easily clogged by airborne particles. If you want the higher performance kind, there are two other material options: cotton cloth and foam. Both are better in performing the two functions mentioned.

Another consideration is design. You must go for the pleated type of air filter (it’s easy to find this since most filters today have this design). Pleats increase the surface area of the filter, so it can trap more particles.

If you want to get the most benefits from your air filter, you might want to pair it with a high-quality intake. This pertains to a mandrel-bent tube that allows more air to flow through it, giving you improved engine performance. With this combination, you’re sure to enjoy the most from your intake in performance and protection.

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