Let's talk air filters....yay

[scuzz]

What kind do you have?

Where do you ride? (conditions)

Do you race?

Have you seen a difference in foam vs. cotton?


What gave you the greatest power increase. (if you've dyno'd - no butt dyno's please)

Some ground rules:

1. Please be respectful of other peoples opinions.

2. If you says something like "Brand X filters destroyed my engine" be prepared to back it up.

3. I'm looking for *your* experience, not your buddies, brother in law Phil's.

[Titanium]

i live by UNI foam filters

[scuzz]

Same here.


What do you all think of the velocity air filters?

[scuzz]

Ok, now I see where it was moved to thanks.

[scuzz]

All,

Please take the time out to answer my questions, you might be saving some other poor person a lot of money.

[coryatver]

What kind do you have?
Twin Air

Where do you ride? (conditions)
PA. Mud and Dust

Do you race?
every week end

Have you seen a difference in foam vs. cotton?
Every one with k&n's I know there engines use oil. They get dirt in intake, and even there carbs have got clogged. Why do you need a filter for you filter with a k&n?:huh

What gave you the greatest power increase. (if you've dyno'd - no butt dyno's please)

never dynoed but I am sure k&n will give you the most power untill your motor blows becuase its like running no filter. If you run a k&n thats fine its your decision just giving my opinion.

[scuzz]

Thanks!!!!!

[alberto]

What kind do you have?
K&N no lid


Where do you ride? (conditions)
sand (dunes) OREGON COAST :)


Have you seen a difference in foam vs. cotton?

have never had a problem with this product. Once I forgot to oil the filter and ran it all day at the dunes hard with no issues. No clogged carb on blown engine nothing. GOT LUCKY!!!!:devil:

What gave you the greatest power increase.

FILTER, JET KIT AND YOSH FULL PIPE

[banshee 119]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by scuzz
[B]What kind do you have?
k&n, no lid

Where do you ride?
scotland

conditions
dust, sand, mud

Do you race?
yes

Have you seen a difference in foam vs. cotton?
cotton is far easier to clean in my opinion but it does let very fine dust through which i have found on the carb intake (airbox side).
that said, it has not caused any prob with the engine. i think for very dusty conditions a foam filter would be better.

[tater_kamik]

k&n on my raptor, i ride all conditions with no lid. secured in place with an billet adapter and i love it. just oil correctly and gtg. i was racing now i just hit the mx tracks for fun and goof off on trails. on the crf i use a uni, just have to keep it oiled same as above no probs and quite love it

[miller821]

Kind:
FuelATV's Filter, No Box (K&N Style of filter)

Race:
Yes

Condition's:
Mud/Dust

Recommended:
By far the best i've ever used.

[scuzz]

3 replies for cotton and only one vote.....hmmmm

[coryatver]

I don't know why some people think foam filters are hard to clean. Just use a filter cleaner spray, let it set for 5 min, wash the filter with water, let it dry and then oil it. Can't get any easier

[jersey devil]

I would say any filter you use as long as you stay on top of it and clean it and oil it will be fine for the average guy that putts around on weekends.
If you want to step up a notch performance wise and for top quality I don't think you can beat a K&N filter.I use them in all my vehicles and toys.

[907Rider]

q)What kind do you have?

a) Foam UNI on both my quads and bikes

q)Where do you ride? (conditions)

a) Interior Alaska, Dry and dusty flats/woods/gravel pits

q)Do you race?

a) No (maybe some day)
--------------
I have felt a power increase over stock in all parts of the powerband esp my blaster. Foam is easy to clean, last a long time, cheap, ect.

[NacsMXer]

- What kind do you have? -

Foam - UNI

- Where do you ride? (conditions) -

MX tracks, occasional trails, recreational areas (Heavy dust, some mud, sand)

- Have you seen a difference in foam vs. cotton? -

Definitely. I used to run K&N (cotton gauze) religiously. I cleaned and oiled them by the book....after every ride. Ran 2 prefilters with them, 1 on the K&N, 1 on the airbox lid. After riding in dusty conditions I would clean the filter and inspect the intake boot. Wiping the intake boot with a paper towel revealed an even coating of fine dust (this was observed on multiple occasions after cleaning). Later when I cleaned my carb, I found the dust had gunked up the carb's slide and internals. I had 2 different K&N's, and they both did this.

I switched to a 2 stage foam filter (UNI), 1 prefilter this time, on the airbox lid only. Cleaned/oiled after every ride. I inspected the intake boot after each filter cleaning just the same as before. Wiping the intake boot with a paper towel revealed that it was clean. Subsequent carb cleanings proved that the carb was much cleaner than when I ran the K&N.

Simple logic tells me that the K&N filters pass fine dust into the intake when subjected to riding conditions with heavy dust. It is my opinion that foam filters are superior to cotton gauze media in their ability to filter fine dust. K&N's are still a nice hi-flow filter IMO, but keep them to use on the street in your vehicle, for drag racing in ATV's, or any other use that doesn't involve heavy dust.

[jersey devil]

Thanks for the info.I can understand that in very dusty conditions.
Guess I will look into a good foam filter with the covers on them.

[scuzz]

Great job on the replies guys!

Keep 'em coming.

Also, just so you guys know it's not to bash any brands but to get your impressions, you guys are doing a great job.

[F150 Rider]

What kind do you have?
Foam Uni Filter

Where do you ride?
Tracks and some mud and trails

[John451]

- What kind do you have? -

Which bike? lol. I always run foams usually UNI. i have 4 with uni's right now, one with a twin air and some green one on another.

- Where do you ride? (conditions) -

Dirt tracks, sand tracks, rocky mx, hill climb (sand, rocks, dirt) trails, mud, water

- Have you seen a difference in foam vs. cotton? -
Yeah, cotton tends to Burn motors 40% more efficiently. Haha, bu yeah cotton lets more air through along with more dirt like the guy above me. When you race and have an unlimited motor budget and rebuild the motor every 15 hours cotton's fine but for everyone else there's foam. I'm gona start running a pre filter on my bikes so it'll keep my filters from turning brown from mud lol.

[quadboy-55]

Originally posted by scuzz
Same here.


What do you all think of the velocity air filters?

yeah, i have the velocity set-up on my 08 LT-R and it totaly out does the stocker. it flows 10x better.

as to youre questions... youre highness, LMAO

bike? 08 lt-r
cond.? MX, freestyle, trails, and lets not forget the dunes!!!
pros: more air = more power, easy to clean, clamp-on style, run with an outerwears prefilter to prevent fine particles from going through.
cons: big$$$, chave to keep a closer eye on, installation (for LT-R requires you to remove rear plastic, muffler(R450), & drilling for LT-Z, R450, YFZ, & KF-X.)

[Sjorge450R]

What kind do you have?
UNI & Sparks
Where do you ride? (conditions)
PA Mud and Dust/ New Jersey Sand
Do you race?
Yes, Frequently.
Have you seen a difference in foam vs. cotton?
Not really. I ran a k&n on my 300ex for 2 years, not a problem, really simple to clean. Never had anything in my intake but i ran a closed box.

Ran a sparks and then switched to UNI when the sparks wore out on my 450r with no lid. I have a outerwears lid cover and i NEVER get dust beyond the filter. I liked the sparks better but for the price the UNI is the way to go. Plus its a little thicker so it probably helps block more particles.

[quad97]

I use twin air with one of their coarse foam dust covers over top. I race motocross very regularly-dusty most of the time. It works very well to have the dust cover on during the week for practice and then pull it on the weekend for a clean filter on race day. Clean them both on monday before practice. Takes about the same amount of time to clean as the K&N that was in my other machine. I cannot comment on the power increase because the KTM came with a twin air filter stock. There were a few particles of ultrafine dust in the K&N intake, but not enought to destroy a motor unless you ran it for 100 years.

[yamahaman623]

i have a sparks foam filter on my yfz and a kn on my raptor. the foam will do better in real muddy conditions where the kn type will do better with the dust. kn also flows better

[wolfpack91]

Twin air on all bikes with Outerwears covers regardless of conditions. NO air box lid unless it's VERY wet.

[yfzrider310]

For the k&n bashers it seems its hit or miss. My friend runs a k&n with a drilled out airbox lid and has never put oil on it and it works fine. He has had no problems ever. Hes been running it for a year. But hes the kind of kid that is lucky and never has anything go wrong with anything.

[pro-rider46]

I run a k&n on my 05 trx 450r, and i have ran it over two years and never had a problem with the top end. now i have had crank problems, but its not air filter related. when installed it, it had much better throttle response. also, i run no lid

i also run a twin air on my 05 crf 450r, and i dont have any trouble with it either. I dont see that one or the other is harder to clean, all about the same to me.

[scuzz]

Originally posted by wolfpack91
Twin air on all bikes with Outerwears covers regardless of conditions. NO air box lid unless it's VERY wet.


Have you noticed any performance degradation with the outwears on?

[BlaineKaiser450]

UNI is what i use, but be prepared to clean and oil it every 2 hours of riding. I didnt clean it for like 6 hours of riding once and my carb was very jacked up. I needed to rebuild it completly

What kind do you have?
-K&N

Where do you ride? (conditions)
-Mostly dust and sand, sometimes mud

Do you race?
-not organized

Have you seen a difference in foam vs. cotton?
-I have owned all 3 in machines, paper, cotton, and foam. I would never use paper on a quad they are really restrictive. Foam filters in the sand clog very fast. Cotton work best for the conditions i'm in. I have never had a problem with the K&N.

What gave you the greatest power increase. (if you've dyno'd - no butt dyno's please)
-Its very hard to tell the difference between Cotton and Foam in the seat of the pants. However on a dyno mathematically the cotton should produce more HP if you can get more air and fuel into the engine you should be making more power. For me it was more of convenience of cleaning and performance that made me choose to run a K&N.

[John451]

/\/\ Whoa dude u ride on dust?? hows that workin for ya?/\/\

[400exrider707]

Originally posted by yfzrider310
For the k&n bashers it seems its hit or miss. My friend runs a k&n with a drilled out airbox lid and has never put oil on it and it works fine. He has had no problems ever. Hes been running it for a year. But hes the kind of kid that is lucky and never has anything go wrong with anything.

Running a K&N without oil is basically running nothing. The filter is doing NOTHING. It is not working fine, its not working at all.



I run UNI only in my offroad toys now.


This is simply physics.... two ways to get more air in with a filter, either a larger filter, or bigger holes.

K&N uses bigger holes, UNI uses a larger filter.

I too had immense amounts of dust in my intake tract with my 400ex using a K&N. Switched over to UNI's and never had the problem again. I've cleaned my filters after every ride.

[Fralick #81]

I dont want to get off topic but has anyone ever ran Moto Works non-oil air filter. It is made of a multi-layered synethic fiber that clams to have a 99.4% filter efficiency and water proof. They are pertty expensive so I wanted to get some opnions before I go out and pay $120 bucks for a filter. Thanks

[Imbroke]

i use a uni foam filter
i live in PA mostly mud and dust
works fine if you ask me never had a problem with it but i have had k&n and i really dont see a difference in power or any thing like that and i dont race but i ride hard

Originally posted by John451
/\/\ Whoa dude u ride on dust?? hows that workin for ya?/\/\

Great actually. I wouldnt want any other filter. Foam + sand = FAIL. The outerwear stops almost all the dust. I need to take pictures of my filter sometimes. There was so much dust on the outerwear if you blew near the airbox it would puff up in a cloud. Chunks of mud on it too. Then the filter was caked with sand and I thought oh no i'm a little worried to see the intake boot. Took the filter off and its as clean as could be. The inside of the filter was spotless and the debris just stays on the outside and cant go through. I really hate foam I have one on my car and its deteriorated and so sticker from the oil I cant wait until I find a K&N replacement for it.

[coryatver]

Why would you run a filter that needs a filter

[jersey devil]

I just purchased a Twin Air foam filter for my new 09 yfz 450R. There is a foam filter on it stock from the factory but I don't believe nearly the quality of Twin Air.
I've always used K&N filters and nothing against them but have been hearing alot lately about them not being an all around filter so I'll see how this foam goes.
Oiled it up and I'am ready to go with the air box lid removed along with a DASA complete system and a Dynojet power commander 5.Sounds great and feels good but will find out for sure this weekend.

[D Bergstrom]

What kind do you have?

Pro Design kit

Where do you ride?

Desert, some sand.

Do you race?

Yes, desert racing.

Have you seen a difference in foam vs. cotton?

Never tried a K&N on a quad, but I doubt you would notice much on the old butt dyno from just filters. I do run K&N's on my vehicles though. Its funny, everyone always thinks a K&N flows better, and they probably do a slight amount. I bought my first K&N for a truck back in the early 90's, the claim was they flowed more WHEN DIRTY. So if you took a clean K&N and a clean paper filter, they both flowed about the same, but take a dirty K&N and a dirty paper filter, and the K&N would flow more. That is how I remember it anyway, not sure when it started to be they flow more period.

[scuzz]

Originally posted by jersey devil

Oiled it up and I'am ready to go with the air box lid removed along with a DASA complete system and a Dynojet power commander 5.Sounds great and feels good but will find out for sure this weekend.


Did you get your PC5 yet? I'm interested in your thoughts on it if you have.

[jersey devil]

Yes I have the PC5 and its installed.Mapped for the GYTR pipe,air filter mod and no lid.None mapped yet for the DASA pipe but close enough.
Was an easy install,pictures and instructions were a cinch and very happy with it.Quite a difference from stock.Pipe is top quality,sounds great and nice power improvement through the whole powerband.
I like the 5 because I can download future maps from powercommander.com.

[scuzz]

Yeah, I'm waiting for them to come out with one for the 700XX.

[scuzz]

Wanted to bump this to the top to get additional input please.

Thanks to everyone for keeping this thread clean of opinions and flaming.

You guys rock!

[quadboy-55]

swiched from a Velocity to a Prodesign UNI, no HP difference, but the Velocity let too much dirt by.

[sparks 450]

I have used stock, whitebrothers foam, and k&n with outerwear. I have seen sand pass through the foam filters but never the k&n with outerwear. I have a 450 that i have ridden the majority of the time in the dunes, and some motocross.

[400exrider707]

Originally posted by sparks 450
I have used stock, whitebrothers foam, and k&n with outerwear. I have seen sand pass through the foam filters but never the k&n with outerwear. I have a 450 that i have ridden the majority of the time in the dunes, and some motocross.

You've seen sand pass through your foam filters, but not your other filters?

I'm sorry, but that dont seem right!

[oilguy]

AMSOIL in my case, they are dry filter and are not oiled.

AMSOIL for oil filter as well

[coryatver]

Originally posted by 400exrider707
You've seen sand pass through your foam filters, but not your other filters?

I'm sorry, but that dont seem right!

sand packs up and the foam and it gets through. Foam filters are not good for sand dunes.

But everywhere else they are the only way to go.

[sparks 450]

I agree, k&n with outerwears is better for sand riding. just my own experience.

[motofreak2772]

how do you SEE sand pass through the filter? lol
K&N is great and all but why do I need a filter for my filter??
If thats the case why not just cover the hole in my airbox with an outerwear? I havent had problems with any of my filters and I run both UNI and K&N. I just switch them out in between rides.

[Trxman300]

i ride in sand, mud, dirt, !!!you name it, i ride it!!! and i have a k&N. i do not like it because it is not a foam filter. i do prefer uni foam filters or twin air foam filters.

[sparks 450]

when you take your air filter off to clean it look inside the airboot for any sand or dirt that may have made it past the filter. It is easy to see it if you just look inside .

[NacsMXer]

Originally posted by coryatver
sand packs up and the foam and it gets through. Foam filters are not good for sand dunes.

But everywhere else they are the only way to go.

An Outerwears over the foam filter should fix that right up. That's why I got one for my UNI. Sand seems to be the one weakness for foam filters; the fine mesh of the Outerwears should stop the filter from clogging up.

[quadboy-55]

can you get a Outerwears cover for a Prodesign UNI filter? or is it just the same as the K&N Prodesign outerwear? i hate K&N's because they let too much dirt by, so id hate to have to buy one for the dunes.

[sparks 450]

If you call outerwears directly they can make one to fit any filter. you just have to know the size of your filter.

[Punkmaster Flex]

3/4 people on this forum are using foam filters. I think that's a good statement of which type of filter's the most appropriated for quads.

On my car I use a K&N cause it does give it hella power but on my offroad machines I always used Unis. They rock!

[sparks 450]

most of the pro and pro am racers use k&n .

[BakerRacing40]

What kind do you have?
No Toil with no air box now

Where do you ride? (conditions)
flat track and tt, ranges from muddy to very dusty. practice land also has a lot of fine sand in parts.

Do you race?
yes.

Have you seen a difference in foam vs. cotton?
i've ran both. visually my k&n's have let some stuff by and the No Toil is yet to let any by.

What gave you the greatest power increase.
i got very close to the same power out of the no toil, the k&n was a touch higher but it was never more than .2hp at peak.

you guys really need to check these out. the cleaner for them is a powder. and all i do is run hot water in the kitchen sink an inch or two deep, pour the soap in and mix it with my hand for a second. stick the filter in, mash it down, rotate, mash... two or three revolutions. rinse her off a bit, wring it out and looks brand new...
i clean my filter in less than two mins.
the oil is super super sticky and you don't want to get it on your hands, hard to get off, wear rubber gloves..
it's awesome!!!! o and i paid 25$ for mine..
if your interested \/\/\/
short video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfhokxNuWIc

full video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEUtn8kApIk&feature=related

[josh79z28]

I have a uni air ailters on both my recon and 300ex and i ride in mud and water

[TN_cowboy]

i have a moose racing i have not put it on or nothing yet it is still on its way.

[honda400ex2003]

k&n with an outerwears and an ehs lid. all conditions for me. i dont race. steve

[416exman21]

What kind do you have? uni and twin air no air box lid

Where do you ride? (conditions) sand-mud-lil bit of everything

Do you race?every now and than

Have you seen a difference in foam vs. cotton? as far as cleaning i find the foam filter easier because now scrubing - and it seems to keep more dirt and stuff out-i have had both k&n and foam and i like foam--as far as power seems the same but i have never dyno it so idk... --

[braybray08]

Originally posted by sparks 450
most of the pro and pro am racers use k&n .

Most pro riders don't mind or pay for a motor rebuild after each race either

[Scro]

The discussion of which one is easier to clean shouldn't even be in this topic, IMO. If you're worried about the ease of maintenance, go buy a bicycle. Quads need attention.

With a K&N you sacrifice the ability to filter the air, with a foam you sacrifice amount of airflow. You aren't going to notice the difference in power, so I don't even see why anyone would choose K&N:confused: :confused: Other than the fact that they might want the K&N sticker, so they can join the "Look at my K&N, I'm super-duper fast" cliche.

[250raptor]

i'm looking to get a new air filter for my 08 250 raptor. looking at a uni.like the price of th uni's. do uni's require much maintenance?

[BakerRacing40]

Originally posted by 250raptor
i'm looking to get a new air filter for my 08 250 raptor. looking at a uni.like the price of th uni's. do uni's require much maintenance?

all require maintenance, you should be cleaning and reoiling your filter after every ride. stick with a foam filter for sure, uni is good, but i run a no toil now... go to you tube and check out their videos, great filter, great protection, and super easy maintenance..

[250raptor]

Originally posted by BakerRacing40
all require maintenance, you should be cleaning and reoiling your filter after every ride. stick with a foam filter for sure, uni is good, but i run a no toil now... go to you tube and check out their videos, great filter, great protection, and super easy maintenance..

How much is a no toil filter?

[BakerRacing40]

Originally posted by 250raptor
How much is a no toil filter?

i paid i think 25 for the one to my yfz. price varries 15 to 30 is the range that i've seen...

[sparks 450]

Originally posted by Scro
The discussion of which one is easier to clean shouldn't even be in this topic, IMO. If you're worried about the ease of maintenance, go buy a bicycle. Quads need attention.

With a K&N you sacrifice the ability to filter the air, with a foam you sacrifice amount of airflow. You aren't going to notice the difference in power, so I don't even see why anyone would choose K&N:confused: :confused: Other than the fact that they might want the K&N sticker, so they can join the "Look at my K&N, I'm super-duper fast" cliche. 2004 trx with k&n never been rebuilt.

[scuzz]

Bump for more opinions.

Thanks guys!

[honda400ex2003]

bringing back the old stand by tread. lol. i thought we were past this. lol. steve

[braybray08]

Originally posted by sparks 450
2004 trx with k&n never been rebuilt.

Check your valves and i bet their a different story

[John Noftsinger]

I use foam and dont like dealing with special cleaners for K&N IMO,but has anybody used the motowork new filter?it needs no oil and cleans in regular soap & water.

[fmftrx300ex]

uni love umm

dust in the summer mud in the winter,
never had an issue with my uni except for i used the wrong type of filter oil once i have a trust issue with k&ns i think there great for cars and should stay on the street no offence to those who run them

[Trxman300]

you are deffinatly 100% correct. i dont need to be clogging up my carb with a K&N or even worse, blow the motor...

[sparks 450]

for sand riding k@n is the only way to go. foam filters allow to much sand to pass.

[Trxman300]

i think you have that completely backwards..... foam is for sand and k&n is for what ever else you throw at it. k&N lets too much sand in. i actually was riding sand the other day and took my carb off and it was all dusty inside. the carb boots were as tight as can be.

[scuzz]

Bump for more answers.

Thanks again for your time and thoughtful responses.

[mitchconley]

i ride with foam filters because you can wash them so they last much longer then paper. i do mostly trail riding which is everything from lots of mud to sand pits to rock sections and i would ruin a paper filter fast because i would get it muddy to fast. i ride with an UNI filter and it has served me well for the time ive had it. if you ride dunes or race or are just out for power gains then paper would probably be your best bet with no airbox lid or the k&n xtreme power air box lid which is basically a filter for an airbox lid. K&N is really high quality and good power gains but you will need to replace paper filters eventually and theyre much more expensive. as for cotton filters, i have zero experience with them so i cant tell you anything

[scuzz]

Bump! (please)

[Thumpin440ex]

i was running a K&N no outerware.. When I was having the engine done, I was sent some very interesting pics of my valves.. Alot of dust-sand was let in there. I have since switched to a FOAM UNI, hope it is doing it's job.. Have read great things on foam over the K&N

John

[NacsMXer]

Originally posted by mitchconley
i ride with foam filters because you can wash them so they last much longer then paper. i do mostly trail riding which is everything from lots of mud to sand pits to rock sections and i would ruin a paper filter fast because i would get it muddy to fast. i ride with an UNI filter and it has served me well for the time ive had it. if you ride dunes or race or are just out for power gains then paper would probably be your best bet with no airbox lid or the k&n xtreme power air box lid which is basically a filter for an airbox lid. K&N is really high quality and good power gains but you will need to replace paper filters eventually and theyre much more expensive. as for cotton filters, i have zero experience with them so i cant tell you anything

K&N's are cotton filters, I think you mixed them up :p

On a side note, i've never seen or heard of a paper filter for our application :confused:

[quadrider2112]

No Toil
mud dust and all in between
no way im runnin k&n on my bike i like the dirt on the outside of my filter

[06 300ex red]

k&n
cant beat the name,reputation,reliability,performance or anything from a lifetime filter.
i ride trails in any condition dont race

[magos]

I race and have tried UNI and K&N - both are nice, but I prefer K&N. I'm going to install an Outlaw Foam filter tonight to see how well it does in this weekends practice. Hopefully, it will prove to be good. They have sponsored my 2011 season, so I'm going to try that as well as their reusable oil filters.

http://www.outlawracingproducts.com/atv1.html

I hope they work out well.