Panel filters?

[944cabby]

In wet conditions would a k&n panel filter draw damp air into the system more-so than a regular stock filter and if so is this likely to affect performance.
I have one fitted to my cab and i'm sure that the car "feels" different if driven in wet and damp conditions (fine in cold & frosty etc).There's no power loss noticable or idle fluctuation etc she just seems to "feel" different on driving especially when putting your foot down on the pedal.
Anyone with a k&n panel fitted experience similar?

 

[Hilux]

I had K&N's on my VX powered Westfield. They stuck out of the side of the bonnet and were deluged with spray/rain/cr*p etc particularly on wet days but performed faultlessly.They will draw more air than a stock filter but the type of air doent really matter as much on an aspirated car compared to a turbo where denser colder air plays a bigger role

In a nice protected engine bay they will let more air in but I cant see how the performance would change unless they are really dirty. I suggest that if they are old you wash `em and re oil them.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Sure this has come up before, but I am a newbie....

My '86 Lux has the air intake way down in the NS wheel arch. It was pointed out to me that this is fine on a LHD car, where it's on the crown of the road, but on RHD it is placed straight where it picks up water from kerb-side puddles. This will have the obvious results of sucking water into the engine.

It's never really worried me, as I can leave VJ at home if it's monsoon conditions outside, but I was given a couple of suggestions as a long-term fix:

Firstly, Steve at JZ reckoned that drilling a large hole in trhe air intake would allow water to drain out before reaching the engine.

Secondly, Ken Tolfree recommended a revised air intake that sits higher in the wheel arch, so doesn't suck water in.

Anybody else had this problem?

 

[PRJ]

I had an 85/86 Lux many years ago and on the way home from work one day got caught in monsoon type conditions. The roads were like proverbial rivers and I had no idea that the air intake was where it was. Water eventually got into the engine and I was running on 3 cylinders for a while with white smoke pouring out of the exhaust. I was a very lucky boy as it eventually cleared itself and there were no subsequent problems aside from a brief cough and splutter when I started it up the next morning.

I sold the car not long after (not for that reason), so didn't do anything to remedy the issue, but was very wary of any puddles after that.

 

[John Sims]

As I understand, the guys at Autostrasse, when they worked for Porsche (at the time of the 944) would drill a big hole in underside of the intake pipe. This, obviously, broke the suction if the pipe did try to lift water.

Picking up on Hilux comments. I had a Pipercross foam filter sticking out of the side of my Westie. This would get filled with water, like a sponge, but the engine would still only ingest damp air.

Beaky has a K&N cone filter behind the headlamp. This gets cleaned fairly frequently ('cos I don't like it looking dirty) and it stuns me the amount of grit dust and rubbish that ends up in the sink when you wash the filter out - even after a relatively short period.

Many will spout the relative merit's of high flow filters on race cars. What you have to realise that most race cars have their engines rebuilt fairly regularly so dust and grit drawn in through the induction isn't too much of an issue. Road car engines have to keep going for much longer between rebuilds so you do want to keep your air nice and clean.

While I have a K&N on Beaky I'm not rushing to put one on Jasper Jag or even to swap for a K&N panel filter.

 

[Guest]

Many will spout the relative merit's of high flow filters on race cars -John Sims.

I have been considering the K&N cone option.... there's a long thread on Rennlist argueing the merits but seeming to conclude that there is no bhp gain to be had or even any improvement in filtration only an improvement in sound (which can be achieved by drilling the filter case).

ProMax suggest the cone upgrade on their website.

I'd be interested in what this forum thinks.

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: Cliffordl

...ProMax suggest the cone upgrade on their website.....

That might be because they can't sell you anything if you leave it as it is. []

I fitted a cone fillter on my Lux and it sounded superb as a result. I fitted a cone filter on the Turbo and it made little or no difference to the induction noise at all.

Location of the filter could be important as well. My original cylindrical K&N was behind the radiator on the AFM. JZMachtec suggested that this would reduce hp as it would breath in hot air not cold air as per the original piped filter box.

Things have moved on a bit now though:-

 

[Guest]

Truly inspirational[8D] Memo to self - next job to clean engine bay [8|].
And the K&N fills the only last space in the bay - must be why Porsche left it free.