Which Car Air Filter is Best? Let's find out! Fram, K&N, Wix, Purolator, & AC Delco showdown

If you want your vehicle to last a long time you should go ahead and spend a few extra dollars on the air

filter

now, obviously if you want your vehicle to run well it is very important to have an air

filter

that allows plenty of air to enter the engines. and you also want the air to be clean, today we'll test both on six different brands to see if it really makes a big difference: That $50 air filter works as well or better than the $10.00 one. air filter let's start the tests and see

which

brand is the

best

.

We will see

which

air filter provides the

best

airflow when new. We'll see if air filter brands have any impact on zero-to-sixty acceleration times. I will see which air filters work best at filtering out contaminants so I can test car air filters. I built this air filter tester and the air filter is mounted on top of the test stand. The air filter cover is encased in plexiglass so contamination can be easily added to the top of the air filter. The air will move downward and pass through a plexiglass-covered observation box. The air will then travel into a six-inch tube.

As the air passes through the tube, we will measure both the air velocity and the static pressure (we will talk more about that later), at the end of the tester there is an electric fan motor and a first test will measure the air velocity through of the tester using each filter, we will also use a pressure gauge to measure static. pressure so what a static pressure is in a nutshell is the resistance to air flow. It seems to make sense that an air filter that allows for easier and faster air flow will allow the engine to make more horsepower compared to an air filter that is more restrictive.

Let's establish our baseline airflow and static pressure by first running the dyno without a filter in place. The gauge on the left shows air speed and is moving on average at 59.4 miles per hour. The gauge on the right shows pressure. static which is the resistance to flow from the 12 by 12 inch box into the six inch diameter pipe. Static pressure is measured in inches of water column and static pressure is a little less than an inch of water column. The air filter we will be testing is for the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban, it also fits many other makes and models, so we will use this filter for testing at a price of only $8 to 87 cents.

The least expensive air filter we will test is this EP Auto Extra Protection Bucket Air Filter which claims to offer exceptional protection helps improve performance improves fuel economy protects against dirt changes every 12,000 miles made in China I counted them all the pleats of the filter media and there are a total of 80, the EPI 2 also has a couple of layers of adhesive that go from top to bottom of this filter and to keep these pleats separated, the filter weighs exactly 507 grams, the wire mesh inside the filter seems quite durable, the EP Otto had an average static pressure of 2.76 and an air speed of fifty-four point seven miles per hour. then the EP Otto Air Filter is definitely slowing down the air at a price of $12.47.

This additional

fram

protection filter is the second least expensive filter we will test. It claims to offer twice the engine protection of what a 12,000 mile air filter claims to be. Installing a clogged air filter can increase power and acceleration. Engine protection is the Fram measure of a filter's ability to trap dirt particles and prevent them from entering the engine. Fram air filters leave two times less dirt than the average from leading retailers. brands that we are going to test that made in Mexico VP Auto had two layers of adhesive from top to bottom and the Fram air filter has three the EPI Auto filter had 80 plates but the Fram has 76 the wire mesh in the Fram as well as the EPI looks very similar, but the overall size of the Fram is a little larger than the EP Otto EPI at 507 grams, the Fram is 441 grams much lighter, the Fram had a slightly lower static pressure than the EP Otto 2 .75 and a slightly higher airspeed of fifty-four point nine miles per hour, so the Fram takes the lead over EP Otto at $16.23 AC Delco is the third least expensive filter we'll test; costs twice as much as EP Otto AC Delco filters offer longer engine life smoother performance made in USA three different adhesive applications on the front of the filter AC Delco filter has 76 pleats wire mesh on the AC Delco is offset in three different areas to allow for space between the mesh and the filter media, well at 577 grams, by far the heaviest filter we have tested so far, the ACDelco had a slightly higher static pressure of 3. 03 and a lower air speed than the Fram; the Fram still leads at $21.59;

The last cigar is the fourth most expensive filter we have tested. We will be testing defend your engine clean later an air filter is trapped 99% of harmful contaminants a clogged air filter decreases throttle power and can wear out your engine replacing your old dirty air filter can improve acceleration by up to eleven percent and optimize the performance of its engines an American brand since 1923 manufactured in us some different lines of adhesive in the pure layer of a filter. What's also interesting is that it looks like some of the filter media has been pressed into a wire mesh in a pure post filter and it looks very similar to The EP ATO and Fram pure post filter only weigh 451 grams which is a bit more than the Fram filter.

The cigar has 75 layers of filter media. The later cigar had a higher static pressure of 3.09 compared to 2.76 for the model. EP otto and a slower air speed than the 54 point six

fram

e, so the frame remains in the lead with twenty-two dollars and twelve says the wick filter is the fifth most expensive filter. We will be testing quality filtration since 1939 made in the USA. Unlike other brands, Wix did not apply any type of adhesive to the filter media. There are four different areas on this wire mesh that extend outward from the filter media. Wow, at 413 grams, the wicks are definitely the lightest air filter.

The wick filter also has the lowest number. of pleats at 72 above the filters tested, the wicks had the highest static pressure at four point zero seven at the lowest air velocity of fifty-two point one at forty-four dollars nineteen cents this air filter km It is more than twice as expensive as the competition high air flow filter designed to increase power and acceleration washable product reusable for life the original cotton high flow air filter invented by km reduces air filter restriction allowing making the engine breathe easier than traditional paper air filters. Using a km air filter can actually increase power and acceleration in Many vehicles, according to Kangnam, were tough on dirt.

Thousands of microscopic cotton threads absorb our specially formulated oil to create a powerful filter media. Most paper air filters should be changed every 12 months or 12,000 miles, but not 50,000 miles. in the US, right out of the packaging, this filter is very oily, the K&N filter is 32 layers, obviously quite a different design, it has a wire mesh that is actually part of the filter media, 516 grams, so it may be the most expensive filter, the kam which is known for its high performance beat the competition, K&N did an amazing job with the lowest static pressure of all brands of 1.7 at the highest air velocity fifty-seven point three nine miles per hour.

I

find

it very interesting that there is a negative correlation between price. and the number of filters please, more specifically, more expensive filters actually have fewer filter pleats than inexpensive filters which have more filter pleats would appear to offer more filter surface area without using air filters. Our control, which had a static pressure of 0.96, may end up too far away. better job than the competition at 1.72, which is more than a full inch of water column, better than the Fram and EP Otto, so the question is whether filters with lower static pressure will really work as well for filter out the contamination we are about to discover.

Next, let's see how each of the air filter brands performs in a 0-60 time in the 2003 Suburban using each air filter for two timed runs. We'll go with the faster of the two timed runs in which the EP car hit 60 and nine point four seconds in the first run and nine point four seconds in the second run, the Fram had a slightly static pressure and air speed. better on the test and let's see if he can do a little better. The time was almost identical but a little slower at 9.5 in the first and second tests, so the EPA car's nine-point-four-second time to beat the ACDelco seems a little more restrictive on the bench. tests than a piatto, but equaled the best time of 9.4 seconds on the first run and was slightly slower at nine point six seconds on the second attempt, the cigar later was a very restrictive filter, the first time it was nine point eight seconds, which seemed a little slower than it should have been, however he did much better in a second run at nine point four. seconds coinciding with the fastest time, but the wick filter equaled the best time of 9.4 seconds on a first attempt and, in fact, obtained the best score with nine point three on the second attempt, the stick admitted 60 and 9 .3 seconds on the first attempt and the fastest time. however, at 9.2 seconds on the second attempt, so the km definitely beat the competition comparing the best zero to sixty times of the two attempts, the Canyon leaked beat a competition with the fastest time of 9 .2 seconds, however, the most restrictive filter was that of the wicks. with the other brands they were very close, so if you are trying to save a fraction of a second the cannon might help compared to other more restrictive paper filters, but if you are worried about the air filter actually removing the bad stuff that they come out. in the engine you may be interested in the next test and the next test I will place a particle counter inside the air box the number on the left side of the screen indicates the amount of particles between 1 and 5 microns in size the number On the right indicates the number of particles, five microns are larger.

These car air filters are designed to filter out particles that measure around 5 microns. Once the test filter is in place, the 3 minute test will begin. I'll start by spreading half. cup of all-purpose flour through the filter and we'll keep an eye on the particle counter to see how much flour passes through the air filter around the 1 minute mark. I will turn on the electric motor for about 1/2 hour. Secondly, this pulse of air will pull some of the contamination through the filter and track the peak number of particles around the two minute mark, turn on the fan motor for a full minute and we'll look at the particle counter. and static pressure, we will start with the EPO, which already had a count of 80 for small and large particles inside the test box, after subtracting the 80 for the small and two large particles that were already inside the test box. test, the small particle count increased by 107 small and 76 large particles after the 1 minute mark, the fan motor turned on for 1/2 second causing the particle count to increase after subtracting the 84 particles originals inside the test box, the particle count reached a maximum of 165 small particles. and 61 large particles at the two minute mark the electric blower mode was turned on for a full minute the small particle count increased to 587 on the large particles it peaked at 26 the static pressure the new filter was at 2.76 and increased to approximately 3.4 9 From the half cup of contamination, Fram claims to provide twice the protection compared to the competition, so by subtracting the 129 particles already inside the test chamber, Fram reached a maximum of 173 small particles and 126 large particles, which is significantly more than the EPA's Otto.

After air surveys, after subtracting the original small and large particles that were already inside the air box, the small particle count increased to 361 and 252 large particles, so compared to the less expensive e piata , the structure had more than twice as many small particles and four. times more large particles were no good during the one-minute continuous airflow test, the numbers peaked at 697 small and 166 large particles. The new fram filter had a static pressure of 2.75 andincreased 23.82, so the e piatto seems to have done a much better job than the fram AC Delco peaked at 76 small particles and 58 large particles during the first minute, which is better than the EP Otto and the fram ; after the air pulse it increased to 326 small and 182 large, which is better than the Fram, but not quite. as good as the EP Otto during the continuous airflow test, a small particle count reached 697, the same as the Fram, but the large particle count was 157, which is slightly better than the Fram but not as good like the EP Otto, the static pressure increased from three point zero 3 to four point one eight to the EP Otto appears to have outperformed the ACDelco filter the cigar then began the particle count of 114 small particles and one large particle inside the test box After spreading the test contamination on the filter the small particle number actually decreased by 13 the large particle count stayed the same very impressively after the air pulse the small particle count increased to 116 and the big increase in only 35, which is the best of all the filters so far during the continuous airflow test.

The small particle count increased by 468 and small particles by 14, which is the best so far. The static pressure increased from three point zero nine to four point four eight, so the last pure filter is the best filter tested to block contamination so far and takes the lead. From the EP Otto, like the later cigar, the wicks also saw a small decrease in particle count after the contamination was dumped on top of the air filter. It fell into two small particles and one large one, very impressive after the air pulse, the particle count increased by forty. three small and eighteen large, which is the best of all the filters tested during the continuous air flow test, a small particle count reached a maximum of 401 and the large particle count did not increase, all static pressure increased from four point zero seven to six point six three, so the wicks are now in the lead in filtering out most of the pollution.

Unfortunately, things didn't go very well for the K&N filter, which had a small particle count of 3604 and a large particle count of 2972 ​​afterwards. the air pulse the particle count was 572 small and 421 large during the one minute continuous air flow test the particle count was 407 and 5 the static pressure increased from 1 point 7 to 2 3.79 as air filters are primarily designed to trap particles around 5 microns or larger, let's compare the performance of filtering large particles, the large particles could not pass the pure filter media later and Wix, when I sprayed contamination on the filters, the ACDelco , which is an OEM filter, did a pretty good job at only 58 the frame that claims to offer twice the protection finished second to last and the km performance filter actually struggled after the tester blew a sudden burst of air through the filter.

The wicks only had 18 particles, the pure ones later, 35 in the EP out of 61 again. the frame and the km finished second to last and last respectively during the one minute continuous airflow test the wicks were 0 km in 5 and the cigar later in 14 JC of the Qin Fram finished in second last and last place respectively in the In the surface, it looks like the km actually did pretty well in this test. My theory is that the air filter released almost all of the large particle contamination quickly, allowing it to pass through the air box before the particle counter had a chance to count the particles while the other brands released the contamination gradually afterward. of contaminating the air filters, the EP ATO came in first with a static pressure of 3.49, they came in second and the Fram in third, the filters that had the highest original static pressure were the best at blocking the contamination and they had a static pressure of four point four eight and six point six three it's all about performance and you're heading to the track for the weekend, the K&N filter will definitely help you performance-wise, but if you're like me and I really want a vehicle to last a long time.

Getting clean air into the engine is a big deal and I really didn't expect us to see such a big difference between the later pure model as well as the wicks and the other brands. Those two brands, the pure after and the highlights, really outperform the other brands in a huge way, which shows why they cost a little more and are probably worth it. All my video ideas, including this one, come from viewers, so if you have an idea for a video. I hope you'll take the time to leave a review, whether it's about other air filter brands you like to try or a completely new product category.

Thank you very much for watching the video, be careful. I look forward to the next time.