'Stainless mesh' filters

[mullett]

Has anyone had any experience with these? Filtration is the main thing I'm worried about, and flow of course. How do they compare to a normal 'paper/foam filter' like a K+N?

-RM.

[oldcorollas]

rock strainers?

(edit: i mean tlike DCOE type mesh trumpet guard things = rock strainers..)

[mullett]

The closest image I could find, I'm curious because I keep coming across kits for street use which include these as a filter, and working in an industry which does a lot of filtration, I know that it's possible to strain very finely with mesh filters if they're designed right...

-RM.

[oldcorollas]

errr

Quickshift Racing Svi induction air filters are made entirely from stainless steel. This is because stainless steel is one of the most durable metals in the world and this particular grade of mesh has supreme filtering qualities.

All Quickshift filters feature stainless steel mesh on the top plate to further improve the amount of air they can flow. Due to the extremely fine, regular pattern of the pleated mesh, the filter gives less internal air restriction and straightens the air through the filter far more consistently which results in the capability to release more power than other performance air filters.

By making a filter totally from stainless steel this gives a unique metallic sound to the car that cannot be replicated by a cotton gauze type or foam filter.

and how much air do you think a mesh filter would flow, if it had to filter micron sized particles?

edit: as far as most people are concerned they will "work"
ie, no major engine failure immediately
but do an oil analysis or whatever and maybe you will see gunk getting in.
then again, it depends where you drive as well....

[mullett]

I'm broadly with you, when I first saw it I was instantly skeptical, but I've been wrong many times before, so I thought I'd find out what other peoples opinions/experiences were. I'll still buy a K+N filter, because I do drive on dusty gravel at times, and I'd rather *know* that it works, and they're not that expensive. That said, they're awful on skylines (or any other car with a hotwire AFM I imagine).

-RM.

[oldcorollas]

they might be fine

but i wonder if they are better than a paper filter..... K&N aren't (just my opinion tho)

[mullett]

Out of curiosity, what (pod style) filter would you pick for day-to-day use on a 150-200hp car?

(as in an Australian-obtainable brand )

-RM.

[Pr0j3kt_SuPrA]

i think the 3a racing one came up best overall in a filter test done by HPI mag i think.... 1st for flow and 2nd in filteration beaten by the K&N which was 3rd in flow..... and they are abit cheaper i think $30 bucks a filter

[TERRA Operative]

I use an Apex'i power intake filter. Got good results in this test:

http://www.mkiv.com/techarticles/filters_test/2/

The Blitz filter in that test is a stainless filter.

[Z2TT]

From what I've read over and over Apexi Power intake is a good choice for flow and filtration, but is costly.

K&N are good also but they have to be oiled every now and then.

www.mkiv.com had a test that was done in Japan translated and put on their website :

http://www.mkiv.com/techarticles/filters_test/2/

It tested the Blitz suss filter, that was maid of stainless steel, and its filtration quality was poor.

If I were you I'd just get a paper pod filter, try to shield it from the engine heat too as that could have an affect on the filter element.

I bet the cost of that stainless steel filter will be through the roof, haven't seen many of them around so I'm interested in how they perform.

[oldcorollas]

think of how the filters work.

paper traps small dirt in the fibres
K&N have bigger holes, but they hope that small particles will stick to the oil as they pass thru the holes.
mesh... mesh hopes that the particles are bigger than the holes, and every particle that is bigger than a hole will block that hole...

pods take up space (when properly boxed) and probably have smaller surface area than a decent sized panel filter


edit: they will all probably block th elarge sand sized particles that cuas emajor damage like scoring etc... so it just depends how far you want to go and what level of filtration you are willing to accept.

[mullett]

Damn...i didn't realise how good those A'pexi ones were...i had one a couple of years ago and I gave it away I'm tossing up between one of them and a (far cheaper) china brand paper filter...like most things, I assume you get what you pay for, but has anyone had much experience with them?

-RM.

[Pr0j3kt_SuPrA]

if id have to go cheapy would go the 3A racing filter... only 30-40 bucks and like i said overall number one in the autosalon mags that was compared to a few top name brands aswell

[TERRA Operative]

I got an Apex'i filter on my AE101 GTZ Levin (4AGZE). It works good, but I haven't used any other filters on my system, so can't compare....



You can see it peeking out behind the airbox.

[woggin]

how about those DRIFT air filters, the blue ones??