What's the best air filter to use?

[JerseyJeff84]

Was just curious what air filter you guys think would be good. I'd like to add a little extra pep to the car and heard those K & N filters though expensive, are really good.

[RedRide]

Yes, K&N filters are good. I always run one with a stock air box on my cars.

Don't listen to those who would say a K&N filter will somehow affect a MAFS etc.. That is complete BS. I have been running them for over 10 years without a single problem.
In fact a Toyota TRD filter is made exactly like a K&N but, it is much more expensive.

BTW, don't expect a dramatic difference with a K&N. It will just open up the top end slightly but, it's worth it IMO. :smile:

[MUSKOKA800]

Was just curious what air filter you guys think would be good. I'd like to add a little extra pep to the car and heard those K & N filters though expensive, are really good.

Pick up a K&N drop-in when on sale at your local parts supplier. It'll cost only about two to three times what the OEM disposible will set you back and last you the life of the car. MUCH cheaper in the long run (if you keep the car past three years).
Oh, and save the OEM filter to use while putting the K&N through it's cleaning process thereby having zero downtime for your car.

[OtownYaris]

I would go with OEM filters. I've checked used oil analysis for the same car using both an OEM & K&N filter and the results show more silicon when using K&N filters. This would lead me to believe you get better airflow with a K&N with the tradeoff of letting more dirt particles into the engine.

[echaru]

I have no scientific proof that shows if K&N hurt MAF or not, but I can tell you my experience with K&N filter.

I had Toyota Echo 2000 that I bought in 2005. I put K&N filter in a month after I bought the car. In 2008, the engine light came on. It took forever for me to find out what the heck was wrong with the car. I did a bunch of maintenanace while I was at it. I changed spark plug, oil filter, fuel filter, serpentine belt, battery, front and rear breaks. Engine light still on.

The last thing I did, before I gave up,was replacing the expensive MAF with a new one. The engine light disappeared. After that I changed the K&N filter with the normal stock paper filter. I drove the car for 2 more years, no check engine light. Then I traded the Echo in for the Yaris, 2 months ago.

[RedRide]

I have no scientific proof that shows if K&N hurt MAF or not, but I can tell you my experience with K&N filter.

I had Toyota Echo 2000 that I bought in 2005. I put K&N filter in a month after I bought the car. In 2008, the engine light came on. It took forever for me to find out what the heck was wrong with the car. I did a bunch of maintenanace while I was at it. I changed spark plug, oil filter, fuel filter, serpentine belt, battery, front and rear breaks. Engine light still on.

The last thing I did, before I gave up,was replacing the expensive MAF with a new one. The engine light disappeared. After that I changed the K&N filter with the normal stock paper filter. I drove the car for 2 more years, no check engine light. Then I traded the Echo in for the Yaris, 2 months ago.

Fact is, a MAFS can go bad without ever using a K&N type filter. So, chances are your MAFS would have gone bad even if you never used a K&N.
The has never been a documentd case where a properly oiled K&N type filter damaged a MAFS.

When I first got my '02 Celica (purchased new) it idled eratically at times.
So, I cleaned the MAFS (which is easy to do) and it then idled perfectly at all times,
I then installed a K&N and it was fine for over 8 years up to the day I sold it recently. :smile:

[auxmike]

How do you clean a MAFS:iono:
I picked up a brand new Toyota one for $60, so I have a spare...

[RedRide]

How do you clean a MAFS:iono:
I picked up a brand new Toyota one for $60, so I have a spare...

1) Take it off
2) Gently clean the sensors with isopropl alcohol on a Q -tip.

Edit:
Here is a DIY I found.

http://www.yarisclubuk.com/index.php/knowledge-base/maf-sensor-cleaning/

Some more info....

http://www.top4runners.com/ja/cleanmaf.html

[MadMax]

Here's my experience with K&N filters (and that is a very loose use of that term in this case); and I had a "control group" in that I owned two of the exact same models of car (VW Passats) with the same engine (VR6) for the same time for about six years, the only difference being that one was a sedan and the other a wagon.

I had a K&N in my wagon and I went through three MAFs during the ten years I had that car. My wife's sedan had the stock airbox on it and it never needed a replacement MAF. Both cars ended up with nearly 130K miles on them, both were driven in the same locations (Texas and Belgium), and both were driven in all kinds of weather.

I would never, repeat never put a K&N air "filter" in a car again. Yes, there were obvious performance gains from it; but if you live anywhere where it is dusty (Texas) or it rains a lot (Belgium), then crap will get sucked up past it into the MAF or worse. I constantly battled CELs in my wagon, whereas we never got one in my wife's sedan; and the main difference in the cars was the K&N.

And yes, I religiously maintained my K&N per the company's specifications, even buying their overpriced products to clean and oil it.

What little performance gain there may be from running one in the Yaris (if there even is one) is not worth the amount of crap they let get into the engine.

Get a paper replacement air filter from the dealership, it's under $16 and will get the job done right!

Cheers! M2

[RedRide]

Yeah, I agree that you should not use one in very dusty enviorment.
A little common sense goes a long way, :smile:

[firebob]

I have had a K&N on a throttle body truck one time. If you put to much oil on the filter I would get oil residue over everything past the filter. But at the same time the oil is there to do part of the filtering. Too little oil and now it dose not filter much. There is a fine line on the amount of oil to coat the fibers of the filter.

I will never own a K&N filter and hope to never buy a used car that had a filter that you oil.

[RedRide]

Yeah, oiling a K&N filter does take a bit of commom sense and an intellegent level a bit higher than a baboon. :smile:

[MadMax]

Well, I think with three college degrees (two of which are post-grad, and the last being awarded "with honors"), I qualify as having "an intellegent (sic) level a bit higher than a baboon;" which is why I won't use such a poorly-engineered air filter set-up such as the K&N!

In certain, specific instances they may be a good choice; but for general driving conditions they greatly increase the chances of causing malfunctions in the MAF (proven) or long-term detriment to the engine (also proven).

[1stToyota]

Stock will suit you well.

+6 :smile:

[RedRide]

Yes, K&N filters are good. I always run one with a stock air box on my cars.

Don't listen to those who would say a K&N filter will somehow affect a MAFS etc.. That is complete BS. I have been running them for over 10 years without a single problem.
In fact a Toyota TRD filter is made exactly like a K&N but, it is much more expensive.

BTW, don't expect a dramatic difference with a K&N. It will just open up the top end slightly but, it's worth it IMO. :smile:

Like I said......:wink: