What is the best air filter? Cold air, ram air, ect.

[say10jr]

Hello Everyone!
I have a straight forward question. What air filter do all of you believe to be the best air filter to use for a 2002 Boxster?
It's my first time posting but I have read some of the threads that kinda deal with my question but I haven't seen a real answer to it. At one point I was thinking of biting the bullet and buying an EVO setup but from what I read. Not only is it a pain to install instead of cold air and more horsepower, there is a good chance that hot air can get in and lost of power can happen.
I was thinking of maybe getting the aFe Super Stock Pro 5R Air Intake System but from what I read on the forum. The plastic tube is not an easy thing to put in and really not much is gained or notice after installed. Not only that but the filter that it comes with is a "oiled" filter and as all the oiled filters there is a good chance that it could mess up my MAS.
If I did get the aFe Super Stock Pro 5R Air Intake System should I get the aFe Pro Dry S filter too? That way there isn't a chance of messing up my MAS.
Should I say to Hades with it and stick with my OEM box and just get the aFE pro Dry filter?
One last thing, Pedro's Techno Torque. What do you guys think about it? I've read so many good things about it but everyone has only tested it using the butt-dyno. JAAY was the only person that I have read about who has used a dyno. The results were not good though.
No disrespect to Pedro or JAAY! I like to thank both of them for all the info they put up here and all of there work they have done.
Thanks,
10

[yelojkt]

I run a K&N P-flow set-up on yelojkt. I have put over 150,000 miles on that one filter. I clean and oil it with the K&N product and have never had a problem with my MAF. My secret is after I oil it I let it sit overnight before reinstalling plus I don't overoil it. My car now has just shy of 200,000 on it and going strong. When I get my boxster I will use a K&N drop-in in the stock airbox.

[Topless]

I use what all of the Boxster Spec race cars use: Stock intake, stock filter. I change it every 5k miles.

[mikefocke]

with a different air filter? Noise, increased air flow (the stock has more than enough for the stock engine), better dirt filtration?

The stock setup has a cold air intake...after all you are sucking air in from outside the car.

Most filters that advertise "more HP" are inferior to the stock filter in keeping dirt out of the engine..both in terms of size of particles and in terms of amount of particles they let through. I base this statement on a Car and Driver test several years ago as well as some others I've read.

The idea of developing the engine into a more potent performer can be explored better once you define the starting point (what engine you have now...base 2.7 I take it with no mods yet), what performance you are trying to achieve, where you'll use the extra (road, track, AX, etc).

Further thoughts here

[ekam]

Stock filter. Trust me I've been there.

[extanker]

save the money for future repairs

[say10jr]

Thanx everyone!
To answer some questions. No real mods yet, I just upgraded my brakes to ceramic pads and cross drilled & slotted rotors. I have a 2002 2.7 Boxster. I'm not really looking into up-ing hp by just a new filter. I just figured since it's time for a new filter I'd look into getting something better then an OEM filter and something that would get me better mileage. If it gave me more hp COOL and if the filter sounded cool then bonus!
I had just been roaming around reading reviews and forums where everyone talks about what mods they have done but nothing about what kind of filter they use. The only thing that would come up is just how much a pain in the you know what it is to install the EVO cold air induction and very little on aFe filters. I just found it odd that no one had brought it up.
Thanx again everyone!!!

[Jake Raby]

Keep the stock filter in the stock filter housing..
The "Performance" units will make more power on the day they are installed, within a week that performance if tested again will prove to have diminished beyond the stock filter in my experience... Thats IF the oil used to service the aftermarket unit doesn't foul your MAF.

Cold air intakes...

Well we've been running a test on those over the past summer in one of our test cars, its a barely street legal Boxster S that sees a ton of track time..

For these tests a "popular" aftermarket intake system was used.

"AIT2" is installed in the intake air box, where the coldest air is present.
"AIT1" is installed just before the throttle body in the air intake tube.

The results of the direct tests are fairly clear. The next test will be to gather data on the same tracks in the same ambients next year with a STOCK airbox installed.

This data proves that the cold air intake, really isn't supplying the engine with colder air, thats probably due to the poor insulation properties of the airbox and the air leaks from the engine bay that are impossible to eliminate completely.

Nothing beats data.. I wonder if any of the companies that sell these units have this data? I did this to benefit my engine program.

Also, note the extreme oil temps on the track.. This is whats killing the M96 on the track, especially when using oils that are not developed to run at these elevated temps for longer periods of time.. Those lack film strength at temperature and the next thing you know a failure occurs that LOOKS like starvation, but its really from a lack of the oil to properly lubricate and maintain pressure at temp..

The oil in this engine during these tests is Mobil 1. We've changed oils and are testing our newest 5/40 formulation (aka 980) now to gather pressure and temperature differences in the final event of the season.

This is a BONE STOCK 3.2 Reman Porsche engine, installed in May of 2010 so we could compare the data to our 3.6 Stage II engine being used in the same car next year. Dr. Phil is the pilot.

Test tracks were Mid-Ohio, Road America and Watkins Glen.

[sparker]

Interesting data. Would love to an ambeint temperature reading also, which would help cross compare data on different days (with different intakes).

I am currently in the process of producing a carbon fibre intake with carbon fiber airbox. I hope to seal this from the motor perfectly and net some neat results.

The pipe will be one piece carbon fiber which should resist heat soak excellently. If anyone is interested in this project, let me know. I could possibly produce a few to sell on at cost price.

Sam

[say10jr]

Thanks Jake! That's what I keep reading, that the cold air induction kits seem to be pulling hot air from the motor instead of cool air form outside. Something having to deal with the air box not sealing up or fitting right. Has anyone used the Pro dry filter from aFe?? It doesn't use any oil.
Does anyone know why the oil filters seem to effect Porsche's MAF so bad? Like yelojkt I have a K&N filter on my mustang and no problems. It runs great, gets better mileage and maybe a little more hp. So what gives with Porsche??? I'm asking not just for myself but for everyone else. Who maybe on Summit with a credit card in their hand just about to make the mistake of getting a K&N. As I said I just find it odd that the subject of an air filter hasn't really come up on here or really any other place. People will go on for half the page on what mods they have but nothing on what they are using as an air filter. You would think that amongst the half page of blah, blah, blah. There would be blah, blah filter, blah, blah.
Sam let us know how things come out. I bet more then one of us is interested including me.

[sparker]

No prob - will do. The intake pipe is easy (although I was hoping to do the two bends in carbon as well - to help with temp soak, it seems they will have to be silicone). Just gotta get a sealed airbox complete now. I have had excellent results with K&N Xtream pod filters in sealed airboxes before, so will most likely use one of them.

Sam

[Jake Raby]

We do have the ambient temps.. That data just wasn't on these screen captures.

[Banana S]

Originally Posted by say10jr

...
Has anyone used the Pro dry filter from aFe?? It doesn't use any oil.
...

Yes, that's what I have in my car. I've been happy with it.