""If you understand how an engine works…“
This is why the government should do studies like this.
Many people don’t understand; then they get ripped off.”
Well this is where I respectfully disagree with you. I see no place for the federal government in ensuring that customers don’t buy something they don’t need. That’s between the customer and the vendor.
I can only hope that nobody’s trying to compare HHO with a mechanic replacing a dirty air filter
Well, my opinion of that is two-fold:
First, they should be checked out, tarred and feathered, beaten with big sticks, and run out of town. Or be congratulated for running one of the most successful scams out there. But that’s a state/local matter as far as I’m concerned. I’ll probably get flagged for being overly political here, but the federal government should and does have better things to worry about.
Second, anyone who falls for the old “too good to be true/snake oil/I’ve stumbled onto something no one else has figured out” gets what they deserve." Again, I expect a flagging here but I agree with a sentiment I once heard someone else say: stupidity should be painful and expensive.
As for the big picture, I always recommend that you find a shop you like and trust and feel comfortable doing business with. That’s the important thing, not wondering whether that $14 air filter could have lasted another 5,000 miles.
One of my neighbors once came knocking on my door, trying to sell me some snake oil that was supposed to dramatically increase your gas mileage
This same neighbor saw me walking around outside in my mechanic’s uniform
He saw me come and go to work in that mechanic’s uniform
This same neighbor saw me working on cars countless times
I told him “You know I’m a mechanic. I, of all people, know that stuff doesn’t work.”
Then I told him rather bluntly “I don’t want it. No thanks.”
And I closed the door in his face, against his protests.
It is possible that he knew he got taken, and was essentially trying to get his money back by selling it to somebody else.
It was comparable to a burglar asking a cop if he would like to buy some clearly stolen merchandise
@asemaster, I agree that it’s not the job of the government (state or federal) to ensure that people make the best choices.
However, I think it’s worthwhile to gather and present information to help make an informed choice.
I can’t even believe this is a conversation. Cars burn more air than gas by volume. If your filter is so clogged that it cannot provide the proper amount of air then you will have improper volume or mixture for combustion and your engine performance, including MPG, will suffer. Stuff a rag in your air inlet and see how far you get, which is merely an extension of a dirtying air filter. Furthermore, if your auto manufacturer states to change the air filter–and they all do–then change the air filter. This entire thread is stupid and probably a troll.
@fatrap - sure, if you take it to the extreme. But modern fuel injection exactly matches the fuel to the air let into the engine. ONLY if you can’t get enough air into the engine with your foot to the floor is a clogged filter an issue. You should read the posts more carefully.
“ONLY if you can’t get enough air into the engine” — Which happens when air filters are clogged. You should read your maintenance schedule more carefully.
Only when the air filter is very badly clogged, like I said. If you foot isn’t on the floor, it’s not interfering with the economy. But it IS interfering with the maximum power.
So yes, replace that cheap air filter to maximize performance, for sure.
Well I don’t know what you consider to be “very badly clogged,” but I’d say anything past the point where the volume/time of air through the filter does not match the draw by the pistons then performance is impacted. Guys who know the facts of this stuff are called engineers, and they help create maintenance schedules that say “change your air filter”.
Well I don't know what you consider to be "very badly clogged," but I'd say anything past the point where the volume/time of air through the filter does not match the draw by the pistons then performance is impacted.
What Texases is saying…a filter that’s only partially clogged will still be able to let enough air through unless under full load. The filter on my 4runner is HUGE. It’ll take a lot of dirt to clog it enough so it effects performance.
“Very badly clogged” is if you have to floor it. Simple. What’s the problem?
We actually tested K&N filters where I used to work.
This is a standard test using Arizona AC fine road dust. How the test works is, you put the filter in the test fixture. You introduce a specified amount of the road dust into the filter. After the test filter is a HEPA filter. So you know how much dust was introduced into the filter and how much dust was passed thru to the HEPA filter. You weigh each filter and you can determine how much dust passed thru the test filter.
Conclusion: If you want to keep chipmonks and birds out of your engine, use a K&N filter.
Tester
Isn’t this horse dead yet?
No. Although I don’t think a paper filter will stop a horse.
“Isn’t this horse dead yet?”
Apparently not. I may have to retract my previous comment about it being common sense that a dirty air filter can not have an effect on gas mileage.
Yeah, maybe that study wasn’t such a waste of money, because apparently, someone still isn’t convinced.
Fatrap is not completely wrong.
There is a point where an air filter can get so dirty the engine struggles to get sufficient air to run efficiently (regardless of the correct fuel ratio). Lower densities of air/fuel in the combustion chamber definitely lower an engines efficiency.
Another reason to at least CHECK the filter every oil change is to catch damage like a mouse nest in the air cleaner housing. I have seen several around my parts where mice have chewed large holes in them so you know they aren’t filtering much at all.