05Corolla Air Filters

[luvs2drive]

I've used the OE Denso the car came with and it seems ok. I switched to the WIX/NAPA GOLD 6834 and loved the silicone frame that seals the air box well. When I removed the filter and intake piping today I saw no dirt on the throttle plate area or intake piping. A good thing for sure. That filter was nasty looking after this winter. I did tap the filter and a lot of sand came out of it. Nice to know it didn't let that through. My question is, is there anything slightly better out there? I want to keep this thing clean and running well. Maybe I could make a custom pre filter for it? What would I make it of? Furnace filter media?
I could just keep using the NAPA filters as it didn;t seem to fail in any way, but I like to be safe.

I wish they lightly oiled these things like my previous Nissan OEM filters were.

 

[kanling]

I just changed to a NAPA Gold on my '03 corolla. I agree that its rubbery frame gives it an edge over the Toyota OEM. It seems like the filter material is pretty close to the same thing. (I have my doubts about the longevity of that foamy/papery material Toyota uses, but it will take me a lot longer to develop an opinion.)

I think a pre-filter should be made of a lower efficiency media than the main filter. So the pre filter will catch only the very large particles. Leaving the main filter free to catch the smaller ones. If I planned to do this, I might choose a very cheap pleated (not fiberglass) furnace filter (MERV8 or hopefully even lower). And I would experiment to see if it caused any additional restriction.

 

[blue_goose]

Hey guys...I have an 05 Matrix so same engine setup..if I remember correctly, I took at look at the Wix/Napa filter and it looked exactly the same as the Purolater one..in fact I looked at a FRAM C9482 and it was the same as the Purolater...can you confirm this on the NAPA filter? Says Made in Israel and marked 12208 on it...thanks!


Goose

 

[kanling]

Goose, that's a negative based on my experience. The OEM and my NAPA filter are a weird papery-foamy kind of material with kind of molded pleats.

The Purolator (standard variety) I saw in the store had conventional paper, pleated with a plastic frame. (Good looking quality, though... I wouldn't hesitate to use one. The media was very thick.)