AFE pro dry, Fram synwash, or Amsoil EAA.....

[badtlc]

I cant make up my mind so I thought I'd let the experts on this forum tell me what to do. Haha!

Situation:

The wife wants to be more "green." So I'm trying to do all the little things I can to help her feel more all around green. Changing to a washable air filter would be a step in this direction.

The three choices listed in the subject are all the non-oiled air filters that I can find available for my wife's stock 2007 Escape XLS. My first choice was obviously AEM Dryflow but they dont make an OEM replacement for her car yet. The specifics break down like this:

Fram Synwash = $32 and comes with a special cleaner.
AFE Pro Dry = $43 Not sure how to clean this one.
Amsoil EAA = $45 this one says just to blow it out or vacuum it.

My hesitations for each:

Fram - only says its 99% efficient, but it is supposed to be all microfiber.

AFE - It is 99.4% efficient but I dont know how to clean it.

Amsoil - Its a combination of cellulose and syn microfibers and I dont know the efficiency. I also don't think just blowing/vacuuming is good enough to really clean it thoroughly.


Lets hear what the site thinks! Thanks for any input you all can provide.

 

[Dyoel182]

Honestly I really like the Synwash because it comes with the hose attachment and you can use dish soap in it.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: Dyoel182
Honestly I really like the Synwash because it comes with the hose attachment and you can use dish soap in it.


After reading up on the AFE, it can be cleaned with dish soap, too.

 

[Dick in Falls Church]

99% efficient at what size?
99.4 efficient at what size?

Almost any filter will keep out sticks, stones and roller skates.

The AMSOIL filter is nanofiber, and an extremely high percentage of the contaminants are held on the surface of the media, not down in the media. This is why it can easily be vacuumed off or blown away. And that is why the company is satisfied that it can be used for 4 years/100,000 miles. In fact, testing has shown it to be effective for a far longer period.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: **** in Falls Church
99% efficient at what size?
99.4 efficient at what size?

Almost any filter will keep out sticks, stones and roller skates.

The AMSOIL filter is nanofiber, and an extremely high percentage of the contaminants are held on the surface of the media, not down in the media. This is why it can easily be vacuumed off or blown away. And that is why the company is satisfied that it can be used for 4 years/100,000 miles. In fact, testing has shown it to be effective for a far longer period.


I dont know about what size. I have been looking all over for that info.

Fram is 99% using the ISO standard test and "coarse" dust. No idea how that compares to others.

The AFE is at least 97% efficient filtering on the ISO "fine dust" test. That is a relatively good number compared to other washable filters like K&N and AEM.

 

[sciphi]

I've used the AEM and Amsoil filters, and both are well-constructed and filter pretty well. Flow well to boot.

Amsoil EaA and forget about it for a year.

 

[harry j]

From what I understand, the EAA is the way to go if one is available. The AFE PRO DRY S is an excellent filter as a second choice again, check for availability. I am pleased with the PRO DRY's performance, but would drop it the instant when Amsoil makes an EAA for my '93 Civic.

 

[Louie's gone fishing]

Treated paper means the filter is made from a renewable resource and does the best job in daily drivers that don’t do river crossings. I wonder if all those others require non-renewable resources to make them and for that you get a filter that needs to be washed carefully and may will not quite filter as well.

 

[badtlc]

The only thing I don't like about the EAA is no increased air flow. The combination of cellulose and synthetic media make for great filtering and longer life but at the expense of air flow. I wouldn't be surprised if it was more restrictive than a paper filter.

I'm leaning towards the Pro Dry at this point.

 

[Dyoel182]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
The only thing I don't like about the EAA is no increased air flow. The combination of cellulose and synthetic media make for great filtering and longer life but at the expense of air flow. I wouldn't be surprised if it was more restrictive than a paper filter.


Not that it means much. If a cotton performance filter barely flows better than a stock paper filter then I seriously doubt the EAA is more than 1% behind.

 

[harry j]

The AFE PRO DRY S will give excellent air flow and will protect your engine at the same time, win win!

 

[katsdad]

No AFE PRO DRY S available for 2003 and newer accords.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: katsdad
No AFE PRO DRY S available for 2003 and newer accords.


You can always get an AEM intake that comes with an AEM Dryflow filter.

 

[Dyoel182]

But thats a lot more money for not much bonus.

 

[Tempest]

Switched out an Eaa to a Fram Synwash and noticed no "seat of the pants" difference on my Ranger. No idea how it will do on filtering.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: Tempest
Switched out an Eaa to a Fram Synwash and noticed no "seat of the pants" difference on my Ranger. No idea how it will do on filtering.


Any particular reason for the switch? Will you be doing a UOA with the fram synwash?

 

[Loobed]

Originally Posted By: **** in Falls Church
99% efficient at what size?
99.4 efficient at what size?

Almost any filter will keep out sticks, stones and roller skates.




I run a K+N and my last UOA showed 3ppm roller skates. So not all filters will keep those out. But I just stopped driving my truck through school yards, playgrounds, and roller rings, and it seems to have helped.

 

[harry j]

I just changed the Pro Dry. The new one was very clean and was installed as received. The real story was how clean the intake tract looked. I believe now more than ever, that the Pro Dry S is a credible filter. Based on the last two UOA's (5 and 3 PPM Silicon), and its performance, AFE has a winner on their hands.....now if only they had the proper box for it

'93 Civic 242,000 miles

 

[Dyoel182]

And only if they had more part numbers.

 

[RogerB]

Great topic, but so far it appears that the only ones made for my car are the Amsoil and the AFE Pro Dry.

My car is a 96 Ford Contour SE with the 2.5l V-6, but I'm getting ready to ditch an open-element foam filter for an OEM configuration from an SVT Contour.

Given the Amsoil service instructions, and my driving habits, I'll only get about 24k out of this filter before it needs replacing. (I only avg about 8k/year.)

So, my question is why does it have to be replaced after 4 years? Does the nanofiber deteriorate? Does the gasket seal harden?

Someone commented that the filter has been shown to be effective beyond the Amsoil recommendations. How has this been shown, and to what extent? Or, in what way?

Otherwise, the AFE filter seems more attractive to me, as it appears to be cleanable and serviceable forever (or as far into forever as I'll ever need), while offering similar filtration performance. In fact I may never have to mess with it, if the AFE literature is to be believed. 50k before servicing? Lifetime warranty? Hmmm.

Thoughts appreciated.