Air filter age

[JoelB]

My brother has a honda motorcycle that he bought new in 2013. It's in a climate controlled garage year round but only has been ridden 2900 miles in all that time. Do air filters "age", do they dry out or become less effective? Or should only mileage and driving environment be considered when changing air filters?

 

[2010Civic]

My dad has a 2009 Polaris atv with the original air filter. Looks and works fine. It is an oiled filter though. That may help the longevity?

 

[Smokescreen]

I don't live in a dusty area so even at 100-120 K miles my filter media looks in great shape. I only use OEM fitlers.

As a result I change mine by time, not by distance traveled, that time frame being about 5 years. By then the seals and edges start to look dried out and weathered, so for the integrity of the sealing aspect alone I change it out.

 

[DGXR]

Some of the oiled foam filters on my motorbikes have crumbled apart due to age. We are talking 15-20 years here. Normal maintenance is just wash/dry/oil and reinstall, but also they do need replacing periodically, if you keep the bike long enough. Replacement foam air filters are cheap.

I have never seen a paper element filter fall apart due to age but it probably will happen if you wait long enough.