My 98 Ram came with a factory pre-filter. why?

[tomcat27]

My 98 Dodge Ram Van came with a nice thick pre-filter wrapped around the air filter. It sure gives me confidence that the air entering the engine is clean.
But why did Dodge do this? I mean, why this application and not others?

 

[Jonny Z]

Well, why not?

 

[CJWink]

In that era the Jeep Wranglers also came with the same thing, a foam pad glued onto the dirty side of the paper. Over the years Mopar and most every brand other than I THINK Baldwin dropped the foam pad.

 

[Chris142]

My 02 Jeep had the foam glued to the filter. The Fram filters did but they stopped putting it on them.

 

[FowVay]

I can't speak for the Dodge truck but with the European cars they will often offer a 'cold weather package' which will include a air filter that has a pre-filter on it which is meant to keep water from the air filter element in the environment of blowing snow. My current Volkswagen TDI came with this type of air filter. Replacement catalogs offer two replacements: one with pre-filter and one without. The difference is the cold weather listing.

 

[artificialist]

Interesting... Back when I lived in Texas, I bought a 2002 VW Jetta, and it came with a pre-filter. No need for a cold air package in Texas

 

[CJWink]

It's a prefilter. It's also a sponge when it comes to getting soaked with water. I splashed through a huge water puddle last fall with my Jeep that had a Wix with the prefilter on it. It acted like a sponge and the engine ran like *rap. I took the filter out tore off the prefilter, reinstalled the filter and it ran fine until I could get a new filter.

 

[Petty]

Originally Posted By: tomcat27
My 98 Dodge Ram Van came with a nice thick pre-filter wrapped around the air filter. It sure gives me confidence that the air entering the engine is clean.
But why did Dodge do this? I mean, why this application and not others?
I have had three Dakota 3.9L using WIX Radial 42020 Air Filters, they all have come with a pre filter, I like the pre filters, I replace them at every 3 month oil change, wash/clean the dirty pre filter and use it again, it prolongs the life of an air filter and is especially good in dirtier environments such as driving on gravel/dirt roads and working in construction areas. {if you check the WIX or Napa filter sites it list the pre filters available and their matching air filters}

 

[robbobster]

Originally Posted By: CJWink
In that era the Jeep Wranglers also came with the same thing, a foam pad glued onto the dirty side of the paper. Over the years Mopar and most every brand other than I THINK Baldwin dropped the foam pad.



Same with my '07 Ram.
Factory filter had it.
But OEM replacement filter at the dealership didn't have it, the NAPA Gold filter I use now doesn't, either.