Originally Posted By: metroplex
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=244595
AEM is barely better than paper at 28 inH2O.
K&N claims their panel filter is limited to 750 cfm for my airbox. I gave them the specs for the engine and turbos and they said it needed 860 cfm. My math came out differently. I understand the turbos can suck all the air it needs but possibly at a higher restriction. My STFT drops like a rock above 5400 RPM at wot. It's either airbox restriction (designed for a naturally aspirated 3.5 Edge) or turbos out of efficiency. But looking at compressor map, turbos should be fine.
I ran an AFE dry filter element in the airbox and saw less air mass flow and the fuel trims were much lower. I also see plenty of reviews of AEM dry filter users seeing worse fuel economy than with paper. The media for the dry filters all seem similar.
But has anyone done any testing between the Airaid Oiled and dry to see the delta?
There are a few things you are missing here:
1. In terms of improvement percentage, you are talking about a whopping 9% spread between least and greatest improvement. Every filter on that entire list that qualifies as "barely better than paper @ 28 H2O".
2. If stock filter dimensions are maintained, there will never be a serious improvement in airflow. It's like watching 10 hobos in an alley arguing over who has the best ratty coat.
3. This is a test of
clean filters. The airflow of oiled filters plummets like a rock as they get dirty.
Even the person who started that thread knew before he even posted that the immediate conclusion was that stock airboxes are the restriction issue, and changing panel filters won't make a whole heck of a lot of difference.
There is a bush you are beating around, and you are condemning effective products as you beat around this bush. You have been given all of the necessary information to discover that your stock intake tract is insufficient for the needs of your engine.
If you want to give your engine the air it needs, toss the factory intake tract and install one that utilizes a filter of the appropriate dimensions. Then, instead of comparing products based on what you will believe is the better band-aid, you can choose one based on more relevant factors.
Once you do, you will discover the same thing I did: Once you have enough surface area, all of the filters will meet your airflow needs. But only one is going to give you appropriate filtering efficiency when new and after washing, and consistent airflow throughout service life. Or, keep your options limited to airbox size and find yourself choosing a filter based on initial airflow alone.