Which would be the best air filter for my truck?
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 at
4:00 pm
I have a 2003 3500 cummins… I need new air filter for it and i wonderin if anybody had any feedback on the filters that you may have used. I know that k &n filters are good but I wanna know what the best is.
Filed under: Wind Power
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WOW. The answers to your question are filled with horrible advice!
First, there are many companies out there manufacturing after market air filtration systems for your truck. I run an AEM Brute Force system on my 03 3500. It is a dry element, which requires periodic cleaning as any other filter, but it does not require re-oiling which can be a pain. Plus, in many cases filters that require oil do not provide near the filtration of a dry element, as the holes in the filter are larger and the oil is used to make up for those large holes’ inability to trap the smaller particulates….however the oil can be sucked away from the filter by the turbo, which can cause the entire intake system to have a film of oil from the filter all over it, including the turbo. Dirt sticks to oil, which will stick to the filter, but it’ll also stick to any other surface that oil gets on. You don’t want a dusted turbo! K&N makes a good filter for GAS engines, but for high compression diesel engines you want the cleanest air possible going into it. K&N filters have been found on unbiased tests to be among the worst for filtration on diesel engines. The 03 ram I bought had a K&N FIPK on it, which I took off 2 days later to install an AEM kit. I was not impressed with the FIPK’s design, far too many parts for what it is. Also, I should add that the person that replied with AEM and other companies are "for the honda/tuner crowd" is an idiot, disregard his terrible answer. Those companies make quality kits for all types of cars and trucks. Anyway – dirty air going into a diesel engine can cause excessive wear on the cylinder walls from the particulates literally sandblasting at them, and the compressor wheel on your turbo can can also suffer from excessive wear on the blades as they are the first thing dirt will contact after it gets past the filter. It is still difficult to tell which is the best, as most owners will choose one way or another. The best thing to do is research, which I have done….and I have found that K&N and most "oiled" filters are not the best idea for diesels.
My best advice – sign up for a discussion forum. You will find guys like me, who have knowledge and are not just taking guesses at your question.
Believe it or not….. go with a stock factory filter. The engine was designed to run at it’s peak performance with that filter. Other filters can actually alter the performance in a negative way. Trust me on this.
K and N
go with the k & N filter it may be for the best…but other companies such as aem,fujita,injen, etc. are more for the tuner crowd like hondas, nissans etc. stick with k & N!!!!!!
the original is still the best K&N what I would advise you to do is look into their FIPK kit,its a cold air induction system you can install yourself…Ive never sold one when the customer didnt come back and say what a great improvement it was good luck
An air filter is an air filter.
Amsoil and Injen have teamed up to produce these air filters for diesel trucks: http://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2480.pdf
If these are a little too pricey for you, just go with the Amsoil EaA189 http://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2175.pdf as a drop in replacement on your 2003 Dodge Cummins.
Both of these use nanofiber filter media rather than paper, which clogs quickly.
For pricing info or on buying wholesale, visit my website: http://www.number1synthetic.com
click ‘Amsoil Online Product Guide’ to enter your year, make, model, engine and get a list of Amsoil products for your truck
Edit: I agree with Goodfell below– Oiled gauze air filters may make more power, but the filtration is just not that good. Nanofiber filtration technology is used on the M1 Abrams tank, which is diesel powered and runs in the sandy desert.