I'm putting together the parts to do a D16Y7/8 mini me. I have most the parts on hand or on the way. Since the Y7 and Y8 intakes are different air box configurations I'll need to find something for the swap. I found a good used AEM intake tube for a great deal but it needs a filter. I was just wondering if there are any advantages/disadvantages between the K&N, AEM or Spectre filters.

From what I've found they are all obviously reusable but the K&N and Spectre need to be oiled when doing maintenance and the AEM is "dry" and just needs an occasional cleaning. From what I've been reading the maintenance intervals are pretty far apart especially in a normal daily driving environment so having to oil the filter probably wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience. If I even made it to the maintenance point.

My observations so far are that the K&N and Spectre seem to be readily available at just about any parts store and the Spectre seems to be a few $ less than the comparable K&N. The AEM seems to only be an order item, at least in this area, and unless you dig deep for deals online they are a few bucks more than the K&N/Spectre. Is having a dry system worth the few extra dollars?

I was wondering if there were any opinions or experiences that might help me choose which one to go with.

 

K&N and AEM are definitely high-end filters. Spectre is said to be the "Piece of sh*t off brand." I have a Spectre Air filter on my B18. I thought it was great for the price and the front of the filter catches a lot of air unlike the dry AEM were it's blocked. I had a beat up AEM filter on mine before (don't know how it got like that) and now with a Spectre, I have a whistle from my intake when I get on it. It's getting much more air now.

For the price and performance, I say Spectre

 

AEM>K&N>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Spectre.

Spectre is called Piece of **** not because it is off brand but because its a piece of ****!!!

 

K&N is a great filter, but your sensors will thank you for using a quality DRY filter instead of an oiled one.

 

Interesting, I'd never heard this before. Any additional info you can provide about oiled filters and the issues they could cause?

 

Thanks for the replies.

I don't know if I'd be a fan of a whistle. And I have noticed that the pics of used filters seem to have been crushed like they are collapsing at high revs because of restricted air flow. It seems to me that most of the filters that are spec'd for the Civic are 5-5.5". It appears, with a "ram air" set up, there would be plenty of room to go at least 2" longer which would allow more air flow and I was considering taking that route.

Noted.

I hadn't thought of that, makes sense. I'll keep that in mind.

 

In for a response to this.

 

Uni filter makes some really good products.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

Looked them up, looks mostly like motorcycle stuff, can't really find many places to get auto spec filters.

Still up in the air on which way to go but I have done a ton of looking.

There are actually some super deals on K&N on ebay if you dig a bit, even beat out Spectres and the AEMs are the most but still better than regular retail channels. The question is whether they will fit on the tube. Since it hasn't shown up yet I'm not exactly sure what flange size I need. The person I got it from isn't sure about the model and the AEM website is showing OD on Civic spec'd tubes from 2.5-3.25".

I'll keep looking and saving listings until I know which one I need. I am pretty certain I'd like to get at least a 6" long one to decrease the restriction.

I'd still like to hear more from anyone else.

 

There isn't much info on it, BUT I have personally experienced my IACV and TPS codes coming on and casuing small issues when I was running a K&N on my old B16 6 years back. It wasn't motor oil or dirt built up from blowby, it was just a gummy oil film on the sensors (red in color). Cleaned them w/ parts cleaner, put on a AEM dry filter and never had an issue again. I also own a 2008 chevy crew cab and MANY of the guys running an aftermarket intake w/ an oiled filter on the forums have had the MAF sensor go to ****. They swap it out for a dry style filter and the issue is solved. Plus dry filter there is no need to clean like a K&N, take it off blow it out and re-install.

 

K&N.

There should not be any oil residue coming off the filter. If there is, it was over oiled. Being over oiled is just as bad as being under oiled.

 

whale dick intake for lyfe y0. Nah that thing got clogged pretty badly after a while would not recommend.

 

I vote for the aem dry filter. The money saved by going with k&n you will end up spending on their filter cleaning kit. In my area advance auto and Autozone carry 3" aem filter in stock in the ricer aisle

 

I am leanin towards the AEM. No Advance around here and the AutoZones only have K&N and Spectre on the shelves AEMs have to be ordered. Same for Pep Boys. I've not checked O'Reilly's yet.

... even then, it is still cheaper online.

 

Basically. I've had the AEM dry flows come part on the inside over time. I no longer use those.. K&N, that's it.

 

The plot thickens.....

Thanks for that info, just what I need to hear. You have all been very helpful. I'd like to hear from more.

The tube hasn't shown up yet and it will probably be at least a few weeks before I can get the head swapped on before I have to pull the trigger.

 

The best part about K&N is that they have a million different sizes. I had a pretty tight space I was trying to fit my filter into. I did my best to measure the space I had, and knew I was using a 3" intake tube, so with that I went to their website and found the part # for the exact filter that would fit my needs. You can also make sure there is enough filter surface area for the size/power of your engine. Pretty cool ****:

http://www.knfilters.com/search/universal.aspx

http://www.knfilters.com/filter_facts.htm (size calculator is towards the bottom)

 

I have never had that problem with my dry flow filter and I have had mine since 2008. Clean mine with the water hose every few months by putting the hose on the inside and running the water from the inside out so nothing gets trapped in the filter. Let dry then reinstall. But every product good or bad will have a few bad apples from time to time

 

I just checked my local classifieds and found a AEM 21-203DK, (used for 5k mi) and a K&N RE 0930 (NIB) for $20 ea. They both have 3" flanges, I'm sure the tube that's coming isn't bigger than that and if it is smaller I'll wrap the end of the tube to make it fit.

I'll see if I can get one or both and let the fun begin.

Thanks for the help, I'll let you know how it comes out and any more input will still be appreciated.

 

There is someone local to me that is offering one of these intakes so I thought I'd Google it.

http://www.cosmoracing.com/productin...id=123&pid=757

I nearly pissed my pants and I still have tears running down my face!

RICER HEAVEN!

 

I have never had a problem with k&n on the dozen or so cars I have owned. I would venture to say that the filter had too much oil applied. I barely mist mine to get just a tint of red on the filter. Well over 500,000 miles while using a k&n and never a problem. I have known people that soaked theirs causing problems you describe.

 

Nothing wrong with that, just needs a better filter.

 

That it does. I was talking about the site in general. Nothing says quality like a Japanese pin ups on every page.

 

I got them both now, tube hasn't shown up yet but it's supposed to be 2 3/4". The filters a 3" flange. For the price I paid for both the filters and the tube, wrapping something around the tube for fit doesn't upset me. It actually occurred to me that a piece of old serpentine belt would probably work perfectly.

Funny thing, the AEM filter actually has K&N logos both on the filter and the packaging. The package actually says "developed in collaboration with K&N".

 

They're all the same to me. There is no real power gain between all of these filters unless you really build. I run a spectre on a GSR with a skunk2 intake mani, NGK ign. products, a hondata gasket, and a neptune ecu. I've tried the K&N's before also and the only difference I can tell is the "whistle." It just depends on how much you want to spend and how much maintenance you're looking at.