How does the size of the air filter effect performance? I can guess that too small of a filter will result in not enough air, but I imagine that after a point bigger doesn't mean better... is that true? What is the best size?

 

i heard smaller filters are used to keep the fluctuation of oil temperatures to a minimum... however that works. to me.

 

I'm talking about AIR filters....

 

A bigger air filter has more surface area which allows greater airflow and less restriction. More air = more power.

 

But an engine can only take so much air I imagine...

 

True, but I can't think of any reason why too much surface area in a filter would ever be a problem. Intake design is a different story, and velocity plays a large role there, but whatever is placed on the end of that intake should ideally flow as well as having nothing there at all.

 

What if there was something better than having nothing there at all? Like say, a velocity stack? A properly designed and sized filter I would imagine would have some sort of velocity stack properties to speed up the incoming airflow.

 

A velocity stack would indeed speed up the incoming air, but it would do so in the absence of a filter as well. Many drag cars run velocity stacks with no filters.

 

on me again LOL.

 

You need an air filter just large enough for your application. A filter with larger airflow rate would not hurt, but won't do anything. As stated above, a larger filter will have allow more airflow. But, besides the size of the filter, you'd also want to consider the type of material used and how its put together which also will affect the airflow rate.

 

Flux,

The filter that you are running with right now is more than enough. You don't need a bigger one.

Kinda OT: A friend was running a super charged mustang with a smaller filter than you have on your car now and he was running low 11's......
He gave me his old one and went to a much larger and longer one and saw little improvement.
Bottom line is, unless your going to go all out race motor, you should be ok.