Air Filters
This is usually the first step on the modding ladder for most people, because they are relatively cheap and they give a mean induction roar. Engines need cold air in order to run properly, but the car manufacturers tend to fit cheap restrictive filters and cram them into a plastic air box to keep the noise down which doesn’t do the power of the car any favours.
By replacing the standard filter with an aftermarket air filter you could gain a touch more power and as a bonus a better induction noise. Sometimes though the manufacturers do get it right so it pays to do some research on your particular car model first to find out what works and what doesn’t work, talk to other drivers of the same car as you, research online via owners clubs websites, and ask owners opinions, as they will no doubt have had them fitted to their cars and can inform you on the performance of the product and about any gains to be had.
How do they work?
Air filters clean the air before it enters the engine, the theory is the more cold air that gets into the engine will equal more power, as long as the fueling is tweaked to cope.
Replacement Filters:
This type of filter replaces the standard one and sits in the standard air filter box. Gains are normally more induction noise and maybe a gain of around 2 Bhp. These filters can usually be cleaned using special solutions giving you a re-usable filter.
Induction Kits:
This type of filter completely replaces your old air box and looks much better, they normally come with everything needed for the job in the box (nuts, bolts and fixers etc), you will need your own tools handy though.
There are BHP gains to be had from these systems, they work especially well with other modifications that help your engine get more air and breathe easier (such as performance exhausts, gasflowed cylinder heads etc). These filters can also be cleaned, so if you think about it you will never need to replace it, so it is also a cost effective performance upgrade.
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