Effiency and effectiveness of Simota filters?

[Garlic]

Hi guys,

 

Understand the Simota range is pretty popular in here, I'm just wondering if anyone has info about its effiency and filtration capabilities?

 

From their website, their cotton filters require regular cleaning and oiling.

 

Dropped their tech support a mail and was told the cleaning interval is every 5K.

 

Does anyone have any comments?

 

Thanks

 

[Elfenstar]

Finally someone asked the right question for aftermarket filters

[Garlic]

The worst IMO are SS and sponge filters.

 

Have some friends who swear by K&N and Apexi filters while majority of them have Simota aero foam and carbon charger installed.

 

Till then, I'll stick with the car manufacturer's R&D and replace the good old paper filter every 10K.

[Elfenstar]

Heheh... those are 2 of 5 brands i would swear by.

But of those 5, 2 are sponge/foam types but use different density foam layers (i.e. unifilter and pipercross). Green filters are the other i would swear by. I'm sure that there are others but with no experience i cant say anything.

 

Pipercross and Apexi have amazing filtration rates. For vehicle specific kits, nobody can touch K&N and Green for choice and for value for $$$ apexi is it. Unifilter is focused on off road vehicles, but thinking of the kind of air those vehicles breath... well you get the point.

 

As an intake system, nobody can touch pipercross. everything from length of piping to heat shielding has been researched (thats why they don't have too many vehc specific kits around). Their universal filters have outperformed every other brand to date. I guess they're not popular coz of cost and that they seem to want to remain as a relatively small company with a mainstay in professional motorsports and some performance street cars.

 

Someone just mentioned in another thread that speedworks charges S100 for the damn simota, but i can get the apexi from them for $80.

 

Stainless steel??? NO flow advantages, at least not without a massive turbocharger and completely redesigned intake and only good at filtering rocks. Hmmz.. All HKS filters bar the new cotton type (blue in colour) also come to mind with similar traits.

 

I always wondered abt those taiwan copies... i would like to know that the filter element has heaps of R&D put into it which none of the these taiwan companies can say they do.

[Garlic]

Nice info.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, from my understanding Apexi filters are meant for one time usage only meaning no reusing?

 

Read alot on Green filters but they are hard to find locally.

[Elfenstar]

Not exactly one time use, like the rest its use till koyak with cleaning in-between. Cleaning is as simple as using the airgun to blow it from the inside.

[Garlic]

Did some homework today and was told that Apexi open pods are better than K&N due to dual funnel design which is supposed to reduce air turbulence and improve airflow.

 

Also, maintaining the Apexi open pod is pretty much similar to a paper filter? Just dismantle and flow the dust out from the inside?

 

When you say "koyak", does it mean the filtering medium will turn "hairy"? Garage told me the filter can last at least two years if maintained properly and handled with care.

 

Tks

[Dwoon]

Errr... I just installed in used AEM CAI.... but the mech told me the filter koyak already and I wasn't supposed to wash it. (AEM claims it is washable).

 

So now wondering whether these pods are like universal? Can I fit a different brand pod onto the piping end?

[Elfenstar]

I dunno whether its entirely hype or not with those funnel bits coz K&N has it for some of their filters too.

 

Paper filter is just use and throw away, the apexi you still need to use the airgun to blow out the dust.

 

When i say koyak i mean you'll notice it has dark grey marks that don't come out even with blowing.

[Elfenstar]

I dunno much abt AEM stuff, so i can't tell u abt whether u need to wash or not. But if its spoilt shouldn't be too much of a problem finding a replacement. as piping size used are quite generic across the board.

 

Btw did ur mech say how it was spoilt???

[Relagsingh]

Wow... apexi dual funnel now so cheap... use to be so ex when it 1st came out, and only a few highly reputable workshops are selling.

 

The design hasn't changed since it 1st appeared in 2000... should be effective.

[Trent892]

I had a Simota drop in panel air filter before. definitely an improvement over stock. they were independantly tested in the States to flow better than the K&N ones also. Green are also amongst the best but very expensive! that was a further improvement in air flow but the rubber seal did disintegrate with time, unlike the Simota.

 

now i'm on Apexi open pod and it's certainly one of the best bet airflow and filtration.

[Weixiang_06]

mine is the stainless steel one... beginning to regret getting it..

 

yes, the power is there.. but now worried about the filtration

[Octopus]

Did some homework today and was told that Apexi open pods are better than K&N due to dual funnel design which is supposed to reduce air turbulence and improve airflow.

 

Also, maintaining the Apexi open pod is pretty much similar to a paper filter? Just dismantle and flow the dust out from the inside?

 

When you say "koyak", does it mean the filtering medium will turn "hairy"? Garage told me the filter can last at least two years if maintained properly and handled with care.

 

Tks

But I thought some of those "performance improvement" or "fuel improvement" devise advertise that they can cause turbulance and hence result in better mixture of air and fuel? But Apexi advertise the other way round?

[Octopus]

[reply]

mine is the stainless steel one... beginning to regret getting it..

 

yes, the power is there.. but now worried about the filtration

So you need to change oil more frequently instead of going for extended OCI.

[Weixiang_06]

so if the filtration is bad, whatever dirt will go to the engine, aka the engine oil inside.. making it dirty, clogging up the engine itself, resulting in changing oil more frequently?

 

geez, me going to remove my SS filter tomorrow, buy back the stock filter

[Weixiang_06]

me using Mobil 1 EP now, thinking of going for servicing every 6 months / 10,000km whichever is first.. looks like i got to dump my SS filter liaoz

[Octopus]

so if the filtration is bad, whatever dirt will go to the engine, aka the engine oil inside.. making it dirty, clogging up the engine itself, resulting in changing oil more frequently?

My understanding is same as yours. I also read that from used oil analysis if showing high amount of silica means air filter not good. Silica is hard (think of it as tiny sands) and will cause accelerated engine wear.