Cheap (but good) Air Filters Here....

[Ron]

I personally prefer paper filters versus cotton (K&N Style) for daily use. I use my K&N's for track and dyno use only. Supporting that strategy, I've noticed lower silicon readings in my oil analysis when I run paper. (silicon = dirt). No doubt K&N adds power, just not enough for me to trade off engine life.

Anyway, OEM filters are quite expensive (Viper Tax) and worse very restrictive given their thick foam prefilter. Frams, the only other company I can find that makes Viper sized air filters, have a thinner foam prefilter giving me an improved (versus OEM) flow perception. Even better, they're cheap!

OEM Avg. $101.50 pair / model 5245265AB
K&N Avg. $85.00 pair / model 33-2085
Fram Avg. $22.42 pair / model CA-8093

For those that care, they can be purchased online here....

Fram model CA-8093 Viper air filters

p.s. A thin coat of silicone grease (not sealant) around the filter gasket insures a tight leak free seal.

 

[95Viper]

Ron, That's an excellent post. For some maybe not, but definitely for others. I wonder what it would mean for creampuff drivers (only a couple thousand a year) to remove the thinner Fram prefilter. Would you get too much dirt through?

 

[Ron]

Craig,

Don't think so. I envision the foam prefilter being nothing more than a screen of sorts for large object ingestion, like bugs and such. That way the paper media can use it's full surface area for dust and last a bit longer.

Removal of the foam might shorten the overall filter life a bit, but so what.... if you change every 15,000 miles ordinarily and @ 10,000 sans the prefilter, it's an extra $2.25 a year in filter expense.