Drop in washable filter recommendations...

Need some advice and pointers for those that do a lot of desert running...

I have a Gen 2 and it is my first vehicle that I've taken off road (brand new to the hobby). That is to say, I've never had to deal with air filters that gets so dirty before. I opened my filter box when I did the oil change at 5,000 miles and notice that it was caked with dirt and debris. So I went ahead and replaced it with an OEM replacement.

After the replacement, I went to Baja and spent 2 days out there running the trails. When I got home, I checked the air box and it was again caked with dirt and debris... as if I never even replaced it.

It got me thinking... should I replace it with a drop in washable filter? After every couple of runs, I can wash the dirt off and put it back in the airbox. I think the OEM replacement filter was like $30, which is not a lot, but if I have to replace it every 1k miles or so, it could get old fast.

I don't want to get an cold air as I plan to not mod the engine.

Please let me know your thoughts... Pro and con of drop in washable filter... If any of you use it, which would you recommend?

Thanks

Interested in hearing first-hand opinions on this as well, was just thinking the other day about the intake location; has to be a vestige of the F150 platform and I'm sure when they designed it they thought the front inner fender was a great place to pull fresh air...on a Raptor not so much.

Washable filters like K&N or AirRaid or whatever are nice but there's always a tradeoff. Cheaper to clean & oil, better airflow (when clean); but fine dust gets through and rapidly reduces airflow as it packs up. I ran them on quads with an Outerwear and they were perfect for the dunes, desert racing was ok but probably wouldn't be if I had tried to go farther than 100-200 miles. In our case another caveat is that the MAF sensor is so close to the air filter you really need to be careful not to overoil it or it'll throw codes.

All that said, I think our best option is to carry a spare on long trips, replace in short intervals as needed otherwise. I think a worthwhile mod would be rerouting the intake in the airbox somewhere besides the wheelwell...

BenBB said:

Interested in hearing first-hand opinions on this as well, was just thinking the other day about the intake location; has to be a vestige of the F150 platform and I'm sure when they designed it they thought the front inner fender was a great place to pull fresh air...on a Raptor not so much.

Washable filters like K&N or AirRaid or whatever are nice but there's always a tradeoff. Cheaper to clean & oil, better airflow (when clean); but fine dust gets through and rapidly reduces airflow as it packs up. I ran them on quads with an Outerwear and they were perfect for the dunes, desert racing was ok but probably wouldn't be if I had tried to go farther than 100-200 miles. In our case another caveat is that the MAF sensor is so close to the air filter you really need to be careful not to overoil it or it'll throw codes.

All that said, I think our best option is to carry a spare on long trips, replace in short intervals as needed otherwise. I think a worthwhile mod would be rerouting the intake in the airbox somewhere besides the wheelwell...

Click to expand...

fresh air is pulled from the front grill, not the fender.

I keep a spare factory filter in the truck, only $15 on eBay.

xrocket21 said:

fresh air is pulled from the front grill, not the fender.

Click to expand...

Not on Gen1.

BenBB said:

Not on Gen1.

Click to expand...

My bad! I apologize.

No worries

I have had the same experience after a few trips to Mexico, I spoke to several people including Cameron Steele and everyone felt like we should stay with OEM filters, oiled filters are fine on older trucks with less sensors, but we have a tendency to over oil the filter and cause grief with the intake sensors.

Replacing a stock filer more often is still way cheaper (and less aggravating) than replacing turbos or a whole motor from dusting your motor with sub-par filtration. Plenty of stories about people grenading an engine from the use of a reusable filter. They let too much particulate into the intake, which can quickly destroy turbo vanes, valves, rings, etc... Paper filters best, no matter what the marketing hype tells you.

I've run the AEM DryFlow synthetic filters in my turbocharged vehicles for 10+ years and now recommend them. No super fine dust accumulation in the intake after the filter like the original K&N. Strangely enough, the AEM filters are made by K&N, but they're not the infamous oiled gauze type. They're a synthetic fiber similar to the OEM. It is cleanable with their spray solvent as well.

https://www.aemintakes.com/search/a...wzONQKah7DCDNX40EsaAjkvEALw_wcB&pcid=AEMCLEAN