Air Filters - whats decent

[heath_AU]

Hi all.

I have been doing some searches online for bolt ons for the fz6 and i have found endless listings of K&N filters for the FZ6.
Prices vary but it seems i can have one shipped here (Aust) for $80-90AU.
I have also found some other items such as the one from BMC which claim to be a cotton element.

Now i am just looking for a replacement that may give me slightly better power and/or economy but be a quality unit that will last a good while.

Any suggestions?

Cheers.

 

[RedFZ6]

I suspect that you'll get any more power from any aftermarket air filter, the stock one will flow just as much or maybe better, but if you're looking for the longevity, the K&N will last almost for ever since you can clean and reuse it anytime.

 

[Hellgate]

Your stocker is the best.

A friend of mine has been tuning bikes for over ten years, he owns a dealership, has tuned for many professional riders, and has not seen any gains from a mesh type filter in all those years of tuning.

Save your money, it's too hard to come by as it is...

"I have K&N filters in a couple of my engines, but most I keep the stock filter. After almost a decade of dyno tuning I have yet to see an actual gain on a modern sportsbike from a low restriction filter and often a tiny loss. I assume this due to a diminished resonant effect in the airbox since the filter "backflows" air as well as it does let it into the box to began with. Resonant frequency is determined by several variables including total airbox volume which is the volume from the filter to the intake valves of the motor. Now exceptions to this general rule are made for cruisers, especially Yamaha cruisers with their TINY little air filter, replacing it with a low restriction unit definitely makes power. The SXV and RXV are another example of anything or nothing being better than stock.

I suppose the thing we have to remember is that we do not care at all about big "flow" numbers, we care about charge trapping efficiency. This is what makes power, bigger holes and less restrictive filters will definitely win on a flow bench, we are not driving/riding flow benches.

In general sportbike airboxes seem to be very well designed and thought out from the factory. The Honda CBR1000RR is no exception but this was the first and only time I have ever had to actually read the instructions to install an aftermarket intake filter....
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[04efi]

I use K&N do to the fact there is more flow allowed, so this makes the engine breath easier because it does not use as much energy to get air. Volume is alos increased do to this fact. And you can reuse it and one kit has lasted me two years and every 3000 mile cleaning. My stock filter cost me 43 bucks. K&N one time 60 dollars from ebay.

 

[heath_AU]

I use K&N do to the fact there is more flow allowed, so this makes the engine breath easier because it does not use as much energy to get air. Volume is alos increased do to this fact. And you can reuse it and one kit has lasted me two years and every 3000 mile cleaning. My stock filter cost me 43 bucks. K&N one time 60 dollars from ebay.

sorry man, i am with the others here.
ive had a few people now that seem to be in the know also tell me the stock filter on most modern bikes is better than most a/m jobs, and of course the best bit is we dont void the warranty.
yeh i may throw that extra money on some a/m cans. ive heard all sorts of pipes on youtube/web and almost all of them have a SWEET and angry note with nothing more than a slip on.

ok ... soooooo where im at right now is thinking i will poke around and wait for a good price on some slip on cans (scorpion, t/b etc) and i will clean out my cat pipe but leave the rest of the exhaust as is.
not looking to break any track records, just want a little more open end poke and that nasty note to keep me entertained on the boring straight bits.

so, verdict people?

(cant believe i am so keen on knowing what you all think - normally im the type to not give a flying fark what people think)

: )

 

[heath_AU]

Oh yeh and thanks for that EPIC response Hellgate. Top marks from me.
Clearly you are one that can walk the walk!

 

[MG-242]

+1 for Hellgate. Dyno's don't lie. I've tested K&N and BMC against stock on several race bikes, the stock has always been equal or better. Yep, the Engineers know what they're doing. Save the buck$.

 

[Speedygonzales]

A stock filter needs to be changed only every 40.000 km/24854 miles, so why bother with a more expensive K&N.
It's one of those things where the stock part is as good as it gets. An K&N won't hurt, but won't do any good either.

 

[nextfriday]

A stock filter needs to be changed only every 40.000 km/24854 miles, so why bother with a more expensive K&N.
It's one of those things where the stock part is as good as it gets. An K&N won't hurt, but won't do any good either.

Perfect case of wanting to tinker. Men will be men. But I agree, I've read on other forums too it makes sense to stick to a factory filter.

 

[Boneman]

And at the inexpensive price for stock filters, I tend replace mine once a year, usually when doing my srping tune up.

 

[heath_AU]

Once a year? Crikey. That seems excessive, unless or course you are racking up 60,000k each year.