Air Intake

[FFCBadger]

I'm looking at uprating the intake for my Alfa and have a number of options raising in price, inluding:
- std K&N
- Pipercross panel filter
- Sealed carbon kit

On speaking to a mate the minimal bhp increase means the only reason he put one in was because it sounds good! Can anyone recommend one over the other?

[waynne]

If power is the reason either of the sealed options are best - Sealed carbon kit or preferably the panel air filter. If noise is the reason then the K&N Filter. The K&N will make the car seem less powerful at low revs so personally I avoid all cone induction kits for that reason - I'm always in stop start traffic.

[Freddie]

I had an open air filter (similar to the K&N you are thinking of) and Wayne is right, lose some torque at low RPM, but gain some speed at the top end. Made alot of difference in sound but too loud for me. They also tend to let in alot more dirt than panel filters, meaning your throttle and sensors may get clogged up with dirt quicker than normal. Panel filters probably may restrict the air flow more, meaning you wont have as large gains as the open air cone induction.

Enclosed kits have to be my choice. The carbon fibre is very good at reflecting heat of off your engine (depending where you put it) and therefore keeping the air cooler and denser.

[the_names_james]

Whatever you decide, you must protect the filter from power sapping heat. If you don't do this you can actually lose power. Even a DIY job with some alu sheet and ducting is better than an exposed filter.