[davidelectricred]

I've read all the reviews, I ordered my filter today for my '13 335i. Now I am a newbie to this, so when will I know its time to clean and "oil" the filter?

[etinifni]

Is there any benefit to getting one of the aftermarket dry filter drop ins vs OEM BMW filter? I figure some of you have had your aftermarket filters in awhile now and have an informed opinion.

The procedure looks straight forward:

[K320]

Acceleration is better. Response from car is faster because it can breathe more air.

[etinifni]

Originally Posted by K320

Acceleration is better. Response from car is faster because it can breathe more air.

Which brand dry filter do you have experience with?

[BimmerF32_430i]

Originally Posted by K320

Acceleration is better. Response from car is faster because it can breathe more air.

I have a stage 2 afe CAI with the dry filter. Pretty much all the Dynos I've seen show either negligible increase in performance or just a very slight increase. During the winter (well winter in Texas) it seemed like the car did accelerate better but I have a feeling it was just a placebo effect due to the increased noise from the intake (and maybe me trying to justify the purchase lol). This is probably one of the worst mods in regards to dollar per horsepower so if someone wants power, this is not the way to go

[Fast400]

Originally Posted by rustyminded

I have the afe dry filter, it's very good in my sandy weather and you have to put in consideration K&N is oiled so most oil is sucked up on your MAF and it will be clogged sooner that's for any oiled filter

+1

HP gains.... 0-1 HP

Not worth the effort, unless you just gotta have a mod to speak of

[etinifni]

I'm not concerned with placebo HP gains from a drop in filter, rather I wanted to know if the dry filters have any upside to just using the OEM paper filters.

[BeachsideF30]

OEM paper is the way to go, ive used an AFE dry before and the car seemed to bog down, the throttle response seemed to lag and surge more. Switched the OEM back and all was back to normal. Ive never had luck with any aftermarket filters on any of my current or 3 previos bmw's

[Orion4]

Ive used K&N oiled filters for more the 20 years in various cars, may which have MAFs. As long as you clean and oil it correctly (Not over-oil), I never experienced any issue with the filter or the MAF

[K320]

I use stock air box with k&n filter. A little more sound and response is better. Mpg is lower.

[K320]

The torque pro app reports more cfm air.

[BMWinAZ]

My 2013 335i is currently sitting in the garage and not being driven ☹️ due to afe filter and awaiting arrival of oem Mahle paper filter in the mail today! I recently replaced my old X3 with a much newer and low mileage f30 (28k miles). Last week I peeked into the air box and saw that it had an aftermarket filter. On Saturday I pulled the filter out to clean it and noticed that is was an afe pro 5 dry filter (white filter medium). My guesstimate is that the filter had been in there about a year or so since the last cleaning. It wasn’t terribly dirty. I rinsed it thoroughly and set it outside to dry. While I was waiting I decided to research these filters a little bit. I really couldn’t find any objective info to support noticeable performance benefits for a moderately driven stock car. What I came across is that some of these filters don’t seem to be doing such good job at cleaning the intake air in dry dusty climates, I live in Arizona! With that worry in mind I looked at the filter more closely. I can’t say that I was impressed. Why do people claim that these things are so much better made than the stock paper filters? How is some “chicken wire” and a few layers of gauze that I can see through provide better dust protection for my engine in the desert than a tightly packed paper filter with many more pleats that I can’t see through! Plus, the whole washing and drying wait routine is much more cumbersome than just swapping out a paper filter. Additionally, good oem paper filters from internet suppliers are less than 20,— , so changing them once a year really isn’t breaking the bank! Not driving the car now until the oem filter is back in is probably overly dramatic and cautious but I just don’t want to knowingly “hurt” my “baby”.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by legaleye3000

So is it really worth it to put an aftermarket (K&N, etc.) air filter in? Thanks.

For a street car.... F-ck no.

For a race car which experiences engine rebuilds...sure.

[bimmer456]

I don't think an aftermarket filter makes any difference in performance. I bet you won't notice any difference in performance or sound. Filters are free if you have complimentary maintenance. I've used K and N filters and they make no difference.

[ChuckFinley]

Do you know how to locate the inside the car air filter in a 07 328i

[John in VA]

Originally Posted by ChuckFinley

Do you know how to locate the inside the car air filter in a 07 328i

You'll probably find more info in the proper section (E9x vs. F30) - https://www.e90post.com/forums/index.php

According to the videos, the E9x cabin filters are accessed under the hood. Here's a video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HUfRU-r_1I

Good luck!

[328iX]

I don't think any aftermarket air filter is worth it, they all have some sort of compromise.

Oiled filters such as K&N contaminate your intake stream and MAF with oily residue, not only that, because they're oiled they get contaminated much quicker which after a few months driving your airflow is restricted once again

Dry air filters such as aFe allow better air flow but their filtering performance is poor. They even claim it's designed for "convenience" because it isn't oiled. I ran one before, took off my intake and checked my intake arm (the rubber boot to the throttle body) and it all had a fine dust on the inside. Do your research and you'll see they're not great.

Stick to OEM, even if it means changing it every 10k miles. I personally use OEM and cut off the charcoal media.

[chuckr]

Have a BMC on my 320i.
Had a K&N on last BMW. Personal choice, been using oiled filters for 20 -25 years.
Never had an issue !

[AK415]

Originally Posted by 328dX

I don't think any aftermarket air filter is worth it, they all have some sort of compromise.

Oiled filters such as K&N contaminate your intake stream and MAF with oily residue, not only that, because they're oiled they get contaminated much quicker which after a few months driving your airflow is restricted once again

Dry air filters such as aFe allow better air flow but their filtering performance is poor. They even claim it's designed for "convenience" because it isn't oiled. I ran one before, took off my intake and checked my intake arm (the rubber boot to the throttle body) and it all had a fine dust on the inside. Do your research and you'll see they're not great.

Stick to OEM, even if it means changing it every 10k miles. I personally use OEM and cut off the charcoal media.

I also don't think aftermarket filters are worth it. I always wonder if they increase air flow, do they reduce filtration at the same time? Plus for the oil based ones, I am afraid the MAF will have premature wear. I know a lot of people don't have this issue, but it happens to many people. And I admit I will fail to oil it properly.

I heard Apexi makes great air filters, but mostly for jdm cars. However, in terms of fitment and filtration, OE (no BMW logo) has the lowest lost to performance ratio. I think FCP euro has them for less than $20 (for F3x N55). The M package ones have a carbon layer on it but I think they also make the ones without it...

OE with charcoal media
OE w/o charcoal media

[328iX]

Originally Posted by AK415

I also don't think aftermarket filters are worth it. I always wonder if they increase air flow, do they reduce filtration at the same time? Plus for the oil based ones, I am afraid the MAF will have premature wear. I know a lot of people don't have this issue, but it happens to many people. And I admit I will fail to oil it properly.

I heard Apexi makes great air filters, but mostly for jdm cars. However, in terms of fitment and filtration, OE (no BMW logo) has the lowest lost to performance ratio. I think FCP euro has them for less than $20 (for F3x N55). The M package ones have a carbon layer on it but I think they also make the ones without it...

OE with charcoal media
OE w/o charcoal media

Yes oiled flow and filter better but have the down sides that you and I mentioned. I run OEM and removed charcoal filter since the one the dealer installed had it

[AK415]

Originally Posted by 328dX

Yes oiled flow and filter better but have the down sides that you and I mentioned. I run OEM and removed charcoal filter since the one the dealer installed had it

Would you mind to share the thoughts behind removing the charcoal filter? I could think of increasing air flow but it helps removing gas from the air at the same time...

[328iX]

Originally Posted by AK415

Would you mind to share the thoughts behind removing the charcoal filter? I could think of increasing air flow but it helps removing gas from the air at the same time...

It's all purely for emissions. Since I run a diesel I'm not sure of it's purpose but it does rob power and efficiency. I can't comment on BMWs charcoal media, but from other Japanese brands EE's Subaru (video below) gained 4whp. Which is a lot. Probably close to 10hp at the crank.

BMWs charcoal media doesn't seem as restrictive but I see it as useless nonetheless.

The EPA would rather create pollution (via the media) restrict power and efficiency all in the name of gas fumes(which in several years of running your vehicle) will ultimate burn more fuel due to said restriction. Disgusting