SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/501768
"We found that paper has been proven to be the best filter in the harshest conditions. Companies like John Deere and Caterpillar only rely on the paper element filters, so we use them as well." Synthetic media is also being used by filter manufacturers improve service life, but many racers also continue to use filters with multiple layers of increasingly finer cotton gauze mesh. "The cotton/gauze filters provide low restriction and high airflow for improved performance, says K&N's Jump. "Besides being washable and reusable, they've undergone years of proven experience in extreme conditions, as well as ISO 5011 standard protocol dust retention and efficiency testing. We also offer a custom filter program for race teams and builders. So, any of our standard production molds can be chosen with pretty much any combination of media to manufacture a filter specific to your needs right here in our Riverside, CA Facility." While debates over what types of filtration work best, many manufacturers go with what has worked for them in the past. "R2C has its roots in designing and manufacturing air filtration for many of our country's military vehicles. It is this knowledge and experience that has allowed us to be at the fore front of off- road racing air filtration products. Research and design of filtration media with high dust capacity and high filtration efficiency is ongoing and something we keep our pulse on regularly," Greenlees said. No matter what type of element is used, many filter companies have done lots of research into designing filtration methods that can provide clean air for extreme conditions. For example, several of the desert racing air intake experts use paper element filters from Mahle-Aftermarket. This company is the original patent holder of the paper element pleated design, used to maximize the area of clean surface to trap dirt particles. The metal wire meshing on the outside of the filter element, was designed decades ago for the purpose of breaking down larger pieces of dirt or foreign matter, so it would be broadcast across a larger area of the filter media. What has improved over the years, is the sealing methods around the filter element, to eliminate contaminated air from getting past the intake system or filter element itself. The same holds true for the popular cotton/gauze filters. These too have been carefully designed to work in extreme desert racing conditions, and contain unique features that help racers achieve maximum horsepower potential. "The off-road filters are typically built with our "XD" Extreme-Duty Air Filter media, which is woven tighter to provide increased ADVANCED AIR CLEANER REDUCED RESTRICTION IN THEIR 8X12-INCH CANISTER TO INCREASE CFM FROM 236 CFM TO 475 CFM BY ADDING MORE HOLES TO ALLOW THE FILTER TO BREATH MORE EFFICIENTLY. AFTER-RACE LOOK AT AN AFE FILTER ELEMENT CAKED WITH DUST. THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHY YOU NEED DOUBLE THE CFM YOUR ENGINE REQUIRES TO MAKE IT TO THE END OF A RACE AND STILL PROTECT THE ENGINE. 044 SCORE JOURNAL