Goin to the Track, air filter question

[TrickStang37]

Im gonna be goin to the track here on April 26th (Grudge Night at Sacramento Raceway) and want to know if it's even worth running with no air filter for a few runs. I know some people do it, and others don't, Im just trying to eek every last little ounce on the run, I only get to go to the track maybe twice a year and want to see if you guys would recommend against it or not.

 

[Tims97SVT]

dont do it. you wont gain much if anything.

 

[Ray Hilton]

IMHO the little bit of gain that MIGHT occur does not outweigh the risk of injesting foreign matter that could damage the blower or engine internals.

Ray H.

 

[Juruense]

Are you feeling lucky?

 

[Posi]

Just take out the passenger side headlight.

 

[MustangMikeKy]

not a good idea, its only good for 5 hp or so, and you won't notice that on the track. . .too much risk for the very little gain

 

[Screamin03Cobra]

Just take out the passenger side headlight.

+1

 

[sct12]

Just take out the passenger side headlight.

+2 takes 30sec.

 

[whocares]

Someone took their filter and drilled holes in the end of it. They covered the end with a magnet for normal driving, but took the magnet off at the track. It seemed like a good idea, but I would like a screen to cover it to keep out the big stuff. It would be nice to have the whole end open, just covered with a screen for the track, but covered with the magnet for normal driving.

 

[VirtualSVT]

I've seen people do it...but unless yours is filthy and needs to be replaced its not worth it.

 

[BlckBox04]

no need. remove the headlight if anything

 

[Redfire_Cobra]

bad idea! the filter smooths out the flow of air before it's metered by the maf, if the air is turbulent going into the maf the car will not run good.

 

[PistolWhip]

F that! All that crap that your going to suck into your blower and engine is not worth it even if it was worth 50 HP IMO. Like stated above, unless your air filter is absolutely beat, your not going to get anything from it anyway.

 

[TrickStang37]

bad idea! the filter smooths out the flow of air before it's metered by the maf, if the air is turbulent going into the maf the car will not run good.

how do you know that? do you have datalogs or anything as proof, or is this just a guess? I know the car doesnt run that well at idle without the filter, but I don't have any proof or other data to prove it would run like crap at WOT.


BTW I wasnt PLANNING on running without the filter, just seeing what the general opinion is on the subject. If there were +80% saying it was ok for a couple blasts down the 1/4, than MAYBE i might have given it a more serious consideration to run without it or not.

 

[Redfire_Cobra]

I have no proof from personally trying it, just something I picked up out of a write up by a reputible tuner on another board. It makes since though if you think about it.

 

[PistolWhip]

I don't know about smoothing air, but I do know that there is way too much that could get F'd up by a nice chunk of balled up rubber lodged in the MAF sensor or gobs of oil dry being churned into the blower like sand paper.

 

[TrickStang37]

I don't know about smoothing air, but I do know that there is way too much that could get F'd up by a nice chunk of balled up rubber lodged in the MAF sensor or gobs of oil dry being churned into the blower like sand paper.

where would the oil or rubber come from? i think a bug has a bigger chance of getting in there more than anything.

 

[PistolWhip]

oil dry and little chunks of balled up rubber are all over the burn out pits and staging lanes. You think they don't get drug all the way down the track.

 

[PhillyCobra]

The comment about running poorly without air filter is definitely right on. Your tune depends on what's called the Mass Air Flow (MAF) transfer function, which relates MAF reading to actual air flow (measured with help of A/F ratio). Anything that changes how the air flows can change this function. I have seen it change on my car with a change of air filter while on the dyno and have seen it on many other cars. That's why with some CAI's the engine runs very differently simply with a rotation of the MAF housing.

 

[TrickStang37]

The comment about running poorly without air filter is definitely right on. Your tune depends on what's called the Mass Air Flow (MAF) transfer function, which relates MAF reading to actual air flow (measured with help of A/F ratio). Anything that changes how the air flows can change this function. I have seen it change on my car with a change of air filter while on the dyno and have seen it on many other cars. That's why with some CAI's the engine runs very differently simply with a rotation of the MAF housing.

i know how it works and how the MAF acts funny with even a different orientation. the question on my other post was that while it surely affects idle to run without a filter, if at WOT does it throw off the tables. I wasn't looking for a "probably."