Name Brand vs Homebrew filter.

[mingez]

I am thinking about upgrading my are filter. I did a search on this site, but found only a few entries talking about the filter. Dingus and a few others like the K&N filter. Others think it's a waste of money. Others think that building your own cone filter is better.

Then there's cutting holes in the airbox. (exactly what an where are you all cutting? ie bottom, side etc.) Tug posted that this worked well for him.

Also, people talk of shielding the filter with insulation for less warm air exposure. --Cold air system's.

It's too much. :shock:

Will you all give me your 2 cents?
What are you running?
If some homebrew mods have been made, ex: airtube, hole cutting, etc. please explain what you did.

This will be greatly appreciated as usual.

---Ian

(Incedentally, all of the old posts from before the web site change are gone. It only searches back to July)

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Go with an airtube and conical K&N filter, for me it was the largest performance improvement and I gained a quicker throttle response. I've got the Rusty's Offroad kit that was the best bang for the buck. $50 or $60 for the filter and airtube. This is for my YJ, I don't know what he has for XJ's, although his main business is XJ's.

The conical K&N will flow much more than the stock box and drop-in K&N filter, at the expense of more intake noise. The stock intake, although restrictive, is primarily designed to quiet intake noise. It's not too bad, sounds kinda like forced induction, you get used to it. Goes along with the loud tires and loud exhaust.

You may consider getting a stock TJ 4.0L airtube and adding a conical K&N to the end, or using the black PCV pipe. I think it's more heat resistant and stronger than the white stuff.

 

[graewulf]

I plan on getting the K&N FIPK (fuel injection performance kit)- it replaces everything in front of the throttle body... much better than just the filter.

 

[Tug-n-pull]

I like th e water protection of the stock air box. Just all a K&N filter to the factory box and you will be good to go with out the chance of soaking the expencive filter in a good splash. tug

 

[mujaman]

i'm running the K&N FIPK on my 4.0 cherokee. the entire air intake system such as that is definitely much better than a simple drop in filter (or any other type of modification that still retains the airbox). you don't necessarily have to go with the entire kit by K&N though... just use a K&N cone filter and make your own air tube to go into the TB... much MUCH cheaper!

 

[jeepster_19]

i have a reactive superflow cone intake and it gave power. it is definately better than the k&n i tested that one first and returned it. you can pick up my air intake at www.eastcoastoffroad.com they sell them for 99 dollars and it a lot better than the k&n. and it is pretty loud.

 

[Tug-n-pull]

i have a reactive superflow cone intake and it gave power. it is definately better than the k&n i tested that one first and returned it. you can pick up my air intake at www.eastcoastoffroad.com they sell them for 99 dollars and it a lot better than the k&n. and it is pretty loud.

What is pretty loud? tug

 

[jeepster_19]

the reactive superflow intake is pretty loud tug

 

[XJNick]

the reactive superflow intake is pretty loud

Hmmm... I didn't realize you could hear an air intake???

-Nick :!:

 

[jay79cj7]

A friend of mine put one of those $50 ebay intake kits on his XJ with the knock-off K&N style filter. He thinks it helps, but I can't tell. You can definitely hear the intake. You can just hear the air rushing through the metal pipe... Not a particularly attractive sound, but not bad either.

 

[mingez]

Yeah, I hear it sounds like the whistle of a turbine.

But what I think Tug was asking is WHAT do you consider loud... Maybe.

 

[L33TJ33P]

I Just put in my K&N this past weekend. I am Like Tug the fully visable Cone is fine if you are on a drag strip or in you really don't have to worry about Water. The Cone and Tube with that fully visable Filter just begs for Hydrolock. I get enough water into the little hole of the factory Box I don't want to chance the Cone.

::: Edit :::
Even in the Factory Box I noticed a great gain in response time and a peppier get up and go feeling.

 

[dingus]

at first i just dropped a K&N Panel Filter in the stock airbox, simply because the PCV shot oil all over the paper one. i knew i could just wash and reuse the K&N so it would be the last filter i would ever buy for the jeep. anyways, one day i got bored and hacked a hole in the side of the airbox on the fender-side. it was about 5 square inches overall, and it seemed to really help her breathe... but it got really loud too, but whatever.

one thing to remember is that intakes and exhaust systems and such are the compact-car thing; we don't need to tweak every last HP out of a jeep; they're already torque monsters! and besides that. jeeps are meant for off-roading and such, not street racing!

 

[jeepster_19]

MOTOR MOUNT BRACKETS

you can definatly hear my air intake did definatly doent sound like stock. It sounds like a jap car. 3000 rpms is when you start to hear it. ill put on a sound clip soon and my dyno results. because i wanna see what the hp is with the stock air box and the after-market filter. Im telling you those k&n you just pay for the name they are a waste of money.

 

[tmsloan]

This is not for the river rats and the mudd heads who spend alot of time in swampy areas etc. I do most of my trail trashing in dry wooded trails. All my pals use a home brewed cone in take but me being difficult I thought ''Hey" wouldn't it be cool to have a ram air on my Cherokee so I cooked up a plan I already had a cone intake system so I simply thought I need a vent not a hood scoop so I ran to Ace Hardware grabed a mobile home a/c vent cover that has a close and open lever. measured the size of the opening of the vent on my hood placed the vent area to be cut towards the front of the hood about 6 inches towards the windshield from the left head light this is so that the hood has a slight upward sloop just slight enough to catch air flow across the hood. Cut my area dropped in the vent bolted it down and siliconed the underside of the hood in the area of the vent to prevent rain leakage when vent is closed this area placed the vent directly above my cone filter so I built a heat shield out of cardboard and alum. duct tape to close off engine from intake area and opened my vent up and took it for a run and this shit really works the only down fall is I have to rigg a pull system to close vent off on sudden down pours but the system moves COLD air DIRECTLY into the intake and when you get on the highway and get on the jets you can really feel the system work it whistles like a paxton supercharger but I kinda like that sound it compliments my low throaty flow masters.