Just replaced the stock air filter with a AFE PRO DRY drop in filter and I couldn't believe the difference in thickness between the two filters. The stock filter is like three of the Pro Dry filters stacked together! I know it's OEM and for engine longevity but Dam! Now the engine should breathe better that the stock filter is gone. Wish I took pictures showing the difference between the two.
Holy clogged arteries Batman!!!
- Thread starter WTERUNNER
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Antman
Elite Member
Fixed it for you.
I don't do any hard off roading so I'm not worried about a little loss in filtration. I'm sure the AFE does just fine.
LAB4US
New member
FWIW, seems to me that engineers generally do the "safest" thing, not necessarily the best things to make your vehicle run great. Example...last two mustangs I owned I bought tuners for, the kind of tuners where you plug into the ECU and change settings. Result, my vehicle ran better, shifted better, got better gas mileage and ACTUALLY felt like a "muscle" car. If I could get a tuner for my 4Runner I would buy it as soon as I saw it just so I could get rid of the annoying pause between shifts. Engineers also picked the type of air filter and exhaust for our beloved 4Runners, however I imagine if I invested in a CAI and a cat back exhaust system with wider pipes, along with a proper tune to make them work well together, my engine would more efficiently...:driving:
I'm not sure I would go changing the factory ECU tuning. It's a truck, it is what it is. Plus I don't want to do anything that would void my warranty or cause potential harm to my motor. This is my daily driver so changing the air filter is about as drastic I go and I hardly think it will cause any harm.
However I have done tuning on my Corvettes and as you said the difference is night and day.
Not sure, all I know is it's like four times as thick as the AFE filter. Great for filtration but not so much for air flow.
I do get it but you also have to take into consideration how the vehicle is used. I don't do any hard off roading, 90% of my driving is back and forth to work. The few times I do go off road, if you want to call it that, is to a camp site or to the head of a park trail where we go bike riding. The minor loss in filtration isn't going to hurt my truck in any way. If I was off road a lot in dusty environments yeah I could see your point.
Danimal
New member
Thicker? So the pleats are deeper on the factory filter? That increases filter area which means more media and lower pressure drop (restriction) - all other things being held constant. It also means more dirt holding capacity, so the pressure rise over the life of the filter is lower.
This thread is off to a rough start.
This thread is off to a rough start.
tristero
New member
I'm going to agree with 1engineer on this one.
Some perspective on "city" driving: I live and work in a pretty large city. My desk is 4 floors up next to a window on a busy street that is rarely open. I have to clean the black debris and dust from my desk every two weeks. City streets and freeways are not as clean from dust and debris as one might think.
Some perspective on "city" driving: I live and work in a pretty large city. My desk is 4 floors up next to a window on a busy street that is rarely open. I have to clean the black debris and dust from my desk every two weeks. City streets and freeways are not as clean from dust and debris as one might think.
I'm not in the city, my work is in the suburbs. The AFE filter is fine for normal every day use. If you drive off road a lot then yes the stock filter is probably better. I'm going to drive the truck around for a while with the filter in it and then I'll take the filter out and inspect it.
Jhalko
New member
Given where our intakes draw air from I've always been surprised how little dirt actually gets sucked in. On my last suv the filter was just plain nasty about every 5k based on how the "oh so holy engineers" designed the intake. Same driving conditions.
You aren't all perfect, looking at you Greg.
You aren't all perfect, looking at you Greg.
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Keep 'Em Flying
New member
Just imagine how much better it would run with no filter!
Enjoy your truck and new filter, that's why you are here. I have run the oiled TRD bought from Toyota with a lifetime warranty for almost a decade. The only causuality may have been my TPS sensor. It was well worth the price of the TPS....and a ton of savings over the paper filter.
I've run K&N filters on all my vehicles for years and never had any problems. My 97 Tacoma had a K&N filter for 160,000 plus miles before I had to get rid of it due to frame rot. My FJ Cruiser had a K&N in it for 60,000 miles with no issues. I switched to the AFE to try a reusable filter that doesn't need oil. If it works well I'll switch out the K&N filters in my 2001 C5 and 2009 Z06 Corvette's for the AFE. Lots of people run them and I've read nothing but good reviews on them.
Thanks for the positive feedback! :driving:
Bevo
New member
I don't doubt that a different filter could flow better than the stock one. Does it accomplish anything with a stock tune however? Probably not. Since I have no easy way to tune my engine to take advantage of better flow on the suck or blow side of it I will just stick with my OEM style filter and exhaust. If it is more convenient for you to clean a filter rather than just replace it then have at it.
Even with a tune your not going to gain much by just changing the filter. The filter does flow better but I did it more for the ease of use.
