Do you guys run at the track with the air cleaner on or off? What is your performance difference: on vs off? I saw someone here mention recently that they picked up 2 mph without the air cleaner.

Rod

i race with it on even my 10 sec car, i do........to me it makes no sense not to....most if not all dyno tests show hp gain with the filter on or with at least the base on the carb to help direct air flow in the carb.......running with out one just makes it tougher for the air to enter into the carb smoother........and im sure there are some really restricted air cleaners sitting on top of the engines in some of your cars out there and there would be a gain running with out one......but there might be even more of a gain if there was a correct filtering system on there motor..........

i like the K&N filters and i run the biggest one i can fit under what ever hood i own at the time..........and i dont think twice about ever removing it thinking im going to run faster...........

Rod, I personally would never run without one.I run 2 cone filters on my car and if she lost 4mph so be it/ better safe than sorry. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

With it. If the car picks up without a filter, it is too small and restrictive. With a properly sized filter, there should be no mixture change needed with or without the filter. In other words, if the filter is the correct size, the engine will not know it is there. As said above, a well designed housing can improve air flow into the carb making more power with the filter than without.

If you use the correctly sized (or bigger) filter from K&N it won't lose much and your engine will thank you.

There is another option other than K&N.
Uni-Filter
http://www.unifilter.com/automotive.htm

Even if it made more power. Would it be worth ingesting dirt and hurting your engine?

I always run with a filter. It just isn't worth the risk to take it off.......

I mentioned picking up 2 tenths when running w/o the air filter. The car was a 70 Chevelle. When I ran w/o it, I used an old but decent cleaner base that sealed to the cowl induction hood. At least the back of the cowl had a screen there to keep the rocks out.

On my Nova I run a 13x5" ??? K&N, also sealed to the cowl induction hood. Guys who run w/o any sort of filter.....especially with no inner fenderwells are just asking for trouble! Ever find small stones and crap on top of your intake manifold?

Ron

I built a velocity stack and am getting a K&N. I personally dont think getting a few extra dust particles in the engine because of no air cleaner is that big of deal FOR MY ENGINE. But just imagine if your tire threw up a rock or some other track debris and it went down the carb. That alone makes me leave my air cleaner on hehehe

i always make the first pass with the air filter to clear out the leaves and bugs then seal the carb to the cowl hood without the cleaner it runs about two hundreds quiker that way.we do have a paved pit area though

My car runs faster WITH an air filter. Too much turbulence without the filter.

If it runs faster without a filter I would try go to a less restrictive filter if possible and jetting the carb leaner.

Like everyone else has said, I would not run without one. It's not worth damaging an engine. As long as the filter is sized properly there should be no power loss.

That being said I gained 5 RWHP on the chassis dyno (389 RWHP) by removing a drop base filter with a 14" x 4" paper element. Just make sure the filter is up to the task.