NO Air Filter

[thebbbusa]

I'm thinking you mis-understood what was said. I've never heard of any builder not recommending a filter for street use. HOWEVER, I have heard of them taking filters out for dynos and runs down the drag strip. That, or the builder mis-spoke.

Think of it this way. Don't wash your bike for a month, then go look at the front of it. See all the dirt and bugs that have collected there. Now, consider how much of that went thru the two gaping holes on either side of the headlight and into your engine.

 

[Busa1166]

Gonna have to side with Professor on this one...

+1 jmo I'd use it on the track too...


Ever seen the lollipop commercial??? " How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop"??? Well how many grains of sand does it take kill a cylinder wall??? Does anyone really want to find out Filters seem to get dirty no matter how little you use it.

 

[Kainedogg]

After much thought and deliberation, I think both the OP and Carpenter has given us a rare chance to see just how many licks indeed it takes to wear a motor out prematurely. Let the count down begin........now!

 

[suzuki4life]

I was told by velocity racing (Barry) that they ran metal screens over their turbos for years...(ie no filter)

same if not worse concept than is at hand.

 

[cipher5791]

That is the worst advice I have ever heard from a guy who builds engines. If you do that , then take the filter off of your car, lawn mower and any other engine you have around the house. Oh yeah, start saving for repairs while you are at it if you follow this guys advice.:nono::wtf:

 

[suzuki4life]

That is the worst advice I have ever heard from a guy who builds engines. If you do that , then take the filter off of your car, lawn mower and any other engine you have around the house. Oh yeah, start saving for repairs while you are at it if you follow this guys advice.:nono::wtf:

I don't run a filter on my lawn mowers...been kicking for 11 years and going.

 

[S-R Racing]

Gonna have to side with Professor on this one...

+ one more, may be at the track,but for sure on the street

 

[mike1180]

JMO but,
I feel there are 2 types of debris that a filter can keep out of an engine.
Small particles and large particles.
A filter stops both of them.
The small particles (dust) will wear the engine over the long term.
The larger particles (stones etc) can cause some harm short term. (check your belly pan area to see what these stones look like).
Most manuals instruct you to blow out the spark plug tunnels with compressed air when you are going to change the plugs.
If dirt can get in there, it can surely get in the ram air with the motor sucking huge volumes of air in.
I would never run without an air filter.
If I wanted maximum power I would at least put an un-oiled K&N filter in there.
That will have minimal power loss and will let the dust type material in, but at least it will keep the small stones etc. from being sucked in.
With a K&N, the less you oil it, the more power, but the less filtration.
A light oiling will give good power and stop most dust particles.
I saved a pic from another thread (credit to the original poster unknown to me now) of 2 air filters, one with 20,000 kms, one new one.

 

[macon454]

I don't run a filter on my lawn mowers...been kicking for 11 years and going.

Why would you not run a filter on your lawnmower? the one thing that needs it the most.???

 

[mike1180]

Why would you not run a filter on your lawnmower? the one thing that needs it the most.???

More power.

 

[macon454]

More power.

I guess so. Might as well take the blades off also that will help a little.

 

[Big Red]

Its there for a worthy reason...engine integrity. Unless of course they are hoping you wear the engine down prematurely so they can have you back in for another rebuild.

Plus 10

 

[suzuki4life]

Why would you not run a filter on your lawnmower? the one thing that needs it the most.???

mice ate a big hole in it....so I pulled it

swore I was picking one up at the store...then they didn't have it

forgot a few times to look when I went to town...

now 11 years later...waiting for it to blow up so I can buy a new one.

I have rolled it a few times, smashed into the shed, done wheelies on it.

11years....still running. Same blades(never sharpened), no filter, 2 original tires(with probably 8o lbs of fix a flat in them), 2nd battery, original belts.

might even be the original oil. I know its atleast 5 years old.

 

[Big Red]

Just had my bike rebuilt by Carpenter Racing. He did the original work, I bought it second hand.

He set it up with no air filter. I asked about that, and stated on street use it is not necessary. They would put it in if I wanted, but unless I was riding on dirt roads I would be fine.

Just putting it out there, and wonder what others thoughts are. Now I know I will get some responses of negative answers. I am keeping in mind these guys know motors more than even the semi seasoned mechanic.

Every car and truck ever built for road use has an air filter of some sort. Unless you live in Anartica it would be a good idea to keep out even the smallest particulates of debris(2-3 microns) because they act like sand paper on piston's,rings bearings, cam lobes, crankshafts etal causing premature failure. I would use the best air filter possible on a custom street engine cause they ain't cheap. I used air filters on all my race cars.

 

[chrisjp]

uhhh wow wich reminds me i need to clean mine...havent done it yet this summer

 

[POWERHOUSE]

Bob Carpenter hasn't run an air filter in any of his bikes or his builds for probably thirty years . . . his reason, POWER. That is also the reason he uses an STD correction factor on everyone of his dyno charts . . . it is the most favorable correction factor in regard to power and torque.

 

[Mr Bogus]

mice ate a big hole in it....so I pulled it

swore I was picking one up at the store...then they didn't have it

forgot a few times to look when I went to town...

now 11 years later...waiting for it to blow up so I can buy a new one.

I have rolled it a few times, smashed into the shed, done wheelies on it.

11years....still running. Same blades(never sharpened), no filter, 2 original tires(with probably 8o lbs of fix a flat in them), 2nd battery, original belts.

might even be the original oil. I know its atleast 5 years old.

note to self: not to buy any machine owned by this guy...
(or carpenter)

 

[suzuki4life]

note to self: not to buy any machine owned by this guy...
(or carpenter)

mower will leave here as scrap. No sense in buying another till it is done.

But think to yourself...can't be a bad mower if its still kicking. Many ones dead long ago were babied and died.

 

[Wag]

Get a new mechanic.

--Wag--

 

[Spkrdctr]

Yup. I have never heard of ANY street engine not having a good filter. Racing (strip) enigines don't need one as you are not putting any miles on the motor at all, even after a few years of use. Now in cold winter air, you do not need a filter as the snowmobile companies have run tests, and there is so little particulate (dust etc.) in the air it really doesn't matter, but that is an extreme exception.