reuseable drop in air filters?

[tasdrouille]

I use OEM filters with a filter minder on the TDI, so I only change filters wen they need to be changed.

[DifferentPointofView]

It's not much (typically) We're talking a tiny bit of dirt stuck in the corners

Oh, I thought you meant 1/4" build up on the surface of the filter. which to me is taking a ruler to the dust and it goes into it 1/4"

[Funny]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

The subject of air filters has been studied to death by trucking companies, railroads and river towboat operators. Literally thousands of studies, done over decades.

The unanimous conclusion: A paper air filter puts the cleanest air into your engine. Oiled fiberglass lets much more dirt into your engine. Dirt equals wear and engine parts are much more expensive than fuel.

Further, a paper filter gets more efficient at removing dirt as it builds us a “cake” of air on its intake side. In fact, it is most effective as a filter just before it plugs up entirely. Some industrial operators will dust on some lime before they install an air filter to get a “starter cake.” A K&N gets less efficient as it builds up a cake, because as the sticky surfaces are fouled, they just let the dirt zoom on through.

I work for the one of the few filter media manufacturing companies that supplies Baldwin filters with the paper (which can contain both wood pulp and glass fibers in the same filter) that they make their filters with. The only thing that needs to be corrected about Big Dave's statement is the oiled fiberglass part. First, it is cotton gauze that most "high flow" filters are made of. Secondly, Fiberglass, mainly microfibers, are used to increase efficiency. By efficiency, I mean ability to contain particles of a smaller size. Generally a filter's efficiency is inversely proportional to it's capacity. So, one cannot have his cake and eat it too . Congrats to Big Dave to an otherwise flawless post .

[Ryland]

I thought that semi's still used oil bath filters, as they can hold pounds of dirt in a few cups of oil, and just need the oil changed, from what I have read about them they sounded like the best air filter you could get, other then people don't understand how to maintain them.

[Funny]

Originally Posted by Ryland

I thought that semi's still used oil bath filters, as they can hold pounds of dirt in a few cups of oil, and just need the oil changed, from what I have read about them they sounded like the best air filter you could get, other then people don't understand how to maintain them.

Oil bath filters are used on much older semi's, and the truckers are the ones that changed over to HUGE air filters. They were sick of wiping out all the nasty oil (especially when there are dead critters in it). So they went to filters that are upwards of 2 feet tall and a foot plus diameter.

[Harpo]

Originally Posted by Chris D.

I'm going to try just using my air compressor and blowing the dirt out of the paper one from the back side (clean side)....

Be carefull, and use low pressure at a generous distance or you'll blow some micro-holes in the filter element thereby rendering it less effective. Tapping it out, and using a shop vacuum works for me.

[Chris D.]

thanks for the advise, I'll exercise extreme caution when doing so..