[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 fiberglas 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 pay $39 for my huge air filter – a Baldwin PA2818. But it lasts me a year.

An example. My father’s 1950 Chevy had a oiled media air filter. At 60,000 miles it smoked like a mosquito fogger, and simply had to be overhauled. My F350 has a big paper filter and after 210,000 miles evinces no indication of wear. In fact, because I go 50,000 miles between oil changes, I have to occasionally send samples of my oil off for analysis. My latest was a couple weeks ago and it showed zero silicon. Silicon is dirt. Also my oil showed very low for iron. Iron indicates machine part wear.

Stick with the paper filter. Go online and find the same one at lower cost.