Aftermarket air filters

[khernik]

Hi, is there any way to check if the air filter lets too much dust in? I just got an aftermarket air filter by mistake, I thought it would be better to have a cleanable stainless one instead of a paper filter, as I live in a pretty dusty environment here.

But after reading a bit, a lot of people say the paper oem ones filter the air much better :/ So it's the other way around, haha. It's not even a K&N, just some local brand air filter without much specs available online, with a bunch of "high flow" and "racing" on it. Is it safe to make 10k km on this filter and then change back to oem, or is it a risk?

[Antares]

Originally Posted by khernik

Hi, is there any way to check if the air filter lets too much dust in? I just got an aftermarket air filter by mistake, I thought it would be better to have a cleanable stainless one instead of a paper filter, as I live in a pretty dusty environment here.

But after reading a bit, a lot of people say the paper oem ones filter the air much better :/ So it's the other way around, haha. It's not even a K&N, just some local brand air filter without much specs available online, with a bunch of "high flow" and "racing" on it. Is it safe to make 10k km on this filter and then change back to oem, or is it a risk?

Why don't you just return it and get an OEM if you're worried? As long as you oil it well it's safe, I'd do an extra thick coat of air filter spray if you have any, it's what helps the fibres catch and retain dust and particles. The only one I heard of being compromising is the Sprint filter, rest of the brands seem to be safe but provide no tangible benefit over OEM, that's the main reason people steer away from them.

[smithy]

Originally Posted by khernik

Hi, is there any way to check if the air filter lets too much dust in? I just got an aftermarket air filter by mistake, I thought it would be better to have a cleanable stainless one instead of a paper filter, as I live in a pretty dusty environment here.

But after reading a bit, a lot of people say the paper oem ones filter the air much better :/ So it's the other way around, haha. It's not even a K&N, just some local brand air filter without much specs available online, with a bunch of "high flow" and "racing" on it. Is it safe to make 10k km on this filter and then change back to oem, or is it a risk?

The OEM air filter element is actually very good, many of the BMW superbike teams still use them instead of the K&N or similar. They filter well and have very good air flow.

Smithy.