Cold Air Intake Filter TEST – K&N vs HKS vs Apexi vs Blitz
Which is the best cold air intake filter?
Revspeed magazine in Japan did a filter comparison test to see which cold air intake filter did the best job at filtering dirt ie stopping dirt from entering the engine and which filter made the most power.
The Test
The Filters
The dirt intake tests were done on HKS Super Power Flow filter, Apexi Super Intake, Sard Sports EX, Blitz SUS Power Cone and a K&N cold air intake filter.
The Results
1st Apexi – Best Cold Air Intake Filter
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2nd K&N
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3rd – SARD Sports EX
4th – Blitz SUS Power Cone
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5th – HKS Super Power Flow
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Best Cold Air Intake Filter – Conclusion
The Apexi super intake filter is the clear winner. By far the best filtration of dust and also the biggest power increase.
Looking at the filter material of the Apexi filter you can see there is more going on than normal filters like the K&N. The Apexi filter appears to have multiple layers but at the same time having a low restriction. The cost of the Apexi filter maybe more than the other filters and the filter material itself is not replaceable (like the HKS) but the performance looks more than worth the extra cost.
Dirt going into the engine can drastically reduce the life of an engine, paying more to filter the air well, is a sound investment which pays itself back many times over especially when it does not hinder engine power.
The only thing that was not covered in this test, as far as we can tell, is the time it takes for each filter to get choked with dust. Having said that we do not believe it would change the finishing order of the filters.
