If you've got one, what do you think of it ?

How do they stack up against the K&N cotton type of filters....... much of a muchness or does the foam make a better/worse difference or just the same?

Hi mate,

I have one of these, £30 from awesome. Seems good enough.

K&n use oil which people recommend against because it can clog up the maf. Sure some people use them without a problem, but for the hassle i'd just stick to a paper/foam filter.

Green filter are mean't to be pretty good too.

I fitted one today and took yhe car for a short run

First impressions

The car seems a tad more responsive/smoother when accelerating

but that may be only the placebo effect

I fitted one today (to a TFSI), and it has a similar effect to when I have fitted a K&N to a diesel i.e. rev's freer better throtle response etc....

Reason I asked is in the past when I've fitted a K&N style pannel filter to a petrol (a 1.4 16v and Saab 2.0l Turbo) there's been a little bit more noicable pull.....

Not saying the Pipercross is rubbish or anything, just wondered if it's the TFSI engine isn't as responsive to a highflow filter as other petrol enignes as its putting out a decent amount of power as standard?

I fitted one a few months ago and I'm not really sure I can tell the difference performance wise. You can hear the diverter valve more though, and they have the advanage of being non-disposable. For the price I think they are good value, especially considering you don't have to buy oil or cleaning fluid for them.

Mine definitely breathes easier and is more responsive.

you are meant to oil Pipercross and K&N filters.

This is for dirt retention.

Over oiling kills MAF's.

you are meant to oil Pipercross and K&N filters.

This is for dirt retention.

Over oiling kills MAF's.

No, the new pipercross ones are foam and do not require oiling. This is because of the problems it can cause.

I ran a pipercross in my fabia vRS for about 50k... performed well, and gave no problems

No, the new pipercross ones are foam and do not require oiling. This is because of the problems it can cause.

Pipercross have been foam for forever, and they DO need oiling. It is for the same reason ITG foam filters need oiling.

HOWEVER, if you dont oil it, then I do not see it being a major problem.

you are meant to oil Pipercross and K&N filters.

This is for dirt retention.

Over oiling kills MAF's.

I pulled my K&N panel filter last weekend and bought the cleaning kit from Half-rods. Cleaning was easy enough, but getting it dried in this weather was a problem. I ran the car on a disposable Crossland paper filter in the meantime.

Although the K&N cleaning instructions aren't very clear on this point, I think the problem with over-oiling happens when guys spray oil on the "clean" side of the filter. As best I can figure it out, as Angry Dog says above, the purpose of the oil is to make the dirt stick on the dirty side. If you apply oil to the clean side, the airflow will tend to drag oil down the air pipe and onto the MAF.

While running the car on the disposable filter, I encountered what I think is an "overboost" high revs with no power increase under acceleration in 5th and 6th gears. It sounds and feels a bit like clutch-slip (without the smell) and it disappeared when I refitted the K&N yesterday.

The difference in the car's willingness to rev is phenomenal, as is the increase in smoke!

Long post, sorry. I hope its not OT.

Pipercross have been foam for forever, and they DO need oiling. It is for the same reason ITG foam filters need oiling.

HOWEVER, if you dont oil it, then I do not see it being a major problem.

There are 2 types of Pipercross panel filter for the 1.8t - those that need oiling and those that don't, you can tell the difference by the colour of the filter.

I use an un-oiled one on my PD140 and am very pleased with it

I have one on my car seems to let it rev slightly easier(my old one was dirty) the code on the side is PP1389 dry filter(no oil).

I work as a Test Engineer for one of the big air filter companies (not Pipercross or K&N).

Foam elements must be oiled on the dirty side as someone has already mentioned. Over oiling can cause the oil to be pulled off the clean side downstream on to the MAFS.

Do not use a foam element un-oiled - you may as well take it out for all the protection it will give you the engine. Foam elements in general are extremely dodgy - the pore size in most of these foams is too large unless oil treated very carefully.

Do not believe the hype about K&N filters. Speaking as someone who has tested numerous versions of their products for nearly 20 years, the gain that is seen by fitting one of these elements is largely insignificant. You would not believe the amount of debris that can pass through these filters whilst on test - the efficiency is very poor.

To sum up - I would never use a K&N or any Foam element in my car.

To sum up - I would never use a K&N or any Foam element in my car.

Interested....what do you use ?

I've never been that convinced about performance filters, this probably stems back to my youth running Mini's with no filter just a bit of metal gauze over a bellmouth (subsequent mixture richening applied of course) with very little performance increase evident without lumpy cams lcb exhausts etc also added to the mix.

I just use a stock paper filter which I change every 6,000 miles now & not the excessive period recommended by skoda !

I work as a Test Engineer for one of the big air filter companies (not Pipercross or K&N).

To sum up - I would never use a K&N or any Foam element in my car.

:eek:

So what is the best panel filter to run which will protect the engine well yet give increased air flow?

Is the original paper one best?

So what is the best panel filter to run which will protect the engine well yet give increased air flow?

Is the original paper one best?

I guess it depends who you listen to. I've never had any issues running any aftermarket foam or cotton panel filter and so long as they are not overoiled (ie the cotton has absorbed the oil) then there shouldn't be any issues. The main advantage over the performance ones over the paper ones is that they maintain the flow rate for longer, whereas once the paper one is blocked, the air throughput it significantly less.

Chris

The main advantage over the performance ones over the paper ones is that they maintain the flow rate for longer, whereas once the paper one is blocked, the air throughput it significantly less.

Chris

Does this not make you wonder if the aftermarket filter is not 'blocked' as you put it, where has all the dust gone? through the filter??

The std filter will have as much, if not more surface area to filter the dust out.

I presumed (and I'm no mechanic) that the oil could hold more dirt/dust per surface area than a paper filter?

Chris

Not really, the amount of dust hasn't changed, so the only way it can filter more is to have a larger surface area - or not to filter the dust at all?

Thinking about it logically, what material filters the most: paper, cotton, or foam? obviously this is going to be the material with the closest fibers

1/ paper

2/ oiled cotton

3/ oiled foam

4/ non oiled cotton

5/ non oiled foam

This is not exactly scientific, just logic - or am i missing something??

Mine seems to be doing well enough... And is oiled, as per Pipercrosses instructions...

Daft question time: do they need to be oiled when they are first bought, or are they pre-oiled (so need re-doing after the first clean)? I haven't received any oil with mine, so I'm loathe to fit it in case it needs oil.

Daft question time: do they need to be oiled when they are first bought, or are they pre-oiled (so need re-doing after the first clean)? I haven't received any oil with mine, so I'm loathe to fit it in case it needs oil.

Does require oiling when new...

COntact the supplier and tell them you are missing the oil They might send you some out