Mazdaspeed 3 CAI - Prefilter

[eddelgado]

If you guys are running the factory Mazdaspeed CAI and are interested in a pre-filter I have a tip for you.

I did some looking around the web and found the Injen pre-filter. I kept looking around and found the exact same product, as far as I can tell, from a company called Outerwears. In all honesty I would be surprised if Outerwears is not the company that is manufacturing it for Injen.

The model that will fit the factory CAI is part # 20-1615. Put that in the search box at www.outerwears.com and then press the "click for more details" button and you can select what color you would like.

The benefit to a prefilter such as this is that it will keep your air filter a lot cleaner and that it is water resistant as well.

Ed.

 

[Zeya]

Yeah I've heard people use that on CAIs to repel water. It helps them sleep at night knowing that it helps avoid the potential of possibly maybe getting into a hypothetical hydrolock situation.

They should call them "intake condoms" hehe.

 

[eddelgado]

Zeya it is more than that. That location of the CAI is right down next to the road. The pre-filter will keep a lot of dirt and gunk off the normal filter. It will be cheaper to use a pre-filter and eliminate a lot of the junk and extend the filter life.

Ed.

 

[Zeya]

Ah, I see. I wonder if it significantly hinders the air flow through the filter.

 

[eddelgado]

Not according to the info on the Outerwears site. Take a look at that site those guys have been at that stuff for a long time! They have all kinds of applications. They claim that the impact to airflow is truly minimal.

This is a quote from their site:

Will adding a Pre-filter reduce my airflow or horsepower? - 11/03/2004
Adding an Outerwears Pre-Filter will not have any significant reduction in airflow (independent lab test results available upon request). Most Performance air filters allow more air in than the engine can actually handle. In fact, an Outwears pre-filter keeps your primary filter cleaner for a longer period of time allowing your engine the ability to sustain its original airflow and horsepower for an extended amount of miles and time. Many of our customers claim they have also noticed an improvement in fuel efficiency. This may simply be attributed to the fact that they are keeping their air filter cleaner.

* Test results show no significant loss of airflow
* Horsepower levels are maintained longer due to cleaner primary filters

 

[tubebrner]

I have one of these and airflow does not appear to be affected. It is perforated yet repels water. And it collects most of the dirt instead of it getting on the filter. It's a lot easier to just peel back the fender liner, remove the pre-filter, and rinse this it than taking off the filter and going through that cleaning process.

 

[Rotus8]

I have one of these and am quite happy with it. I live on a dirt road (my car is never clean for more than half a day, but that's another story) and I cleaned my filter after 10K miles and the cleaning stuff was only slightly cloudy on the first wash and the second wash was completely clear.