1995 D21 Vg30 Stock Airbox question

[schenk829]

i have a 95 hardbody with a 5speed V6 VG30 motor and its a 4x4 kingcab... i put 31 inch tires on it and because of that i had to take out the plastic inner fenders because they were rubbing and starting to get ripped out. well i was driving in the rain the other day and my truck was starting to cut out on the beltway (4 lanes of traffic btw) i thought something in the distributor cap may have got wet or something. i pull off and pop the hood.. everything around there looked fairly dry.. i pull off my air filter and it is completly drenched! the intake tube points down towards the front tire.. so i took out the air filter so i didnt get run over by traffic and made the next 100 mile trek home with out an airfilter... not only did it run like normal.. it ran MUCH BETTER i picked up alot of power it actually revved out and really woke my truck up.. it was a totally different truck! i know.. this sounds totally retarded and if someone told me this i would think there out of their mind and it was all in there head. but this truck is a dog with that air filter in and when its out makes more power and yes IT GETS BETTER GAS MILEAGE!! i know i need an airfilter im a motorcycle mechanic by trade i do basic work to my truck i deal with goons everyday... (a good friend has been a nissan mechanic for years so i give him business for bigger jobs) basically im trying to see what other people out there have for intakes or airbox setups because i love this truck but i will love it even more if it runs like this all the time! i do have my cat punched and a glass pack so factor that... but anyhelp would be appreciated! thanks alot!

[Rev_D21]

I can't imagine an air filter costing you that much horsepower. Your butt dyno probably enjoyed the intake noise which made you think it ran better. That or your air filter was clogged and now your truck can breathe again. All high flow filters filter less so if you want your truck to run forever I'd put the OEM filter back in it. The amount of crap that gets past hi-flow filters will shorten engine life as those filters were designed for looks (ie gay) or designed for the track where the roads are better tended to than everyday highways. Performance engines require more work to keep running in top form which leads to more money. Don't believe me? Read this http://www.billswebspace.com/AirFilterTest.htm because it has more test data in it than most peoples opinions on the subject. Simple physics states that more flow requires less restriction and less restriction means less filtering which means more particles in the oil which means more maintenance required.

[schenk829]

Trust me... i agree with everything you are saying... and if i was in your shoes i would say the same thing... but it is a new filter.. maybe a week old. oem style replacement. i tried a k&n which was garbage and made no difference (not a fan). but im telling you it does make a difference. its not just noise. the truck would never make power over 4k before. now it pulls hard all the way to redline. i am gettin better gas mileage usaully only get 30 miles out of quarter tank last time it was 45 ill have to do accurate mesaurement next time i fill up but i really dont want to be running without a filter... i wouldnt come posting on here with out getting some valuble evidence first. theres a hill by my house. from the bottom to the top of the hill i could never get over 45 mph. now i can get 60 mph before the top of the hill... tell me its not making a differnce.. i didnt ask to get bashed. but i appreciate you input!

[schenk829]

i also thought of making a foam style filter... i can get foam airfilter material from my shop. i ride motocross.. its my life. ive done motors in my race bikes ive cleaned many filters and never had an problem. so im thinking of making something for the truck out of that foam and oiling the filter with air filter oil. if it works for a dirtbike that is constantly subject to dirt, dust, mud etc. it should work very well in the truck with regular service. just wondering how restrictive it would be.. i guess it be worth the 10 bucks to try

[RT22]

Sounds like you have a air flow issue not filter related but removing the filter is helping, check the air feed tube it may be clogged and with that and filter engine is choking, with filter removed it is actually getting just enough to run good as piping is full of mud or foreign debri, no way removing a filter in regular situation would make hardly any difference, I think you have air flow issue and filter is just adding to it.

[schenk829]

thats a good point! ill pull apart the intake tubing and check out the throttle body today.. i know this doesnt make sense but im tying to make sense out of it. thanks!

[Rev_D21]

Wasn't bashing in the least, just pointing out that a lot of those aftermarket intakes are just for show and do no real good for your engine at all. The OEM air box and filter is the best combo when it comes to keeping things running the longest.

[schenk829]

thats fine. and i really wasnt looking to get rid or the stock airbox because unless your spending the money i dont want a rig job air intake at the least. thank goodness ive been sick all day and cant get outta bed to check my tube. but hopefully tomorrow i can and ill grab the foam and try that.

[seang]

My call is that the inner fenders should not be taken out of the equation.

I have a 97 4x4 with no body or suspension lift, and when I had 31x10.5 tires I could turn lock to lock without them rubbing on anything. Those tires were also mounted on American Racing wheels which might have a different offset than the stock steelies, I'm not sure because I have never measured them and made a comparison.

[schenk829]

well at first it didnt look like a huge deal but those inner fenders were a big deal! and i have the nissan alloy robotic wheels (there like the three spoke ones) and my tires rubbed them. then again my fender is starting to rust a little at the bottom and the clips were not on two strong. i fought it staying on for a couple weeks. but i just took them off then. they were also collecting moisture and making it rust more... my trucks downfall=[

[seang]

My truck is losing the rust battle, too. This past few months has been a perpetual freeze/thaw cycle and my chassis has not been dry since November of last year. At least the grass will be green this spring.

[schenk829]

my truck is getting bad with the rust issue! trying to stay on top of it. But on the bright side the foam airfilter worked awesome!!! i got it fitted up oiled a sealing grease around the edges. I took it out for and the truck runs awesome!!!!! im pretty happy with it. its a perfect fit, seals up, doesnt look like a rig job, and i can reservice it! ill prolly clean it every three thousand miles along with my dirt bike filters! if anyone wants pictures of how its in let me know! p.s. i checked the intake tube and theres nothing in there! thanks for the inuput!

[RT22]

I run stock air box set up but with cleanable spectre filter stock replacement like K&N but much cheaper. By just replacing the stock paper with cleanable one but retaining stock box it seems to run just fine. As far as allowing too much trash thru well it gets dirty at about the same time paper does but I can wash this one and at 25 bucks at this point I think I have best of both worlds, price and longevity. I have run the stock replacements on many cars trucks and bikes and never has issue with anything passing to the motor, and on 2 i had over 200k on the motors with them in place. The fresh air or cold air intakes where it is exposed filter those are too risky for me, for racing yes as motors are rebuilt pretty often and run on tracks that do not have the dirt real world roads do. Stock filter replacement to me seems like the best compromise of flow and filtering, hell by the time air gets to my filter I do not see much making it that far LOL. Inside of the tubes are clean and filter seems to block pretty much the same as stock as it gets dirty at the same intervals, so maybe microscopic stuff may pass but so far have never had any filtering issues. Just my 2 cents.