MX-3.com

hey guys,
it's the girl from london, ont. again. so today my dad and I were changing the oil and i wanted to have a look at the air filter because my friends had told me that was the first thing to replace on the engine. so i take it out and it looks brand new! (i just got the car a few months ago)hardly any dust, paper is crisp and red and generally new looking. so anyways, i posted a pic on my car domain because i dont know how to post one here. can anyone tell me what kind of air filter this is? is it good or should i replace it? on the side it says Made in S. Korea 2003 i think and a serial number that started with 6 but my digicam died before i could take a pic of the writing. any help appreciated. the pic is at http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/589196 thx!!!!

That is your stock airfilter.
It's allright, designed to work with your car.
Is it good? Depends if you want more sound, then it's not. Ordinary use? Works great.

<small>[ October 12, 2004, 02:59 PM: Message edited by: HKv6 ]</small>

Awesome! Thank you so much. What kinds do you recommend to replace it with? and what do they look like (website?)

Well, this is my setup at this very moment:
<img src="http://img68.exs.cx/img68/6991/CAIII1.jpg" alt=" - " />
Or you can start with this:
<img src="http://img68.exs.cx/img68/3126/MX316.jpg" alt=" - " />

ok so bear with me guys, i hardly know anything about these cars or engines in general. so i buy that kind of (performance? is this what i ask for?) air filter and it just what - screws on?

Pretty much, yes. Clamp-on filter is the name.
Go rip your stock airfilter box off and donate it to somebody, get the new clamp-on filter and attach it to your VAF. Make sure the new filter has a 77mm/3inch hole. Voilá: great sound and your throttle response is a bit better.

The bottom picture shows the OEM CAI bypassed and a cone filter sucking in hot air. Why would anybody want to do that?

IMO its only sucking hot air when your not moving. Once you start moving there is some circulation under the hood to cool the air down. granted its not as cool as the air is in the fender well, but a less restrictive flow of air(even if its a little hotter) is a trade off many mx3'ers decide to make. gives you a better sounds and a little better throtle response. Plus that stock air box is fugly

Is that ductape on the upper arm of the intake???

and you got a whole lot less of a chance of hydrolocking it than with a CAI

lol! Now THAT came from left field! Where you driving?

<small>[ October 12, 2004, 08:17 PM: Message edited by: Grants ]</small>

its not out of left field, butting the filter lower can increase the chance of hydrolock, i read about it all the time on PT, happened to guy on here recently

But hydrolock is fluid in the cylinders that won't compress, hence bent rods, etc.... you know like driving through a river / flood. Or am I missing something here?

If that is what she intends to do I think she should consider a different car

hello, i was useing a cai up until recently when i hydrolocked and snaped the no.1 rod. now i have the built engine. insted of useing a cai now i'm just going turbo.

There you go - I've never given that a thought! I see you hyrolocked it in a lousy puddle?

Thanks for bringing this up papa roached, you learn something new every day.

Looks like an aftermarket CAI just ain't worth the risk.

I'll be sticking with the OEM filter box and CAI for sure now. I'd like to put in a K&N filter though, hear they're worthwhile and would be a good compromise.