I know what you are thinking by this headline. No not this again. Well I understand and have even been active in giving my opinions when this has come up in the past. I have been searching old threads (some very old) about this issue and I can't find a definitive answer. I have put over 1 million miles on 5 trucks with K/N oiled drop ins and was even talked out of an afe dry drop in on my 03' furd (please, I know I was younger and dumber and got to pay the price) as the Ford tech I knew said it could cause "dusting" which is when dust is let in through dry media. I am asking this as I just purchased an AFE Stage 2 Pro-Gaurd 7 which is a wet media. I have a thread about intakes to help me by the right one and settled on this with y'alls help. Like I said I've been using drop ins on my diesel trucks since 95'. I throw em' away about every 30k and have never re-used one. I know it sounds excessive but they are only 40 bucks and its cheap piece of mind. Also I have had power adders on all of these truck in one for or another so this is not necessarily a stock vs. bombed question. I know how hard the mighty cummins sucks air even stock and have had experience in the gas world with aftermarket turbos and s/c's but something seems to brake down when people talk oiled vs. dry media in the diesel world. So here the question...Does anyone have any definitive answers either way about oiled or dry media? Are the problems mentioned in the past years due to over-oiling after the first cleaning? Has anybody experienced "dusting" with wet or dry media? I don't care either way and just want to protect my truck. If in the end,dry is the answer I will gladly go to dry. I just want to put this to bed. Thanks guys!

 

Well, let me answer it this way, which is not really an answer-- but a choice.

AFE makes three different filters, all unarguably good for the chore. (I am not getting into the brand wars)

The three filters are the 5 ply oiled, the AFE dry filter, and the 7 layer oiled.

I put them in the order of "highest flowing/least filtering" to "lowest flowing/most filtering" respectively. Now I think AFE knows its own product. Basically, if you want the most filtering you go with the AFE pro guard 7. If you need the most flow, the the pro guard 5 is for you. Don't want the maintenance of oil? Then the pro guard dry is for you and a compromise between flow and filtering. All this assumes the same size filter. If a filter is oiled correctly, then it does its job very well and you won't find oil inside the intake either. I've run them all it seems and my worst UOA's on silicon came with the proguard 5 and K&N. The best came from Airraid and the stock filter.

 

So the dusting issue in a "non"issue? And if I understand all of the 3 your mentioned by AFE filter good enough to piles miles on my truck without it getting dirty? And lastly, untill I get a built tranny and bump the power way up they all 3 flow good enough to see no diff in the 350hp range? Thanks!

 

You know where I stand. Never had any dusting issues. Almost all filters are good @ 350HP. When you get around 500HP & up is when it starts making a bigger difference

 

Buy the AFE stg 2 w/ a 5 layer filter and you will have the best flowing; get the 7 layer as an extra filter for those dusty deer lease conditions and you'll have some of the best filtration AND BE DONE W/ IT. JMO

 

saweet!! Looks like I made the right choice. Good thing cause I just got the email conf. it shipped. I got the pg7 and a prefilter and when I bump up the power I can always buy a five and have an extra. So to beat a dead horse...nobody has definitive proof that the oiled media when properly cleaned and re-oiled are dangerous? I Will never bring this up again after this thread!

 

You'll be good, I love mine and I had the Airaid CAI before it, big improvement.

 

I have used all three type of AFE filters over the last 4 plus years. I have spare PG7 to make cleaning and swapping easier. I currently have the ProDry S dry filter on and have for about 35,000 miles. I have done the white glove test everytime I remove the filter for cleaning/changing. I generally clean after every 20k miles regardless of which filter. I have not had any dirt/dust on the intake tubing on any of the filters so far. I do run a pre-filter on all of them except at the track. When I am not lazy I put on the standard 5 layer for the track. I probably will just stay with the ProDry S from now on. Use the pre-filter except for track.

Any of the AFE filter options work ok when cleaned/oiled properly and regularly. Just my .02.

 

Which AFE is the blue one?

 

thanks guys...so we're agreed...dead issue?

 

If I am reading this right for the highest flowing filter would be a progurd?? Right now I have a 4"intake should I upgrade to a 5"intake for more flow (the silver66 only has a 4"inlet on it.

sory for the hyjack

 

All AFE's are proguard, they are just 5 layer oiled (pg5) Dry (pgS) or 7 layer oiled (pg7).

 

The filter size, construction and media are going to affect flow more than the size of the tube... keep the tube and get the biggest filter you can.

 

I think you made the right choice...I have been using the PG7 for about two years, and never hade silicon over 5 with uoa. In often dusty conditions, too.

 

.........If your throwing away a $60-70 filter away...not $40 after every cleaning (thats drop in's price homie, not AFE), you do know that I will be digging through your trash at night right? If so, please throw away some chocalate chip cookies and milk too, but please make sure to keep them off of any oiled "media"!

Let's do our own test my good friend! How bout you go buy a set of white gloves, and you can come by and wipe your fingers across my intake tube since I just recently cleaned/oiled mine up and used the pre-filter. I use a Green filter which I dont think has as many plies as the AFE's do, but Im not exactly sure of that. I do know that the Boss Hog mobile pulls pleanty of air, there's no argument there. Lets just see how much dirt and oil comes up on the gloves, you may prove me wrong, but we wont know unless we test it! Might just help put this to rest and we can post our findings!