Hi All
I was wondering if you really need air filters as due to lack of space I run sock filters on my bike carbs and have read many bad reports about them.
so do I really need them I know they stop things getting in the engine but as my carbs don't protrude outside the bonnet is this a concern. Will
it make the car run lean? or affect the running in any other way.
A lot of question I know but hopefully someone can offer some advice.
Gary
I know some people don't bother, but i wouldn't want to risk sucking in grit & dust from the roads. Especially in the summer when its dry. I currently use socks, but thats because i cant fit a sausage type due to space.
Not an option unless you want to trash your engine fairly quickly.
Stu
expect it will run lean, but more so increase engine wear, if you look at the amount of grit build up in a filter and imagine it all going through the engine/bore damage and also blocking carb air jets etc
Why not try it? we would all love to know the true answer to this question
I think you should fit one.. Unless you only going to do a few hundred miles.. About to fit one to mine (keep putting it off, at least it's a
free CVH engine, I don't want a bonnet filter hole...).
Dan
Really not a good idea to run without air filters.
I know at least one person who left the carbs on his single seater open.
Hot sticky tyres led to stones being chucked up, one of which made its way into a carb.
Bye bye engine.....
Air filters would have sorted that quite easily
Hi Gary, I wouldn't worry too much about Air Filters. I've been running mine on bike carbs for about three years and haven't had a
minutes bother with the carbs. I give the carbs a good clean every now and again with carb cleaner. I have a fine stainless steel gauze on the side of
the bonnet to stop anything of any size that could cause damage to the engine. DON'T use aluminium as a gauze as it reacts and breaks down with
the petrol vapours above the carbs. I hope this puts your mind at rest. Eric. 
You'll be running lean therefore hot, and also as said be dragging alsorts of kak into the engine 
Not a good idea
Thanks all for your quick replies I guess the best bet is to give them a good clean and leave as is. To be honest I didn't give a thought about dust entering the carbs. Better to be safe than sorry.
think of it like this...
would you want to breath heavily in a dusty room????
Not dust entering the carbs dust entering the cylinders apart from being an instant rebore kit it also gets into the oil.
As above... it's one thing stripping and cleaning a set of carbs - another thing doing an engine re-build!
I didnt spend £70 on a itg megaflow for fun. I woudnt run without one.
Personally Wouldn't Ever run without one
Why Risk it 
definate for the air filters to stay now,
Thanks all.
Some interesting info on the links in this thread on the PPC forum:
http://www.ppc-mag.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7430
The general opinion seems to be that a decent sized paper filter will flow well enough & give the best protection, the likes of K&N flow
better but the paper ones are much much better at filtering.
Of course finding room for one under the bonnet of a seven may be abit more difficult than the average saloon!
a good air box will also stop heat soak....
quote:
Originally posted by hillbillyracer
Some interesting info on the links in this thread on the PPC forum:
http://www.ppc-mag.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7430
The general opinion seems to be that a decent sized paper filter will flow well enough & give the best protection, the likes of K&N flow better but the paper ones are much much better at filtering.
Of course finding room for one under the bonnet of a seven may be abit more difficult than the average saloon!
quote:
Originally posted by iank
quote:
Originally posted by hillbillyracer
Some interesting info on the links in this thread on the PPC forum:
http://www.ppc-mag.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7430
The general opinion seems to be that a decent sized paper filter will flow well enough & give the best protection, the likes of K&N flow better but the paper ones are much much better at filtering.
Of course finding room for one under the bonnet of a seven may be abit more difficult than the average saloon!
Anyone who thinks a paper filter is better at filtering than a K&N might want to look at what the Dakar rally cars use
I was under the impression that the paper OE style filters are denser and made for engine longevity with the performance increase on foam/cotton gauze style filters being they have more open weave to allow greater flow and are oiled to catch/hold on to grit but are less effective.
My point is they cope with dust clouds (not just big grains of sand) that would kill an engine in <1km if they didn't protect effectively.
Their down side IMO is they need more regular maintenance (cleaning and oiling) and cost a lot more than paper filters.
Both good reasons for OEM manufacturers to use paper filters.
Note I'm talking about K&N style gauze filters, I have my doubts about the filtering of a lot of the foam style ones, though they certainly
flow well.
I think the PPC article has some validity in that an OEM filter is spec'ed oversize to allow for any clogging over the 20k service intervals we
see these days, so when new will flow enough for a few stages of tuning (but you'd be best replacing more frequently if you do). But for a 7
there really isn't the kind of room you'd need for a big panel filter box so you'll be going aftermarket anyway.