I just blew out the intake air filter with some compressed air but I should probably replace it with a new one. What do you guys like? Any great deals to be had online for OEM or equivalent parts? Do you have to replace that whole plastic part around the filter as well? I didn't really try to take it apart after I pulled it out of the car.

 

How many miles do you have on that filter? The stock paper filters are disposable and maintenance is generally not required or recommended. Best case is that you did no harm, worse case is you might have penetrated the filter media with the compressed air.

 

40k miles about. I realized after I did it probably not a great idea. I'm going to pick up a new one at the stealership today and throw it in the car when I get home. how much are they going to rip me off on this in the parts dept?

 

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First up, compressed air through a paper filter is (generally) a bad idea. Most folks hold the nozzle too close to the filter and damage it, causing rips and tears, which means unfiltered air going through the intake system, and into the engine. Not saying the OP or anyone else in particular does this, but there's a reason you'd NEVER see a proper professional doing it!

Next up, as a response, I run K&N filters in all of my vehicles, be they cars coming out of my shop, or my own personal vehicles. Forget all the extra HP B.S. I don't honestly expect more than a pony or two at top end, so this isn't the reason. I pay $35 once, and I'm done. Clean it every few months, and I'm done. I cut down on paper waste and landfill space usage, so I'm doing my bit for the environment, too
Mark W.

 

The false economy is in your statement "you're done". As you mentioned, you still have to clean it up and every few months.
If you make a mistake and drop or poke a hole in your filter you're out $35. Or if you over-oil, then you have the potential to mess up some of the engine sensors. If this is just a minor fouling, you might not notice, and you kill all your savings in MPG loss. If it's a major fouling then it's a trip to the shop.
The dry reuseable filters such as AEM seem like a better way to go if available, but their costs still seem to be a false economy as the risk you may damage them accidentally over time still is there.

At least for me, the convenience of not having to do that cleanup/re-oil and just replacing the paper after 25k miles or whenever MM tells me to is fine.

As for saving the environment, I applaud your thought and thinking along these lines, but other changes in will count for more than 1 filter every 2-3years.
Even within car maintenance actually going to the end intervals for fluid changes or just reducing driving and saving gallons of fuel and CO2 will have more of a difference.

 

I just dropped in a new K&N. I bought it from college hills honda. They included a small bottle with some oil. Wicked cool and now I don't have to worry about that 50k miles down the road. Pop it out, drop in the factory filter, clean and oil the k&N and then swap them again.

Any step towards saving the planet is a good thing in my opinion, regardless of how small it is.

 

As for potential issues with the K&N, I've used them in over 100 vehicles, and have NEVER seen an issue with over-oiling. You'd have to be a pretty big maroon to pull that off. As for "poking a hole in it," for one, they're pretty sturdy, and for two, why are you poking holes in filters?
As for the PITA factor of cleaning it, you knock the dirt out by banging it on a fender, neighbor's child, etc., spray it with cleaner, wash it out, dry it, and spray on new oil. Elapsed time is half an hour, actual work, maybe 2-3 minutes, max. Well worth the $$ savings and environmental factors, forgetting any puny fuel economy and power gains- Mark W.

 

I believe apexi and.afe have filters for the ge8

 

I've used Wix paper filters when it's time for a replacement. They're good quality and paper filters in general work extremely well.

I'd save your money for something that matters, like tires. :-)

 

Even at $10 a pop, you should change your air filter ~15K miles if you're running paper. At that rate, it'll take you 60K miles before you've run out of any savings over a K&N, even taking out any fuel economy gains from the K&N. Beyond that, you're LOSING money, again forgetting the paper waste and hassle of changing the filter, minimal as it is- Mark W.

 

What is Honda's recommended change interval on the air filter? 15k seems like it's excessive, unless you're driving on gravel roads.

 

For the Fit, there really aren't any recommended intervals. 15K is pretty standard. The REAL interval is when needed. I grew up in upstate NY, where bugs, dirt and dust are the norm, so 15K was optimistic, if anything. Now, I live in an area that's all horse farms with dirt lots, so again, frequent changes are key.
In a less nasty environment, maybe 25K miles at most, but, again, it's entirely subjective. Some techs are less picky than I am, and will leave a nappy air filter in longer to stretch it out, but as an engine builder, I work with more high-performance engines than stockers, so K&N is all we use. When I do regular maintenance on customer's street or wive's cars, which are more stock cars, I still push the K&N, but if they stick with paper, if there's dirt between the pleats (blackness), it gets tossed. Call it excessive, but I'd rather toss it out and waste a couple bucks than risk damage to an engine. Same thing with oil- I'd rather change it too soon than try to ride it for a few extra miles. A $30 oil change is a lot cheaper than a $3K+ engine rebuild- Mark W.

 

Good explanation, Mark. I think we're just blessed with clean air in the Midwest.

I bought a used 300ZX with Japan's first production V6 engine. The air filter was located in the nose and secured with bolts. I had a mechanic inspect it before I bought it.

He neglected to open the oddball filter housing. About 4,000 miles into my first year, I opened it only to find NO AIR FILTER.

I ran short OCI's for a year and never had any damage. No burning oil, no loss of compression, no issues with the MAF. The VG30 was a tough engine. Who knows how long it ran with no filter before I bought it.

 

Hah- the VG30TT (in the Z32, at least) also had ZERO space to work underhood! Worse than the twin turbo Stealth/VR-4 piece, even Mark W.

 

I replaced my OEM air filter with a K&N one at 30,000 miles. Now I have the K&N 69 Series Typhoon air intake system.

 

Mark, you are right about the Z32. The engine compartment had zero space. So much underhood heat that it would cook the wiring harness.

The Z31 reminded me more of a simple truck, huge space under that hood.

 

We replaced the OEM air filter with another Honda air filter at 25k miles. No difference in performance/fuel economy noted. At the dealer the filter was $26 with tax. That's about what it would cost online after shipping.

Too bad Amsoil doesn't make an EaA for the Fit, otherwise I'd use that.

 

Just replaced my factory air filter with a K&N drop in filter today.

 

id put in a k&n drop in. just because itll last forever