Hi!

1) I'm looking for a "green" eco filter for my 09 Honda Fit Sport (M/T). I'm tired of paying for the paper ones and I hear you can get better performance/mpg (slightly better) with an eco filter. Any brands you can recommend for me? And if so, which models would work with my car?

Installation tips would be nice. If it's not too hard, I'd like to install it myself.

2) I have M/T and my knob is complete junk. The plastic part sort of came off. I'd like to get a new one but I don't know what size I should get or how to install. Any tips where I can buy one/install?

Thanks!

 

The economy and greenness of permanent filters is debatable. They cannot improve MPG, they either allow more or less air to enter the throttle body, much like the throttle itself. The car's fuel injection ensures the correct amount of fuel is metered. There might be slight power increases at wide open throttle, but that's not the "green" band. If you want to be green just go by the recommended replacement intervals (by the MM) which should be more than 25K miles between changes. And drive less.

 

I don't know anything about "green" air filters except that HKS has filters that are green . Just get an AFE dry flow filter, it's cleanable and not oiled and easily maintained. It's a "performance" filter, but you won't see any performance or fuel efficiency gains with just a filter change. It may make slightly cooler noises, that's it.

As far as install, pop the hood, locate the air filter box (its by the battery) pop the four latches (you will find them) and pull the lid up. You will see the air filter sitting there. Installation is the reverse of removal.

Honda shift knob thread pitch is 10x1.5 you can use any knob with this thread pitch. Almost ANY OEM Honda knob uses the same pitch. There are knobs that are universal that have set screws but from my experience avoid those. There's no reason to use universal anyway with the huge selection of shift knobs that are available with 10x1.5 pitch, both aftermarket and OEM Honda.

 

wait, $50 for an airfilter? That you have to clean?

 

The goal is not cost savings Steve it's saving the Earth. Duh.

 

gotcha

 

All aftermarket filter systems are mostly hype. The paper element filters are actually very good. The key attribute is pressure drop across the filter.
You can improve your filtratruion by changing filters more often'
you can also improve the pressure drop by having the fllter larger so the air has lessv elocity across the filter area.
I am well aware of aftermarketeers claims and if you are racing intending lots of time near redline then they make sense but as dynos have shown time a gain for normal friving the OEM filter does an excellent job - as long as you don't overdue their service life. Cut the manufacturers servuiice life in half and you wuill be as 'green' as possuible. And the dollars you save just increase the greeness.
As far as tranny knobs start with ebay. I'll bet theres more choices than you'll want.

PS green is not always saving the earth. Hype again looking for grant money.

 

Cut the manufacturer's service life in half, and you will spend twice as much on filters, reduce filtration, and not save any gas.

Filtration properties are enhanced by particles trapped in the filter. Changing it too frequently reduces their ability to filter and may lead to shortened engine life.

Fuel injection meters fuel correctly according to the airflow regardless of whether airflow is restricted by a dirty filter or the throttle plate. MPG will be unaffected by a dirty filter. Theoretically you'll need to push the pedal a bit farther to get the same airflow, but practically this difference isn't measurable.

Even on carbureted cars where venturi action meters fuel, the impact of a dirty filter is negligible until it reaches the point of being clogged when vacuum will actually distort the filter medium.

link (scroll down)

source SAE's server seems down at the moment. good thing they're not computer engineers...

Another source. Older but the oakridge boys lend a touch of veracity.

Leave the airfilter in until the MM calls for changing it. Don't listen to the experts at jiffy lube.

 

As for shift knobs, about a year ago I got a "scratch and dent" Karcepts aluminum knob on eBay for half price ($20?). Love the feel of it, the height, and weight. Anodizing is starting to fade on the top but only slightly. Plus, the knob I bought contained one tiny scratch that could only be felt if you ran a fingernail over it.

I tried a steel sphere (a Voodoo knockoff) and found it too small for my hand, along with an awkward feeling when shifting into 3rd or 5th - too low + too heavy + too far away did not make me happy.

 

This old SAE engineer reponds:
Filtration increases as the filter area is reduced by more filtrate; and since the pressure across the filter increases as the cake gathers on the filter the air flow is reduced. Less air, less fuel, less horsepower. OEM filters are designed to filter the largest filter particle that is tolerated by the engine so reducing the particle size does nothing for power or emissions as the flow area through the filter is reduced. If you are concerned about being green choose to change air filters often; manufacturers set filter time/mileage limits based on the length of time/distance they can get away with and not extravagantly increase emissions due to low power thus requiring more rpm.
The air flow meter monitors incoming air and meters correct amount of fuel but as the air flow is harder to suck in air the power it takes to turn the crankshft increases. Its not how much more fine particles you can filter but how easy it is to suck in the air with the maximum size particles that matters. Being green is that which unleases the minimum emissions and still get the job done. Minimizing pressure drop across the filter while filtering the biggest particle untolerated by engine life is as green as it gets.

 

Both these statements are incorrect as dyno testing shows time after time. Restrict air flow always increases the power required to turn the crankshaft and it takes only a small increase to measure it.
You might not see it on the street due to the wide variation in driving conditions.

 

he more restricted your air intake is the harder the crankshaft is to turn because thats how air is sucked into the engine and the more restricted the filter the harder it is to suck air thru it. And the greater the emissions; more power pwer mile the more emissions.

 

horseshit. Read the SAE and Oakridge labs report. Think about it: what does a throttle do?

Edit: SAE's site is up now

From the Oakridge Lab's research paper:

Note that the definition of "clogged" far exceeds "dirty" to the point of distorting the filtration media from the force of air pressure against the vacuum created by the engine. What's the manifold pressure on Fits at idle (throttle closed)?

Yes maximum power is reduced, the same as when you have the throttle at any position other than wide open.

 

They are 12$ here in Alhambra.