New article about factory restrictions - by Jeremy Hampson

"BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather" (bugeyedacura)
06/11/2014 at 18:46 • Filed to: None

http://heresthethingauto.blogspot.com/2014/06/restri…

DISCUSSION (9)

desertdog5051 > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
06/11/2014 at 19:16

It's all about EPA. The noise restrictions they put on stock vehicles is so restrictive. That air cleaner is probably good for a bunch of decibels.

John Bulzacchelli > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
06/11/2014 at 19:21

Much more surface area on the stock filter means a larger service interval. I also would not be surprised if that filter did not flow just as good as the K&N with that much flow area... just quieter.

Racescort666 > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
06/11/2014 at 19:21

Every time I see someone complain about how hard it is to work on cars or how cheap/expensive a particular part is, I want to ask, "how much does the author really know about how cars are made and designed?"

For starters, cars are designed to be assembled quickly, this is one of the things that helps reduce cost. The faster and easier it is to put the car together, the more product you have for a given amount of production time. Production time which is very expensive btw.

Another thing, although I can't defend the lights in the cup holders directly since I don't know if they come on every trim level, is: the more variation you have In a product, the more expensive it is. I can almost guarantee this is one of the drivers for making cars with only automatic transmissions. Auto manufacturers get bulk discounts too. They just get them on a much larger scale because they produce a lot of cars. In other words, I wouldn't be surprised to see lights in the cup holder of every Ford because they all use the same cup holder and it would actually increase cost to offer a trim level that didn't have them. Also, this is another opportunity for the assembly plant to screw it up which also costs money when they do.

However, I'm glad that there are people who enjoy working on their cars (I do) and I highly encourage people to continue to do so. Just stop complaining about it.

Garrett Davis > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
06/11/2014 at 19:28

Who's to say the engine needs more flow than the factory filter provides? For most any modern car, the filter is hardly the bottleneck.

I won't even go into the who debate on why manufacturers don't offer "the best performance parts" on stock vehicles because it's been beaten to death, but there is a whole lot more important to a car company than raw performance. Also, you can't get trapped into the mindset that aftermarket is always superior. Just watch any of the MCM mythbuster videos on how filters or CAIs either made the same or less power in modern vehicles.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Garrett Davis
06/11/2014 at 19:45

As long as you have injectors that can keep up, there isnt such a thing as too much flow. That's the essence of getting more power.

Garrett Davis > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
06/11/2014 at 19:50

Of course there's a limit! And the computer is the thing that sets it. Even still, I've read a few technical articles about the difference between filters, and you need to get into some serious power to find the limit of your typical paper filter, and at that point, the problem comes from them deteriorating and filling the cylinders with scrap.

I think it was AC Delco who released a huge report on air filters, I'll look that up tonight.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Garrett Davis
06/11/2014 at 21:52

Feel free to write up a rebuttal and send it to me ;)

Garrett Davis > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
06/12/2014 at 01:24

Thats a fantastic idea ;) I have some other things I wanted to run by you anyway. I'll get back to you in the next few days

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
06/12/2014 at 08:34

I think the point is that it's not the filter that's the most restrictive point in the system, and a system only flows as well as its most restrictive point.