When I was mapping out the '00 Project Silverado, I had a few
things in mind that I wanted to improve upon. These ideas weren't
anything revolutionary, but just plain, obvious and simple. The
first was performance, the second was better fuel economy.
Answer #1? A K&N Filtercharger was our first
choice. This may seem minor, but every detail counts. They provide
much better, less resistant air flow. And, they are washable and
reusable many times over.
All that you need....
K&N's Filtercharger® can actually double
air flow, which, in turn, adds up to 15 extra horsepower. The
secret lies in the K&N Filtercharger® 's unique design.
Conventional filters use paper or foam material permeated with
millions of tiny, irregular passages, that screen dirt particles
out of the air. Because the dirt particles are trapped inside the
passages, they eventually clog; and when this occurs, airflow
restriction increases dramatically.
With
the Filtercharger®, a special cotton fabric is sandwiched
between the pleated aluminum screen wires. The pleated design
provides five times more filtering surface over the element
circumference. The cotton/screen wire filter media is then
saturated with a formulated air filter oil. Acting like a fluid
curtain, this oil attracts particles of dirt and debris which build
up on the outside of the filter. This buildup of dirt particles
suspended in oil creates more and more irregular passages that
actually create an additional filtering barrier with use. In most
cases, up to 1/8" of dust can cover a Filtercharger® before
performance is significantly affected. On a street driven vehicle,
a Filtercharger® can last up to 50,000 miles before service is
required. Then, because it's made of reusable materials, you can
just clean it, apply fresh K&N Filter Oil and
re-install.
Of course, K&N has
developed biodegradable cleaning products designed to effectively
clean the filter.
Stock paper filter....
K&N Filter
The Quick Install
The install literally took us minutes, here's how we did
it.....
Road Test
Now for
the fun, as soon as the unit was installed, it was time to head out
on the road to see what really happens. We hopped in the truck and
headed directly out of town, to test throttle response, and overall
performance.
The K&N Filtercharger® is one of the
quickest and easiest upgrades you can do to your
truck/car.
Where the filter is most noticeable, is the low
end throttle response. We see the advantages as more of an
economical advantage, more so than performance. The simple fact
that this filter has a million mile warranty is detail enough to
justify buying the K&N Filtercharger®. If you're an
occasional off-roader, then clean the filter every 15-20,000 miles.
K&N actually recommends cleaning it every 50, 000 miles. Use
your own judgment, and simply check the filter to see if its
dirty...its that easy.
Is this a
recommended product? Yes. You're more than likely not going to have
to buy another filter as long as you own the vehicle. The gas
mileage improved slightly, and performance gains were noticeable.
Its every little detail that counts.
We are open to suggestions from you on why,
how and what we should put into this project. Like I've said
before, the ORC Silverado will accompany the Off-Road.com staff to
many of the events that we cover, from Baja races to the Chevy
Trucks US Motocross Championship Series, so you'll get the chance
to have a first hand look at how our truck is coming along.
As of now, the project Silverado will be solely
dealing with 4
Wheel Parts Wholesalers. If you would like to be a part of a
major project after this series is over, we would like to hear from
you.For all future sponsors, we
will provide a complete full-feature article that will include
full-color photo galleries and detailed descriptions of your
product, along with step-by-step installation instructions.PLUS, we will also provide a link from the
project vehicle page to your web site.
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