K&N Tri-power Air Filters
 

Over the years I’ve been using either the GM A220C air filters or the reproduced foam elements sold by Ames on my 65 tri-power. While the A220C filters do a good job of filtering for appearance purposes they require replacement often because they get dirty quickly. In addition I’ve found quite a difference in how white the media paper is from filter to filter. Hard to find three that match. The foam elements don’t have that problem but I’ve found that my current set are disintegrating/crumbling. So I’m now considering the K&N E-3223 filters. Anyone use them on your tri-power? Do they clean-up well?

I recall an old issue of MCR reporting on a GTO Nats visit. A local dyno had a 389 Tripower running dyno pulls for the entertainment of visitors. Someone asked if the K&N filter was worth it and the operator said he didn't know. One spectator went outside and took the K&N filters off his car and replaced the paper ones on the dyno engine. The 389 picked up 10hp. I've used the regular ones on my Quadrajet equipped cars. Yes, rinse gently and reoil and they look the same.

I have a set of K&N´s i tried once. Got tired of red oil seeping everywhere.
Back to ACDelco A220C, now with a steel RamAir-pan and open hood ornament keeping the filters, my hands and everything around the carbs clean for many years.

I've always been skeptical of the K&N claims. There was an interesting video online from Motor Trend showing multiple air cleaner styles and the HP loss with each one. The main cause of HP loss with air cleaners is those that drop below the carb airhorn for hood clearance so the air has to flow upward before reversing flow and going into the carb airhorn. The second highest HP reading (with a filter) in the test was with a stainless steel salad bowl cut out to fit the carb airhorn, only to be beaten very slightly by a velocity stack with no filter. I find it interesting that several of the air cleaners resulted in more HP than no air cleaner at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkpsydS8JXI

We did a bunch of dyno testing with Velocity Stacks at Holley and found in most cases the "Velocity Stack did nothing.

We put the same radius on a stove pipe the same height as the velocity stack and got exactly the same hp on several test days

A friend has a Twin Turbo SBF 34 Ford (tall hood line). He came off the Turbos, went upward to a 180 bend, and into the stovepipe (for each turbo)
the 10" stove pipe length really worked well with distributing the air to the Holley carb. Even under boost and a bit higher velocity air.

So if I hear Velocity Stack, I think "GOT YOUR MONEY SUCKER"

Tom V.

Salad bowls are cheap.

Agree and probably actually do a better job as they typically have a very nice smooth radiused edge on them. That radius is everything.

Tom V.