f you live in the drought-stricken West, are into off-road racing, or simply like to hot rod along the trails, you undoubtedly noticed that the amount of dust and crud you kick up has markedly increased. Blame it on climate change or those new big knobby tires; you are kicking up a ton of dirt. Unfortunately, while you may enjoy the Indiana Jones effect, your engine doesn’t. All that dust is clogging up your air filter faster, starving the engine of the oxygen it needs to combust the fuel completely. Your fuel efficiency drops, and you’re also spending more on replacement filters.
Fortunately, the aftermarket industry has developed air intake systems that improve or replace OEM systems. Explicitly designed for operating in difficult, dusty environments, these systems can prolong the life of your air filter and keep your engine purring with no loss in fuel efficiency or carbon buildup. If you don’t want to worry about choking out your ride while ripping up Great Bend trails or taking on the Moab, explore these air intake alternatives.
A clean air filter seems like a simple thing, but when your road is sand or dirt, the filter becomes your first line of defense for engine performance. Just like you, your engine requires reasonably clean air to run, and just like you, when that air fills with dust, smoke, or other particulates, it will choke and run less efficiently. There are dozens of air intake solutions. Take the time to check out a few to see how you can increase horsepower and fuel efficiency.