Rating of air filters for cars. Rating of the best cabin filters. Signs of filter clogging

Air, or rather oxygen, is the most important component in the air-fuel mixture, which burns and sets in motion. As a result, the generated energy is transferred to the wheels, and the car drives.

And the more efficiently clean air is supplied, the better the motor functions and the vehicle behaves. And in order to achieve the desired degree of cleaning, an element such as an air filter is installed in front of the entrance to the engine intake manifold.

As part of each MOT, and sometimes even more often, the filter is subject to mandatory replacement. And then the car owner has a natural question about the right choice a new consumable for your car.

To simplify the purchase task, many car enthusiasts can use the current rating, consisting of the best air filters for cars.

Criterias of choice

The best does not always mean the most expensive. Conversely, the most expensive filters are not always preferred in terms of quality, efficiency and durability.

To determine the most preferred manufacturers in the final ranking, their air filters are produced for different cars must meet certain criteria. Namely:

• Value for money. The consumer is obliged to understand that the money invested in the consumable is justified. Some manufacturers have unreasonably high prices, while cheaper products from other companies are of excellent quality.
• Availability. The car owner needs to be sure of the ability to freely buy consumables at the right time. Therefore, filters that rarely come across on the market, even with their excellent quality, cannot claim the title of the best.
• Range. Leading companies manufacture products for different brands and various models. At the same time, it is important that the wide choice does not negatively affect the final quality. For top brands, this is not a problem.
• Suggestions for discontinued cars. Since in Russia, cars that are more than 10 years old are actively used and they were taken out of production, the opportunity to purchase new air filters for such cars remains relevant.
• Compliance of the declared characteristics with real capabilities. An important criterion, but somewhat conditional, since the service life and filtering capabilities of the filter largely depend on the operating conditions.
• Life time. Even the most quality cleaners are not durable. But they are obliged to work out their guaranteed period.
• Manufacturer's reputation. One of the key criteria for ordinary motorists, as drivers are used to trusting reputable firms. And the latter are not interested in losing ground. There are many competitors.

Only the best manufacturers are able to provide the highest quality air filters suitable for different car brands and models.

Rating representatives

It is impossible to make a top of the best car air filters for specific products. Here you can only focus on manufacturers.

As of 2019, the following manufacturers are the priority for consumers and experts:

• Bosch.
• Mann Filters.
• Knecht Mahle.
• Filtron.
• Delphi.
• Big Filter.

It is their products that are recognized as the highest quality, corresponding to their value, as well as meeting the requirements for efficiency, service life and durability. When a consumer wants to find the best air filters for a car at the moment, it is worth turning to the brands presented in the top.

It is important to understand that each manufacturer offers a wide range of products designed for different models and brands. vehicles... By choosing the products of one of the recognized leaders, the engine will receive reliable protection from pollution. Do not forget only to change the consumable in a timely manner, as well as select the appropriate design features specifically your car's air filter.

Now it is necessary to get acquainted with each of the presented manufacturers separately.

Deserved hit among the best automotive filters. Largely due to the low cost and fairly high quality of performance. Air filters for cars from Nipparts are manufactured in Indonesia, and are supplied in large volumes to Russia and the CIS countries. They are the best in terms of build accuracy. Also, consumers highly appreciated the quality of the packaging, which is important due to the region of product delivery.

Many products of this brand have additional stiffening jumpers, a solid frame, and well-readable markings. Filters from Nipparts belong to the budget category, but this does not prevent them from getting into the current rating. Excellent value for money. On average, their filters cost about 250-300 rubles.

Consumers note that Nipparts consumables are practically not inferior to the originals, but they are several times cheaper. This is one of best options save money on the air filter, but at the same time not at the expense of the quality and efficiency of the engine.

If the car owner is interested in which air filters he should use for German cars so that they are not inferior to expensive originals, then you should pay close attention to consumables from Blue Print. Although they are relevant not only for the German car.

According to the tests and reviews of the car owners themselves Volkswagen brands, BMW, Mercedes and Audi, the installation of such non-originals completely replaces the original cleaner, but saves the budget somewhat. It is only important to determine what kind of consumable is needed for your specific car.

In addition to German cars Blue Print offers analogs of original air filters for:

• Chrysler.
• Acura.
• Honda.
• Chevrolet.
• Cadillac.
• Alfa Romeo etc.

They are not inferior in price many times over to the original filters, but they are still cheaper.

Delphi

An American brand that has existed for about 20 years, which is quite small compared to some of the mastadondas, which you will learn about a little later.

But despite their modest age, these car air filters are in many ways better than products from longer established companies. In the Delphi assortment, you can find any consumables that are suitable for almost all currently produced machines. And also for those models that have been discontinued.

Delphi is widely represented in the Russian market and enjoys fair demand here. But the company has one problem, due to its good reputation, reliability and efficiency. Because of this, fakes are often seen under the guise of Delphi filters. Therefore, it is worth choosing the places where you buy air vents of this brand more carefully.

UFI

An Italian auto parts manufacturer that has gained immense popularity in Europe and has become one of the best filter suppliers.

The company was founded back in 1972. In terms of production scale, UFI ranks 4th in Europe.

As a manufacturer of independent consumables under its own brand in Russia, UFI is not among the most popular and widespread. This can be largely explained by the high price, but which is fully justified during operation.

UFI's assortment includes special designs designed for vehicles operating in difficult and extreme conditions.

UFI produces air filters of superior reliability and superior quality. This is proved by the fact that UFI supplies its products to the conveyors of giants among automakers. Among them is the Ferrari company.

WIX

Another American manufacturer of parts. The company specializes in the manufacture of cleaning devices, including cabin and car air filters.

The brand celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. At the same time, you cannot call it obsolete. The company integrates innovative technologies and uses high quality materials.

At the same time, WIX is also included in the premium segment, which is why it has not gained wide popularity in Russia, where more budget products are preferred. But in terms of quality, reliability and efficiency, these are truly some of the best filters in the world.

A German manufacturer of auto parts with more than 5,000 air filter options for different brands and models of cars.

The company has existed since 1958. Provides products for the primary and secondary vehicle market. This allows among Hengst offers to find filters for machines that have been discontinued for a long time.

The manufacturer is highly regarded in the market for its ecological ideology, as well as the desire and successful attempts to introduce innovative technologies into product development.

Knecht Mahle

According to many experts and ordinary motorists, it is this company that deserves to lead the rating among the best manufacturers air filters in terms of quality. Yes, the products are quite expensive, but the price is explained by the approach to production, the materials used and the high cleaning efficiency.

The main office is located, but production facilities are located throughout Europe and beyond. The brand has existed since 1972.

Air filters from Knecht Mahle are very often recommended as replacements for original consumables. Moreover, it is not so rare that analogs turn out to be even higher in terms of performance than the originals. But this is more of a subjective judgment. For the objectivity of such statements, specific tests are needed.

Products undergo a strict quality control system, which excludes the likelihood of defects. Everything is thought out to the smallest detail.

Mann Filters

Another German manufacturer of air filters, which is one of the world leaders.

The company was founded back in 1941, and quickly broke into a leading position, not yielding them to this day.

The company has its own research centers and design organizations that improve products, search for new solutions and introduce innovative technologies.

The highest level of quality is reflected in many ways and in the price. Some analogs can cost about the same as the original filters.

Bosch

When it comes to buying non-original high quality spare parts, almost every more or less experienced car enthusiast first of all has a thought about Bosch.

It is a recognized leader in the world that manufactures a wide range of products including air filters. The company has many factories around the world. But such a distribution of efforts is not at all detrimental to quality.

Filters from Bosch are fully consistent with their price, are of excellent quality. The company offers a huge selection of consumables for different cars, which are still in production, and which have long been discontinued.

Big Filter

Domestic response to numerous foreign companies that literally flooded Russian market... But among all this wide variety, filters from Big Filter occupy a special place.

The company was founded in St. Petersburg. Already from the name it is obvious that the company specializes in the production of different types automotive filters, including air filters.

The products are of high quality at a fairly low price. Many products cost the buyer less than 300-400 rubles. With a similar level of performance for filters from eminent foreign brands, you will have to pay at least 500-600 rubles.

The company also acts as the main supplier of consumables for the assembly lines of imported car models, which are assembled at factories in the Russian Federation. This indicates a high status and an appropriate level of quality.

A competent approach to the production and use of high-quality materials, at fairly low prices, has led to the huge popularity of Big Filter filters among domestic motorists.

Filtron

This company came about through the efforts of Polish and American representatives. As a result, it turned out to create an excellent enterprise for the manufacture of auto components.

In 2016, the company became part of the Mann Hummer group, which made it possible to receive an additional bonus in the form of the latest developments and the introduction of innovative technologies.

Filtron demonstrates a high level of efficiency, good cleaning performance and a long service life.

Only the car owner himself decides which consumable to use. All presented air filters are great for cars. They are objectively better than many competitors, even sometimes surpassing them in cost.

Each of the presented manufacturers really deserves a place in the rating. But it would be wrong to assign specific positions to firms, given their attitude to different price segments.

Years of experience, tests and analytical data clearly show that the difference between the leading manufacturers of air filters and those who supply cheap products of low quality is huge. Therefore, trusting nameless filters is categorically not worth it.

Focus on those who enjoy well-deserved popularity and respect among ordinary motorists.

Over 15 thousand km cabin filter can be even 150 grams heavier. This is the mass of the dust that could get into the cabin and settle on the interior details and light passengers. What is not a proof of the usefulness of cabin air filters!

Our fathers and grandfathers did not even suspect that not only the engine would be equipped with an air filter in the car, but also ... the cabin space. However, for us, this is no longer a fantasy, but a routine. True, not everyone knows what filters are and how often they need to be changed.

First, let's make an excursion into history. Cabin filters in the design of cars appeared in the early 90s of the last century (for the first time they were equipped with Mercedes S-class W140 1991) during a period of rapid growth in intensity road traffic in developed countries. At first, these were ordinary paper filters, similar to air filters engine, then there were multilayer structures made of synthetic material, in which each layer was responsible for cleaning the air from particles of a certain size. The next stage is the carbon cabin filters, in the design of which activated carbon was used. The substrate of this material, which has been given a porous structure, helps to clean the air drawn into the passenger compartment from harmful chemical compounds contained in the exhaust gases of cars. A little later, the carbon filters were improved - their design became multi-layered: a paper filter layer, carbon and synthetic fiber with an electrostatic charge. Most modern air purification systems also have an antimicrobial agent added to the filtration system to remove germs and bacteria from the air.

Choice theory

The most common cabin filters are synthetic (made of synthetic fibers) and carbon (with interlayers of synthetic fibers). When operating a car in megalopolises, the second option is preferable. If you live in a small town or village and travel very rarely in conditions of gas pollution, then a cheaper conventional filter is quite suitable. However, this option should be discarded if you or your passengers suffer from allergies during the spring-summer flowering.

Another advantage of the cabin filter is that it reduces the contamination of the air conditioner radiator-evaporator. This is very important, as moisture condenses on its surface. This factor, combined with heat and debris accumulating on the surface, provokes the formation of an ideal environment for the reproduction of various kinds of microbes. And during the period of "shedding" of poplar fluff, when the temperature often allows you not to use the air conditioner, but to open the windows, the result of such ventilation will be an abundance of fluff in the cabin. Therefore, it is better to use a regular fan that drives air through the cabin filter.

Subtleties of TO

In Ukrainian road realities, the cabin filter needs to be changed at least after 15 thousand km. The increased dustiness of the air on our roads does not allow prolonging the period of its operation. Otherwise, the load on the electric fan of the system increases (its resource decreases), ventilation of the passenger compartment deteriorates, and poor airflow of the radiator-evaporator of the air conditioner (climate control) leads to its freezing and an additional decrease in the efficiency of cooling the interior space.

When operating in particularly dusty conditions in the interval between replacements, the filter (paper, synthetic, carbon) can be serviced by blowing with compressed air (from a compressor or vacuum cleaner), and the synthetic filter can also be washed using a liquid detergent (but not washing powder, after drying which fine white dust will fly into the cabin).

From my own feelings, I note that in the conditions of metropolitan traffic jams with increased gas content, the carbon filter effectively absorbs the aromas of exhaust gases up to about 5 thousand km. Blowing out the filter does not help in this case, so it continues to purify the air only mainly from dust, pollen and other particles.

Signs of filter contamination:

• the performance of the ventilation, heating and air conditioning system decreases, which is manifested by a low air flow when the fan is turned on at full power;
• glasses fog up faster in wet weather (when air recirculation is turned off, when it comes from outside);
• appears bad smell when the air recirculation in the passenger compartment is turned on

Thanks to the cabin filters, both the driver and passengers while driving in the car, soot and dust emanating from other vehicles. The filter limits the ingress of carbon monoxide and other harmful substances into the car interior, thereby preserving the health of everyone in the car.

Choosing the best cabin filter.

Where is the cabin filter located

In most cases, these components are located in the inner wall of the glove compartment. Therefore, you can replace them yourself, without contacting professionals. To do this, it is enough to unscrew all connections and remove the glove compartment. The second location option is under dashboard or the hood - getting to them is already more difficult and in this case it is quite difficult to do without professional help. Note that when replacing after long-term operation, you can find on the "old" filter the remains of branches, leaves, soot, insects, dirt and everything else from which it protected you.

Important! Don't buy too expensive filters. The price does not always affect the quality. Buying non-original products can be much cheaper and at the same time not differ in the level of quality from original spare parts.

Types of cabin filters and their advantages

It is worth highlighting two types of filters:

• coal;
• ordinary (anti-dust).

Conventional, that is, anti-dust filters, trap the largest particles, I cannot cope with small ones. Retains soot, fluff, dust and pollen. Coal, thanks to (from which the name comes from), do not allow large particles to penetrate into the interior of the car, and also absorb all harmful substances (including unpleasant odors, which significantly distinguishes them from the "usual").

For example, being in a traffic jam at rush hour in front of an old bus, smoking smoke, an unpleasant smell will not bother you, and the filter will also protect your lungs from harmful substances. So, let's take a closer look at each of them.

Unlike its carbon cousin, conventional filters do not allow exceptionally large particles to pass through. Perform mechanical air cleaning only. for those who often move along the highway, or whose car is operated exclusively in a clean and unpolluted environment.

The carbon contained in the filter is treated with special chemicals that resist penetration vehicle unpleasant odors, smoke and bacteria. By adsorption, all gases remain on the surface of this component. The structure of the filters is porous, which also helps keep out. The cost is slightly higher than usual. Nevertheless, they are worth buying for those people who often move around the city or in an environment with strong unpleasant odors. For those who often move on the highway, a regular dust filter is quite suitable.

Which filter is better

The most famous manufacturing companies are Bosch and Corteco. Now we will describe several brands that you should pay attention to when choosing.

1. Bosch. Undoubtedly, a modern company keeping up with the times. Constantly improving and trying to create better products, focusing on modern market... The cost of its filters (both conventional and charcoal) is quite low. Despite the budget, the filters do not differ in a particularly high level of quality; nevertheless, they cope with the task of air purification relatively well.
   
2. Corteco. The next most popular brand. It is so popular due to its rather low price and high level of quality from pollution. Coal options cost special attention because they do their job one hundred percent. The cost of ordinary paper options is average - and they do not differ at all from other filters (they also retain large particles and let unpleasant odors inside the car).
   
3. Raf Filter or Mann Filter. Raf Filter is produced in the Czech Republic, and Mann Filter is produced in China or Russia. Both options are equally good. They perfectly cope with pollution, without letting harmful substances into the vehicle interior. The Czech company offers antifungal as well as antibacterial options (their level of quality has been tested in practice, so they are deservedly on the list of the best).
   
4. Eiken. One of the oldest filter manufacturers, who did a good job on the quality of their "offspring". Most often they are equipped with cars made in Japan... During the manufacture, a special cloth is used, which allows the filters not to lose their characteristics throughout the entire service life. Quite a budget option.
   
5. Valeo. Expensive, but high quality and reliable. The company keeps its brand and produces best materials for filtering systems of vehicles. By purchasing a cabin filter from this company, you can be sure of its quality, as well as forget about foreign odors that regularly enter the cabin from the street.
   
6. VIC. 99% protects the interior from the ingress of not only large particles, but also various bacteria, including not very pleasant odors. They are made of special materials that have a high level of dirt holding capacity. The coating is electret, capturing the smallest particles, up to one hundred microns in size (smoke, dust, pollen, bacteria, etc.). One of the best options in terms of quality. But from the point of view of cost, it will not please.
   
7. Goodwill, Fram, Mahle. All three of these companies are in the same position because their devices have the same cleaning performance. The price is excellent, while the filtration capacity is quite high level.
   
8. Denso. Is located last place... Denso is a Japanese manufacturer. The company's filters do their job pretty well, remove odors and filter the air. However, he is still far from VIC. The overpriced, which clearly does not correspond to the capabilities of this element, will not please.
   

Not worth buying

AMD filter elements are distinguished not only by their low cost (which should not be deceived), but also by their low quality level. Speaking in simple words, this filter does not cope with its main task at all: it lets unpleasant odors, dust and other small particles inside the vehicle. Its only advantage is the price.