You Can Install A “Green” Air Filter!
All right now, no laughing. Probably the easiest part to swap out in a car is the air filter. A quick pop of the hood and the loosening of a couple of clamps or a wing nut and you simply reach in 
and pull out the old air filter. Next, open the box up containing your new air filter, pop it into place, secure everything and you are done. Five, maybe ten minutes to accomplish the easiest job going. So, why doesn’t everyone change their own air filter? More importantly, why don’t more people opt for environmentally friendly air filters, commonly known as “green” air filters? You can install a green air filter yourself and do much more than keep the air clean in the process.
So, what is a “green” air filter? A green air filter is an environmentally friendly air filter. No, they aren’t usually green as the color green is what signifies that the product works in harmony with nature. Now go hug a tree.
Photo credit to Chris Lephart of Canal Winchester, OH
Seriously, there are several advantages to owning a green or reusable air filter:
Once is Enough. With a reusable air filter, you never have to buy another air filter again for your car. Periodically, all you would have to do is take the air filter out, clean it, and then reinstall it. Reusable air filters, such as an AFE air filter, are made of a washable cotton gauze material. As you probably know, cotton is one of the most durable materials on God’s green earth.
Save the Landfills. In many states, disposing of trash is a big problem. You can do your part by not adding to the problem. Just think about it: over the lifespan of a car you could easily add 8, 10, 15 or more air filters and boxes to the city dump. With a reusable air filter, less is actually more.
Engine Runs Better. A deep pleat in a reusable air filter means better filtration: your car’s engine “breathes” better with a higher quality, natural product. As you may know, an efficient engine uses less fuel too.
Sure, a reusable air filter will cost you more, approximately 2-4 times the price of a throw away air filter. However, you will recoup that money over time and do your part in showing environmental responsibility. Who can put a price on all of that? Go with green and make a difference today!
Copyright 2006 – Matt Keegan, is The Auto Writer, who writes about a variety of automotive products including AFE air filters and other environmentally friendly products for your car, truck, van, or SUV.
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July 13th, 2007 at 9:57 am
Great Article! You can help the environment, save money in the long run, and have your car run better….Not sure why everyone doesn’t do this.
July 13th, 2007 at 10:19 am
Another passing advantage is that service techs don’t try to sell you a new, clean paper filter at every oil change. Filters often LOOK dirty before the filter media is actually saturated.
With the appropriate cleaning kit it is really not much trouble at all to clean and refresh a re-usable filter. Depending on your driving habits and environment, you may only need to clean the re-usable filter every 25,000 miles. This is probably about 2 years of driving for many people.
Cleaning usually consists of rinsing the filter media, allowing it to dry, and then applying a light oil coating to the filter. This is something that is easy to do while washing, waxing, and detailing the car.
July 13th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Very interesting article. I wasn’t aware that you could buy environmentally friendly air filters. If they live up to their claim of being reusable, then you could achieve decent savings, as well as doing your bit for the environment – 2 birds with 1 stone! Its always a hassle buying new air filters – I assume with these green filters you can just wash them and stick them back on.
Thanks for the informative article Matt
July 13th, 2007 at 10:25 am
If you do use a “green filter” and it happens to be foam you should keep an eye on it. Foam filters will age and start to crumble with enough time. Cotton ones should also be replaced after enough time but they usually outlast the vehicle.
July 13th, 2007 at 10:29 am
It’s most often the small things that, in the end, make the big difference. The next time I’ll definitely go for a green air filter instead of a one-time filter.
July 13th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Is it also help to improvment ecology situation?
July 13th, 2007 at 11:00 am
Yes, All Best Cars it is. You get better performance and you can realize a small gain in fuel savings too.
July 13th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Yes, good article. The most positive part about a “Green Filter” is the idea that one day all of our cars will be built with “Green” parts, as in, the car building process isnt as harmful on the enviroment as it is today. Addtionally, when cars go to get crushed at the end of their life, many parts are reused, but most arent.
July 13th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Going green doesn’t mean going slow. There are lots of improvements in cars today withe the environment in mind. some of these cars are also very powerful and have awesome performances. Changing the air filter is one of the most used modifications people do on their cars.
when I read the title I though it would be a filter with the Green brand, that is sold in europe. But they aren’t Green it works in harmony with nature and with the future of the environment in mind.
July 13th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Well, wonder where that puts us imports or rather “modded” cars. We dont really look into this unless your on a budget then cleaning the ol’ first filter is sensible. I know APC makes a good one that comes with filter oil to keep it nice a clean. But changing your air filter is something ideal for you car to make sure its running like its suppose too.
Regards.
July 13th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Nice article. didnt know about this. i guess not many people are looking into keeping the environment green. most usually dont think of long term effect.
July 13th, 2007 at 11:15 am
A great article. I didnt know about “green” air filter. but I dont thing lots of ppl will opt for it cos they just want cheap prices . everything depends of pricing. but airfilter is not as big of a problem as emission and now a days ppl want bigger engines that produce huge power and use up lots of fuel. Green air filter will help the environment but the main focus should be emission, maybe a hydrogen fueled engine ( unlikely for mass production in the near future)??
July 13th, 2007 at 11:21 am
I have a 2004 Nissan Frontier that has had a K&S filter since it was new. I bought it used with 6,000 miles which is how I got my introduction to green filters and I couldn’t be happier. Once a year I pull it out and clean it, spray on a new coating of the sticky stuff and put it back in. No more getting bugged everytime I visit Oil Can Henry’s to replace my filter at the jacked up price. I will never own another vehicle without one!
July 13th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Riding a motorcycle is inherently a green activity. There are also long life air filters available for motorcycles as well. And you’re right, with proper care and maintenance (which is really nothing harder than replacing your air filter) it will outperform disposable ones!
Thanks for the great article!
July 13th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Very nice article ! Nowadays it is very important to take the “green direction” , since cars contribute so much to the pollution they are ultimately one place where we can cut back a lot and improve our enviroment .
July 13th, 2007 at 11:35 am
To be honest, I think it is worth spending the extra cash in order to help the environment, even something as simple as this could have a postive impact on the environment if enough people did it.
July 13th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Good article, I hadn’t really thought of that before.
We live in such a disposable society (buy, use once, throw away), that we are forgetting how to make things last. Unfortunately, this means paying the price in creating huge landfills where we dump all this waste, and ruin the land for decades.
This is only one small item, but every little bit can add up.
July 13th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
“Green” air filters are a great addition to almost any car. The thing like many “green” enhancements is that the cost inhibits many people from doing it. Manufacturers need to continue to develop the technology in order to make them cost effective for the mainstream people.
July 13th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
I would like to add some points to your Article … The filtration we get from Green air filters doesn’t harm airflow. Additional pleats make up the difference. Combined with heavy-duty construction and a positive seal, Green air filters rise to the top of the performance filter pack. So make your car or Truck the talk of the neighborhood with a new Green Air Filter!
Keep it up frd
July 13th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Thanks for your insight, Trucks and Trailers. Yes, performance (or green) air filters breath better thus freeing up engine power and helping slightly to reduce gas consumption. You’ll pay 2-5 times more for this type of filter v. a paper filter but it should be the last air filter your vehicle will ever need.
July 13th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
I have used reusable air filters (usually K&N) for years. I’ve never heard them referred to as “Green” air filters before, but I suppose it is true that it saves on waste and tree consumption, not to mention a pretty good pitch from a marketing standpoint. Before, reusable air filters were marketed to gearheads like myself who were just looking for a couple more horsepower, but now they can market it to a much broader market.
July 13th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Hello Gear. Yes, they are much more typically known as “performance” air filters as these are the same types of filters race car drivers use. The “green” angle is mostly marketing, but it does make sense as only one of those will end up in the landfill while ten or more of the paper ones will.
July 13th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
I couldn’t agree more. I have done this myself, the engine does really run better. My car’s performance improved the moment I installed, the nice thing about it , installing a green air filter will benefit you as much as it will for people around you. Wonderful article.
July 13th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
This is a great step forward from an environmental perspective and also makes long term financial sense. Good article!
July 13th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Its is interestng to see that by adding this new green filter, we would not need to change an engine filter again. Perhaps that is the reason why they industry are not pushing it too hard – no replacement required, no more sales!
July 14th, 2007 at 4:00 am
Great article, as you say this is such an easy thing to change on your car! Everyone should really do this as it wont affect their performance in a bad way and at the same time you do not pollute environment.
Thanks again for the article!
July 14th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Hi Mark. I don’t believe that “the industry” is not interested in these types of air filters. Instead, automobile manufacturers hold costs down by putting in OEM parts. Once it is time to swap out an air filter, then it makes perfect sense to switch. With most car owners not keeping their vehicles until they wear out, the incentive to use a performance or green air filter really isn’t there.
July 16th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
A secondary advantage is that unlike a one-time use filter, these reusable filters can be “changed” as often as you have time. A quick rinse every weekend will help restore the filter to brand new condition as opposed to the 3, 6 or 12 month intervals between one time use filters.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:44 am
good article, the change will be slow and tough for this type of product but these air filters seem like a good thing so people should get there in the end.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:48 am
everyone should do their best to see if they can use these air filters, it looks like the automotive industry is starting to take a few baby steps in the right direction for the planet and if they go in the correct direction then that will start to have an effect
July 17th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Very informative and well written article. There are countless benefits to using green air filters, and it just makes plain sense! Also the AFE air filters that you linked to are very cool products, and I like the fact that they have a separate “ice box” to keep the filter away from the hot engine air flow.
July 18th, 2007 at 3:13 am
great post, but most of the people are afraid of changing things on there own, ans garages know that they earn more buy selling cheap particles so you are left with a cheap useless air filter you have to change almost yearly