Stupid question but the apexi website doesn't really say much about this. I'm assuming this is a reuseable filter. How do you clean it? Just a blast of air?

 

You don't.............

 

Yup... you use it till its dirty and then toss it.

 

do you guys know the average lifetime of an apexi filter wiht berk intake, and where to find cheap replacements?

 

It's about 30K miles...IMO the filter is not worth it. I've run stock paper filters, K&N drop-in filter, APEXI cone filter, and now K&N cone filter.

The best overall value IMO is the K&N filter. I know people are wary of it because of the oil, and honestly I was too a few days ago when I pulled my intake plenum off. BUT...after further investigation I found oil residue in my intake tube (Injen CAI) which leads me to strongly believe the oil residue in the intake plenum was a reseult of the blow-by (damn air regs).

 

Not sure about the average lifespan. Apexi is not cheap. Best bet is to look on ebay.

 

I just ordered the berk intake with an apexi filter. Ive tried k&n on an injen intake when I had my mazda 3 and I never had problems but with an intake being this short, I didnt wanna take any chances on oil getting on my MAF.

 

I'm on a MAf adapter and an Ebay cone filter, The biggest problem with this set up was supporting the cone, easily corrected by keeping the top support braket (for the air box) on the strut tower and a long zippy tie.

 

wow... at the prices I saw I assumed it was a reuseable...

 

K&N is the worst filter you can put on. I rahter have a stock nissan filter then that oily pos filter on my max. I have the apexi filter and the reason it is the best because it is not foam which can tear up and get sucked in, it doesnt have oil in it like K&N and you have to re-oil the filter. yes the apexi is paper but that is a good thing. lifespan on them is 30k and then toss them. i bought mine for $70.

 

I have never had any problems with any K&N filter I've had. I've been using them in diff forms since 1998. If someone is a total noobie and re-oils them improperly, you will have problems. But really, it's nothing an 8th grader couldn't do

 

On this car alone, I've had a K&N drop in for 30k miles and a K&N cone with the Berk intake for another 20k, and have had no issues whatsoever. I'm still using the original MAF that came with the car. I don't see why people think its so bad.

 

I guess I'm worried I'm a total noob, so instead of re-oiling my K&N i just replace it instead, after all they're still relatively cheap. I don't feel like taking a chance since our MAF'S are soo damn expensive, and so damn fussy! Apexi are good filters, but man the price is crazy for a throw away. Does anyone have any experience with AEM filters? They are also dry filters and I am thinking of switching over to these!

 

30k and toss... and you pay $70 per filter.

Ok, I love to spend money on my Maxima, but this just seems stupid. I buy her expensive oil, expensive antifreeze, expensive ATF, and expensive everything else, but I'm not going to drop $70 for a new air filter every time mine gets dirty. I'll just properly clean and lightly re-oil my K&N.

 

If you're comfortable with an oiled filter, but you're afraid that you'll mess up when you clean it and re-oil it yourself, you could always buy a new oiled filter every time yours gets dirty. Then you can sell your used one at a discount to somebody on the Org who is comfortable with cleaning and re-oiling his own filters. That way you can effectively reduce the cost of new reusable filters by getting some money back from your used ones.

 

Thats's exaxtly what ive been doing! I've been fortunate to be able to sell my old ones to friends, except my friends who need them are growing thin. I will br changing mine again in the next month so if someone wants my old one let me know!

 

Have any data to back up your "theory?"

All I know is from experience and after pulling my intake with over 75,000 miles on a K&N filter and seeing NO OIL RESIDUE inside I find your statement hard to believe.

 

Been running K&N for 15000 miles reoiled twice and no problems. If you follow the re-oil directions and not bathe thenm in oil you are fine. If you go to frankencars web they have an FAQ about K&N versus Apexi. They state Apexi through dyno's have proven a 3.5 hp advantage over maxima. Keep in mind though the apexi are roughly 50 dollar more and businesses are in it to make money. They also state life is 30-50k depending on climate. I stick with K&N because it is cheaper and I have a 2000 the MAF on 2000-01 are not as sensitive as you lucky ones with the 3.5.

 

I have been running the BERK/APEX-I for 12k miles....no problems so far

 

I have been using an SPW filter for 4k miles so far. Toss it and get a new one for $20, cheaper than A'PEXi.

 

The APEXi filter is the best choice for us Maxima owners, mostly because our MAF's are so g0dd@mn sensitive to Oil/dirt. K&N filters have a lot of oil in them, and being that the APEXi filter is a dry element filter you should be safe.

 

Not all Maxima MAF sensors are sensitive and weak. The OEM sensor used in the 2001 Maxima seems to be quite strong, based on reports from Org members. The MAF sensor used on the 2002 models (part number 22680-6N200) is the one that is notorious for failing if you just look at it the wrong way. 2003 models and possibly some late 2002 models do not use this weak MAF sensor. They use the 22680-AM600 model MAF sensor, which so far seems to be much more reliable than the old 22680-6N200 MAF sensor used in the 2002 Maxima.

Part number 22680-6N200 is no longer sold at most dealerships. If you're a 2002 owner with a failing 22680-6N200 MAF sensor, you will be given the newer 22680-AM600 sensor if you ask for a replacement. If you're upgrading from the 22680-6N200 to the 22680-AM600, you should also get an ECU flash upgrade. If you don't want to buy an expensive 22680-AM600 sensor, you can buy the cheaper MAF sensor from a 2001 Maxima and simply reuse the temperature sensor from your stock MAF sensor housing (on 2000 and 2001 Maximas, the IAT and MAF sensors were not in the same place).

 

Based on the feedback from other Org members, my own experience, and K&N filter studies (along with some independent studies), the oil issue only comes into play if you OVEROIL the filter. If the filter is OIL CORRECTLY you will not have issues.

This is a long-standing myth that K&N oil filter = oil in the intake and throttle body.

People...before you make blanket statements you need to do some searching and find the facts.

 

lol.. 30k? umm im way past that.. haha.. by double WOW...time for a new filter.. i keep putting it off.

but yea i love the apexi.. used to have k&N.. got the apexi because i was soo afriad of a failing maf.. failing maf = like 4-500 dollars.. apexi filter = 120 dollars...

intake = cheaper in my book

 

Im not bashing K&N filters, I use one myself. They do come out of the box pretty oiled.

 

Why is anybody spending this much money on a disposable air filter?! Just get the right MAF sensor for your car (read my post above), get a K&N, and follow the instructions.

RTFM, and everything will be all right.

 

You can get a new MAF for about a $100.

 

Where???????????????????????????????????

 

I know that people see a long post and just skim it instead of reading it, but c'mon... the info you're looking for was just a few posts up in THIS THREAD. If you have a 2002/2003 model, you can get a 2001 MAF sensor for around $100 (some sources are cheaper, some are more expensive). Since the 2000/2001 models had a separate MAF sensor and IAT sensor, you'll have to take the thermistor (temp sensor) out of your old MAF sensor housing and transfer it to the cheaper 2001 MAF sensor housing before you install it in your car. Look at this post in this thread for a picture of what I'm talking about.

This thread also has some info and good pics of the procedure. It is very easy, especially if you're replacing your MAF sensor anyway.

Btw... I just became a donating member today, and I LOVE being able to search. Now I know why Puppetmaster is always searching for other people and posting hundreds of links to old threads.

 

Apexi is a great Air filter. Breath well and make hp especially on a turbo car.

 

Nobody doubts that the Apexi is a good filter. The question is whether or not it's worth it to pay that much for a disposable filter.

 

i have over 50000 miles on my car with a k&n filter and berk intake.i have not had any problems with my maf sensor and the car has over 74000 miles on it!wish i could say the same for the tranny ,that had to be replaced last year

 

This page convinced me to get the Apex'i

http://www.mkiv.com/techarticles/filters_test/2/

 

Too bad the Apexi filter is NOT A LIFETIME use filter as they claim it to be. The manufacturer states a limitation on the usage to somewhere around 40,000 miles.

Unfortuantely Apexi has closed the US Operation so I could not pull this statement from their web site.

http://www.apexi-usa.com/

But Frankencar has something on their web site. They sell the Apexi filter.

http://www.frankencar.com/products/apexi.htm

 

I posted the link to show the Apex'i filter's filtering ability, and obv. nothing is lifetime warranty.

 

True...but as stated above, no one is arguing the filtering ability of Apexi. The debate lies in is the Apexi filter worth the added cost? But of course that all depends on the person.

 

I for one paid the extra $ for the peace of mind that the Apex'i filter does its job well.

 

Here's my take on it, if I pay more for synthetic oil, premium gas, premium performance parts (i.e. Cattmann, Brembo) then why not pay more for a better filter? Okay so what it cost me more then all others, it's performing better then all the others, and performance is more important to me then having a lifetime filter. I'll bag my work lunch for a month and have the needed cash, it's really not that big of a deal.

 

Good for you. But that may not be the same sentiments for other people on here.

As stated before...its all a matter of personal choice and what value people put on the particular filter.