5.0 motor, it’s about 1year 15000 miles old. I change it along with cabin air filter every spring, but also read that dirty filters are more efficient? So I’m debating change engine air filter every year or every other year.
thanks

 

Just when does a more efficient dirty filter become a less efficient dirty filter?
I’ve always been curious about that.

 

Typically for me on NA engines it's 25-30k miles. Turbo charged engines it's every 20k miles. My Ram Cummins had a filter minder and it was in the red zone by 20k miles.

For the filter in the above picture I would go at least another 10k miles.

 

Change it!

 

^^^ Dirty filters are LESS efficient.

 

I would change the air filter. It's done it's job. There's no such thing as too clean / new of a filter, but the opposite sure is. Cheap insurance for the long run.

 

Yes. You do.

 

what exactly are you trying to mitigate with "cheap insurance"?? I can guarantee you put that filter on a flow bench vs a new one there isn't much difference in cfm

 

It’s out of the truck I’d change it. Dirty filter being better probably comes from K&N making there ridiculous claims.

 

What I try to mitigate with cheap insurance by changing it is the fact that when I notice that it is dirty I change it so I don't just put it back in and say hey it will work for another 10k. Because what often happens is that we forget to check in 10k and it gets too dirty and there's a loss of fuel economy and other wear factors. And compared to my truck payment, insurance payment, cost of tires, etc, etc, the price of a filter is so small. I'm also in Texas and the dust and dirt are an issue.