Donaldson air filter

[CFZYK]

Skyhawkers,
I finally got sick of constantly changing bracket foamies and losing rpms because of it.
So I installed a Donaldson air filter on my O300.
Wow! I am impressed. I picked up about 30rpm static and almost 100 on take off roll. By the time I was airborne, I was looking at 2500 rpm where I used to see 2375 to 2400. I could keep 2500 rpm during through a 70kt climb.
In straight and level with wot I was seeing 2600.
Never saw these numbers before but I am very happy. Cheapest performance gain you can buy and I recommend it.

D

 

[FloridaFlyer]

Is this a complete frame replacement for the Bracket, or just the insert?

Mike

 

[96Mystic]

Sometimes, higher airflow means less filtering. Dunno if that's the case with Donaldson. Hard to get good data on stuff like that.

 

[Challenger1]

I have read that the donaldson has very good flow numbers and what was in my plane when I bought it.
When I put a power flow exhaust on, I installed a Challenger air filter which I am very happy with. I do some off pavement landings so my filter get's dirty and I have been able to clean it as often as needed which I like. I also get my old oil analyzed by blackstone which shows low silicon number indicating my air filter is working.

 

[MRC01]

From what I read about Donaldson, they are a different kind of filter. The OEM is oiled cotton similar to K&N. Donaldson are dry, but not paper because they can be cleaned with water, dried, and reused. If it has a lot of surface area (pleats), then it could flow better than the oiled cotton while also providing equal or better filtration.

As @Challenger1 mentions, watch the Si levels in your oil analysis to see how well your air filter is working.