Tech: Airaid’s New Race and Track Day Filters

You love to take your car to the track and run it to your heart’s content, but what air filter is right for your application? Do you go with a full race setup and just never take your car out on the street? Or do you sacrifice a little bit of power on the track to have a true street and strip machine? Well, for those answers we turned to the experts at Airaid, one of the top manufacturers of performance air filters that recently released a new Track Day and Race Day line of filters.

IMG_7173Since 1997, Airaid has been dedicated to creating products for the performance automotive market. From throttle body boosters and poweraid spacers to intakes and air filters, everything that comes out of the company has performance car owners in mind. This is especially true of the new Track Day and Race Day filters introduced to the market last fall.

What Is A Track Day or Race Day Filter?

Produced with racers in mind, Airaid’s Track Day and Race Day filters are designed to give high-performance engines the maximum amount of airflow while still protecting them from air-born particles. To do this, both filter lines are enhanced with the latest materials and technology.

Track Day Filter

Featuring the same high-quality construction as Airaid’s every-day filter options, Track Day Filters feature polyurethane casings, a wire mesh construction and four layers of high flow cotton gauze. This construction is meant to enhance airflow to the engine while still maintaining adequate filtration.

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“The difference between our Track Day and normal filters is the filter media itself,” Airaid’s Trenton McGee told us in a recent conversation. “Our normal oiled filters include four layers of cotton gauze plus a synthetic layer. The synthetic layer serves two purposes: it helps get the filtration down to where we feel it needs to be for everyday use (around 4 microns), plus it helps keep the oil suspended in the filter media rather than getting sucked into the engine. Our track day filters have just four layers of cotton gauze and ship dry. The Track Day provides good engine protection for controlled track conditions like a race track while providing excellent airflow.”

IMG_7182Though shipped dry, Track Day filters can be oiled for extra filtration, according to McGee.

Race Day Filter

For even more airflow, Airaid offers the Race Day Filter, which consists of a polyurethane casing and durable wire mesh screen, but no filtration media. While this means that the filter is strictly limited to protecting against large debris, such as pebbles and tire marbles, it also means the least restricted airflow possible for your track-ready engine.

Which One is for You?

When deciding which filter type to go with, it’s important to determine the amount of street and track use your vehicle will get. For those performance cars that have mild to moderate performance modifications, such as heads, headers or maybe even a cam swap, but only spend a fraction of their time at the track, Airaid’s traditional oiled or SynthaMax dry filters will provide plenty of airflow while protecting your engine. If your vehicle gets quite a bit of street use, Airaid recommends you equip it with one of their performance filters from their standard product line.

IMG_7176Track Day Filters are meant for high-performance street and strip cars, or vehicles that spend a good chunk of time at the track and rarely see any street action. They are also widely used on vehicles with power adders, such as turbochargers or superchargers. This is because airflow is increased with the Track Day Filters over what their standard performance filters flow, but they still provide a good barrier between your engine and particulates in track settings.

Because they don’t introduce any restriction at all, Race Day Filters are meant strictly for race machines. According to McGee these filters do not provide any protection against small particulates, therefore you would not want to use them on the road where both large and small debris is unavoidable.

“Airflow and filtration are a delicate balance; you can’t have the absolute best of both,” McGee told us. “The Track Day filters flow more than our standard filters but this additional flow comes at the cost of some filtration. This is why we recommend them for controlled environments. The Race Day filters are basically like not running a filter at all, but they are a great choice for a serious performance engine.”

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Even your basic carbureted engine air cleaners come in Track Day and Race Day configurations!

One good thing about Airaid’s line of filters is that you don’t have to just stick with one choice either. If you’d prefer to run a traditional oiled or SynthaMax filter on the street and then change it over to a Track Day or Race Day filter for competitions, that is absolutely possible.

All of Airaid’s universal filters, as well as the filters they use in their cold air intakes and kits, are all available in Track Day and Race Day configurations. Even 14-inch and 16-inch round air cleaners commonly seen on carbureted engines are available through the new line. All you need to interchange them is a flat-head screwdriver or a 5/16-inch bolt driver.

How Do You Get One For Your Car?

Getting the filter of your choice from Airaid is simple, whether it’s a traditional configuration or from the new line. That’s because Airaid provides both a comprehensive website with tons of information on each filter choice, as well as a dedicated tech-line that can be called to discuss options, get advice and secure the filter that is best for your ride.

“Airaid is owned and operated by automotive enthusiasts of all types, from drag racers, to autocross, to circle track, to off-road,” said McGee. “We’re happy to make recommendations for specific needs and uses.”

For all your Track Day and Race Day Filter options, be sure to check out Airaid online! Happy Racing!

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About the author

Lindsey Fisher

Lindsey is a freelance writer and lover of anything with a rumble. Hot rods, muscle cars, motorcycles - she's owned and driven it all. When she's not busy writing about them, she's out in her garage wrenching away. Who doesn't love a tech-savy gal that knows her way around a garage?
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