I was bored yesterday so after I washed my Crossfire I decided to pull the airbox off and take a look at the condition of the filters. Boy, was I shocked at what I saw. There was all kinds of dirt/sand/leaves/low-flying birds lodged in there! I took my handy-dandy air compressor and blew everything out and re-assembled it. I expect to get at least a 10 HP gain from the increased air flow!

Seriously, if you haven't done it yet, pull your filters and take a look. And remember, if you decide to use compressed air on the filters, blow from the clean side, not the dirty side. You want to force the dirt out of the filter, not lodge it in there further!

 

Yep! It's amazing how dirty they get! One reminder, too. If you order new filters from the dealer, they come (2) to the box! My dealer didn't know this and ordered two sets! I took them anyway since I'll need them at some point. I know like most modifications it may be in my mind, but it feels like it runs better! Maybe it's just happier!

 

bobs,

Have you ever considered K&N filters? You didn't mention how many miles you had on your filters. If it was as dirty as I imagine, you should change it, not blow it out.

 

I'm planning on ordering them any day now. The actual reason I pulled the filters was to see what they looked like.

 

Hey-

New to the site and new to Crossfires. A real rookie question here...I would like to change out my air filters to K&Ns, but can't figure out how to access the air boxes. I assume they are under the top engine cover, but can't see easily how to remove to access the filters without breaking a mounting point. I've learned not to muscle german parts for things break easily when pushed/pulled in areas where not designed.

Can anyone please send help... pictures...annotations!

Thanks much... look forward to good times on the site.

 

remove the 2 black air tubes at the front of the cover... they side back to remove. then pull up on the cover from the rear to release it. you may need to pull hard... rubber grommets hold it in place.

when reinstalling it... be sure to align the mass air flow sensor up first... at the back of the cover. this makes it easier to reattach it imo.

its easy to do... after you do once.

 

Here's just a little info I found on filters while rummaging through the MBForum.

Don't buy Green filters!!!
Green Filter thread:
http://mbworld.org/forums/showthread...=green+filters

BMC seem to be the best so far.
ITG, BMC Filter thread:
http://mbworld.org/forums/showthread...=green+filters

 

...and when lifting to remove, don't lift from the silver plastic in the very front! Lift under the black plastic tube that is still attached to the cover. My dealer lifted the silver part and cracked it. At least they replaced it. They called it a warranty issue! I guess that kept the tech from paying for it. It even came with new filters.