[kurth92]

this seems alittle stupid but I figured if I'm unsure there are probably a bunch more amateurs like me who are unsure too and I couldn't find a thread outlining this exactly
so if someone who's knows what their talking about could outline pros and cons that would be great

so I know roughly that pods let more air in therefore more fuel and more power, and I'm interested because they would free up some space under my tank
but what are the disadvantages compared to a stock box filter?
what needs to be done to maintain them ie how often do they need to be replaced and/or cleaned??
and what needs to be done to the carbies once they are installed???

 

[n0regret5]

re-jet and re-position the needle, otherwise your engine will (most likely) run lean. a way around this (very cheaty) is to pack the filters with steel wool (make sure nothing is gonna come out of the steel wool though) as that will add some resistance to the air coming through.
K&N filters are apparently supposed to last forever with minimal cleaning. they do jet kits for most bikes too

 

[CdnStreetfighter]

I put in the stage 3 jet kit and K&N pods on my old GSXR1100 streetfighter...HUGE difference! The only major issue is rejetting the carbs. If you have the patience and the know how, this is definately the most bang for your buck add on in my opinion. It took me an hour to rejet the carbs, but a whole afternoon of tinkering to get everything working together.....it was well worth it!!

You're outer pods will always get dirtier than the ones in the center....and with pods, since they grab more air, more dirt comes with it, so you may possibly need to clean them 2-3 times a year. (I know the huge K&N cone I have on my hemi needs to be cleaned a lot more than I used to replace the stock filter!!)

 

[kurth92]

ok thanks sounds good and 2-3 times a year is hardly much maintenance
i will have to do some research on rejetting but i don't need to worry about that now as long as i know that it's do able
btw is a pod filter as effective in filtering as a normal filter, as in could it increase wear
i only ask because if they didn't why wouldn't they come as stock? are there any bikes that come stock with pods?

 

[shift1313]

There are a few other draw backs to pod filters.

Rain. When it rains and filters get wet they will heavily restrict your flow. I think when mine got wet i couldnt rev past 5-6k.

Crank case breather setup. case breathers run up into the airbox which will pull a very very small vacuum on the case. This frees up a little power. When you run pods you need to put a small filter on the crank which will somewhat restrict the flow out of the case. The power gained by using pods is way more than loss but it is still something to think about. Also when parked at lights you may get what looks like smoke coming out of the breather and get comments like "your bikes on fire".

Because you will not only get more air, but it will also react faster you will need a different taper needle in most cases, lighter springs above the slides(if you have cv carbs) and possibly enlarge the air bleed hole in the slide. Some bikes require air correction jets. You will either need to get a bigger or smaller main jet(depending on the needle diameter) and you will need to up the pilot jet size as well. A lot of people complain of a flat spot in the midrange but its a result of either the main jet circuit/needle taper coming on too quick, or too slow(most likely too slow).

 

[kurth92]

thanks alot shift1313 for all the info
also what causes the "what looks like smoke" coming out of the breather when idling?

 

[magnetnerd]

A solution to the rain problem (or so they say...I haven't tried these yet) is to order filter skins.

Turn your volume down because apparently the people who designed this website are straight out of 1995 and thought sounds are a good thing to have on the home page. wtf.

http://www.outerwearsracing.com/

 

[dogbreath]

Because you will not only get more air, but it will also react faster you will need a different taper needle in most cases, lighter springs above the slides(if you have cv carbs) and possibly enlarge the air bleed hole in the slide. Some bikes require air correction jets. You will either need to get a bigger or smaller main jet(depending on the needle diameter) and you will need to up the pilot jet size as well. A lot of people complain of a flat spot in the midrange but its a result of either the main jet circuit/needle taper coming on too quick, or too slow(most likely too slow).

My GS750 had that flat spot. Really annoying.

 

[Christ]

thanks alot shift1313 for all the info
also what causes the "what looks like smoke" coming out of the breather when idling?

Crankcase fumes. And oil mist.

 

[wrenchmonkey]

put a set of k&n pods on the gsxr750 and it will hardly rev past 5k, about to go and play with jetting to see what i can make happen.

 

[dogbreath]

I like my airbox... It's just unfortunate I have to do something with it to get the good frame brace on.

 

[Christ]

I like my airbox... It's just unfortunate I have to do something with it to get the good frame brace on.

Can you weld plastic? Might be able to cut it so the subbie's tubes fit into the box, and maybe you'll have clearance then?

Or just cut and rework the box to a slightly different profile so the subbie fits on... or just build a new 'box...

 

[dogbreath]

Making it shorter height-wise and finding an appropriate air filter isn't going to be easy, but the frame brace is soooo worth it on slabsides.

 

[Christ]

Making it shorter height-wise and finding an appropriate air filter isn't going to be easy, but the frame brace is soooo worth it on slabsides.

I'd just build a 'box from something else, most likely. Like taking one from a car and flipping it over, etc.

 

[DannyChaos]

What comes along with pods other than the two outside ones getting dirty and wet if it rains is the carb set up.The two inner pods are more restricted than the outside ones so you end up with two rich and two possible lean carbs.Remember that most airboxes are not ram air,so the motor pulls in what it needs.When you go with open pods tuning may become an issue due to air turbulence when moving faster or slower. I went from pods back to an air box after going through hell trying to get rid of flat spots that varied with speed. True pain in the ass!
I know a few guys that run them on carbs with no problems at all. Your call but make sure you take into consideration all of the variables.
~DC~

 

[Christ]

When I put CV carbs on my Civic, I was going to use the pods that came with them. I opted against it and ended up building a simple box from plastic and piping the intake to a cold spot (checked with temp sensors) on the car.

All my friends were like "Dude, you just defeated the purpose of ITB's and the carb-per-cylinder setup...". I laughed as they fought each day to tune their cars in properly, while I just hopped in and drove.

 

[kurth92]

what if i use one (larger) pod for every two cylinders so that both pods are in the same place on each side of the bike,
would that mean they get the same amount of air

 

[DannyChaos]

Not sure that would help you .
What if you made a tight box that just fit over the 4 t-bodies and piped that out to a single small cone filter? Like 4 into one side mount..
~DC~

 

[kurth92]

i danno
one of the reasons im interested in pods is to free up some space under my tank that is being used by the box filter
coz if i can move the electrics from under my seat to under my tank ill be able to make a nice slim sleek seat
but i can't with all of the electrics there

i the front half of my tank really doesn't hold any fuel and i was thinking i could have the pod/s coming out of a arch cut out of the tank

 

[GimmeDanger]

Crosswinds while riding can also pose a problem as they can create a vacuum in front of the intake if they're strong enough to blow through the pods with force. Some people try to remedy this by shielding the pods.....basically creating an open airbox lol However, if space is an issue, it may be an option.