Jerrod Jones
Former Editor, Off Road
A few months back we were able to sneak into AEM and get a first glimpse at the company's new Dryflow air filters replacing its cotton/oil air-filtering elements on all its intake systems. So what's so special about 'em, considering how many other good air filters there are out there? The Dryflow filters use no oil in their filtering media, so sensors in newer vehicle's intake tubes have no chance of getting damaged via oil residue. Plus the Dryflow media is a single piece of polyester, so it will never displace and leave gaps for contaminants to sneak through, unlike the reusable cotton filters they replaced in AEM's line. The air filters tested over 98 percent initial filtration efficiency according to independent facility testing based on SAE J276 JUN93 Fine Dust Air Cleaner Test Code procedures, and that's good enough for us. We're giving one a try.
We put the 5.3L Vortec Tahoe on the Mustang dyno before and after the AEM intake installation. AEM admitted to us from the start that this is one of its best power-producing air-induction systems, and that not all engines are so apt to make as much power from such an easy modification. Though we made 20 hp and 14 lb-ft of torque on our Tahoe, most Brute Force systems will make around 10-15 hp. All power and torque numbers given via the dyno are averages of multiple dyno runs, not the absolute best runs.
