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One of the maintenance items I wanted to address after getting my new-to-me C300 4Matic was changing the air filters. I hadn't cracked open the air box to see if they needed to be changed and decided I didn't want an oiled filter. I researched this topic heavily and found the lowest price off of Amazon.
They came in a cool boxes!
Airbox off. Have to really tug on those flex pipes to wiggle them free.
The stock filters were very due for a change. There were also a lot of leaves and dirt in the air box as well. Cleaned it up.
Do people remove these (charcoal?) filters? Any gains in sound or performance from taking them out?
Impressions:
-The car does not feel like it got any faster.
-There is not really any noticeable sound increase or induction noise increase.
If anything changed, the gains are too small to notice. I'm glad I replaced the stock filters with these dry flow filters since they were due, but don't do this mod and expect the car to get faster. Maybe I'll eventually notice something, but after a long, spirited, drive, the car feels roughly the same as before.
Air filters are not going to increase your performance, not that you can notice. Running your car down the 1/4 mile with and without, you'll not even notice a change. Hell, a gust of wind would easily counter any gains..point is, the performance gain is so minute it isn't even worth it. It's always funny when people claim they gain 10hp going with K&N filters, with noticeable performance differences. I've driven a car without air filters before and could not tell the difference..granted it was only a couple of miles.
Does the manufacturer claim any improvement in mileage or performance, and how much were they? I don't recall those charcoal filters when I changed mine and I believe they were the original filters when I did it. Where are they located exactly?
Does the manufacturer claim any improvement in mileage or performance, and how much were they? I don't recall those charcoal filters when I changed mine and I believe they were the original filters when I did it. Where are they located exactly?
Hey, sorry for the slow response. I hadn't checked the thread. IIRC, the filters were a little over $100 for both. They don't expressly guarantee any sort of quantified horsepower gains. I chose them b/c they likely flow better, my stock filters were due for a change, and these are not oiled.
The charcoal filters are right above the regular filters. I wonder if the euro M272 C300s have them, or if it's a US thing. If the euro cars DON'T have them, I'll rip mine out immediately.
Last edited by 03basesedan; 07-25-2015 at 02:56 PM.
Hey, sorry for the slow response. I hadn't checked the thread. IIRC, the filters were a little over $100 for both. They don't expressly guarantee any sort of quantified horsepower gains. I chose them b/c they likely flow better, my stock filters were due for a change, and these are not oiled.
The charcoal filters are right above the regular filters. I wonder if the euro M272 C300s have them, or if it's a US thing. If the euro cars DON'T have them, I'll rip mine out immediately.
Canadian C250 M272 here - There are no charcoal filters on top of the other filters at all