Why Do You Need An Air Filter In Your Car?

Just like oil and fuel filters, you need to change your air filter every so often. Ah, but why do you need an air filter in your car in the first place?

Mention the world “filter” and “car” and people automatically say the same thing – oil filter. We’ve had it drilled into our heads. We need to change the oil filter along with the oil in our car every 3,000 miles. This actually isn’t accurate, but it also down plays the other filters in your car that play just as important a role. In this case, I am talking about the air filter.

Why do you need an air filter in your car? The answer has to do with how your engine works. The modern car is powered by an internal combustion engine. What does that really mean? It means that your car is essentially powered by small explosions. Each explosion creates a bit of pressure that pushes down the piston. That turns the crankshaft at the bottom of the engine. The crankshaft sends power down the drive train to the wheels and the car moves. Cars have become very advanced, but they still work in this basic way.

As you can see, everything starts with the small explosion. Obviously, it takes thousands of these happening very fast to get the car moving. The nature of each explosion is critical. There are three components that go into that explosion – fuel, a spark and…air. Keeping the air and fuel as clean as possible is the key to making the engine work efficiently.

The air filter has the task of keeping junk out of the combustion chamber. With millions of small explosions happening, keeping the piston chamber absolutely clean is critical. The parts are moving incredibly quickly and the introduction of dirt, dust or some small bit of debris to the chamber can cause the car to run rough or even cause a catastrophic failure such as a cracked piston head.

Why do you need an air filter in your car? Simply put, you need to keep the internal components of the engine as clean as possible to avoid damage to your engine whether it be a sudden failure or wear and tear over time. Change your air filter as recommended by your owner’s manual! You can find the best prices on the filter for your year, make and model by shopping here.

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