3.0tmkz Posted November 5, 2021 Share Posted November 5, 2021 I just bought a 2017 MKZ AWD with the 3.0t. The air filter that's in there is your basic paper one, but has a foam pad attached to the bottom. It looks very restrictive, and I am wanting to change it. I have read that anything other than a good OE paper type filter could cause possible damage to the turbos. Is there any truth to that, or is nothing to show any proof that this has been an issue? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted November 5, 2021 Share Posted November 5, 2021 3 hours ago, 3.0tmkz said: I just bought a 2017 MKZ AWD with the 3.0t. The air filter that's in there is your basic paper one, but has a foam pad attached to the bottom. It looks very restrictive, and I am wanting to change it. I have read that anything other than a good OE paper type filter could cause possible damage to the turbos. Is there any truth to that, or is nothing to show any proof that this has been an issue? Thanks Hi 3.0tmkz. The factory intake system and filter is extremely efficient and allows far more airflow than the engine needs, at any speed. There is no reason to change the filter element to anything other than the specified Motorcraft filter or another OEM replacement brand. It will do nothing for performance. And a more porous filter won't help, and yes, can possibly cause problems. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3.0tmkz Posted November 5, 2021 Author Share Posted November 5, 2021 1 hour ago, bbf2530 said: Hi 3.0tmkz. The factory intake system and filter is extremely efficient and allows far more airflow than the engine needs, at any speed. There is no reason to change the filter element to anything other than the specified Motorcraft filter or another OEM replacement brand. It will do nothing for performance. And a more porous filter won't help, and yes, can possibly cause problems. Good luck. Thank you for the response. The more I search the more I see that you're probably right. Not worth the risk then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metroplex Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 The foam attached to the paper filter is something the Europeans call a moisture barrier to prevent snow/rain from soaking through the paper element. I am surprised that Ford would include that older style paper filter in your airbox unless someone got an aftermarket replacement installed. The reason being that Ford removed that foam layer from the paper filter for the Fusion/MKZ airbox around the same time the Ford GT came out and the GT uses two of the Fusion/MKZ air filters (one for each turbo). When I buy Motorcraft replacement filters for my Fusion 2.7 EcoBoost, they are just the paper elements (no foam layer). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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