BlueOx03
12-30-2003, 10:31
I received an early Christmas blessing this year. I was able to try out a pre-production model of Unique Metal Products' (UMP) long awaited Duramax Super Filter.
A little background on UMP: they've been in the business of making, well, unique metal products out of their Santee CA facility for the last thirty years. Basically if you an imagine it and afford it, they can build it for you. One of their specialties is off road racing equipment. Through their dedication to producing quality off road racing products, the Super Filter line was born. Anyone who has been anywhere near or even seen an off road race on TV knows that they are held in dusty, sandy environments. We all know that we don't want dust or sand in our engines causing damage.
When UMP selected air filters for use with their Super Filter air-box they selected premium Donaldson paper filters. Why do they use paper? The purpose of the super filter is to filter the most particles out of the air rather than flow the most air. Keep in mind however that a larger element and a more efficient air box design will be less restrictive.
In the spring of 2003 UMP first introduced a Super Filter for a diesel pickup, it was designed as a direct replacement on Powerstroke equipped Ford Superduty trucks. Once the Super Filter was released for the Powerstroke, work began on a Super Filter for the Duramax. Around the same time I read a post on an online forum about the UMP SF. I did some looking around online to see what people thought about UMP's products. After looking at posts about their stuff on a few different sites, I decided to give them a call. I got in touch with Cliff Cappos, who is in charge of the Duramax Super Filter project. He gave me some info on were they were at with the project and said to call back in about a month. I called about once a month after that to see how things were coming along. The guys at UMP are very picky and did not want anything to leave there until it was pretty much perfect. That being said, it took a little over six month for them to produce a product worthy of their standards.
The second week of December UMP finished some preproduction models of the Duramax Super Filter. Cliff then sent me one to guinea pig the installation and test it out. Of coarse I got stuck working long hours through the weekend and only got to open it up and look at it at first. My first impressions were wow this thing is big, and wow this is some good craftsmanship. At first I was a little surprised when I saw the wing nuts that hold the filter in and the cover on the end. They look like flimsy plastic. However they are not flimsy, the are very strong, we're talking space shuttle type stuff here. I disassembled it and took pictures so you all could see what all the parts are.
I installed the Super Filter in my truck following the instructions that Cliff emailed me. It was a pretty straight forward install. First remove the stock air-box and air-box mount. Once the air-box is out transfer the MAF/AT sensor and the filter minder from the stock air-box to the UMP Super Filter air-box. Install the Super Filer mount in place of the stock mount. The Super Filter mount is secured using three of the five stock bolts and a provided countersunk hex key bolt. Once the mount is secured in place, the intake tube needs to be attached to the Super Filter. So that it all lines up well it's best to insert the outlet of the Super filter into the intake tube but leave the clamp loose. Place the Super Filter in the mount and adjust it so that the scoop is on the top and facing forward. Once the Super filter is in the proper position, close the clamp, tighten the hose clamps on the intake tube and plug in the MAF/AT sensor. This completes the installation. The instructions from UMP go much more in depth, I just wanted to give an idea what is involved
The installation went pretty smooth overall. This air box is huge, so it takes a little extra effort to get it in the mount. I had to move a couple of wires under the intake tube to allow it to sit low enough to line up with the Super Filter. Keep in mind the wires I moved were in a harness that is pretty much free flouting on top of the engine from the factory. The only real problem I encountered was with the fit between the outlet port and the intake tube. Unlike the stock air-box, the outlet port of the Super Filter is centered making it sit lower that stock. This causes the intake tube to be slightly cocked on the outlet port. To compensate for this, the Production model will have a shorter outlet port.
I've been running the Super Filter on my truck for a little over two weeks now. There is very little change in the sound. I can hear a slight whistle and I think that's only because I'm listening for it. Now as far as performance goes, I can only give you my seat of the pants data at this time. There is a definitely noticeable improvement in throttle response. I don't see any point in running this set up on the dyno as other setups have been run with no change. I know some gentlemen that ran a stock air-box vs. no air-box on a dyno with no noticeable change. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that a filter with more surface area in a more efficiently designed air-box will flow more air on demand and catch more junk. This type of design is the same that is used on heavy machinery, tractor trailer trucks and even the Duramax equipped C4500s. So the biggest advantage of a filter with more surface area is that it can filter out more particles for longer. As an added bonus, more air can flow thought a larger filter. The time when the better air flow becomes a performance improvement is when the engine accelerates. When you hit the go pedal the engine needs more air to go with the extra fuel you're giving it. The quicker it can take in the air it needs, the quicker it will accelerate. When it comes to peak power, the amount of air moving into the engine will be limited by the turbo and the engine itself. So once the engine achieves the constant air flow it needs to make its peak power, it doesn't matter how much air the filter can flow, the engine will only take as much as it can use. This is why during dyno runs no gain was achieved by even removing the air-box al together.
UMP plans to begin the first production run of the Super Filter for Duramax around mid January, they are currently finishing some tooling to build them in quantities. I would look to see them hit the market sometime in February. For pricing they will cost in the $325.00 range and replacement filters are $34.00 and should last at least twice as long as the stock filter.
On Edit: Sorry, I left out the construction materials, they are as follows:
The air-box is made of powder-coated aluminum.
The mount is powder-coated steel with a stainless steel clamp.
Please keep in mind that this is a preproduction model and there will be some differences in the final production model.
For more info on the Super Filter and UMP's products visit www.uniquemetalproducts.com. (http://www.uniquemetalproducts.com.) For pictures click on My Pics below. If you have questions for me, shoot me an email or PM.
Pics of UMP Super Filter for Dmax (http://community.webshots.com/album/80841015EIPknh/1)
[ 12-31-2003, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: BlueOx03 ]
A little background on UMP: they've been in the business of making, well, unique metal products out of their Santee CA facility for the last thirty years. Basically if you an imagine it and afford it, they can build it for you. One of their specialties is off road racing equipment. Through their dedication to producing quality off road racing products, the Super Filter line was born. Anyone who has been anywhere near or even seen an off road race on TV knows that they are held in dusty, sandy environments. We all know that we don't want dust or sand in our engines causing damage.
When UMP selected air filters for use with their Super Filter air-box they selected premium Donaldson paper filters. Why do they use paper? The purpose of the super filter is to filter the most particles out of the air rather than flow the most air. Keep in mind however that a larger element and a more efficient air box design will be less restrictive.
In the spring of 2003 UMP first introduced a Super Filter for a diesel pickup, it was designed as a direct replacement on Powerstroke equipped Ford Superduty trucks. Once the Super Filter was released for the Powerstroke, work began on a Super Filter for the Duramax. Around the same time I read a post on an online forum about the UMP SF. I did some looking around online to see what people thought about UMP's products. After looking at posts about their stuff on a few different sites, I decided to give them a call. I got in touch with Cliff Cappos, who is in charge of the Duramax Super Filter project. He gave me some info on were they were at with the project and said to call back in about a month. I called about once a month after that to see how things were coming along. The guys at UMP are very picky and did not want anything to leave there until it was pretty much perfect. That being said, it took a little over six month for them to produce a product worthy of their standards.
The second week of December UMP finished some preproduction models of the Duramax Super Filter. Cliff then sent me one to guinea pig the installation and test it out. Of coarse I got stuck working long hours through the weekend and only got to open it up and look at it at first. My first impressions were wow this thing is big, and wow this is some good craftsmanship. At first I was a little surprised when I saw the wing nuts that hold the filter in and the cover on the end. They look like flimsy plastic. However they are not flimsy, the are very strong, we're talking space shuttle type stuff here. I disassembled it and took pictures so you all could see what all the parts are.
I installed the Super Filter in my truck following the instructions that Cliff emailed me. It was a pretty straight forward install. First remove the stock air-box and air-box mount. Once the air-box is out transfer the MAF/AT sensor and the filter minder from the stock air-box to the UMP Super Filter air-box. Install the Super Filer mount in place of the stock mount. The Super Filter mount is secured using three of the five stock bolts and a provided countersunk hex key bolt. Once the mount is secured in place, the intake tube needs to be attached to the Super Filter. So that it all lines up well it's best to insert the outlet of the Super filter into the intake tube but leave the clamp loose. Place the Super Filter in the mount and adjust it so that the scoop is on the top and facing forward. Once the Super filter is in the proper position, close the clamp, tighten the hose clamps on the intake tube and plug in the MAF/AT sensor. This completes the installation. The instructions from UMP go much more in depth, I just wanted to give an idea what is involved
The installation went pretty smooth overall. This air box is huge, so it takes a little extra effort to get it in the mount. I had to move a couple of wires under the intake tube to allow it to sit low enough to line up with the Super Filter. Keep in mind the wires I moved were in a harness that is pretty much free flouting on top of the engine from the factory. The only real problem I encountered was with the fit between the outlet port and the intake tube. Unlike the stock air-box, the outlet port of the Super Filter is centered making it sit lower that stock. This causes the intake tube to be slightly cocked on the outlet port. To compensate for this, the Production model will have a shorter outlet port.
I've been running the Super Filter on my truck for a little over two weeks now. There is very little change in the sound. I can hear a slight whistle and I think that's only because I'm listening for it. Now as far as performance goes, I can only give you my seat of the pants data at this time. There is a definitely noticeable improvement in throttle response. I don't see any point in running this set up on the dyno as other setups have been run with no change. I know some gentlemen that ran a stock air-box vs. no air-box on a dyno with no noticeable change. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that a filter with more surface area in a more efficiently designed air-box will flow more air on demand and catch more junk. This type of design is the same that is used on heavy machinery, tractor trailer trucks and even the Duramax equipped C4500s. So the biggest advantage of a filter with more surface area is that it can filter out more particles for longer. As an added bonus, more air can flow thought a larger filter. The time when the better air flow becomes a performance improvement is when the engine accelerates. When you hit the go pedal the engine needs more air to go with the extra fuel you're giving it. The quicker it can take in the air it needs, the quicker it will accelerate. When it comes to peak power, the amount of air moving into the engine will be limited by the turbo and the engine itself. So once the engine achieves the constant air flow it needs to make its peak power, it doesn't matter how much air the filter can flow, the engine will only take as much as it can use. This is why during dyno runs no gain was achieved by even removing the air-box al together.
UMP plans to begin the first production run of the Super Filter for Duramax around mid January, they are currently finishing some tooling to build them in quantities. I would look to see them hit the market sometime in February. For pricing they will cost in the $325.00 range and replacement filters are $34.00 and should last at least twice as long as the stock filter.
On Edit: Sorry, I left out the construction materials, they are as follows:
The air-box is made of powder-coated aluminum.
The mount is powder-coated steel with a stainless steel clamp.
Please keep in mind that this is a preproduction model and there will be some differences in the final production model.
For more info on the Super Filter and UMP's products visit www.uniquemetalproducts.com. (http://www.uniquemetalproducts.com.) For pictures click on My Pics below. If you have questions for me, shoot me an email or PM.
Pics of UMP Super Filter for Dmax (http://community.webshots.com/album/80841015EIPknh/1)
[ 12-31-2003, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: BlueOx03 ]