if you just fit a cone filter then the same volume of air will get into the engine all that changes is the acceleration of the gasses throught the filter medium. the engine feels a lot rev happy as there is less parasitic loss within the process of drawing the air through a filter. this is because the engine needs to create a little vecuum within the inlet manifold in order to create a pressure difference, which in turn sucks the air through the filter. in gererating said vacuum the engine has to work and use energy. energy that would otherwise get used at the wheels. imagine that you are driving along towing a trailer, the car is using the same amount of energy but is slower due to the loss of energy that it has to use to move the trailer so if you remove/ lighten the trailer then the car will be faster (basic reason for weight removal) so if we can reduce the parasitic loss then things get fast quicker and seen as the air filter is a parasic loss creating item it applys here too. this is the same reason for high flow exausts but its more complicated for them as a certain resistance is required for optimum power. some newer types of air filters (twisters` for example) actualy do the opposite of a normal filter(normally the air is less turbulant) and actually increace intake charge turbulance but rather than just slowing the air down as it swirls (a big problem with stock filters) the turbulance is created as a spiral and if you are running any thing less than direct cylinder injection this helps the fuel remain atomised and burn better (surface area to volume ratio is the reason as only the surface of each droplet burns so therfore bigger droplets burn slower and conciquentially (word that should be shortened
) a lot worse at high rpm as it is still burning on the exaust stroke creating stupid amounts of parasitic loss)
also running an engine with no filter is not a wise idea as they are there for a reason, even dust is harmful to an engine, imagine it as putting rubbing compound on the cylinder wall. only one thing will come of this a worn out engine very fast as everything is groung down (hey at least itll be a bigger displacement
)
and what josh said is true as the induction manifold entry is literally on top of the engine a direct cone filter will draw hot and less dence air thus looking power (not good
)
sorry for the physics lesson lol class dismissed
