by Gabrielle DeSantis

Any auto parts store you go to sells high-performance air filters, and chances are, if you enjoy modifying your car, you’ve purchased at least one. For the average driver, however, the idea of installing one of these performance air filters may not have crossed your mind, or, you may have wondered if it was even worth spending the money at all. If your vehicle doesn’t come from the factory with a high-flow air filter, switching it out isn’t a part of your regular maintenance, but there are still a few reasons why people choose to spend money on this basic and easy modification.

What is considered a high-performance air filter?

A high-performance air filter is more technically referred to as a high-flow air filter, which does well to explain what makes it different than your average air filter. High-flow air filters work in a manner similar to standard air filters, as it removes particles and debris that can be kicked up by the road or caught in the wind to protect your motor. These small particles, even at the smallest, can do a surprising amount of damage to your engine’s internal components, which must be clean and well-lubricated to perform to it’s best ability. High-performance air filters allow for more air flow into the engine, which can supposedly increase your horsepower by an almost non-mentionable amount of 3 – 5 hp.

What are the benefits of high-flow air filters?

Allowing more air into your engine provides the engine with a more substantial amount of, well, air. Air is a critical factor in the internal combustion process that occurs inside of the engine, and ensuring your vehicle has adequate air flow can maximize engine output and efficiency. Not only will the high-performance air filter slightly boost your horsepower, it will also improve your vehicle’s fuel economy. Fuel economy is improved because high-performance air fiters pull air from outside of the engine bay where the air is cooler. Cooler air outside of the engine bay is more dense than the hot air inside of the engine bay — air which is heated by the engine’s internal combustion and other moving mechanisms that create heat via friction.

Keep your #sweetride in check with K&N air filters. #KNfiltershttps://t.co/GQcgOxrPTQ pic.twitter.com/hXRm4UCkCy

— K&N (@knfilters) March 3, 2020

Are high-performance air filters worth the money?

High-performance air filters vary in price greatly depending on your vehicle, the type of performance air filter, and the brand. For most vehicles, it isn’t a necessity, which is made obvious because they aren’t provided by manufacturer when the vehicle is produced, meaning that the engine is designed to work just fine without the additional airflow. If you are interested in modifying your vehicle slightly, however, most tuners and car enthusiasts start with this simple modification, as it can be done easily and typically doesn’t break the bank. It is important to note that high-performance air filters are considered a modification and may void your warranty if you have a new vehicle that is still within the warranty period.

High-performance air filters are by no means a necessity, but for car enthusiasts and DIY modifiers, high-flow air filters are a great way to give your car a bit of an edge, and can become necessary with more heavy modifications to your vehicle’s drivetrain. For some people, the addition of a high-performance air filter isn’t a necessity, but rather something worth buying simply because they are interested in modifying their vehicle.

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by Gabrielle DeSantis

Despite safety technology that’s better than ever, there are recent reports of cars rolling while in park. If left unattended on some sort of hill, the parking brake may fail and release the vehicle. If that happens, there’s no telling the damage that can be done or the lives that can be lost from a driverless vehicle. Some of these recalls are old news, but if cars are so safe these days, how is this still a problem?

Fiat Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota all had parking related recalls in 2016

2016 was an unfortunate year for recalled cars. In April, Fiat Chrysler recalled over 1.1 million vehicles, including 2012-2014 Dodge Chargers and Chrysler 300s and 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees. Just six months later, Toyota recalled 340,000 of their newly designed 2016-2017 Priuses. And although the two cases had to do with runaway cars, one was a faulty part, the other was a plain user error.

The Toyota Priuses affected had a faulty parking brake that could snap if the handbrake was applied in any transmission mode other than Park. Certainly not something you’d want to happen, but few people would use the handbrake without first parking the car. Unless, of course, you’re doing J-turns in your Prius, which is pretty rad).

Meanwhile, the Fiat Chrysler cars had confusing, but functional shifters, which always returned to a central position. Driver’s would leave the car completely unaware that they hadn’t put it in park, meaning it could roll away in drive. When pressed by Jalopnik on the subject, the manufacturers of the ZF eight-speed shifter had this to say: “ZF delivered a fully functional state-of-the-art product, which was integrated into the vehicle architecture by the manufacturer”

But that’s not all for 2016, as Honda also got in on the action, or should I say class action, with faulty brakes in over 350,000 2016 Honda Civics. Rather than user or mechanical error, the Civics had faulty software in their Vehicle Stability Assist Electronic Control Units.

Porsche joined the party late, recalling 100,000 cars in 2019

Three years later, in 2019, Porsche cherrypicked their lineup for 100,000 faulty cars that’d run away because the transmission disconnected from the gear lever. That meant the car wouldn’t be in park even if the driver shifted to park. Vehicles recalled ranged from 2003 to 2010 Porsche Cayennes and 2010 to 2016 Panameras. An odd age gap, but still a severe problem.

The point is that getting cars to stay in park is harder than it seems. Whether they’re electric glitches, mechanical failures, or morons are the cause depends on the car. Over the past five years, that adds up to 1.89 million cars recalled. But runaway vehicles are still a problem today, and not even Jeff Bezos is immune.

The most recent brake failures have appeared in Amazon delivery vans

That’s right, the most recent reports of cars rolling while in park affect the Mercedes Sprinter vans, infamous for making up most of Amazon’s fleet. The issue has been known since 2019, but in March of this year, an Amazon employee reported the problem twice. That may have been the nail in the coffin before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had to get involved.

Mercedes is working closely with the NHTSA, which has just opened up an investigation. Meanwhile, Amazon has yet to comment. It’s important to note that Mercedes is taking swift action, even if there isn’t a total recall yet. Though if one does emerge, it could be massive. In 2019 alone, Mercedes sold almost 30,000 of them. And if the problem leaked into other model years, we’re looking at another 100,000 cars brought back to the shop.

Why parking brakes go so often is sometimes baffling, you’d think automakers would’ve figured out how to keep their cars in place. But thankfully, the older recalls have been addressed, and the present investigations are being taken very seriously. Who will be next to hop on the faulty brake bandwagon? Who knows. Just keep an eye on your car, even after you put it in park.

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