There are three types of engine air filter.
– Paper Type
– Gauze Type
– Foam Type
Paper air filter is the most common for vehicles. This filter is made of paper, which you need to change periodically. It may be 12,000 – 15,000 miles each round. The paper filter can do filtration of dust, debris, particles, and soot to the car engine. It allows airflow to engine combustion through the pleats. You need to check for a replacement if it has a lot of dust, otherwise, the engine would reduce the power and causes of much more fuel consumption. The filter type can not clean. it needs to replace new ones from time to time.
Gauze air filter is another more advanced filter because it is a washable filter. You can clean and reuse the filter until the end of your car life. This filter must be oiled to trap the dust particles on its pleats. They make the pleat with a material like stainless steel, which you can clean with water. The price is about 3-4 times of ordinary filter but, investing only one time, you can use it until the end of lifetime of car. It is very suitable for a car with high mileage per year. Because it would help you save a lot of money for this part. Some manufacturers guarantee that just cleaning and your car will get the power back as its engine specification.
The foam air filter is used with the small engine such as ATV, motorcycle which runs in the dusty area. They make it with foam or polyurethane material. They soak some filter with oil to trap the particles and dust.