We are excited to announce that the prestigious Italian weekly magazine Moto Sprint has dedicated three pages to the technological innovation that Sprint Filter unveiled at Eicma for Cross, Enduro, and Adventure motorcycles. Below is a translated version of the feature.
This feature highlights the significant strides we have made in advancing our filtration technology, further establishing our commitment to enhancing the performance and efficiency of motorcycles in these demanding segments.
For a detailed insight into this breakthrough, we invite you to read the faithfully translated article in English.
Sprint Filter, a renowned name in high-performance air filtration, has advanced further with its T12 and T14 models, specifically designed for Racing Off Road single-cylinder and Adventure motorcycles, showcasing technological progress.
These new products are crafted using non-woven polyester fabric technologies; they are dry filters, not requiring additives/ oil for optimal functioning, thus maintenance-free. A blast of compressed air is all that’s needed for their peak efficiency.
THE T12 MODEL boasts increased filtration capacity and is also water resistant (eliminating the need for the socks required in traditional systems to prevent water infiltration into the engine); it’s ideal for extreme off-roading, Rallies, and generally recommended for those seeking maximum engine protection. The T14 model offers greater permeability than the T12 but still ensures significantly higher protection compared to traditional oil-soaked sponge filters.
For several years, Sprint Filter has field-developed these products alongside various Motorcycle Manufacturers. Notably, Aprilia fitted the T12 on their Tuareg 660 for the Italian Motorally and TransAnatolia Rally. Less known, but equally intriguing, was the collaboration with Team MTR KTM, fielding Lukas Höllbacher in the Supermoto S1 World Championship. Sprint Filter also developed products with other Manufacturers, but some of these agreements will only be officially announced in 2024.
BESIDES field trials, Sprint Filter conducted lab tests and the ISO 5011:2020 certified test, demonstrating unmatched filtration levels by current Off-Road products, and significantly lower pressure drops than components using older technologies. This translates to better, consistent performance over many kilometers and greater engine protection.
Delving deeper into the data, the ISO 5011:2020 test, often referred to as the “Coarse Dust Test,” is a standardized procedure developed to assess the performance of air cleaners and filtering media, particularly in internal combustion engines and compressors. This test is crucial for sectors like automotive and motorcycle, where air filtration system efficacy and longevity are key.
In this test, Sprint Filter benchmarked against oil-soaked sponge air filters, the prevalent technology in the after-market, also used by some Manufacturers in standard motorcycles.
The test revealed that to ensure good engine breathing, this filtering system requires frequent maintenance. Additionally, even with a perfectly efficient system, over 50% of particles enter the engine, with a lower air flow than the Sprint Filter T12 and T14, which also retain a greater amount of particles.
DELVING further into the details and analyzing the test results, it should be noted that for conducting the tests, a KTM 1290 Super Duke airbox was used, modifying the duct to obtain reliable data; with this layout, the air flow is perpendicular to the filter, and the duct is centered inside the airbox.
THE FIRST test is conducted without the filter element; at 900 Nm 3 /hr, it generates a pressure drop of 20 mbar. To clarify, a filter with high permeability should, at 900 Nm 3 /hr, generate a pressure drop as close as possible to 20 mbar. The oil-soaked sponge filter, at 900 Nm 3 /hr, generates a pressure drop of 59.6 mbar, which drops to 47.6 mbar for the Sprint Filter T12 and only 36.7 mbar for the Sprint Filter T14.
The second part of the test checks the amount of contaminant the filter retains. On the oil-soaked sponge filter, to generate a significant pressure drop, 70 grams of contaminant were poured (a considerably high amount) in 120 minutes. On the Sprint Filter T12, less than 20 grams of contaminant were enough to generate similar pressure drops; for the Sprint Filter T14, 40 grams of contaminant were needed.
- Left Graph – showing greater permeability of Sprint Filter products without contaminants.
- Right Graph – the Dust Loading test, proving T12 and T14 filters block large amounts of contaminants.
This means that the oil-soaked sponge filter, in maximum efficiency conditions (thus without contaminant), limits the engine’s breathing compared to Sprint Filter components. In extreme use conditions, off-road, the oil-soaked sponge filter ensures good breathing but at the cost of higher engine wear, caused by the passage of a large amount of contaminant, compared to both the Sprint Filter T12 and T14.
Following this reasoning, with data in hand, it’s clear that the technology developed by Sprint Filter ensures better engine breathing and greater protection. One might think that, in extreme usage conditions, when Sprint Filter products have blocked most of the contaminant, engine breathing might be penalized. In reality, during the ISO 5011:2020 test, the throttle is never closed.
In normal usage conditions, when the rider closes the throttle, part of the contaminant moves from the filter element to the walls of the airbox, ensuring good engine breathing even after many hours of use on sandy terrains.
Sprint Filter – Available for all motorcycles
Main Features
- Polyester patented technology
- OEM air filter on the most exclusive Ducati and Aprilia motorcycles of the last 5 years
- Essentially maintenance-free
- More performance, more engine protection than cotton and sponge air filters
- No oil needed to stop dust
- No shampoo to wash it
Find out how a Sprint Filter can give you an advantage on the street and on the track, click here.
Essentially Maintenance Free – Sprint Filter air filters cleaning procedure is straightforward and quick: use an air jet, in the opposite direction of suction, to remove most of the debris collected. No washing or drying is necessary, so the filter can be refitted immediately. Maintenance of the air filter is essential for the protection, care, and efficiency of the engine.
A clean and undamaged filter will always ensure the correct quantity of clean air for the air box. Another air filter maintenance aspect is how long it takes to clean. Apart from the time required for disassembly and reassembly, cotton and sponge air filters demand downtime for washing, drying and oiling the filtering element, none of these operations are required with a Sprint Filter air filter.
About Sprint Filter
Established in 1952, SPRINT FILTER started building high-performance air filters and intake systems, even then highly innovative, working in collaboration with leading manufacturers of power and top teams. Since the early fifties the research and development of new fabrics filter and vacuum systems were the basis of the creation of our products.
With the experience gained in over fifty years, years that ranks among the oldest companies of industry, we are able to meet every need, from simple filter sporty replacement for the original, entire extraction systems carbon fiber, glass fiber, and in various plastic materials, with filter elements ranging from common cotton gauze to polyester fabrics microscopically calibrated.