Everyone knows waiting too long to change their car's oil can have drastic and expensive consequences. Old oil lubricates poorly and can produce excessive engine heat and internal engine wear. Of course, your car's oil filter is just as important because a dirty or clogged filter may reduce pressure and starve your engine of the oil it needs to survive.

Sadly, the humble air filter often takes a backseat to these seemingly more critical maintenance items. After all, a dirty air filter (probably) won't destroy your engine, so how important can it be? The truth is that your air filter is a critical part of your engine and something that it's crucial to check and change regularly.

 Is Your Car's Engine Just a Huge Air Pump?

It might sound counterintuitive, but pumping air is one of your car engine's primary jobs. Sure, you rely on your engine to produce power to turn your wheels, but how do gasoline engines provide the "oomph" you need to get moving? Surprisingly, the answer often depends on how much air they can move.

Combustion relies on two primary ingredients: fuel and oxygen. Your car's computer can control the availability of fuel by pumping more gasoline from the tank and into the combustion chambers. However, complete combustion only occurs if there's enough oxygen. The more air your engine can pull in, the more fuel it can burn and the more power it can (efficiently) generate.

The importance of oxygen makes many engineers and mechanics joke that engines are just huge air pumps. While this may be an overstatement, the core idea is true: air is critical to your engine's performance.

Why Does Your Air Filter Matter So Much?

Your air filter is often the first component in your engine's air intake system. Since even tiny contaminants can potentially cause serious internal engine damage, a filter is necessary to protect it from dust and debris. Engineers need to carefully balance filter designs to allow adequate airflow while also blocking any particles large enough to cause problems.

Of course, the longer an air filter remains in place, the dirtier it will become. Dirty air filters are more restrictive, starving your engine of the oxygen it desperately needs to generate power efficiently. A severely clogged air filter can cause numerous annoying symptoms, including reduced power, poor fuel economy, or rough or uneven idles.

Following your manufacturer's recommended change intervals is a good place to start, but you may want to go further if you drive in dirty or dusty environments. In these cases, consider checking your air filter with each oil change and replacing it if it seems dirty. This cheap and easy step can go a long way toward maintaining peak performance for your car.

Contact a local auto shop to learn more about car filters.