Honda Civic Engine Air Filter AEM 2.0

Honda Civic Engine Air Filter AEM 2.0

The factory paper engine filter in a 2016-2026 Civic 2.0 airbox loads up with dust and the car starts feeling lazy. Search honda civic air filter by trim name and you can get sent the 1.5T panel. A 2016-2018 EX sedan is still a 2.0. A 2017-2018 Sport hatch is a 1.5T. Those are different boxes.

AEM 28-50045 is the washable DryFlow engine air filter that drops into that K20C2 box. One engine filter, no oil, no cutting. You clean it and keep it.

What It Is and Why It Works

The reason to buy this over a cheap oiled cotton panel is the MAF. Over-oiled cotton contaminates a hot-wire MAF sensor. DryFlow is oil-free synthetic, per AEM. You wash it. You do not oil it. Honda paper is cheap and you throw it away when it loads up. You give up the throwaway habit. You do not get power. A panel filter in a stock airbox does not make horsepower. The airbox is the restriction, not the element.

Official AEM dimensions are 9.281 in long, 7.219 in wide, and 1.5 in tall. AEM rates DryFlow up to 99 percent filtration efficiency. One filter in the box. Wash it with AEM 1-1000 DryFlow cleaner. AEM backs stock-replacement DryFlow filters with a Limited Lifetime warranty. Limitations apply.

This is a drop-in for the factory engine airbox, not a 21-series cold-air kit. If the car already has an AEM intake, you want that kit's filter, not 28-50045. The 1.5T Civic, Si, Type R, and Civic Hybrid use different boxes.

Specs

Fitment

Factory engine airbox, 2.0 only. Not a cabin filter. Walk the year. 2016-2018: LX, LX-P coupe, and EX sedan are 2.0. EX-T, EX-L, Touring, Si, and the Sport hatch are 1.5T. 2019-2021: LX and Sport sedan or coupe are 2.0. EX and up, plus the Sport hatch, are 1.5T. 2022-2026: LX and Sport are 2.0. EX, Sport Touring, Si, Type R, and Hybrid are not. 2023-2026 HR-V 2.0 uses the same Honda element. AEM has not published the 2016-2018 EX sedan even though Honda 17220-5BA-A00 covers it. If you have that EX, measure the panel before you order. 9.3 by 7.2 inches is this filter. 8.9 by 5.4 inches is the 1.5T panel (AEM 28-50044).

What to Know Before You Buy

Read the year, then the badge, then confirm the engine. A 2016-2018 EX sedan is 2.0. A 2019 EX is 1.5T. A 2017-2018 Sport is a hatch with the 1.5T. A 2019-2021 Sport sedan is 2.0. An 11th-gen Sport is 2.0. If the badge says Sport, check the body and the year.

Do not oil this filter. Use AEM 1-1000 DryFlow cleaner, let it dry, and put it back. K&N oil on DryFlow media is how people ruin a good panel and a MAF. Honda paper is still the right answer if you just want a throwaway at the next interval.

This is a drop-in for a stock engine airbox. It is not a cabin filter and it is not a 21-series cold-air intake. If you already run an AEM intake, buy that kit's element. If this is a daily 2.0 Civic or HR-V with a dirty factory engine filter and you want to stop buying paper, DryFlow is the boring correct answer.