Product Spotlight: SB Filters Particle Separator
Dec. 7, 2015
UTVUG Staff
When we first saw the new SB Filters Particle Separator we were intrigued. It had a cool race car look to it with its corrugated air line and dimple-died face plate. We weren't sure exactly what it did but we were immediately interested. In a day and age where it seems like everyone and their mom is trying to get into the UTV business, its always refreshing to come across a truly innovative product that actually improves the life of your machine and is fully functional.
Before we get into what the Particle Separator is we figure we may as well tell you who SB Filters is. SB stands for Stan & Barbara, the original founders of the company who launched the business over 40 years ago. The company got their start making high quality filtration products for vehicles with a focus on private labels for popular companies like Edelbrock. In 2003 the company was purchased by current owner Berry Carter who has maintained the companies original mission for quality but shifted the company to focusing more on its own brand versus just private labeling. Over the past 10 years or so, SB Filters has developed into one of the industries formidable manufacturers of high quality cold air intake systems, air filters and performance products with a focus on both diesel & gas powered truck as well as SUVs.
Having been lucky enough to tour the SB Filters facility in Southern California you can see that a lot of pride is taken in developing products using quality manufacturing materials and processes. From tooling to testing, SB employs advanced technical practices that carry through to the products consumers buy and use. Their drive for new technology and developing better products is what led them to the development of the Particle Separator for UTVs. Berry and his team are always trying to figure out how to better filter technology and so naturally they were curious as to how military helicopters being used in the harsh desert environments of Iraq and Afghanistan were keeping their intake systems free and clear of dirt and dust. It was during this research where they learned about the Particle Separator technology these helicopters were employing. Once they realized they too could produce this type of system they began to search for a market that could best benefit from the technology. That was when they stumbled upon the UTV industry. UTVs are almost always in dusty environments, most owners don't want to have to service their filters during or after every trip which often results in damaged engines and greatly reduced performance. The UTV market was the perfect fit and so the team at SB went to work on developing the first Particle Separator for the Polaris RZR platform.
[gallery link="file" ids="33788,33789,33790"]
Ok, so by now you are thinking about what exactly the Particle Separator is and what does it do? The Particle Separator installs in front of your factory intake system. Think of it as a filter for your filter but with no restriction caused to your factory intake system which results in no loss of power. It works by taking your dirty and dusty air in, filters the dirt and dust and ejects it with the use of a 12v powered scavenge fan which then results in mostly clean air reaching your intake system. This means less maintenance and less fear of hurting your prized possessions beating heart. You're happy and you're engine is happy.
The system today is only available for the Polaris RZR XP1000 and XP Turbo platforms however SB Filters will soon release a kit for the Yamaha YXZ 1000R and are also working on an application for the Can-Am Maverick. The Particle Separator installs in minutes and comes with everything you need to get it up and running. SB claims about 30 minutes to install and I think thats true if you have done it before. But if you are doing it for the first time I would budget a bit more time especially if you wanted to run the wiring inside of your roll cage's tubing. The system can install on the rear upper (roof) of the cage or on the cross bar running behind your seats. I have tried both and I think I like it mounted on the cross bar better. It hurts rear visibility a bit being mounted there but it looks clean to me. But to each his own.
The unit itself is very trick looking and is made of high quality composite and utilizes a silicone intake hose which runs to your factory intake inlet on the passenger side rear fender. The kit comes with a trim piece to replace the factory piece but still looks very much factory. The main Particle Separator comes standard with a black faceplate but for a small fee you can upgrade to a stainless or painted faceplate. Painted colors are available in Red, Blue or white. The billet mounting clamps are extremely nice and are machined in-house at SB Filters and are designed to mount to most all 1.75" roll bars. Weather proof wiring harness is also provided and allows for adequate install all the way back to your factory battery location. We have installed all of our units on the ignition but I think I would like to put them on a switch so when I am leading a ride or just moving the vehicle around the house or trailer I wouldn't need the scavenge fan running. With that said, the fan does produce some additional noise to an already noisy machine but it only draws 3.1 amps nominally. Its a solid trade off for the 94% of the dirt it eliminates reaching your air filter!
[gallery link="file" ids="33824,33820,33817"]
Another cool side note on the Particle Separator is not only does it work in dusty environments but it also works for you mud guys! The Particle Separator can be used as a snorkel. I have never installed a snorkel kit but logic tells me there are some tricks on how you seal the snorkel tubes to your intake system so I would plan for the same thing here. But to me its a way cooler looking snorkel then anything else on the market we have seen!
We have installed two Particle Separators on our UTVs. One on our 2015 Fox Edition Polaris RZR Xp1000 and another on our new 2016 Polaris RZR XP Turbo. We also installed one on the Walker Evans Racing Polaris XP1000. We have ran all machines and so far are very happy with the results. We are even more excited to now have the opportunity to go out with SB Filters and do some real life testing which we are filming and will bring to you in the form of videos so you can visually see exactly how the units work and perform! With that said, don't wait to go out and buy a Particle Separator. For $399.00 its a solid investment for your machine, especially if you run in a lot of dusty environments!
When I asked Berry Carter if he intends on developing other products for the UTV industry he said "For now I just want to work on changing the way the powersports industry views filtration.." So while the company does intend on developing more products, today the focus is on the Particle Separator.
Stay tuned here to UTVUnderground.com as we continue to learn and share more on the new SB Filters Particle Separator.
Learn more about the SB Filters Particle Separator by CLICKING HERE
[gallery link="file" ids="33810,33813,33814,33815,33816,33817,33818,33819,33820,33821,33822,33823,33824,33812,33811,33798,33809,33808,33807,33806,33805,33804,33802,33801,33803,33800,33799,33797,33796,33795,33794,33793"]
Having been lucky enough to tour the SB Filters facility in Southern California you can see that a lot of pride is taken in developing products using quality manufacturing materials and processes. From tooling to testing, SB employs advanced technical practices that carry through to the products consumers buy and use. Their drive for new technology and developing better products is what led them to the development of the Particle Separator for UTVs. Berry and his team are always trying to figure out how to better filter technology and so naturally they were curious as to how military helicopters being used in the harsh desert environments of Iraq and Afghanistan were keeping their intake systems free and clear of dirt and dust. It was during this research where they learned about the Particle Separator technology these helicopters were employing. Once they realized they too could produce this type of system they began to search for a market that could best benefit from the technology. That was when they stumbled upon the UTV industry. UTVs are almost always in dusty environments, most owners don't want to have to service their filters during or after every trip which often results in damaged engines and greatly reduced performance. The UTV market was the perfect fit and so the team at SB went to work on developing the first Particle Separator for the Polaris RZR platform.
[gallery link="file" ids="33788,33789,33790"]
Ok, so by now you are thinking about what exactly the Particle Separator is and what does it do? The Particle Separator installs in front of your factory intake system. Think of it as a filter for your filter but with no restriction caused to your factory intake system which results in no loss of power. It works by taking your dirty and dusty air in, filters the dirt and dust and ejects it with the use of a 12v powered scavenge fan which then results in mostly clean air reaching your intake system. This means less maintenance and less fear of hurting your prized possessions beating heart. You're happy and you're engine is happy.
The system today is only available for the Polaris RZR XP1000 and XP Turbo platforms however SB Filters will soon release a kit for the Yamaha YXZ 1000R and are also working on an application for the Can-Am Maverick. The Particle Separator installs in minutes and comes with everything you need to get it up and running. SB claims about 30 minutes to install and I think thats true if you have done it before. But if you are doing it for the first time I would budget a bit more time especially if you wanted to run the wiring inside of your roll cage's tubing. The system can install on the rear upper (roof) of the cage or on the cross bar running behind your seats. I have tried both and I think I like it mounted on the cross bar better. It hurts rear visibility a bit being mounted there but it looks clean to me. But to each his own.
The unit itself is very trick looking and is made of high quality composite and utilizes a silicone intake hose which runs to your factory intake inlet on the passenger side rear fender. The kit comes with a trim piece to replace the factory piece but still looks very much factory. The main Particle Separator comes standard with a black faceplate but for a small fee you can upgrade to a stainless or painted faceplate. Painted colors are available in Red, Blue or white. The billet mounting clamps are extremely nice and are machined in-house at SB Filters and are designed to mount to most all 1.75" roll bars. Weather proof wiring harness is also provided and allows for adequate install all the way back to your factory battery location. We have installed all of our units on the ignition but I think I would like to put them on a switch so when I am leading a ride or just moving the vehicle around the house or trailer I wouldn't need the scavenge fan running. With that said, the fan does produce some additional noise to an already noisy machine but it only draws 3.1 amps nominally. Its a solid trade off for the 94% of the dirt it eliminates reaching your air filter!
[gallery link="file" ids="33824,33820,33817"]
Another cool side note on the Particle Separator is not only does it work in dusty environments but it also works for you mud guys! The Particle Separator can be used as a snorkel. I have never installed a snorkel kit but logic tells me there are some tricks on how you seal the snorkel tubes to your intake system so I would plan for the same thing here. But to me its a way cooler looking snorkel then anything else on the market we have seen!
We have installed two Particle Separators on our UTVs. One on our 2015 Fox Edition Polaris RZR Xp1000 and another on our new 2016 Polaris RZR XP Turbo. We also installed one on the Walker Evans Racing Polaris XP1000. We have ran all machines and so far are very happy with the results. We are even more excited to now have the opportunity to go out with SB Filters and do some real life testing which we are filming and will bring to you in the form of videos so you can visually see exactly how the units work and perform! With that said, don't wait to go out and buy a Particle Separator. For $399.00 its a solid investment for your machine, especially if you run in a lot of dusty environments!
When I asked Berry Carter if he intends on developing other products for the UTV industry he said "For now I just want to work on changing the way the powersports industry views filtration.." So while the company does intend on developing more products, today the focus is on the Particle Separator.
Stay tuned here to UTVUnderground.com as we continue to learn and share more on the new SB Filters Particle Separator.
Learn more about the SB Filters Particle Separator by CLICKING HERE
[gallery link="file" ids="33810,33813,33814,33815,33816,33817,33818,33819,33820,33821,33822,33823,33824,33812,33811,33798,33809,33808,33807,33806,33805,33804,33802,33801,33803,33800,33799,33797,33796,33795,33794,33793"]