Loud engine noise after a good hard ride

[fto12345]

Hello,

I wanted to ask some people about this and I don't know if any one else has the same problem.

When I change my engine oil and filter(as an example), the engine bay sounds very quite and the car is quite smooth.
But after a good hard ride or a long drive to some where and back, the engine bay sounds pretty loud. The drive seems to be ok though...

I am currently thinking it's a problem with the air filter and the engine gets dirty quickly.
What do you guys think?

The air filter I have is from Japan so don't know how long it has been used for. I have cleaned it once though probably about 6 months ago.

Also, last time I was getting my timing belt changed I had a look at my air induction pipe (The rubber pipe) and there were quite a lot of dust in there along the wall.

Does that mean my air filter is pretty much shot? And I should most likely get a new one?

What kind of air filter is every one using? And roughly how much?

Also concerning air intake pipe, is the metal one better than your stock rubber one? I heard that the metal heat up too quick and it's actually worse then the rubber one. That the metal ones are for show really!

Thanks for reading this far guys.
Any inputs will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

[smorison]

define noisy. its its like a ticking or tap tap sound its your tapets they can be adjusted (or you need a higher grade of oil).

I'd go with a simota pod but you'll need an adapter probably best waiting for our production run on the new intakes and do it all in one go.

[rxboy]

Are you sure it's not just the fans? These often turn on when you're stationary after a long hard drive. This is because you're not getting sufficient air to cool the engine that you normally get while driving.