9" or 14" diameter air cleaner?

[72valiant]

Ok, this is probably a stupid question, but could someone tell me which air cleaner would work best for my '72 Valiant? I'm trying to decide between a 14" diameter or a 9" diameter. The engine is a 318 with a 2 stage four barrel Edelbrock carburetor and I have headers. I'm wanting to drop the cash on a K&N filter and need to figure which I'm gonna buy. Performance is my main concern with cosmetic appearance a close second. The 9" would allow for more of the engine to be shown especially the carburetor. It looks awfully small on the engine though. The 14" looks like it would give better performance.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[waggin]

well,the big one is better for many reasons just my opinion

 

[rumblefish360]

Diameter has little bearing on performance ... on a street ride. Theres a few good reasons to use a larger diameter air cleaner.

Larger selection of fliter sizes.
More area of filter.
Gets dirty/cloged slower since theres more area.
More area to draw air from

Since performance is the goal, IMO, a K&N extreme lid and filter (Comes with base and instructions) is the way to go.