Oil bath air filters do in fact work well. Most real fine dirt is trapped in the oil(even the micro-fine stuff. The only issue might be airflow. Ever wonder why the filter is so big? Problem solved. Same tech. is used by K and N performance filters. When I raced in wet, or dusty conditions we used an oil soaked "sock" to wrap around the dry paper filters to protect the paper. Skip the paper and drive happy. The "mesh" element traps a lot of dirt because it is "wet" Air gets a free pass. Dirt gets stuck. Why did we go to replacement paper filters? No mess and no skill to replace. When does any one clean a filter these days? K and N uses a cotton fiber to replace the mesh and an oil spray to replace the "bath". They work well too.

Steve H