Tropicalised aircraft generally had additional filters to prevent sand getting into the engine; examples include the Vokes air filter fitted to Mark IV and V Spitfires giving them a distinctive bulged 'chin' (e.g. Spitfire PR Mark IV, BP932, tropicalised aircraft fitted with a Vokes air filter) and the air filter fitted to a tropicalised Bf 109 G-2.

Filters reduced air flow, reducing the performance of engines, and depending on the installation could also add weight and drag; tropical engine cowlings on a Mosquito, for example, reduced the top speed by around 5-14 mph (A&AEE report from WWII Aircraft Performance). Manoeuvrability is difficulty to quantify, I'm not sure how it would be improved by filters, but there may be a quirk of installations that could result in marginal difference.