K&N drop in filter 1500 mile review

[MrZappo]

Yeah, foam this, oil that. I have dirt bikes. I know the drill.

Fact is that basic paper or oem type filters work fine for the vast majority of people driving cars or trucks. And they work decently for the rest.

All this "premium" stuff is just BS designed to lure in a specific person who will buy in to stuff.

But in the end, it's mostly crap that will have such a minimal effect on mileage OR performance that it would never justify its expense.

True believers will buy it no matter what and others will not waste their money.

I've never seen a study or report that has convinced me and trust me I've looked.

If you truly spend the majority of your time in dusty off road conditions, look around and find a boutique filter. If you drive like the other 98% of jeep owners, save your money.

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[PyrPatriot]

I will say the K&N filters have one good use, potentially. They are rubbery and tough, which means keep them in packaging and toss them under the seat or wherever as a backup filter while offroading. A regular filter might get damaged too much under gear, but the K&N should do better and can be used in a pinch

 

[KurtP]

Do you, boo-boo

 

[AmishMike]

I have run K&N filters in many different applications, it all depends on the application. In today's computerized vehicles with most drivers they will do very little. MAF, MAP etc. keep adjusting fuel etc. to match the cfm coming in to hit whatever numbers the ECM is looking for, especially cruising along. For example if at 2,000 rpm under steady load (cruising on the hwy) your engine needs 120 cfm, giving it access to 130 cfm doesn't do much. Under initial acceleration, yes they flow a little better so that initial surge of air should come quicker. At WOT when you are looking for all of the air/fuel that you can stuff in there then they do allow better flow. Can your system utilize it......well that is another story. The entire system must work synchronously. Unless there is a definitive restriction in a system then replacing one part of that system won't change much if anything. (KurtP does a better job of explaining this.)

Will you hear 'more' air at WOT, probably; will you feel like it has more power, maybe. You can carry a cleaning kit instead of an extra filter when you are out in the middle of nowhere, and they do not get damaged like paper filters with a splash of water. Over oiling them can cause bigger problems further down the fuel chain. So, yes sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.

K&N filters do seem to 'last longer' meaning that at advanced mileage intervals they still flow better than paper. If you change your air filters regularly than no problem but a dirty K&N will flow better than a dirty paper filter. It is amazing how much of a difference in the health of your engine a clean air filter makes. For years, I thought 'well a little loss of power from a dirty filter is no big deal' then I got into running a fleet of diesels. Now I know the value of clean air filters, not just performance but emissions systems, oil systems, even turbos are all affected.

 

[Whatscooking]

Only way to let more air through a filter is to moke the holes in the filter bigger. Hold a K&N up to a light, you can see through it, WTF.
My opinion a K&N air filter does not filter the air going into a engine good enough for long life, if your racing and looking for every bit of performance thats another thing but for me and the long haul nope.

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