Official K&n Thread

[omegafiler]

Seems like every innocent K&N post turns into a K&N love it or hate it battle. So, here is the official thread - but lets keep it "informative."

[thecraft]

I don't care for them.

 

Whether or not the claims about K&N filters are true, I'll always run AC Delco (or equivalent) in my truck. I'd much rather have better filtration and less wear than a fabled "12HP and 2MPG increase."

[-Devil-]

eh, i use them ... but the main reasion i do ... is because i can reuse it several times ... before having to get a new one ... so the price equals out ... (i normally end up replacing it after about 5 years or so, a little less if i have to clean it more often) ...

[SLPR_04]

Been using them for years and no probs yet. Just don't over oil it and your good to go. Like it has been said in another post, they are aircraft certified. So if they are good enough to go on to an aircraft engine they are good enough for my truck.

[Zembonez]

Seems like every innocent K&N post turns into a K&N love it or hate it battle. So, here is the official thread - but lets keep it "informative."

 

Had one on every truck I've owned and loved it. Never a single issue and my trucks ran as good when I sold them as they did when I got them.

 

You KNOW you have tweaked every AMATEUR FILTRATION SCIENTIST on earth to tell us why K&N is evil.

 

You just had to go there.

[03blackburb]

If K&N filters were so bad and detrimental to engines the compnay would not be in business nor would they be able to stand behind their warrenty.

Yes, they do help with fuel mileage (just slightly) and they do help with throttle response (eliminate deand or flat spots), and are environmentally friendly as they do not need to be replaced during the life of the vehicle and thereby cost efficient.

[Schmids5.3l]

Agreed. If you oil the right side and don't pour it on the filter, they are as good as any. I ran a panel K&N in my truck for months with no problems. I don't see anything wrong with them.

[thecraft]

Like I said earlier, I don't know what claims about K&N are true and which aren't. But I want to add this:

 

Common sense tells me that more flow = less filtration. Spicer's test proves this. I'd much rather have less dirt scratching up my cylinder walls rather than a possible few extra ponies. But if you feel the tradeoff is worth it, go for it.

 

I see a lot of people saying that they've "run them for weeks/months/years with no problems." You probably won't have any problems for a very very long time! But several years and thousands of miles down the road when and if you rebuild your engine, you might not be too happy with what you find. How many of you folks with no problems actually had an oil analysis done?

 

Then there's the argument of K&N filters being more cost efficient than paper filters. OK then, lets see. A K&N filter costs about $50 for my truck while a decent paper filter is only about $5. My last paper filter lasted over 12k miles (really, it could've gone a few thousand more), more than a year's worth of driving for me. It would take over ten years for me to break even, and that's not including K&N Recharger kits! By then I would probably have new truck to buy another K&N for! I realize that many people drive way more often than I do, so a K&N might be a more economic choice for them.

 

I don't like the cleaning process either. Wash it, wait for it to dry, then oil it. It's much easier for me to run into town and just pick up a new filter. Plus I don't have to deal with the downtime while waiting for the filter to dry.

 

Here's something interesting I found on K&N's Website:

22. Can I use compressed air to dry the filter faster?

 

No, this can blow the filter material right out of the wire mesh and ruin the filter. Pick a nice day to clean the filter and let it dry naturally.

That statement alone would be enough for me to NEVER run a K&N on anything I own. If the filter can be blow apart like that, imagine what a large-displacement engine could do to it! I remember reading a post regarding the pleats in a clogged paper filter being flattened because the engine couldn't get enough air. Someone else retorted with something like "then your engine would've ate a flimsy-ass K&N!"

 

There it is, my two cents. I guess this takes me out of the "Don't Care" group and puts me in the "Hate'em" camp.

[Genuinefine409]

I've used them in all my trucks except the one I have now with no problems. The cleaning part is a pain sometimes but other than that they are ok i guess. I'd go with the Fram SynWash over a K&N though.

[-Devil-]

Common sense tells me that more flow = less filtration. Spicer's test proves this. I'd much rather have less dirt scratching up my cylinder walls rather than a possible few extra ponies. But if you feel the tradeoff is worth it, go for it.

 

 

this is just a reply to this part ... not to start an argument or anything .. just to offer up my findings ... i have rebuilt 5 motors that used K&N filters two of them had close to 300k miles on them .... two of the motors were rebuilt because of timing belt failure ... but there was no visible 'damage' to internal parts of the motors because of dirt entering into it ... the other motors were rebuilt just to make them larger displacements ... and again ... no visible damage or 'scratching' on the cyl walls other then the normal markings... (the other 3 motors had approx 175k to 200k on them, if not more)

[Schmids5.3l]

Here's something interesting I found on K&N's Website:

22. Can I use compressed air to dry the filter faster?

 

No, this can blow the filter material right out of the wire mesh and ruin the filter. Pick a nice day to clean the filter and let it dry naturally.

That statement alone would be enough for me to NEVER run a K&N on anything I own. If the filter can be blow apart like that, imagine what a large-displacement engine could do to it! I remember reading a post regarding the pleats in a clogged paper filter being flattened because the engine couldn't get enough air. Someone else retorted with something like "then your engine would've ate a flimsy-ass K&N!"

 

 

 

Thats why I like my outlaws dry filter, they recomend an air compressor

[99Silver6.0]

I loath K&N's crap. Every time I took the filter off, then inside of the intake tube was always dusty. I changed to an AEM dry filter and after numerous checks........... Intake tubes clean every time. I wouldnt even run a K&N on my quad or my lawnmower.

 

Sad fact of the matter is this......... The K&N name is all some people know. So thats what they buy. And im really sorry for that. AEM Brute Force and Outlaw come WAY, WAY, WAY before K&N IMHFO.

[Zembonez]

I loath K&N's crap. Every time I took the filter off, then inside of the intake tube was always dusty. I changed to an AEM dry filter and after numerous checks........... Intake tubes clean every time. I wouldnt even run a K&N on my quad or my lawnmower.

 

Sad fact of the matter is this......... The K&N name is all some people know. So thats what they buy. And im really sorry for that. AEM Brute Force and Outlaw come WAY, WAY, WAY before K&N IMHFO.

 

MAN... we are still beating this poor dead horse?

[Tylerz71]

My dad had one on his 03 2500 8.1 L.

 

Soon after, the O2 sensor went out.

 

Coincidence? I doubt it.

 

Right now I have stock-type on my truck, Im in the same delimma.

[thecraft]

I loath K&N's crap. Every time I took the filter off, then inside of the intake tube was always dusty. I changed to an AEM dry filter and after numerous checks........... Intake tubes clean every time. I wouldnt even run a K&N on my quad or my lawnmower.

 

Sad fact of the matter is this......... The K&N name is all some people know. So thats what they buy. And im really sorry for that. AEM Brute Force and Outlaw come WAY, WAY, WAY before K&N IMHFO.

 

MAN... we are still beating this poor dead horse?

 

Look at the date above his post. He posted on Aug. 27th, the topic just shows up in the "New Posts" section whenever someone votes.