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K&N Air filters - worth the extra cash?

A

antyler

Golden Member
ARe they limited to a certain retailer, or can i get one at Pep Boys, Auto Zone, or Kragen, as those are my best options in my locale.
 
Used K&N on many cars, up to extreme high miles (200-300k+), absolutely zero issues and some minor improvements in fuel economy/power.

Got them at Autozone, if they don't have the right one to fit, order it.
 
Im getting some mixed opinions here haha.

moose, if those are walmart quality whats a step up? Napa??
 
Originally posted by: RedArmy
There's many a thread on this all over internet car forums. Like here for example
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Interesting link,

Seems like its almost better to use the stock one, according to the thread in your link.
 
I use a K&N type filter in in the BMW and it worked great while it was in there. I saw "worked," because I no longer use the stock air box, hehe. You pay more for one, but keep in mind they are reusable and can be washed off with water numerous times before needing to buy their cleaning kit to re-oil the mesh. Saves you money in the long run.
 
Originally posted by: Silex
I use a K&N type filter in in the BMW and it worked great while it was in there. I saw "worked," because I no longer use the stock air box, hehe. You pay more for one, but keep in mind they are reusable and can be washed off with water numerous times before needing to buy their cleaning kit to re-oil the mesh. Saves you money in the long run.
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I had no idea you had to re-oil them and such. Cant be that difficult though. But you make a valid point about being cost effective.
 
Originally posted by: Silex
I use a K&N type filter in in the BMW and it worked great while it was in there. I saw "worked," because I no longer use the stock air box, hehe. You pay more for one, but keep in mind they are reusable and can be washed off with water numerous times before needing to buy their cleaning kit to re-oil the mesh. Saves you money in the long run.
Click to expand...

This 'long run' you speak of will only be achieved if you keep the car for around another 100,000 miles (at least) after installing the K&N. They say to change the air filter about every 20,000 miles (less if you do a lot of highway driving, more if you live in a rural area). I'm being very generous on how much a stock replacement air filter would cost, so let's say, 10 dollars (mine only cost $5.88). A direct swap in for a K&N air filter was 50 dollars for my car, and I drive a Honda (I saw the K&N filters for trucks and bigger SUV's up in the 70's).

Therefore, you pay 5 times as much and K&N says to re-oil them every 40,000 miles, so then you have to factor in that added cost as well. In my mind it's hardly worth it (even for being the car enthusiast I am).
 
Originally posted by: antyler
moose, if those are walmart quality whats a step up? Napa??
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I would go anywhere that doesn't sell the junk they sell or support communism......

I do my shopping at performance wharehouses , basically Summit or Jegs but local variety.


The K&N will let more dirt through, look at every test out there. Who cares how much, more is enough for me not to run it. The only thing I have K&N is their oil filters which filter alot smaller micron than others, and their filters on my dirt bike.
 
I have one in my Lexus (it came with it) but I do not recommend them. Buy a stock filter and just replace it.

BTW there are MANY threads allover the net about this issue especially here, on Anandtech. Do a search and you will find them:


K&N Filters ...
 
Originally posted by: dud
I have one in my Lexus (it came with it) but I do not recommend them. Buy a stock filter and just replace it.

BTW there are MANY threads allover the net about this issue especially here, on Anandtech. Do a search and you will find them:


K&N Filters ...
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not a bad idea. on both accounts. I purchased a FRAM to replace, which i guess is basically stock replacement.

as for searching, i was posting from work, and technically not supposed to, so i just posted right quick.
 
This is often debated. Just the debates aren't worth the hassle of the smidge of performance/gas mileage it might give. Maybe I'm just tired and old.
 
I guess I was basing the cost on the K&N replacement for a BMW. OEM will cost you nearly as much as I paid for the K&N after discount.
 
You can find all sorts of independent tests out there that show there is basically no gain in power or mileage with a drop-in K&N filter, but there IS an increase in how much dirt is passed. And any increase in airflow (which a stock engine can't use, anyway) is negated when the K&N gets just a little bit dirty. And it's still passing more dirt through it.
 
got mine on amazon. After 12k, it was a serious bitch to clean out, and reoil the sucker. They make money on your after you buy the filter buy selling kits to clean the filter. Lets say it takes a good deal of time to clean and dry too. Honestly, I dont notice any performance increase or mileage increase in my volvo s60 (non turbo). I would rather deal with the normal OEM filters if I had to make the decision again.
 
Originally posted by: nervegrind3r
got mine on amazon. After 12k, it was a serious bitch to clean out, and reoil the sucker. They make money on your after you buy the filter buy selling kits to clean the filter. Lets say it takes a good deal of time to clean and dry too. Honestly, I dont notice any performance increase or mileage increase in my volvo s60 (non turbo). I would rather deal with the normal OEM filters if I had to make the decision again.
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Exactly. Unless you have access to an air compressor, don't just clean/reoil it in 5 minutes.
You need to take it out, wash it, then wait for it to dry, THEN re-oil it.

And the re-oiling is where most folks go wrong......and that is why just about all manufacturers have TSB's for MAF and other sensors getting fouled because of K&N filters.

I talked to a Ford district service engineer the other day who was at a local dealer helping them diagnose a problem car. He said when he has to work on a car with a K&N that has a driveability or check engine light problem, the first thing he does is remove it. Works a good bit of the time, too, after cleaning up the damage.

For those who have been running K&N's for awhile, try this: take a paper towel and wipe the air tube AFTER the filter....and tell me how dirty it comes out. THAT is what is getting into your engine and on your sensors.
 
Originally posted by: zerocool84
What about AEM dryflow filters???
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They flow less, but filter better than a K&N.

But a stock or mildly-modified engine can't use more air than the stock filter will already let flow.

That's my, and lots of other folks' point. Unless you're modified your engine to make a LOT more power than stock, your factory air filter already flows more than enough.

Anyone who puts a drop-in K&N filter and thinks they see a difference in either power or gas mileage is simply imagining things. Too many variables....was the stock filter really dirty? If so, then replacing it with ANY filter might have yielded increases in mileage/power.

Gas mileage claims are really irrelevant, anyway....first off, they aren't scientific, done in controlled conditions so everything is apples to apples....and secondly, and most importantly.......people lie.

If you buy something for your car that's supposed to make a difference, and it's a lot more expensive than the stock component, you can bet you're going to think there's a difference, and you can also bet that most people won't admit it even if they realize there isn't a difference.
Good analogy: K&N and Monster Cables. Both certainly work, but neither are necessary and both are overpriced....and at least Monster Cables don't allow potentially harmful stuff into your speakers. 😉

Good independent test of K&N vs paper filters
 
Originally posted by: mooseracing
Those three stores = walmart quality, avoid like the plauge, and avoid K & N.....
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It's plague and you are ignorant.

Auto Zone and Pep Boys carry a lot of TOP SHELF products and happen to do so usually at a much LOWER price point than Joe's Tune and Toot.

 
What kind of K&N you looking at? If just a drop in, they are fine but don't expect too much. If you are looking at a cone filter, they are closer to the the low-end of namebrand performance. Apex'i is at the top. There is about a 2-3WHP difference between the top and bottom in many head to head tests between filters. A CAI could add up to 10WHP or more depending on how restrictive the stock intake was and how much power you have added.
 
Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
Originally posted by: zerocool84
What about AEM dryflow filters???
Click to expand...
They flow less, but filter better than a K&N.

But a stock or mildly-modified engine can't use more air than the stock filter will already let flow.

That's my, and lots of other folks' point. Unless you're modified your engine to make a LOT more power than stock, your factory air filter already flows more than enough.
Click to expand...

I think it really depends on what engine and how the stock system is set up. Some do have reasonable gains from aftermarket drop in filters, across a pretty good RPM range (not just peak).
 
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