Product Review: K&N air filter

[Tuna]

I installed a K&N air filter finally in my V Wagon. Simple right?

1. After 14,000 miles the paper filter was still pretty clean and probably didn't need to be changed but I did it anyway.
2. The filter has a small area - much smaller than I would have thought for a 556HP engine to breathe through.
3. The air box lid was a PITA to get out.

Loosen the air bridge hose clamp and push the hose out of the way. Not much room there.
Disconnect the MAP wires. Easy enough.
Remove or loosen 3 screws that hold down the air box lid. The back two are easy to get at but be careful not to drop them. The front screw is between the radiator frame and the air box and hard to see. There was no way to remove it but the boss on the lid is thick enough to leave the screw in the lid.​

4. The hard part was getting the lid out of the hole it's in. There is a wire bundle attached to the back side of the lid that has to be released and held out of the way. Then you have to tilt the lid up on the hose side and try to pull it out. There is another wire bundle on the front side of the lid that gets in the way.
5. Once the lid is out of the car, the old filter can be pulled out. Found a bit of trash in the bottom of the air box and removed that also.
6. Reverse the process. Try not to drop the back 2 screws or you may never see them again.

Of course changing out a relatively clean paper for a K&N filter will not create any change in performance. My experience with K&N filters is that they still breathe well after years of use and getting dirty. I clean them every now and then on my other cars and put them back in.

Now back to driving my V Wagon.

 

[cubby558]

Know what you mean by PITA... Just changed out the OEM Cold Air Intake with an AIRAID CAI unit. Not too bad to do, but not a lot of room to work with. Getting the cone filter out to clean it and re-oil it will be a challenge. Thankfully, as you state, they seem to last quite awhile before cleaning is needed. Now to watch the MPG, to see if there is any difference.

I installed a K&N air filter finally in my V Wagon. Simple right?

1. After 14,000 miles the paper filter was still pretty clean and probably didn't need to be changed but I did it anyway.
2. The filter has a small area - much smaller than I would have thought for a 556HP engine to breathe through.
3. The air box lid was a PITA to get out.

Loosen the air bridge hose clamp and push the hose out of the way. Not much room there.
Disconnect the MAP wires. Easy enough.
Remove or loosen 3 screws that hold down the air box lid. The back two are easy to get at but be careful not to drop them. The front screw is between the radiator frame and the air box and hard to see. There was no way to remove it but the boss on the lid is thick enough to leave the screw in the lid.​

4. The hard part was getting the lid out of the hole it's in. There is a wire bundle attached to the back side of the lid that has to be released and held out of the way. Then you have to tilt the lid up on the hose side and try to pull it out. There is another wire bundle on the front side of the lid that gets in the way.
5. Once the lid is out of the car, the old filter can be pulled out. Found a bit of trash in the bottom of the air box and removed that also.
6. Reverse the process. Try not to drop the back 2 screws or you may never see them again.

Of course changing out a relatively clean paper for a K&N filter will not create any change in performance. My experience with K&N filters is that they still breathe well after years of use and getting dirty. I clean them every now and then on my other cars and put them back in.

Now back to driving my V Wagon.

 

[Johnxlrv]

Know what you mean by PITA... Just changed out the OEM Cold Air Intake with an AIRAID CAI unit. Not too bad to do, but not a lot of room to work with. Getting the cone filter out to clean it and re-oil it will be a challenge. Thankfully, as you state, they seem to last quite awhile before cleaning is needed. Now to watch the MPG, to see if there is any difference.

Seen on other posts that excess oil could plug the MAF sensor. Though, I would be interested in hearing about the benefits

 

[cubby558]

Ive used K&N filters on many vehicles and have never had a problem. They don't come from the factory over-oilled; it is usually done by the person servicing (cleaning & re-oiling) the filters. I have the AirAid CAI on my CTS-V coupe and the D3 CAI on my XLR-V; both use K&N cone type filters. I have yet to have to clean either one and have had no issues. As far as benefits; less restrictive air flow than stock units, reusable filters.

Seen on other posts that excess oil could plug the MAF sensor. Though, I would be interested in hearing about the benefits

 

[Tuna]

Seen on other posts that excess oil could plug the MAF sensor. Though, I would be interested in hearing about the benefits

Better air flow to the engine over an extended period of time.

Unlike the OEM paper filters, the oil coated filters like K&NB and Green Filters do not loose much if any air flow as they get dirty yet they still filter extremely well. As the paper filters get dirty, they restrict air flow to the engine and choke power. Comparing a new paper filter to a new K&N will likely not show any real difference but 15-20 K down the road and the K&N is still flowing plenty of air and the paper filter is plugged.

As already mentioned, the K&N does not come out of the box over-oiled and does not cause any problems.

Over-oiling is a user issue. Some folks want to spray it with oil until it drips and then put it back in the car. That's not good. Any filter that is covered with oil like the K&N or Green Filters needs time to drain before reinstalling it. When I clean my filters, I prop them up against a wall and let them drain in a cookie sheet for an hour or so then wipe off any wet stuff before putting them back in the car - never had a problem and I've used them for years and years. That's another good point for them if you plan on keeping the car for a long time. The K&N filters (Green filters) last a long, long time and still provide great air flow to the engine.

 

[Evooooo]

Better air flow to the engine over an extended period of time.

Unlike the OEM paper filters, the oil coated filters like K&NB and Green Filters do not loose much if any air flow as they get dirty yet they still filter extremely well. As the paper filters get dirty, they restrict air flow to the engine and choke power. Comparing a new paper filter to a new K&N will likely not show any real difference but 15-20 K down the road and the K&N is still flowing plenty of air and the paper filter is plugged.

As already mentioned, the K&N does not come out of the box over-oiled and does not cause any problems.

Over-oiling is a user issue. Some folks want to spray it with oil until it drips and then put it back in the car. That's not good. Any filter that is covered with oil like the K&N or Green Filters needs time to drain before reinstalling it. When I clean my filters, I prop them up against a wall and let them drain in a cookie sheet for an hour or so then wipe off any wet stuff before putting them back in the car - never had a problem and I've used them for years and years. That's another good point for them if you plan on keeping the car for a long time. The K&N filters (Green filters) last a long, long time and still provide great air flow to the engine.

Are the gains as serious as people claim with these intakes? Airaid is stating 45whp! NO tune!!!

 

[Tuna]

Are the gains as serious as people claim with these intakes? Airaid is stating 45whp! NO tune!!!

A simple K&N filter change isn't going to make you any extra horsepower unless the paper filter you take out is already clogged with dirt. The rest of the air intake between the front of the car and the throttle body stay the same.
The benefits of the K&N is the long life of the filter without losing any power as it gets dirty.

Some "ram air" or "fresh air" systems might help some. I would not bet on a 45 HP increase however. If you want to try things, get your car dynoed before and after each change, then you'll know for sure.

 

[Evooooo]

A simple K&N filter change isn't going to make you any extra horsepower unless the paper filter you take out is already clogged with dirt. The rest of the air intake between the front of the car and the throttle body stay the same.
The benefits of the K&N is the long life of the filter without losing any power as it gets dirty.

Some "ram air" or "fresh air" systems might help some. I would not bet on a 45 HP increase however. If you want to try things, get your car dynoed before and after each change, then you'll know for sure.

Tuna,

That is exactly what I am doing, im no fool when it comes to this stuff and on my big turbo evo tuned I probably only picked up 20WHP. The gains displayed and showed backed up by "dyno graphs" is what is making me wonder "could it be"? I will be doing my own bench mark testing and report back next wk after the dyno sessions.

 

[Tuna]

Tuna,

That is exactly what I am doing, im no fool when it comes to this stuff and on my big turbo evo tuned I probably only picked up 20WHP. The gains displayed and showed backed up by "dyno graphs" is what is making me wonder "could it be"? I will be doing my own bench mark testing and report back next wk after the dyno sessions.

Sounds like a good plan. There are a lot of folks out there that believe the hype that goes with product sales.

I did a few dyno runs on my old '92 Corvette when I started modifying it just to make sure I was going the right direction. That was a few years ago and I've not done anything to my V Wagon or current Vette except drive them - so no dyno runs on them.

Later,