K&N Performace Filters - Join the club!

petershen1984 · Post by **petershen1984** » 17 Feb 2006, 02:41

I fitted one into my 740 today - and my! What a difference!

Volvord · Post by **Volvord** » 24 Feb 2006, 19:52

Many filters claim many things. Their filters are not bad but be carefull, free flowing filters can have their downside. Lower resitance to airflow and higher dirt past filter

http://home.usadatanet.net/%7Ejbplock/I ... SPICER.htm

petershen1984 · Post by **petershen1984** » 26 Feb 2006, 19:59

Wow.... so there are better filters out there...
AC delco scored highest on the dirt holding/ dirt past-related tests, but lowest on air restriction... so I guess it's better to find the midpoint as a compromise I guess....

i really enjoy that "free revving" sound though.... and since our motors are low-end torque, they don't breathe as well at and above 4,000 rpms.... I know it gets up there, but it doesn't work that well against the load at such speeds... (and that's where four valves per cylinder and VVT comes in)...

And that's where I've seen some performance gains.

On a side note, it's no wonder K&N markets higher flow makes for more effecient combustion, but NOT fuel economy, because it just makes the drivers wanna test it more often.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 02 Apr 2006, 00:15

Don't over-spray the filter with the oil when you clean it and by all means let the oil dry before inserting it back into the air box. Oil getting on the MAF can damage it....expensive.

I use a K&N too but only spray the oil on the bottom side (the side the air flows through) and not the upper side when I clean mine.

cosmicdust · Post by **cosmicdust** » 17 May 2006, 07:11

So is the K & N filter a good idea for a novice, or is it a high maintenance type thing?

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 17 May 2006, 07:27

They are great and anyone can clean and re-oil them....the novice can use it without problems if you follow the directions. New, right out of the box, it is all ready to install without doing anything to it. Just take the old out, and put this into the airbox in its place. Last year, I bought one for my Volvo from AJ-USA: http://www.ajusa.com/cgi-bin/store/start?r=store&
At that time, they seemed to have the best prices.

It will give your car a slightly more umph...and mpg...but don't expect miracles.

petershen1984 · Post by **petershen1984** » 17 May 2006, 07:28

The performance gains are subtle, and most felt where the Volvos max out on lower end torque at 2,600~3,000--where breathing better helps rpm gains. But it's probably not that apparent compared to a turbocharged motor, which, by the way, kicks in at higher than "fuel-economical" speeds.

So don't be overwhelmed, the K&N filters are sized to fit your airbox as a drop-in replacement to the cheap paper filters -- and it will outlast ten paper filters before cleaning and reoiling is required.

The "overwhelming" stage you're talking about is perhaps getting a "cone filter" to replace the entire airbox. Those are for if you really need to pull high rpms -- otherwise I heard they tend to hurt low-end torque a bit...

petershen1984 · Post by **petershen1984** » 17 May 2006, 07:36

Right, and K&N don't claim better mpg although the fuel gets better burn, but I suppose the better performance just makes some drivers wanna go faster

On a side note about fuel economy, the local Honda dealership sponsored a promotion where a team of drivers would drive the new Civics and see who can get the best mileage. This competition was extremely far fetched, since the average Joe wouldn't normally drive with folded rear-view mirrors (marginal aerodynamic improvement), without A/C, and with a foot so light on the pedal that the tach never reads past 2k rpms. The outcome of this competition was, in all, "better than Prius" averages: they travelled 882 kilometers on 40 liters of gas (92 RON)!!

petershen1984 · Post by **petershen1984** » 11 Jun 2006, 20:47

kkirt109-07-1999, 09:54 PM
This is the response I got from K&N after sending them this e-mail:

I have recently read some disturbing comments made by some people on a message board I frequent. They said that the K&N filters allow more dirt particles past the filter for the sake of air flow than say a standard paper filter (they had their oil tested as a means of determining engine contamination.) I read your site and surprisingly did not see anything about the filtration attributes of your filter compared to paper.

I would assume that you have tested the filtration properties of your filters. Could you share with me the results? Does the K&N filter allow more dirt past than paper filters? If so, can you quantify how much more? I would appreciate any comments you may have.

Dear customer,
Our filters are tested by an outside, independent laboratory, Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA). They stop 97 % of particles on a SAE fine dust test. This test uses mostly particles in the 0 - 5 micron range but up to 20 microns. For comparison, a paper filter stops 98% on
the same test and the OEM minimum standard is 95%. Our filters do even better, up to 98.6%, as they build up a dirt layer. We got started over 30 years ago making filters for motorcycles and off road racers. The filters did so good that these guys wanted them for their cars and trucks. We started doing this and here we are today. If they did not work, we would not still be here and growing every year. We now make filters for Chrysler/Mopar, Ford Motorsports and Harley Davidson. We even made the filters used in the Apache helicopters used in Desert Storm. If they work in these conditions they will work for you. We will come as original equipment on the 2000 Ford Mustang Cobra-R. Remember, dirt in the oil can come from fuel, crankcase ventilation, a defective oil filter, etc. You may let your fellow message board members know this info as well. It would be to their benefit to know the facts.
Thanks for asking, Rick

Well, what do you guys think? I would have expected no less - this is their business. But... they could have not responded or just BS'd me to death. At least they have some numbers. I guess the question is, are they believable.

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carlosR · Post by **carlosR** » 16 Jun 2006, 21:50

Hi Peter, I have used K & N filters on my vehicles and have always been satisfied with the results. It kicked ass on my old supercharged Riviera. I am going to put either the drop in or a CAI on my T5 soon. You have nothing to worry about using their products.