K&N Air Filters - Worth the Money?

[harry steiber]

Try the AFE PRO DRY S, much better than K&N. You never have to oil it and the silicon from my last UOA was 3PPM.

[maxxgraphix]

I did a K&N on my Mustang and my truck. No dif from stock plain paper filters. Well it cost more. After a few cleanings I'd bet they don't perform as well. So I removed the K&N and filter box from the truck and replaced it with a paper filter that has 4 times the area. Now I can tell a difference.

So, the AREA of the filter is what makes the real difference as far as air flow.

The K&N's use an oil on the element. So it would catch more dust.

[ffvben]

when i first got my truck at 55k miles i thought my 3.0L was a bit sluggish. I put a k&n stock replacement filter and it woke it up. mainly over 2500 rpm I could feel the difference in wot only. it now has 137k on the same filter (cleaned 2xs) and still running strong.
Also, my wifes xterra 4.0L has the air hog stock repalcement, I could not feel the differance but she could.

[smay665949]

I have used K&N on my V8 cars & trucks for years. My trucks are driven on dirt roads a lot so the K&N have paid off many times because they could be cleanned and re-oiled instead of replacing the filter every month.

I just upgraded my cars to the EA air filters from Amsoil. Time will tell how they work out.

[shatto]

Originally Posted by smay665949

I have used K&N on my V8 cars & trucks for years. My trucks are driven on dirt roads a lot so the K&N have paid off many times because they could be cleanned and re-oiled instead of replacing the filter every month.

I just upgraded my cars to the EA air filters from Amsoil. Time will tell how they work out.

Amsoil Ea air and oil filters remove the smallest particles and allow the highest flow for a longer time than any other.

[jeep45238]

I plan on having this car for a while - so for me, the $35 air filter was worth it in replacement costs alone (standard filters are about $9 a pop).

I've got 2 other Saturns in the family, both with autos - they got an extra MPG out of it, and I'm getting about the same out of my stick. That's a long time to pay off in MPG gains alone, but in maintenance, it adds up fast.

It's no miracle thing, but every little bit helps.

[MorningGaser]

On a 2007 Toyota Yaris, and after using the K&N for 15 tank fulls, I find no increase in MPG. Not even .00000001% !

The only benefit I see from this filter is savings in $$ over buying the paper throw-away type.

In addition, I still question if the K&N is filtering as well as a conventional filter. However I think there might be a lot of downsides to the K&N like the possability of F'ing up the intake, sensors, etc...

Although I fell for it myself, I think K&N filters are a gimmick and frankly I have a bit of buyer's remorse having bought one.

[dkjones96]

I don't buy these for the performance or mileage increase. I buy them because they are reusable and it's less that I end up throwing away. Over time they end up saving me money but it takes like 60k to break even(including the filter cleaning kit) if you change a normal filter every 15k like they say for you to do.

[shatto]

Originally Posted by ALS

Here is an air filter test that was done with various filters.

You decide whether you really want a K&N in your air box.

airfilter/airtest

I missed this the first time around.
Look at the link. Very interesting stuff.
I wish we had the results of a test with what replaced the Amsoil Foam filter, the Ea.

http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/eaa.aspx
Scroll to the bottom for cost comparisons.

[palemelanesian]

MetroMPG tested air filters for mileage. http://www.metrompg.com/posts/air-filter-part-2.htm