Thoughts on K&N panel filters?
Discussion
Seen plenty of videos where the intake manifold side of the airbox is dusty/dirty with a K&N but it's never compared to the same car in the same environment with an OEM filter so you don't know if that would've done any better. Also heard plenty of reports of MAFs dying due to the oil from the filter but K&N advocates would tell you its your fault you over oiled it. Whats your experience with them?
100SRV said:
People pay a premium for such poor performance. K&n must laugh themselves stupid over getting away with it for so long.trickywoo said:
100SRV said:
People pay a premium for such poor performance. K&n must laugh themselves stupid over getting away with it for so long.So they allow more airflow at the expense of stopping dust getting in your engine.
How that affects performance was not tested, but I would have thought that more airflow=more power?
Olivergt said:
In those published results the K&N was the least restrictive when it comes to airflow.
So they allow more airflow at the expense of stopping dust getting in your engine.
How that affects performance was not tested, but I would have thought that more airflow=more power?
There are plenty of tests where the k&n makes less power than a standard setup.So they allow more airflow at the expense of stopping dust getting in your engine.
How that affects performance was not tested, but I would have thought that more airflow=more power?
From the test results in the link above you may as well run unfiltered which will be better still for restriction.
Olivergt said:
In those published results the K&N was the least restrictive when it comes to airflow.
So they allow more airflow at the expense of stopping dust getting in your engine.
How that affects performance was not tested, but I would have thought that more airflow=more power?
That’s easy to solve by oversizing the Airbox/filter to allow for the restriction - a stock airbox will typically allow for all the flow the engine needs with the filter blockage at end of life plus a healthy margin.So they allow more airflow at the expense of stopping dust getting in your engine.
How that affects performance was not tested, but I would have thought that more airflow=more power?
If there are other changes to the engine that have increased its intake air requirements plus larger injectors to allow more fuel, etc then there may be a need for more airflow but on a stock engine it will never be limited by the flow through an OEM filter
trickywoo said:
There are plenty of tests where the k&n makes less power than a standard setup.
From the test results in the link above you may as well run unfiltered which will be better still for restriction.
Ive been watching a lot of videos on the subject recently and from what I've seen, KN increases performance by a noticeable amount. Like this vid From the test results in the link above you may as well run unfiltered which will be better still for restriction.
https://youtu.be/GS69owXpGdY?si=-nWs3ujpQKjk0rQT
Used to use them back in the day when I was younger as it was generally a cheap mod.
Think I looked at a few tests a few years back whereby the standard paper filters were more effective at filtering smaller particles (cant remember the source), but stopped using them from then on and just went back to standard filters.
Think I looked at a few tests a few years back whereby the standard paper filters were more effective at filtering smaller particles (cant remember the source), but stopped using them from then on and just went back to standard filters.
Fitted a K&N filter to my Firestorm a few years back. Couldn't get it accelerating much above 100mph afterwards, I spent a summer thinking my carbs were out of balance or similar.
The following year I stripped the carbs and checked the balance , they were spot on. Went back to a standard filter and it was night and day, the old performance had been restored.
Threw the K&N in the bin and wouldn't bother with another on any vehicle ever again.
The following year I stripped the carbs and checked the balance , they were spot on. Went back to a standard filter and it was night and day, the old performance had been restored.
Threw the K&N in the bin and wouldn't bother with another on any vehicle ever again.
I’ve found and read a few tests on aftermarket “performance” air filters over the years, and for good flow with good filtering, over the service life of the filter, most of us are better off with OEM filters. I can’t remember all the details of this 25 years of casual research, and I certainly wouldn’t go blindly believing the words spouted by a random tuber when it comes to clean air for my road car’s engine. The maker of the cheap foam sock isn’t going to cough up for your engine rebuild in 50k miles time!
Obviously a very heavily modified engine will also have a modified induction system, and by necessity this will require an alternative air filter. But I’d try hard to install a large paper filter if it was mine.
Obviously a very heavily modified engine will also have a modified induction system, and by necessity this will require an alternative air filter. But I’d try hard to install a large paper filter if it was mine.
trickywoo said:
There are plenty of tests where the k&n makes less power than a standard setup.
Like for like, i.e. a K&N panel filter in the original airbox vs a paper element? I find that very difficult to believe, though I can well imagine some poorly designed "induction kits" could lose power. Do you have links or references to any of these tests?SystemOfAFrown said:
Like for like, i.e. a K&N panel filter in the original airbox vs a paper element? I find that very difficult to believe, though I can well imagine some poorly designed "induction kits" could lose power. Do you have links or references to any of these tests?
Of course he doesn'ttrickywoo said:
There are plenty of tests where the k&n makes less power than a standard setup.
From the test results in the link above you may as well run unfiltered which will be better still for restriction.
That assumes the engine requires or can draw that extra flow.From the test results in the link above you may as well run unfiltered which will be better still for restriction.
So whilst technically it might flow more, if you engine can’t actually suck more it makes no difference
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