I own a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD and I installed a Banks Ram Air intake system at around 120,000 miles. I clean and oil the filter every 12,000 miles and I enjoy showing people the odometer reading whenever I can. Just passed 480,000 miles and it still runs and sounds brand new! I average 18 mpg. Proper maintenance is key with the reusable filters.
i will 100% agree with you that and make sure it is the proper filter for your model i have had mine on a truck with just over 100,000 miles but it has spent 90% of its life on dirt working on a farm you pop the hood on the truck and its all dust but when you pull the filter out it looks brand new behind it and i clean the filter and reoil it every 10,000 miles and it looks like just mud coming out the filter
Good info. The only reason I installed a cold air intake on my truck was because the fender housing was always crammed with leaves that I couldn't clean out without taking apart the fender. I like the ease of installation and for what K/N charges versus paper filters, it has paid for itself tenfold. If oil is on the MAF or in the tube then too much oil is being applied. It needs a very light oil coat. Love your videos, thanks for what you do.
This is use case dependent, hitting the DUNES, paper filter will work much better. The only time I experience this was due to a very dry couple of months in Texas, I was driving through training area gate at Fort Hood to go to my apartment about 30 miles away. During that couple of months, I noticed sand particles when I was doing a check about 1000 miles into my oil change before a trip.... Every time I check the oil I will remove the oil cap and just stick my finger in (while off and engine is cold) and just rub the lip in the valve cover look at it for sheen (metal, goop water/coolant, particles (dirt/sand). When I did this I saw grit non metal, but was indeed sand. Immediately changed the oil. Went on my trip, came back changed it again and never had an issue. That was the only time I experienced anything like this. I have used this (on road/track applications and never experience dirt or sand or anything else, but once. From Michigan to Texas. But I would agree after market dry performance filter would make sense in a very dusty or sandy environment for sure.
I installed a K&N filter on my new 99 Suburban. Almost 18 years later, It now has 403K miles on it and it has never required engine work. I think I cleaned that filter maybe five times since I put it in. I remember thinking I could tell a difference in acceleration after installing, but maybe that was all in my mind. In any case I think it's best to keep an open mind and try things to see what works best for a given situation. I started using K&N in the mid 80's because i did a lot of river crossings and K&N allowed me to keep going while the filter was pretty wet; paper would never hold up in that situation.
Automotive manufacturer’s engineers don’t design what is the best and most long lasting; they design what is cheapest and most cost effective to manufacture. As long as it survives until the end of the warrantee, it is considered to be a successful design.
There are other considerations too. The big one is gov't emissions regulations; car companies and their engineers have to keep that in mind and design the car so it'll meet those regulations. Uncle is a BIG DRIVER behind what car companies do!
Thank you SO MUCH for telling everyone about the aftermarket filters like K&N. I'm so tired of people saying they put one on their vehicle and got more power & better fuel economy - bull crap.
If u drive on dirt roads or lots of dust like construction, snow, heavy rain I would use the paper filter. If u are on clean streets and highways I see no problems with the K&N style cold air intakes. Always have 2 filters so when u clean one and let the oil dry u are covered. Do not over oil and give plenty of time to dry before use.
I have used a K&N filter on my 94 Ranger since it had 2000 miles on it. It currently has 229000 on it with the same K&N. The throttle response was much improved by the K&N.
I think it depends on a vehicle by vehicle basis. Ideally a non-oiled high performance filter would be the way to go that's a tight fit. No gaps as they showed in this video between the filter and intake housing.
@@killaurnext That was a crappy, off-brand junk filter. All the dust in the intake was caused by the poor seal. A real K&N would have a nice, tight fit.
I am a Ford retiree who started my career with Ford at Cleveland Engine Plant 1, 'Home Of The 302', in Brookpark, Ohio. I personally have used K&N air filtering products in Ford vehicles since 1986, when I installed one in my first Mustang GT(also had an '88). I've since used them in an '89 Escort GT, A '90 Ford Ranger, a '93 F 150 Lightning, a '96 Bronco, 2001 and 2003 Ranger pickups. A 2004 Mercury Marauder( complete K&N cold air intake on the Marauder), An '04 F 150 Lariat, an '07 Expedition XLT, and most recently, a used 2008 Taurus X Limited, which I bought to keep from running miles up on the Marauder, which after 11 years, still has only 36,000 miles on the odometer. I won't own a Ford vehicle without installing a K&N filter in it. From my own experience, a K&N air filter will provide better airflow with 35,000 miles of dirt, than a brand new paper filter, regardless of the paper filter brand. And I've NEVER had a dirty intake, downstream of the installed K&N air filter, on any of my vehicles! An internal combustion engine is basically an air pump, and the very best paper filter made, will only serve to choke a high performance engine, and restrict it's ability to breath. Never install a K&N air filter on a Ford vehicle with any series EEC module without first disconnecting the negative battery terminal for, at the very least, an hour. You won't see any horsepower, or fuel efficiency gains unless you perform this simple task. Doing so allows the EEC module to dump all of it's factory settings(presets), and, in effect, re-boot the EEC. This in turn allows the system to 'sense' the increased air flow from the K&N, and adjust itself accordingly, when you reconnect the battery, and start the engine. AND REMEMBER: NEVER DISCONNECT THE POSITIVE TERMINAL FIRST! THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF FRYING YOUR EEC MODULE IF YOU DON'T DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE TERMINAL FIRST! There is, in fact, no good reason to even disconnect the positive battery terminal for this procedure. Try it! You'll see an improvement. Don't have an opinion on K&N oil filters... Never used one!
William Carper hi there. I have 2010 focus 1.6 tdci 109 bhp and today i changed the stock air filter with a kn in the box filter. Immediately the turbo boost went from 1.1 as usual ( i have a boost gauge), to 0.7 , with full throttle. It spiked now and then to 1.0 but the engine eventually went into limp mode as boos was not passing 0.5 with full throttle. Did not perform that reset but instead changed back to stock filter and everything is back to normal. Any ideas why this happened
William Carper IDK how their oil filters measure up vs other brands but the K&N's I buy for my motorcycle oil changes have a hex head formed into them at the top which is real handy for obvious reasons. 3/4" or some such. Much easier to use than those band type grippers that slips over the filter.
Thanks for the tip on sequence of removing negative & positive battery cables. I've used K&N for decades! Lots of opinions without scientific facts to back up claims. Not slamming Poster because I like his videos.
Great video. For years I have been saying to car buddies the 'k&n' style filters are a waste of money, min. performance gain (if any) and filter air like dog crap. Thumbs up for telling it like it is!!
In 2008 I installed the K & N filter in NM on my 2008 F150 5.4L. After few months I noticed a fine streak of dust buildup on the curve of the intake tube nearest the intake manifold. I contacted K & N customer support and they refused to answer questions after I provided pictures. Since 2008 the truck has lived in AK, LA, NM again and now in VA. The last two times I cleaned the intake tube and the throttle body housing it seems to me there is a lot of fine dust buildup. Overall, if you routinely maintain the filter and re-oil correctly you may not have long term issues. Brian's point is simple, use a good quality filter that will get the fine/microscopic dust. I'm now in the process of going back to stock. Good video...I'll take experience over armchair QB's any day.
My '07 Focus came used with a K&N intake and filter. MAF sensor is squeaky clean (cleaned 10k ago) idles normally. I oil it at the recommended intervals. I think if installed and maintained properly, they do a fine job.
Agree! I Just spread a little oil only on the very top of the external crowns (as instructed), there is NO way this oil move anywhere else. I have used them for years, never had a problem. This is my experience for more than 12 years in the same car (Honda CR-V, 2009), it runs like the very first day!!!
I gave a reuseable high flow and oiled air filter a try being used in my car for two years. I realized that I lost low end torque with that filter because when i changed back to a paper filter after two years, I noticed a significant increase in my front end torque according to the seat-of-my-pants dyno.
I run KN intakes on all my vehicles, I also tune them and replace the stock MAF. It's night and day difference. I also clean and service it properly never have anything but a clean intake tube. To me more horsepower, mpg, and higher top speed is worth the extra money.
Years ago when I bought a K&N (cotton/oil) filter I also bought the stock paper version (Motorcraft) and datalogged both on similar wot pulls. I too was skeptical. I consistently logged higher MAF counts with the K&N pulls. And the counts' deacceleration rate was less as RPMs increased - an indicator of decreased restriction. This was on a mildly blown 2002 Mustang.
KNN intake and aftermarket MAFs on most all my vehicles. Since I clean my filters every oil change like my ATVs you could see an example of it done right. I also gained at least 12 plus horse. Which requires a good tuner, less restricted MAF and intake.
I have used K&N filters for years and never had any problems. To get horsepower gain you need to reprogram the computer or use a chip. Paper filters clog very quickly and this is where the K&N is better. K&N and other washable filters do let more dirt in when they are new or after they are cleaned. The oil is supposed to prevent this. It does help a lot, but not enough. However once you have been using it for a few hundred miles, the filter gets enough dirt on it to prevent this. After 3 to 5 thousand miles, the K&N will do a better job of keeping dirt out while still maintaining its airflow than a paper filter. In the long run with proper maintenance, the K&N will keep the inside of the intake system cleaner and will maintain horse power. Do that test again with the hotrod car, but use a paper filter that has been used for a couple of thousand miles. The K&N will likely be on par or better.
I've got 240,000 on my 2000 Silverado and the k&n was installed at 29,000. I changed the intake gaskets at 220,000, and saw no dust, dirt, or oil buildup inside. There were no real performance gains felt when I first installed it. It was mainly a financial decision, to save on buying filters. I understand that results may vary from make to make, but I have been more than pleased over the years. The way I see it, if you are in tune with your vehicle, and keep up on maintenance, you would know very quickly if a filter is causing issues. However, I know that most folks are not "car guys" and know very little about how their vehicle functions besides putting gas in it. I recently purchased a 01 Taurus with bad headgaskets to flip. Searching UA-cam for instructional videos on the job, I found your channel. I want to thank you for your extremely detailed tutorial. This is my first Ford in over 15 years, and my have things changed! However, I am confident that I can see the job done, and done right after watching your video. Thanks again for making this video, it was insightful and well done. I was unaware of the issues that you covered. When I complete a full service on the Taurus, it will not be getting a K&N as previously planed. Keep up the good work, I will continue to watch for new videos :)
I took a long time for manufacturers to consider cool air intake systems for OE filter housings. Older cars had no provision for this and I always found a way to plumb cool air to my cars filters. It's nice to see that manufacturers have caught up to 1960's performance technology!
+Kenneth Cohagen Older cars had no previsions for cool air? How old? All the 80s cars I've had drew their air from behind the sealed beam headlights, the grill, or between the fender gap. All of which would be fresh, cool air.
+atsernov I was talking about cars older than that. A few cars in the 60's and 70's had hood scoops or ram air, but most drew air from under the hood. I would get rid of the under hood insulation right away because in AZ you don't need it and it traps hot air under the hood. Then, there were a couple of air cleaners available the ran hoses out in front of the grill. They didn't have a heat barrier between the battery and the engine either. Chrysler started putting a cold air box around their batteries in the late 70's. Now everyone does something to keep batteries cool. And the cool part is that all these improvements and more were driven by hot rodders!
One thing you can do if you are running an aftermarket oilable filter and are concerned about particulates coming through is use a pre-filter. This could be something of a foam variety, but from what I have been told from people that were there, The Army ended up using ladies nylons (yes, chunks of pantyhose) stretched over their vehicle air filters in the desert to keep the fine sand from clogging up the works and ruining the engines.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Thank you. i was trying to figure out how to prefilter mine with window air conditioner foam but your way is way more useful.
I understand any given situation can go bad, but I honestly JUST cleaned my 7 year old K & N filter and the MAF sensor as well and ONLY the filter had some dirt and small dust particles on it.(visibly) I also went a little long in between cleanings this time which was about 3 years(I know,way too long) where as I like to do it every year. This filter has worked marvelously for me, IMHO. I do believe that over oiling and other errors may occur with other set ups though. You do make valid points my friend. Peace and God Bless you. By the way, I LOVE my 93 Lincoln Mark VIII for the record, which is the car I'm speaking of.
I have heard that the oiled filters can reduce air flow when initially installed because they need to be broken in first (ie the oil needs to thin out). However, after that, they usually provide better air flow, and they are tested to pass procedure ISO 5011. Albeit, it is probably better to use a dry filter to prevent oil from coating any sensors.
Indeed, the re-usable filters may seem like a great idea but I believe it was Cummins that did a test and it showed that switching from a paper filter caused a significant increase in silica in the oil samples as well as signs of increased engine wear compared to the paper filters. For offroad, a big paper filter seems to be the best idea. More flow will help only if the paper filter is causing a restriction. Even a pretty filthy paper filter on my diesel won't trip the restriction gauge. Filter flows far more than the engine can use.
Over oiling a filter and improper cleaning causes the MAF to get fouled up. Not just a K&N thing, it goes for all aftermarket CAI's that use oiled filters. I have a JLT CAI on my Mustang, following a strict procedure of how and when to clean the filter, I have yet to see any oil collect on the MAF sensor.
No it does not the sensor has a burn off fase when its starts up the vehicle air box is not the cleanest environment so your maf will always be exposed to contaminations thus why the sensor will heat up at start to burn this off before returning to normal all so fast you wont even notice it with out a computer. Other then that the oil just simply will not contaminate the maf and even if it did you do know that those things will still work the only way they fail is deliberetly causing damage or a faulty occurence has happened ex short in conductivety when you see this happen record it and how you did it cause youll most likly be the first
I've been using a K&N filter and CAI on my Ranger and haven't run into any problems with it clogging. You just have to be more on top of cleaning it regularly and not over oiling. As far as the CAI goes, the it may have been a mistake. I haven't tuned it yet so I'm definitely not gaining on power. I'll be buying a Mustang soon and will probably just get a K&N filter but leave the factory tubing.
I am also a ford technician and I agree with some of what you say but not all of it I personally run k&n on everything I own which by the way is not a ford product I drive a dodge Dakota and a vfr750f both run kn no problems and with hp gains as well
Lots of Chrysler Products use a MAP sensor instead of a MAF like almost everyone else. The oil from the cleanable filters won't affect the MAP like it will a MAF..
Gmtail so true indeed but I see a Lott of people running them on the mustangs and f150 s with no problems at all then there are a few that have problems from it as well I see both sides of it
Yeah I don't see many problems either.. Although I always have to laugh when I see stock intakes removed that draw air from the wheel well and the "Cold air" kit sits in the engine compartment..
I get a new paper air filter every year when I do a thorough preventative maintenance over my entire car. It takes a few days to get everything done right and spotless but it feels like a new car afterwards.
REF: K&N air filters As a retired GM tech, I can state tell you that no one with any real 'drivability' experience would ever use a "oiled cloth" filter on a daily driver. Lest you think you got all the smarts and want your "oiled cloth" filter come hell or high water, Google up NICO Air filter test and learn about real test on numerous filters and the results that can be duplicated with zero BS excuses. K&N falls to the bottom of the list. I was surprised at how well AC Delco performed. By the way, I now drive a F150 (cause I love the 2000 flareside body style) and have no reason to promote any one brand over the other. Educate yourself and stop regurgitating all the promotional BS from the scammers.
Yep, these fancy air filters are nothing but show that people can brag upon what they have done to their car. When, really, they don't do much of anything as far as true performance improvements or mechanical longevity. In fact, they give people more crap to do if they actually maintain the filter properly. When they could just use a regular old paper air filter like cars have been using for a million years, and they work just fine - for a lot less money. But because people can't brag about that, it means it's "not good" for their car. I guess that's what many people think. But we obviously know the truth. It doesn't matter if it harms the engine or not. It is a pointless waste of money. And that is the absolute truth. The same goes for those stupid cold air intakes. What, are they refrigerated? No. It's sending the same type of air into your manifold just like anything else would. But people can't brag about a normal air intake either. And dudes just love to brag about stuff. Even if it cost them a bunch of money, but really does nothing as far as true Improvement or mechanical longevity.
I've had no problems with my K&N cold air intake. Then again it's the plastic tube and draws air from the fender. I also clean it like I'm supposed to and do a very light coat of oil. I've had no issued with over 5000 miles on it. The day I put it on in combination with my magnaflow catback exhaust I noticed a definite increase in acceleration.
Spending a bunch of money on your vehicle will make you think that there is going to be some sort of performance gain. But did you actually take it to a dyno test? Probably not. Something that just sounds good and looks cool does that mean it actually runs better. We will all make ourselves believe something is true just because we spent a lot of money on it. Maybe your previous exhaust was clogged and clapped out, and you could have just replaced it with the stock one. But we men refuse to do such simple things.
Anytime you increase airflow and gas you gain performance. Increase the airflow more particles possibly getting into the engine. I drive several hundred miles a day and using a K&N air filter does increase horsepower but like all things nothing dramatic yet noticeable. In a dusty environment an oily filter does not make much sense. A proper fitting dry filter does. All mechanics would prefer leaving everything stock unless they are into racing or pushing limits on performance. Each modification adds stresses to the engine. Address those stresses and all will end well.
I agree that an aftermarket intake does nothing. I remember years ago on a Mazda 6 forum guys were running a cold air intake with a larger diameter runner from the filter to the throttle body, and the MAF sat in this runner. Engines were running lean after they installed the new intake, so they would get the MAF re-calibrated to bring the afr back into check. Common thought was they were getting so much more air, they needed more fuel now so obviously they were making more power! Actually what was happening is the larger diameter runner created less velocity within the runner and the MAF read this as less air with the same throttle position. Then it would lean out the mixture to compensate. People spent a whole lot of money and hacked apart their cars for nothing.
Had to watch the video again as I am about to purchase a CAI. Was on the fence on whether to purchase a dry, or oiled, filter. This video helped on making my decision. Thanks Brian.
Over 20 years using K&N air filters in ALL my vehicles and I have never had an issue with MAF sensors because I follow the K&N directions. I've yet to hear a K&N hater who actually used one.
I never use FRAM filters, air or oil. K&N filter made a huge difference in my trucks horsepower since the original was not seating well to begin with. It popped up codes on my computer too. Now with the K&N system it runs great and increased my fuel mileage. Maybe using the original filter housing and reusable filters causes the problems you mention. I did use motorcraft filters before installing the new system but was having problems. I'm not a mechanic and value your expert opinions, but this one got me baffled.
I had been using K&N for years on my 7.3 diesel. Started testing my oil once a year through Blackstone Labs and it was showing high contamination of silica and a few other elements. They inquired if I was using an aftermarket filter such as K&N and suggested I swap between samples. Long story short all contaminants disappeared when I switched to a good old Napa Gold. I always changed my oil before recommended intervals and had cleaned the filter religiously. For those that say they have never had problems...well how do you know unless you test?!
How often were you cleaning and re oiling your K&N filter? You are supposed to only do so every 35k miles. Ive had mine on my 2007 Ford F-150 5.4 since new now with 200k miles and I’ve nerve had any issues. When I do take it out to clean it and swap out to paper I notice a noticeable drop in response and performance. Now it doesn’t come without its issues you will have to maintain your Mass Airflow Sensor after re oiling in the beginning but then you’ll be fine after that.
@@jfamousmsbc 35000 miles? how does K&N know if I drive on gravel roads all the time? Most manufacturers recommend engine air filter changes when required not at a specific mileage. 35000 miles is way to long, so you have only cleaned your filter 6 times in 14 years! you must be adding a quart of oil every 1000 miles.
@@zekeazak8687 Drive city streets only and check my vehicle monthly. Consumes only 1 quart every 5k miles from what I’ve seen but that is due to the issue of pvc valve built in to the valve cover in the engine. No way to service and or clean unless you switch out with new valve cover. Common issue with these vehicles and will be replacing soon
You can't really trust people's subjective experience that they allege they've had. For instance, i seen a vid of some dude thinking he was disproving Kilmer's bmw "endless money pit" claim. He thought he was disproving Kilmer, had all kinds of excuses for the tons of problems and ODB codes on, or just downplayed it "well its not really a problem." He had himself convinced, but when his reasoning was put in front of others, it fell apart pretty quickly. Also any vehicle can get to high miles if you want to sink enough money into it. My 00 monte carlo had roughly the same amount of miles that my honda does now, but the chevy was in the shop every couple of months. So if you just wanna talk a number of miles, my Chevy technically was on the level of my super reliable honda (just don't look at the total cost to get it there).
I’ve been running K&N filters on my 01’ SVT Lightning, 1999 Ford Expedition for years now with no issues unless saving money is an issue. On the Dyno my lightning picked up 12HP with the stock style K&N filter.
I call BS on anyone who says they've had issues with aftermarket intakes. I've had intakes on two of my vehicle since new and never had issues. One has been installed for over 12 years and no issues at all. The other is only a drop in filter not the whole intake for over 2 years and also zero issues. Just maintain it regularly and it breathes better especially with a low restriction exhaust.
The only problem I've had with the K&N air filter is from my own mistake where I cleaned and re-oiled it; I actually OVER-oiled it. There is a limit to how much oil you're supposed to use so, as long as you're careful about that, the filters are great and they won't destroy your engine.
no need to put oilit make the filer even more dirty,change it in every 4000 km, this will always have a clean filer, don't be lazy change it on every 100,000 km,this will have a very diry filter However I put the air filter without oil, and my bike perform better and faster acceleration and response
I agree, K&N lets all the fine stuff through, and you get dirty sensors from the oil required to contain contaminates. I made the switch back to factory elements, and foam on my quads. Now all stays clean when inspecting intake tracts.
I have been using K@N filters and intake systems on all of my Ford/Mazda and Honda cars since 1998 and have NEVER had this kind of problem! My guess is that someone either over oiled or did not oil their filter at all to cause these results.
Same here. Wash and oil the filter properly and you shouldn't have an issue. But I've only used the K&N filters to replace the OEM filters in the stock airbox; I've never bolted on a cold air intake. Ran a K&N filter 10 ten years and 293,000 miles in my Crown Victoria LX Sport that I bought right off the lot with no issue. I replaced the car with a 2013 Flex AWD EcoBoost and run a K&N filter on it.
jimkirk1971 Damnit Jim, I am a auto tech not a salesman! ;) My truck, my car, and my wife's car have been running K@N filters since purchase... no problems as of 145K miles.
I’m so glad I took my garbage k&n filter out of my 97 f150 4.2, and put back the OEM PAPER FILTER! It runs so much better! No more crazy idle, fuel trims are back to normal
I put a K&N filter on my sierra, noticed IMMEDIATELY that it was down on power, eventually it got to the point where it had no power at all. Changed out the MAF and it was find again for a while, then the same thing happened. Cleaned the original, put the old filter back on, and it's been happy ever since.
Can we argue that for arguments sake K&N filters cause issues due to improper maintenance? Also isn't the claim with a K&N that it doesn't necessarily out flow a NEW paper filter but it maintains flow as it gets dirty while the paper version will usually drop CFM as it clogs up. We've only used reusable filters but I totally understand where you're coming from, interested in your opinion on my comment, thanks.
Easy then, don't tell me what to do with mine though, I paid for it, have driven he last 2 about 200,00 each, the 2001 went 240,000 plus before Trans problems, wife is still driving 2008 with 200,000 + . I think they are better than paper filters, and I've had no problems ever from the first one I installed on the 2001 F-150, 5.4 . Nothing in my experience relates to the problems some people attribute to them. I'm thinking it's more related to poor maintenance. I change oil/ oil filter in both my wife's and my truck every 5000, Air filter cleaning is part of that maintenance, clean it, oil it, let any excess drain of, re install. Never a Problem.
I Have been running a K&N in my F-150 for the last 150K+. My intake looks nothing like the one he's shown here. You could eat out of my intake. As far as the dirty air filter... You've never seen a dirty air filter if you haven't seen a paper filter get as clogged as the K&N. Simple as that. I've seen paper filters so clogged with dirt that it was amazing the car could start, and I've even seen one that straight up wouldn't start.
For everyone that is unsure, or sure about something incorrect, i found lab tests for K&N filters vs factory paper filters. They tested the filters by measuring airflow over time through the filter and releasing measured amounts of different sized dirt particles into the air stream. The results were not so surprising. The K&N air filters stopped far less dirt. They only trapped dirt down to a certain size. The factory filters trapped much smaller dirt particles. The other interesting thing was, the K&N filters clogged FAR quicker than the factory filters. Basically, its a no brainer. The K&N filters are higher flow because they stop less dirt. Thats the trade off. If you go and check all the tests that guys like mighty car mods have done, they have shown unless your car is super highly modified, there is no power advantage of having one over the factory setup. Especially if you have the filter sucking in hot air in the engine bay. You will lose power. Waste of money, waste of time, increased engine wear. Send some oil to a lab and see how much silica and aluminium is in your oil. Good chance you can thank your K&N.
slickstrings who is they? And why don't you send links to share such lab tests? The argument that someone else has already made that they flow more because of material is still valid. It is a fact of physics that cotton will flow more air than paper. You can test that one yourself by simply wearing a paper t-shirt. Not that you'll find a paper t-shirt...
My WRX did not like the K&N filter. Oil destroyed my MAF sensor and caused a ton of driving issues. Filter only had about 3k miles on it, so I never had a chance to oil it myself. I only use dry filters...
I'm probably going to have to agree I've had a K&N for about 3 years I clean it and reoil it at the correct intervals well at 107,000 miles my car was rough idling and I was having cylinder misfires and I took the hose of going to the throttle body and there was a bunch of black carbon goop I cleaned the throttle body and the mass airflow sensor and I still had a rough idle. I had New platinum spark plugs put in at the dealership at 100,000 miles and I was thinking maybe they didn't install them correctly or a coil was going bad. The dealership said it could be a bad fuel injector and may have to replace the entire rail and injectors which would cost $1,200 and they didn't even know if that was the problem. I put 1 bottle of Gumout engine tuneup and it absolutely did nothing. I then decided to take it to an ole mechanic kinda like scotty kilmer. The guy when I opened the hood saw my K&N sticker on the airbox. He said as crazy as this sounds he said alot of these airfilters overtime don't work as good even though you clean and oil them and they can cause rough idle and misfires in cylinders. He told me it was honestly better to put the paper ones in there. I ordered an original paper material one on Amazon took the K&N out and bam no more rough idle. Idles like it was when I bought it brand new.
I dunno, I have had great success with K&N filters over the years, including on a banshee with the airbox delete. I think the big problem is people don't know how to oil the filters. If they were terrible why are they on all the high end motors? My GT500 straight from Ford had it. Do I think they're useful in a diesel? Nope. But in some cars they really do seem to help with that first part of throttle response.
Gil Vietor You are 100% correct if the filter isn`t oiled correctly then it`s a nightmare waiting to happen.I`ve been using k&n since 2006.I had one on my ole 81 chevy Malibu over 10 yrs with no engine problems what so ever.Now I have a K&N air filter on my 2001 Ls Chevy Blazer going on 2 yrs.now.I`ve never had any problems with it what so ever.Your suppose to oil the filter just enough to have that red tone to it.You can see the difference as you oil it.If the filter is dripping oil than it has to much oil on it.When you clean it your suppose to let it air dry then put it in your vehicle.
I have used K&N filters for years on everything from my dirt bikes to my cars and now on my diesel. Don't over-oil them and clean them when they show dirt and you won't have any problems. They filter more small paticulate than an oil-less filter. Look up stream of the filter and you will see virtually no dirt or dust. All I used for off-road racing besides the oiled foam filters back in the day.
I have a K&N 9" cone filter on my 86 GN. I believe this filter was put on the car in the mid 90s. I inspect the filter every year and there are no problems with it. I have the stock MAF sensor, which is now 30 years old and there has been no degraded function. I'm very meticulous with my Grand National. There are plenty of other Grand National/T-Type owners who use K&N cone filters and have been with no issues. So you might say these aren't daily drivers, but people in the south use these cars for daily drivers more than you'd think. However, I'm rebuilding my 109 block and I will be putting a new cone filter on my car. When you spend $10k on an engine, you don't mind buying new filters every couple of years. I have a Spectra filter on my s10 and it has been on since around the 75k mark. My s10 now has 186k on it. I have cleaned the filter and inspected it a couple of times. No issues. Now I have a 2014 Cruze, it has a stock filter and it will remain with a stock filter for it's entire life or at least 5 years or 100k miles, so the engine will remain under warranty should something go wrong.
I run My 5.0 explorer with a K&N and it hasnt had any trouble, there was a definite difference between the cheap paper filter and the K&N and my truck has over 250,000 miles
I've had a K&N on my Ford truck for 10 years. No MAF sensor problems, no dirty intake etc., if you are having these problems 1) you are over oiling the filter 2) clean the MAF sensor every time you clean the filter.
Caleb if you are over oiling to the point where your maf is getting oily get a real mechanic to do the job cause this is hard to achive in vehicles i can see this for a bike at 13500 rpm or a really high rpmd car. But im not to big into cars ive driven 2 in my life im a truck guy and this is really hard considering in most trucks at top rpm in second gear will produce ruffly around 12.5 mile per hour air flow wich is not enough to take the oil to the sensor unless if it was so overoiled it was leaking oil from the filter.
I agree with this. I have not worked on a car with a K&N, Green or any other reusable filter that did not have a thin coat of oil in the intake tract accompanied with fine grit stuck to it. I ran them when I was a younger, but won't touch them now.
Every video I see on this topic is contradictory to the previous. I do like the washable air filters (as long as you do not over oil them). I have seen hp gains from them (my old mustang on a dyno averaged 1-2 more hp using cotton filter vs. paper). Negligible yes. My final reason for liking CAIs is you get to hear the induction noise a little more. Keep in mind, if you are significantly changing the amount of air going into a motor via CAI and/or manifold, you must tune for it because the stock tune will not able to properly adjust fuel spray to keep a correct 14:1 air-fuel ratio.
I'm not familiar with all air filter systems or all cars but there is PLENTY of historical evidence in dyno pull after dyno pull for decades upon decades of Mustangs that proves that a quality reusable filtration system, when oiled properly and tuned, is worth additional power to the engine. Because most sports cars are built from the factory to obtain numbers that allow it to meet certain government standards. Then we tinker with them and try to get them to breathe in more air and burn more fuel. Larger and more straight paths for the air to travel to the intake create more power.
I replaced the stock filter and intake with a K&N kit. When I would take a 3-1/2 hour, one way trip to my brothers place with the stock filter and intake, I fill up prior with 91 octane prior to leaving and drive the same route. I would get to his place with 1/4 of a tank left. When I put on the K&N kit, I get to my brothers place with 3/8 of a tank. The car has a 13 gallon tank and my brother lives 250 miles from my place. That's about 2 less gallons of gas that is used. I haven't had any MAF issues since I changed to the K&N kit. So for me, the intake is worth it.
I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment of K&N filters. My 2000 Focus Has 266,000 miles on it and for around 260,000 of its life, it's known nothing but a K&N filter and to be blunt, a Cold Air Filter system by AEM. The engine has been flawless and runs like a champ. My 2 cents.
I have a k&n on my prius. now before you laugh I put it on to keep things clean and to boost mileage. I gained about 3 mpg give or take. also I have never had an issue with the MAF or it being dirty and the throttle body is bright and clean still after many years
That Fram filter you installed also can come with a oil added on. STP brand red paper has oil on the media paper.. and Fram with the yellow paper.. Not all the filters made with yellow paper have oil added.. but is suppose to be a better grade of media than the white. The pleat count can also change between filters a white paper STP may have fewer pleats than the red STP media with oil added.
I clean my MAF sensor and throttle body every 15,000 miles. I used Nissans air filters from the dealer. Always got plenty of dirt off the throttle body when cleaning. Installed a K&N drop in Filter. The truck now gets much better airflow and the last cleaning of the throttle body the degree of dirtiness was miniscule. I was quite surprised. I think the oil traps more dirt than any paper can.
ASE certs don't mean much Ford doesn't even recognize them anymore so I let mine expire. It is the real world diagnosis that matters and this evidence is indisputable unfortunately.
Very true Anthony. This video is not true. They found one car that didn't have a good seal and was over oiled. I ran a K and N on a chevy truck to the tune of 350K miles. No problem. Engine was good. Only got rid of it because electronic systems needed to be replaced.
what most people don't realize with the cold air intakes, you need to buy the pre-filter to keep the fine dust out of your intake tubing. paper filters are good, but over time your spending more money on filters than upgrades. I have a 2006 f-350 with a s/b cold air intake with the pre-filter and my intake tubing is cleaner than the paper filter I had. so like I said you need to buy the pre-filter with the cold air intake
I did watch the video. It was purely opinion/anecdotal and even the anecdotes were lacking any sort of detail lol. "a muscle car"😂 The biggest issue with reusable filters is that some people dont maintain them properly. In saying that, there is very little reason for 95% of cars to run anything besides the stock air filter. Even though its reusable it takes quite a while to recoup the costs of something like a k&n filter
I have twin throttle bodies and installed two panel K&Ns on my car 15,000 miles ago. Have had zero issues, maf sensors are still clean as a whistle and the engine pulls harder with better torque and top end power.
I have used k&n type filter in my 2000 Expedition since it had approximately 10,000 miles on it. I purchased the truck new. I got increased performance and fuel mileage. For these to work you must keep clean and make sure the mass air flow sensor stays clean also. Just as you must any air filter. It has saved me money because it is reusable.
I had 1 k&n in my 13 maxima. no problems.. just got a q50 twin turbo with dual Intakes and after I put the 2 new k&n filters I felt like the engine could breath better. they help and don't damage 99%of cars
I have an AF1 CAI on my 03 Expedition. I had to fabricate an enclosure to prevent hot engine compartment air from entering the intake which uses an oiled filter. Some of the newer CAI's now come with a box. I've always just cleaned the MAF a few days after installing a freshly oiled filter. I figured the engine will suck off any oil that is excess and burn it. Just clean the MAF shortly thereafter. I think the issue with the factory "CAI" is that it pulls cold air (really does) from the fender via a small hole. That seems to restrict air flow volume, though perhaps it is compensated for by velocity. But if that hole is really too small, it will under serve the engine. I have my box set up so it gets fed from its bottom front area, behind the front grill/headlight area. I have driven with a scanner to monitor various parameters and have observed the intake air temp = to the ambient air temperature, as measured by the sensor on the front of the truck. I think the factor set up is very 'safe' in terms of being very sealed and very quiet, and is almost foolproof for average homeowner to maintain. the aftermarket CAI's have their place, but require more care and thought about maintenance.
There are independent air filter testing available on the internet. Often the original paper air filter is best. It has the least restriction and gets out the smallest particles. Cotton, foam, oiled cotton... you need an actual verifiable test to see what air filter actually works best. For someone who wants to keep the car forever it really does matter. For a high mileage person it matters. For someone who gets a car every 4 years it does not matter what they put on. I think a site called GM central has done independent air filter tests and, for the most part, paper has better filtering and less air flow restrictions.
Thomas Burns . I read the same case study performed by an independent source about 7-8 years ago. If I remember correctly, the stock filters allowed maximum airflow over a greater period of time than reusable. Also had better filtration in the ppm category. The reusable only was efficient for a short period of time before it needed maintenance.
To be honest i think the only reasons to making this was 1 to make less garbage of airfilters. Wich i could not see for the cleaner pack cause thats waste to. Only other is what everyone knows... MONEY.
I prefer OEM filters. I only got a K&N cabin air filter because it won't do any harm to the engine and I go through those filters quite frequently, so it made sense to get a resuable one.
Well said. Most, not all, but most aftermarket "Cold Air" intakes are really just "Hot Air" from under the engine bay intakes. Also, the factory air filter, and air box flows more than enough air for a stock engine unlike back in the day. The gains claimed by aftermarket air filters and air intake systems are really only at or near WOT. The biggest impediment to air flow is the position of the throttle body, not the air flow capacity of the air intake system. Unless you drive at or near WOT the majority of the time and have a heavily modified engine, these filters and air intake systems are a waste of money.
I agree with your basic points. 1. An air filter must fit properly to be effective. 2. Maintenance of the filter thru replacement or cleaning on an appropriate basis.
Bigger aftermarket intakes are not really used for their cold air as they are for more air flow. My 2008 Mustang GT drove way better when I ditched the stock intake, it used to feel like the engine was starved for air at higher rpm before I put in the new intake. And sincr then i've tuned it and it drives way better
+Nick Piberius Wilde you just think it drove better. cold air intakes are a LIE. they are not ducted to recieve air from outside the vehicle. all they do is give the engine the warmer underhood air, any idiot can see that.
+WhiskeyRiverRifleman I agree with you, they aren't routed or ducted and can lead to warmer air. But my point was that big cold air intakes generally have larger and smooter flowing pipes where the air can flow into the engine much more efficiently. I assure you that my GT drove 100% better with a cai vs the horrible stock intake with it's tiny 2 inch intake hole. Theres a reason why you need a pcm tune for large CAIs, it's because they bring in a lot more air than stock.
+Nick Piberius Wilde One only need to look at the "accordion style" air tubes that most manufacturers use to see that, yes, a nice smooth intake tube would be more conductive to improved airflow.
+Joe R Yep! I've since deleted my charge motion control valves for always-open steeda delete plates and now my engine gets even more air when I'm WOT and it really goes now.
There’s a product you can pick up at your local Home Depot or possibly local hardware store called Natures Miracle it works very well gently cleaning home and auto filters and is also great for those greasy coveralls after an oil change! Fill a gallon bucket up with cold water and two cap fulls soak for an hour and rinse and dry. Warm or hot water may break down the actual filter material
I have a 2000 Dodge ram 2500 turbo diesel 24 valve with 385xxx Miles on it its got a K&N filter starts first crank no codes runs great annd i dont even maintain it much.....
Dogurasu not true. I over oiled mine and the Check Engine light came on after approx. 20 miles. Turns out to be the MAP sensor. Took the MAP out and it was coated with oil. Cleaned it & was good for 100 miles then it came back on again. The K&N oil already killed the MAP. Had to replace it. Then I tossed the K&N in the garbage. Reason why I went with K&N was so I don't have to do so much maintenance. If you factor in the cost of the K&N, the time spent, the cost of the cleaner and oil, it's just cheaper and easier to go with a paper filter. That's what's in the car now a cheap air filter and I've had it going for 6 months and it's still clean.
Dogurasu I used to think it was good too. Now I know better since I had to buy a brand new $250 MAF sensor (hand to go with OEM) an aftermarket one failed, the throttle body had to be clean cause it was massively dirty. You may think my story is "bullshit" but it's very true to my wallet. My cousin who is a mechanic now also used to use K&N trashed his in all his cars. He seen many cases of cars with K&N that had issues. K&N is a good product if you perform proper maintenance. The thing is a lot of folks buy them so they don't have to keep buying filters. They also buy them so they don't have to do so much maintenance. Some buy them thinking it performs better (it's debatable, my experience, 7 years of use, saw no difference).
+Dogurasu I hate to bite the troll bait but still gonna.... K&N Proved it? They got no motive to lie besides money. Yeah they over oiled a filter, used grade school science fair test tools a truck parked indoors in a clean environment and it didnt come off. Then they used some non-realistic test and none came off. Hey go on and navigate to around K&N site to the part that admits that it does come off (hey because who are they to call the car makers putting out TSB's warning against it) BUT they tested it on ONE, yes ONE MAP sensor by spraying to much directly on the sensor it and it still worked... Now where is your verifiable PROOF it wont hurt it? Ive seen cars go for over a year with no air filter. I'm not trying to say K&N is horrible filter and has no place, but dont be a sucker for there bullshit marketing and sorry ass legal team abusing laws to force there product to be acceptable not to void warranty. Some cars the factory filter is good the life of the car depends on a lot of factors. I just know from what i have seen working on cars with them, that magic filter oil that only sticks to filter and lets more air and no dirt in looks like shit on the inside.
Okay well what brand oil do you use? I just put whatever oil change special i can find or walmart oil or whatever is on sale, sometimes go 10K without a oil change, sometimes would get a oil change at walmart every two weeks when i drove 7000 miles a month and that doesnt even factory in that some days my car would get started in the morning time and the motor would not get shut off for over 8 hours then it would get turned on and off constantly when i went to deliver pizzas after i got off work at my day job, never had a motor go bad, so it that the secret to longevity? is that how I get 200K-250K plus out of cheap chevy motors? hell no, it dont prove shit
Ford Mustang and other fords use the copperhead PCM which can make small adjustments to acommidate the more free flowing air filter no noticeable gains in the butt. But some gains will result.
K&N filters aren't for everyone, every environment, or every vehicle, but they are a well engineered product and I can back up their claims for filtration, longevity, and somewhat for flow as well. Here in Colorado at 1 mile elevation, we'll take any advantage in airflow we can get. These filters outflow a typical paper filter (remember the ping pong ball demo they used to have at the part store counters). That doesn't necessarily guarantee more power, but at 1 mile elevation, it's a real good bet because you're getting closer to the engineered specs. Up here, there's roughly a 20% power deficit. My f150 does definitely benefit when I'm wide open throttle with 8k lbs trailer going up the on ramp with Colorado Rockies thin air. As for filtration, I added 180k miles with a K&N to my 5.4 2v f150 that already had 100k with a Fram. There was never any hint of dust or oil downstream of either filter. I have always been careful to oil just a bit on the lighter side, from the dirty side only, and super evenly down both sides of every pleat as I was instructed to by a K&N Engineer. K&N publishes the micron size that they can filter to but that is completely conditional on the oiling. I've known people that have over oiled, not cleaned well enough or often enough and they had problems. Don't clean or oil incorrectly. At 280k, I confirmed that the 5.4 does not run well on water... Long story short, when I pulled everything apart, there was no scoring and the cross hatching was pristine. I bought an used later model intake manifold with the build to benefit from the larger runners and, despite the donor having 1/3 the miles, it was a nightmare for dirt compared to mine. Filter maintenance is far more important than brand, as long as we're taking about leading brands. As for me, both filters did great in this application with proper maintenance. However, application is as critical as maintenance. I also run K&N filters (plural) on my sport quad and would NOT recommend this. I have 2 stages and a pre-filter and I usually pull the first stage before the end of a single day when it starts to burble. K&Ns don't hold much dirt. There are much better filters for heavy dust environments. I've heard plenty of horror stories of diesels being destroyed by K&Ns too. There's a lot more air flow through a diesel and any filter that can't hold a ton of dirt and still not let anything through should be an obvious bad choice. K&Ns start to not filter as well when the oil gets absorbed by the dirt they hold. When they get really loaded up, larger pieces of dirt can actually be pulled through the cotton and now you have a dirty and damaged filter that will dust the engine. Diesels are particularly good at this. Guys do well with them on their diesels if they watch them like a hawk, but there is definitely a risk there. For diesels, a quality oversized paper filter adapted from a much larger application seems to be the safest and best of both worlds for flow and dirt capacity, so long as it's a common and inexpensive application and it fits in there. Food for thought, more is more. There will always be horror stories about K&N filters because of misuse or misapplication, but like most good performance parts, to those that truly understand how the part works, what the pitfalls and benefits are, and of course the risks, there may be plenty to gain. K&Ns aren't for everyone or every application so if you doubt yourself, best to stick to a safer option. And if you're the type to try and save a few bucks on a different brand without matching the filtration, flow, longevity, and definitely the gasket quality, then this is probably not a road you want to go down. Point is, don't be afraid to try one if you can see how they would be a benefit to you, but your results will depend on your understanding and commitment.
+FordTechMakuloco Ya, more air, more dirt. If you know of them and agree, the Ford blue diesel filter kit would make a good video for the diesel guys. I've not used one yet, but I had a girlfriend diesel tech that raved about them and said no one knows about them. I think I heard they were developed for the oil field diesel specials they sell in the middle east. Love watching your videos. You do a great job. Keep em coming
First of all I would like to say is that I do enjoy watching your videos and you have been spot on. The bad news is that I bought my K&N CAI a long time ago and it has been pretty good to me. Yes I have over oiled the filters. Yes I have had engine trouble codes due to oil on the MAF sensor. Yes I have replaced MAF sensor because it was destroyed and the trouble code would not go away. I'm not taking my CAI off the truck because I have other bolt ons that complement it. The trick is to not over oil the filter and to make sure you clean the MAF sensor with an approved cleaner.
This ford has an cold air intake and a conical filter from factory, so i think this means a lot, nowadays car manufactures are using all the good stuff from the "tuning society" and they gain power and fuel efficiency. Paper is cheap and you have to buy a new one everytime so i think this are the reasons for car makers to use them, less cost and the need of maintance and buying- produce of new. but if you try to breath through a paper sheet you know that it is not so easy. I was using a k&n conical filter in a 1.4 ecotec corsa b for 10 years and it was very clean inside and the gain of power was noticeable also i loved the sound.
I had a rigged cone air filter on my 95 Grand Cherokee when I had that. But mainly because the original system dry rotted and cracked, which dusted the intake. When I took it out the bolt heads snapped off, and I broke several bits drilling them out. So I just used self tappers for an aluminum plate, then bought some piping and a cone from Autozone. Bam, some sort of filtration system for the engine that isn't cracked. It may have not been perfect but didn't throw codes.
I found that our myself a few years back .when you put to much oil on them they contaminate the sensor and you are told you need a new sensor.I cleaned the one in my wife's car with sensor cleaner unhooked the battery and It's fine now.But at every oil change they both get cleaned.the filter get's oiled lightly.I don't know if I still have the original filter setup.But I would never buy another.And stick with Motorcraft parts.Sometimes you have to pay a little more but it's worth it in the long run.I take my Fords to my dealer that I deal with because they can do an oil change cheaper than i can.And I don't have to get dirty.
weird my dads run a k&n on his 2005 tacoma since like almost day one hit 200k miles not a single problem and handed it down to my nephew and its still driving around as strong as ever
I actually highly agree with you. I had a K&N I got fairly cheap, just one of their panel filters. However I live on dirt roads and it became absolutely caked with dirt. With my paper filters, I typically take them out every once in a while just to knock the dust off and vacuum out the air box. Now I am worried my MAF is caked as well, so I bought some cleaner to see if that helps restore my gas mileage. I also think it's funny most people don't realize the stock system is a cold air intake. The best improvement IMO is usually to get a higher flowing paper filter, and to replace the factory tubing with smoother piping and couplets to reduce restriction and turbulence in the intake. The factory intake can actually flow plenty of air, even for turbo cars. Just shortening the run and slapping a cone filter on the end really doesn't do much. In a lot of cases, it isn't even a surface area increase. It's just silly.
I put one of those in a 2004 mustang with the 3.9 ltr V6 was a weird yr because most yrs had the 3.8 V6 or bigger. Yet I never had an issue with the stock installation. The filter actually allowed the intake to whistle when I accelerated and it sounded like a turbo or supercharger and that’s what people would think when they rolled up alongside of me when they heard it and always wanted to race. I traded that car for my 95 corvette which I still have and haven’t looked back sense.
I own a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD and I installed a Banks Ram Air intake system at around 120,000 miles. I clean and oil the filter every 12,000 miles and I enjoy showing people the odometer reading whenever I can. Just passed 480,000 miles and it still runs and sounds brand new! I average 18 mpg. Proper maintenance is key with the reusable filters.
i will 100% agree with you that and make sure it is the proper filter for your model i have had mine on a truck with just over 100,000 miles but it has spent 90% of its life on dirt working on a farm you pop the hood on the truck and its all dust but when you pull the filter out it looks brand new behind it and i clean the filter and reoil it every 10,000 miles and it looks like just mud coming out the filter
How do you clean a K& N filter?. I have it on my 18 1500 chevy but i think its ready for a clean up
@@sinuemedina2550 buy k&n recharge kits from auto parts store and follow directions or watch video
do you also show them that you have to add a quart of oil with every gas fill up?
Good info. The only reason I installed a cold air intake on my truck was because the fender housing was always crammed with leaves that I couldn't clean out without taking apart the fender. I like the ease of installation and for what K/N charges versus paper filters, it has paid for itself tenfold. If oil is on the MAF or in the tube then too much oil is being applied. It needs a very light oil coat. Love your videos, thanks for what you do.
Used K&N for years, on my used Dodge Charger from 50K to almost 200K, never had an issue with cleaning it.
Fr same I've had it on my 2003 Silverado
Ever have your oil tested?
This is use case dependent, hitting the DUNES, paper filter will work much better. The only time I experience this was due to a very dry couple of months in Texas, I was driving through training area gate at Fort Hood to go to my apartment about 30 miles away. During that couple of months, I noticed sand particles when I was doing a check about 1000 miles into my oil change before a trip.... Every time I check the oil I will remove the oil cap and just stick my finger in (while off and engine is cold) and just rub the lip in the valve cover look at it for sheen (metal, goop water/coolant, particles (dirt/sand). When I did this I saw grit non metal, but was indeed sand. Immediately changed the oil. Went on my trip, came back changed it again and never had an issue. That was the only time I experienced anything like this. I have used this (on road/track applications and never experience dirt or sand or anything else, but once. From Michigan to Texas. But I would agree after market dry performance filter would make sense in a very dusty or sandy environment for sure.
Did you drive it on dirt roads? No ? Didnt think so
I installed a K&N filter on my new 99 Suburban. Almost 18 years later, It now has 403K miles on it and it has never required engine work. I think I cleaned that filter maybe five times since I put it in. I remember thinking I could tell a difference in acceleration after installing, but maybe that was all in my mind. In any case I think it's best to keep an open mind and try things to see what works best for a given situation. I started using K&N in the mid 80's because i did a lot of river crossings and K&N allowed me to keep going while the filter was pretty wet; paper would never hold up in that situation.
Automotive manufacturer’s engineers don’t design what is the best and most long lasting; they design what is cheapest and most cost effective to manufacture. As long as it survives until the end of the warrantee, it is considered to be a successful design.
Lol so true
Designed obsolescence
@@Paper.Power.Politics designed obsolescence
There are other considerations too. The big one is gov't emissions regulations; car companies and their engineers have to keep that in mind and design the car so it'll meet those regulations. Uncle is a BIG DRIVER behind what car companies do!
As a retired automotive engineer, you are correct except parts are designed to survive 100k or even 250k not just to warranty.
Thank you SO MUCH for telling everyone about the aftermarket filters like K&N. I'm so tired of people saying they put one on their vehicle and got more power & better fuel economy - bull crap.
If u drive on dirt roads or lots of dust like construction, snow, heavy rain I would use the paper filter. If u are on clean streets and highways I see no problems with the K&N style cold air intakes.
Always have 2 filters so when u clean one and let the oil dry u are covered. Do not over oil and give plenty of time to dry before use.
I have used a K&N filter on my 94 Ranger since it had 2000 miles on it. It currently has 229000 on it with the same K&N. The throttle response was much improved by the K&N.
I think it depends on a vehicle by vehicle basis. Ideally a non-oiled high performance filter would be the way to go that's a tight fit. No gaps as they showed in this video between the filter and intake housing.
@@killaurnext That was a crappy, off-brand junk filter. All the dust in the intake was caused by the poor seal. A real K&N would have a nice, tight fit.
I am a Ford retiree who started my career with Ford at Cleveland Engine Plant 1, 'Home Of The 302', in Brookpark, Ohio.
I personally have used K&N air filtering products in Ford vehicles since 1986, when I installed one in my first Mustang GT(also had an '88).
I've since used them in an '89 Escort GT, A '90 Ford Ranger, a '93 F 150 Lightning, a '96 Bronco, 2001 and 2003 Ranger pickups. A 2004 Mercury Marauder( complete K&N cold air intake on the Marauder), An '04 F 150 Lariat, an '07 Expedition XLT, and most recently, a used 2008 Taurus X Limited, which I bought to keep from running miles up on the Marauder, which after 11 years, still has only 36,000 miles on the odometer.
I won't own a Ford vehicle without installing a K&N filter in it.
From my own experience, a K&N air filter will provide better airflow with 35,000 miles of dirt, than a brand new paper filter, regardless of the paper filter brand.
And I've NEVER had a dirty intake, downstream of the installed K&N air filter, on any of my vehicles!
An internal combustion engine is basically an air pump, and the very best paper filter made, will only serve to choke a high performance engine, and restrict it's ability to breath.
Never install a K&N air filter on a Ford vehicle with any series EEC module without first disconnecting the negative battery terminal for, at the very least, an hour.
You won't see any horsepower, or fuel efficiency gains unless you perform this simple task.
Doing so allows the EEC module to dump all of it's factory settings(presets), and, in effect, re-boot the EEC. This in turn allows the system to 'sense' the increased air flow from the K&N, and adjust itself accordingly, when you reconnect the battery, and start the engine.
AND REMEMBER: NEVER DISCONNECT THE POSITIVE TERMINAL FIRST! THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF FRYING YOUR EEC MODULE IF YOU DON'T DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE TERMINAL FIRST!
There is, in fact, no good reason to even disconnect the positive battery terminal for this procedure.
Try it! You'll see an improvement.
Don't have an opinion on K&N oil filters... Never used one!
William Carper agree people are recharging/cleaning them wrong
William Carper hi there. I have 2010 focus 1.6 tdci 109 bhp and today i changed the stock air filter with a kn in the box filter. Immediately the turbo boost went from 1.1 as usual ( i have a boost gauge), to 0.7 , with full throttle. It spiked now and then to 1.0 but the engine eventually went into limp mode as boos was not passing 0.5 with full throttle. Did not perform that reset but instead changed back to stock filter and everything is back to normal. Any ideas why this happened
William Carper IDK how their oil filters measure up vs other brands but the K&N's I buy for my motorcycle oil changes have a hex head formed into them at the top which is real handy for obvious reasons. 3/4" or some such. Much easier to use than those band type grippers that slips over the filter.
resetting trims not needed on a modern car, its all metered air.
Thanks for the tip on sequence of removing negative & positive battery cables. I've used K&N for decades! Lots of opinions without scientific facts to back up claims. Not slamming Poster because I like his videos.
Great video. For years I have been saying to car buddies the 'k&n' style filters are a waste of money, min. performance gain (if any) and filter air like dog crap. Thumbs up for telling it like it is!!
never had any problems out of any of my k&n filters, or the aem dry filter on my 7.3.
In 2008 I installed the K & N filter in NM on my 2008 F150 5.4L. After few months I noticed a fine streak of dust buildup on the curve of the intake tube nearest the intake manifold. I contacted K & N customer support and they refused to answer questions after I provided pictures. Since 2008 the truck has lived in AK, LA, NM again and now in VA. The last two times I cleaned the intake tube and the throttle body housing it seems to me there is a lot of fine dust buildup. Overall, if you routinely maintain the filter and re-oil correctly you may not have long term issues. Brian's point is simple, use a good quality filter that will get the fine/microscopic dust. I'm now in the process of going back to stock. Good video...I'll take experience over armchair QB's any day.
Ive run a K&n cold air intake with metal tube for few years and it has made a huge difference for my engine
My '07 Focus came used with a K&N intake and filter. MAF sensor is squeaky clean (cleaned 10k ago) idles normally. I oil it at the recommended intervals. I think if installed and maintained properly, they do a fine job.
Agree! I Just spread a little oil only on the very top of the external crowns (as instructed), there is NO way this oil move anywhere else. I have used them for years, never had a problem. This is my experience for more than 12 years in the same car (Honda CR-V, 2009), it runs like the very first day!!!
I gave a reuseable high flow and oiled air filter a try being used in my car for two years. I realized that I lost low end torque with that filter because when i changed back to a paper filter after two years, I noticed a significant increase in my front end torque according to the seat-of-my-pants dyno.
Same
I run KN intakes on all my vehicles, I also tune them and replace the stock MAF. It's night and day difference. I also clean and service it properly never have anything but a clean intake tube. To me more horsepower, mpg, and higher top speed is worth the extra money.
Years ago when I bought a K&N (cotton/oil) filter I also bought the stock paper version (Motorcraft) and datalogged both on similar wot pulls. I too was skeptical. I consistently logged higher MAF counts with the K&N pulls. And the counts' deacceleration rate was less as RPMs increased - an indicator of decreased restriction. This was on a mildly blown 2002 Mustang.
KNN intake and aftermarket MAFs on most all my vehicles. Since I clean my filters every oil change like my ATVs you could see an example of it done right. I also gained at least 12 plus horse. Which requires a good tuner, less restricted MAF and intake.
as with anything car, proper maintenance is all that is needed. If you do the maintenance on the K&N filter it will do the job.
I have used K&N filters for years and never had any problems. To get horsepower gain you need to reprogram the computer or use a chip.
Paper filters clog very quickly and this is where the K&N is better. K&N and other washable filters do let more dirt in when they are new or after they are cleaned. The oil is supposed to prevent this. It does help a lot, but not enough. However once you have been using it for a few hundred miles, the filter gets enough dirt on it to prevent this. After 3 to 5 thousand miles, the K&N will do a better job of keeping dirt out while still maintaining its airflow than a paper filter. In the long run with proper maintenance, the K&N will keep the inside of the intake system cleaner and will maintain horse power. Do that test again with the hotrod car, but use a paper filter that has been used for a couple of thousand miles. The K&N will likely be on par or better.
I've got 240,000 on my 2000 Silverado and the k&n was installed at 29,000. I changed the intake gaskets at 220,000, and saw no dust, dirt, or oil buildup inside. There were no real performance gains felt when I first installed it. It was mainly a financial decision, to save on buying filters. I understand that results may vary from make to make, but I have been more than pleased over the years. The way I see it, if you are in tune with your vehicle, and keep up on maintenance, you would know very quickly if a filter is causing issues. However, I know that most folks are not "car guys" and know very little about how their vehicle functions besides putting gas in it.
I recently purchased a 01 Taurus with bad headgaskets to flip. Searching UA-cam for instructional videos on the job, I found your channel. I want to thank you for your extremely detailed tutorial. This is my first Ford in over 15 years, and my have things changed! However, I am confident that I can see the job done, and done right after watching your video.
Thanks again for making this video, it was insightful and well done. I was unaware of the issues that you covered. When I complete a full service on the Taurus, it will not be getting a K&N as previously planed. Keep up the good work, I will continue to watch for new videos :)
For oem motorcraft is actually above bar. Definitely recommend their oil, air and fuel filters.
I took a long time for manufacturers to consider cool air intake systems for OE filter housings. Older cars had no provision for this and I always found a way to plumb cool air to my cars filters. It's nice to see that manufacturers have caught up to 1960's performance technology!
I know right
+Kenneth Cohagen Older cars had no previsions for cool air? How old? All the 80s cars I've had drew their air from behind the sealed beam headlights, the grill, or between the fender gap. All of which would be fresh, cool air.
+atsernov I was talking about cars older than that. A few cars in the 60's and 70's had hood scoops or ram air, but most drew air from under the hood. I would get rid of the under hood insulation right away because in AZ you don't need it and it traps hot air under the hood. Then, there were a couple of air cleaners available the ran hoses out in front of the grill. They didn't have a heat barrier between the battery and the engine either. Chrysler started putting a cold air box around their batteries in the late 70's. Now everyone does something to keep batteries cool. And the cool part is that all these improvements and more were driven by hot rodders!
One thing you can do if you are running an aftermarket oilable filter and are concerned about particulates coming through is use a pre-filter. This could be something of a foam variety, but from what I have been told from people that were there, The Army ended up using ladies nylons (yes, chunks of pantyhose) stretched over their vehicle air filters in the desert to keep the fine sand from clogging up the works and ruining the engines.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Thank you. i was trying to figure out how to prefilter mine with window air conditioner foam but your way is way more useful.
I understand any given situation can go bad, but I honestly JUST cleaned my 7 year old K & N filter and the MAF sensor as well and ONLY the filter had some dirt and small dust particles on it.(visibly) I also went a little long in between cleanings this time which was about 3 years(I know,way too long) where as I like to do it every year. This filter has worked marvelously for me, IMHO. I do believe that over oiling and other errors may occur with other set ups though. You do make valid points my friend. Peace and God Bless you. By the way, I LOVE my 93 Lincoln Mark VIII for the record, which is the car I'm speaking of.
I have heard that the oiled filters can reduce air flow when initially installed because they need to be broken in first (ie the oil needs to thin out). However, after that, they usually provide better air flow, and they are tested to pass procedure ISO 5011. Albeit, it is probably better to use a dry filter to prevent oil from coating any sensors.
Indeed, the re-usable filters may seem like a great idea but I believe it was Cummins that did a test and it showed that switching from a paper filter caused a significant increase in silica in the oil samples as well as signs of increased engine wear compared to the paper filters. For offroad, a big paper filter seems to be the best idea. More flow will help only if the paper filter is causing a restriction. Even a pretty filthy paper filter on my diesel won't trip the restriction gauge. Filter flows far more than the engine can use.
Over oiling a filter and improper cleaning causes the MAF to get fouled up. Not just a K&N thing, it goes for all aftermarket CAI's that use oiled filters. I have a JLT CAI on my Mustang, following a strict procedure of how and when to clean the filter, I have yet to see any oil collect on the MAF sensor.
No it does not the sensor has a burn off fase when its starts up the vehicle air box is not the cleanest environment so your maf will always be exposed to contaminations thus why the sensor will heat up at start to burn this off before returning to normal all so fast you wont even notice it with out a computer. Other then that the oil just simply will not contaminate the maf and even if it did you do know that those things will still work the only way they fail is deliberetly causing damage or a faulty occurence has happened ex short in conductivety when you see this happen record it and how you did it cause youll most likly be the first
I've been using a K&N filter and CAI on my Ranger and haven't run into any problems with it clogging. You just have to be more on top of cleaning it regularly and not over oiling. As far as the CAI goes, the it may have been a mistake. I haven't tuned it yet so I'm definitely not gaining on power. I'll be buying a Mustang soon and will probably just get a K&N filter but leave the factory tubing.
I am also a ford technician and I agree with some of what you say but not all of it I personally run k&n on everything I own which by the way is not a ford product I drive a dodge Dakota and a vfr750f both run kn no problems and with hp gains as well
Lots of Chrysler Products use a MAP sensor instead of a MAF like almost everyone else. The oil from the cleanable filters won't affect the MAP like it will a MAF..
Gmtail so true indeed but I see a Lott of people running them on the mustangs and f150 s with no problems at all then there are a few that have problems from it as well I see both sides of it
Yeah I don't see many problems either.. Although I always have to laugh when I see stock intakes removed that draw air from the wheel well and the "Cold air" kit sits in the engine compartment..
Gmtail yup I agree with you a100% I do
My s&b intake is an air box ..so it takes air from the stock location and from a scoop that hangs under the bumper. It takes no engine bay air
I get a new paper air filter every year when I do a thorough preventative maintenance over my entire car. It takes a few days to get everything done right and spotless but it feels like a new car afterwards.
REF: K&N air filters
As a retired GM tech, I can state tell you that no one with any real 'drivability' experience would ever use a "oiled cloth" filter on a daily driver. Lest you think you got all the smarts and want your "oiled cloth" filter come hell or high water, Google up NICO Air filter test and learn about real test on numerous filters and the results that can be duplicated with zero BS excuses. K&N falls to the bottom of the list. I was surprised at how well AC Delco performed. By the way, I now drive a F150 (cause I love the 2000 flareside body style) and have no reason to promote any one brand over the other. Educate yourself and stop regurgitating all the promotional BS from the scammers.
Yep, these fancy air filters are nothing but show that people can brag upon what they have done to their car. When, really, they don't do much of anything as far as true performance improvements or mechanical longevity. In fact, they give people more crap to do if they actually maintain the filter properly. When they could just use a regular old paper air filter like cars have been using for a million years, and they work just fine - for a lot less money. But because people can't brag about that, it means it's "not good" for their car. I guess that's what many people think. But we obviously know the truth. It doesn't matter if it harms the engine or not. It is a pointless waste of money. And that is the absolute truth. The same goes for those stupid cold air intakes. What, are they refrigerated? No. It's sending the same type of air into your manifold just like anything else would. But people can't brag about a normal air intake either. And dudes just love to brag about stuff. Even if it cost them a bunch of money, but really does nothing as far as true Improvement or mechanical longevity.
I've had no problems with my K&N cold air intake. Then again it's the plastic tube and draws air from the fender. I also clean it like I'm supposed to and do a very light coat of oil. I've had no issued with over 5000 miles on it. The day I put it on in combination with my magnaflow catback exhaust I noticed a definite increase in acceleration.
Spending a bunch of money on your vehicle will make you think that there is going to be some sort of performance gain. But did you actually take it to a dyno test? Probably not. Something that just sounds good and looks cool does that mean it actually runs better. We will all make ourselves believe something is true just because we spent a lot of money on it. Maybe your previous exhaust was clogged and clapped out, and you could have just replaced it with the stock one. But we men refuse to do such simple things.
Anytime you increase airflow and gas you gain performance. Increase the airflow more particles possibly getting into the engine. I drive several hundred miles a day and using a K&N air filter does increase horsepower but like all things nothing dramatic yet noticeable. In a dusty environment an oily filter does not make much sense. A proper fitting dry filter does. All mechanics would prefer leaving everything stock unless they are into racing or pushing limits on performance. Each modification adds stresses to the engine. Address those stresses and all will end well.
I agree that an aftermarket intake does nothing. I remember years ago on a Mazda 6 forum guys were running a cold air intake with a larger diameter runner from the filter to the throttle body, and the MAF sat in this runner. Engines were running lean after they installed the new intake, so they would get the MAF re-calibrated to bring the afr back into check. Common thought was they were getting so much more air, they needed more fuel now so obviously they were making more power! Actually what was happening is the larger diameter runner created less velocity within the runner and the MAF read this as less air with the same throttle position. Then it would lean out the mixture to compensate. People spent a whole lot of money and hacked apart their cars for nothing.
Had to watch the video again as I am about to purchase a CAI. Was on the fence on whether to purchase a dry, or oiled, filter. This video helped on making my decision. Thanks Brian.
Don't over oil it as the directions and others say. I've used them for 23yrs and never had a problem. Period. Use common sense.
If you read the directions that come with the k&n filters it says to wash it in soapy water at least once a year, and let dry before you reinstall.
Over 20 years using K&N air filters in ALL my vehicles and I have never had an issue with MAF sensors because I follow the K&N directions. I've yet to hear a K&N hater who actually used one.
I never use FRAM filters, air or oil. K&N filter made a huge difference in my trucks horsepower since the original was not seating well to begin with. It popped up codes on my computer too. Now with the K&N system it runs great and increased my fuel mileage. Maybe using the original filter housing and reusable filters causes the problems you mention. I did use motorcraft filters before installing the new system but was having problems.
I'm not a mechanic and value your expert opinions, but this one got me baffled.
Fram extra guard are top tier.. their other models are subpar
Well, of course you're going to recommend the Motorcraft products. I have never had an issue with a K&N product.
I had been using K&N for years on my 7.3 diesel. Started testing my oil once a year through Blackstone Labs and it was showing high contamination of silica and a few other elements. They inquired if I was using an aftermarket filter such as K&N and suggested I swap between samples. Long story short all contaminants disappeared when I switched to a good old Napa Gold. I always changed my oil before recommended intervals and had cleaned the filter religiously. For those that say they have never had problems...well how do you know unless you test?!
How often were you cleaning and re oiling your K&N filter? You are supposed to only do so every 35k miles. Ive had mine on my 2007 Ford F-150 5.4 since new now with 200k miles and I’ve nerve had any issues. When I do take it out to clean it and swap out to paper I notice a noticeable drop in response and performance. Now it doesn’t come without its issues you will have to maintain your Mass Airflow Sensor after re oiling in the beginning but then you’ll be fine after that.
@@jfamousmsbc 35000 miles? how does K&N know if I drive on gravel roads all the time? Most manufacturers recommend engine air filter changes when required not at a specific mileage. 35000 miles is way to long, so you have only cleaned your filter 6 times in 14 years! you must be adding a quart of oil every 1000 miles.
@@zekeazak8687 Drive city streets only and check my vehicle monthly. Consumes only 1 quart every 5k miles from what I’ve seen but that is due to the issue of pvc valve built in to the valve cover in the engine. No way to service and or clean unless you switch out with new valve cover. Common issue with these vehicles and will be replacing soon
@@zekeazak8687 Change my oil every 5k miles
You can't really trust people's subjective experience that they allege they've had. For instance, i seen a vid of some dude thinking he was disproving Kilmer's bmw "endless money pit" claim. He thought he was disproving Kilmer, had all kinds of excuses for the tons of problems and ODB codes on, or just downplayed it "well its not really a problem." He had himself convinced, but when his reasoning was put in front of others, it fell apart pretty quickly.
Also any vehicle can get to high miles if you want to sink enough money into it. My 00 monte carlo had roughly the same amount of miles that my honda does now, but the chevy was in the shop every couple of months. So if you just wanna talk a number of miles, my Chevy technically was on the level of my super reliable honda (just don't look at the total cost to get it there).
I’ve been running K&N filters on my 01’ SVT Lightning, 1999 Ford Expedition for years now with no issues unless saving money is an issue.
On the Dyno my lightning picked up 12HP with the stock style K&N filter.
Yes but you probably take care of it properly. Most people don't.
I didn't buy my Spectre intake for the increased power, I bought it because it amplifies induction noise significantly and I love that shit.
I call BS on anyone who says they've had issues with aftermarket intakes. I've had intakes on two of my vehicle since new and never had issues. One has been installed for over 12 years and no issues at all. The other is only a drop in filter not the whole intake for over 2 years and also zero issues. Just maintain it regularly and it breathes better especially with a low restriction exhaust.
I just put a K&N filter in my remaped BMW 535 diesel. I did a dyno with the regular filter and a K&N and the difference was 13hp more with K&N.
The only problem I've had with the K&N air filter is from my own mistake where I cleaned and re-oiled it; I actually OVER-oiled it. There is a limit to how much oil you're supposed to use so, as long as you're careful about that, the filters are great and they won't destroy your engine.
no need to put oilit make the filer even more dirty,change it in every 4000 km, this will always have a clean filer, don't be lazy change it on every 100,000 km,this will have a very diry filter
However I put the air filter without oil, and my bike perform better and faster acceleration and response
you also made the mistake of installing it. Get a paper filter bro. Its not worth your engine
I agree, K&N lets all the fine stuff through, and you get dirty sensors from the oil required to contain contaminates. I made the switch back to factory elements, and foam on my quads. Now all stays clean when inspecting intake tracts.
if you just drive near concrete, you wont have a problem
if your driving in dirt, put the oem one back kn
@@matthewgoulamanian5968 My thoughts exactly!
I have been using K@N filters and intake systems on all of my Ford/Mazda and Honda cars since 1998 and have NEVER had this kind of problem! My guess is that someone either over oiled or did not oil their filter at all to cause these results.
Same here. Wash and oil the filter properly and you shouldn't have an issue. But I've only used the K&N filters to replace the OEM filters in the stock airbox; I've never bolted on a cold air intake. Ran a K&N filter 10 ten years and 293,000 miles in my Crown Victoria LX Sport that I bought right off the lot with no issue. I replaced the car with a 2013 Flex AWD EcoBoost and run a K&N filter on it.
jimkirk1971
Damnit Jim, I am a auto tech not a salesman! ;) My truck, my car, and my wife's car have been running K@N filters since purchase... no problems as of 145K miles.
@@82raptor putting oil is to trap the dirt, you can don't put oil on it as long you change it at every 4000km should be no problem
I’m so glad I took my garbage k&n filter out of my 97 f150 4.2, and put back the OEM PAPER FILTER! It runs so much better! No more crazy idle, fuel trims are back to normal
You are right F 250 KN air filter cold air kit, changed it out to stock, KN left dirt into the intake, turbo grinding the dirt, God Bless you Man
I put a K&N filter on my sierra, noticed IMMEDIATELY that it was down on power, eventually it got to the point where it had no power at all. Changed out the MAF and it was find again for a while, then the same thing happened. Cleaned the original, put the old filter back on, and it's been happy ever since.
Can we argue that for arguments sake K&N filters cause issues due to improper maintenance? Also isn't the claim with a K&N that it doesn't necessarily out flow a NEW paper filter but it maintains flow as it gets dirty while the paper version will usually drop CFM as it clogs up. We've only used reusable filters but I totally understand where you're coming from, interested in your opinion on my comment, thanks.
Easy then, don't tell me what to do with mine though, I paid for it, have driven he last 2 about 200,00 each, the 2001 went 240,000 plus before Trans problems, wife is still driving 2008 with 200,000 + . I think they are better than paper filters, and I've had no problems ever from the first one I installed on the 2001 F-150, 5.4 . Nothing in my experience relates to the problems some people attribute to them. I'm thinking it's more related to poor maintenance. I change oil/ oil filter in both my wife's and my truck every 5000, Air filter cleaning is part of that maintenance, clean it, oil it, let any excess drain of, re install. Never a Problem.
glehman01 K&N filters are easily good for 30,000 miles
I Have been running a K&N in my F-150 for the last 150K+. My intake looks nothing like the one he's shown here. You could eat out of my intake.
As far as the dirty air filter... You've never seen a dirty air filter if you haven't seen a paper filter get as clogged as the K&N. Simple as that. I've seen paper filters so clogged with dirt that it was amazing the car could start, and I've even seen one that straight up wouldn't start.
For everyone that is unsure, or sure about something incorrect, i found lab tests for K&N filters vs factory paper filters.
They tested the filters by measuring airflow over time through the filter and releasing measured amounts of different sized dirt particles into the air stream.
The results were not so surprising. The K&N air filters stopped far less dirt. They only trapped dirt down to a certain size. The factory filters trapped much smaller dirt particles.
The other interesting thing was, the K&N filters clogged FAR quicker than the factory filters.
Basically, its a no brainer. The K&N filters are higher flow because they stop less dirt. Thats the trade off.
If you go and check all the tests that guys like mighty car mods have done, they have shown unless your car is super highly modified, there is no power advantage of having one over the factory setup. Especially if you have the filter sucking in hot air in the engine bay. You will lose power.
Waste of money, waste of time, increased engine wear.
Send some oil to a lab and see how much silica and aluminium is in your oil. Good chance you can thank your K&N.
slickstrings who is they? And why don't you send links to share such lab tests? The argument that someone else has already made that they flow more because of material is still valid. It is a fact of physics that cotton will flow more air than paper. You can test that one yourself by simply wearing a paper t-shirt. Not that you'll find a paper t-shirt...
My WRX did not like the K&N filter. Oil destroyed my MAF sensor and caused a ton of driving issues. Filter only had about 3k miles on it, so I never had a chance to oil it myself. I only use dry filters...
anyone remember oil bath filters ? cheap ( easy to build , actually) and effective one time purchase , w/ minimal maintenance ,oil changes
I'm probably going to have to agree I've had a K&N for about 3 years I clean it and reoil it at the correct intervals well at 107,000 miles my car was rough idling and I was having cylinder misfires and I took the hose of going to the throttle body and there was a bunch of black carbon goop I cleaned the throttle body and the mass airflow sensor and I still had a rough idle. I had New platinum spark plugs put in at the dealership at 100,000 miles and I was thinking maybe they didn't install them correctly or a coil was going bad. The dealership said it could be a bad fuel injector and may have to replace the entire rail and injectors which would cost $1,200 and they didn't even know if that was the problem. I put 1 bottle of Gumout engine tuneup and it absolutely did nothing. I then decided to take it to an ole mechanic kinda like scotty kilmer. The guy when I opened the hood saw my K&N sticker on the airbox. He said as crazy as this sounds he said alot of these airfilters overtime don't work as good even though you clean and oil them and they can cause rough idle and misfires in cylinders. He told me it was honestly better to put the paper ones in there. I ordered an original paper material one on Amazon took the K&N out and bam no more rough idle. Idles like it was when I bought it brand new.
I dunno, I have had great success with K&N filters over the years, including on a banshee with the airbox delete. I think the big problem is people don't know how to oil the filters. If they were terrible why are they on all the high end motors?
My GT500 straight from Ford had it. Do I think they're useful in a diesel? Nope. But in some cars they really do seem to help with that first part of throttle response.
Gil Vietor You are 100% correct if the filter isn`t oiled correctly then it`s a nightmare waiting to happen.I`ve been using k&n since 2006.I had one on my ole 81 chevy Malibu over 10 yrs with no engine problems what so ever.Now I have a K&N air filter on my 2001 Ls Chevy Blazer going on 2 yrs.now.I`ve never had any problems with it what so ever.Your suppose to oil the filter just enough to have that red tone to it.You can see the difference as you oil it.If the filter is dripping oil than it has to much oil on it.When you clean it your suppose to let it air dry then put it in your vehicle.
Gil Vietor agreed
Especially with a free flowing exhaust.
I have used K&N filters for years on everything from my dirt bikes to my cars and now on my diesel. Don't over-oil them and clean them when they show dirt and you won't have any problems. They filter more small paticulate than an oil-less filter. Look up stream of the filter and you will see virtually no dirt or dust. All I used for off-road racing besides the oiled foam filters back in the day.
they work with diesel . more air . is good for a diesel engine
I have a K&N 9" cone filter on my 86 GN. I believe this filter was put on the car in the mid 90s. I inspect the filter every year and there are no problems with it. I have the stock MAF sensor, which is now 30 years old and there has been no degraded function. I'm very meticulous with my Grand National. There are plenty of other Grand National/T-Type owners who use K&N cone filters and have been with no issues. So you might say these aren't daily drivers, but people in the south use these cars for daily drivers more than you'd think.
However, I'm rebuilding my 109 block and I will be putting a new cone filter on my car. When you spend $10k on an engine, you don't mind buying new filters every couple of years.
I have a Spectra filter on my s10 and it has been on since around the 75k mark. My s10 now has 186k on it. I have cleaned the filter and inspected it a couple of times. No issues.
Now I have a 2014 Cruze, it has a stock filter and it will remain with a stock filter for it's entire life or at least 5 years or 100k miles, so the engine will remain under warranty should something go wrong.
Been running a K&N on my F150 since I bought it and have absolutely no issues. Actually gained over 2 mpg by switching to K&N.
I run My 5.0 explorer with a K&N and it hasnt had any trouble, there was a definite difference between the cheap paper filter and the K&N and my truck has over 250,000 miles
I've had a K&N on my Ford truck for 10 years. No MAF sensor problems, no dirty intake etc., if you are having these problems
1) you are over oiling the filter 2) clean the MAF sensor every time you clean the filter.
Caleb if you are over oiling to the point where your maf is getting oily get a real mechanic to do the job cause this is hard to achive in vehicles i can see this for a bike at 13500 rpm or a really high rpmd car. But im not to big into cars ive driven 2 in my life im a truck guy and this is really hard considering in most trucks at top rpm in second gear will produce ruffly around 12.5 mile per hour air flow wich is not enough to take the oil to the sensor unless if it was so overoiled it was leaking oil from the filter.
I agree with this. I have not worked on a car with a K&N, Green or any other reusable filter that did not have a thin coat of oil in the intake tract accompanied with fine grit stuck to it. I ran them when I was a younger, but won't touch them now.
Every video I see on this topic is contradictory to the previous. I do like the washable air filters (as long as you do not over oil them). I have seen hp gains from them (my old mustang on a dyno averaged 1-2 more hp using cotton filter vs. paper). Negligible yes. My final reason for liking CAIs is you get to hear the induction noise a little more. Keep in mind, if you are significantly changing the amount of air going into a motor via CAI and/or manifold, you must tune for it because the stock tune will not able to properly adjust fuel spray to keep a correct 14:1 air-fuel ratio.
I'm not familiar with all air filter systems or all cars but there is PLENTY of historical evidence in dyno pull after dyno pull for decades upon decades of Mustangs that proves that a quality reusable filtration system, when oiled properly and tuned, is worth additional power to the engine. Because most sports cars are built from the factory to obtain numbers that allow it to meet certain government standards. Then we tinker with them and try to get them to breathe in more air and burn more fuel. Larger and more straight paths for the air to travel to the intake create more power.
richarcm yes indeed but your key word wich makes you right is tuned. Most people throw in the filter and expect to have a ferrarie like car after. Lol
Try NOT buying a Ford and you'll eliminate alotta problems right off the bat!
I replaced the stock filter and intake with a K&N kit. When I would take a 3-1/2 hour, one way trip to my brothers place with the stock filter and intake, I fill up prior with 91 octane prior to leaving and drive the same route. I would get to his place with 1/4 of a tank left. When I put on the K&N kit, I get to my brothers place with 3/8 of a tank. The car has a 13 gallon tank and my brother lives 250 miles from my place. That's about 2 less gallons of gas that is used. I haven't had any MAF issues since I changed to the K&N kit. So for me, the intake is worth it.
I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment of K&N filters. My 2000 Focus Has 266,000 miles on it and for around 260,000 of its life, it's known nothing but a K&N filter and to be blunt, a Cold Air Filter system by AEM. The engine has been flawless and runs like a champ. My 2 cents.
First sit down, you know nothing of KN....china junk since 2000 and your filter says pre foam if you read directions
I have a k&n on my prius. now before you laugh I put it on to keep things clean and to boost mileage. I gained about 3 mpg give or take. also I have never had an issue with the MAF or it being dirty and the throttle body is bright and clean still after many years
That Fram filter you installed also can come with a oil added on. STP brand red paper has oil on the media paper.. and Fram with the yellow paper.. Not all the filters made with yellow paper have oil added.. but is suppose to be a better grade of media than the white. The pleat count can also change between filters a white paper STP may have fewer pleats than the red STP media with oil added.
No way a paper filter flows better then a say like K&N ! No way!
I clean my MAF sensor and throttle body every 15,000 miles. I used Nissans air filters from the dealer. Always got plenty of dirt off the throttle body when cleaning. Installed a K&N drop in Filter. The truck now gets much better airflow and the last cleaning of the throttle body the degree of dirtiness was miniscule. I was quite surprised. I think the oil traps more dirt than any paper can.
im a ASE Certified mechanic for 30 years now i run k&n on the same car for 6 years now and never had any problems with it
ASE certs don't mean much Ford doesn't even recognize them anymore so I let mine expire. It is the real world diagnosis that matters and this evidence is indisputable unfortunately.
The fastest way to discredit yourself is to attack someone else's credentials.
Very true Anthony. This video is not true. They found one car that didn't have a good seal and was over oiled. I ran a K and N on a chevy truck to the tune of 350K miles. No problem. Engine was good. Only got rid of it because electronic systems needed to be replaced.
How often do you clean the filter, if you ever have??
Joe Christ around every 50k miles you need to recharge it
what most people don't realize with the cold air intakes, you need to buy the pre-filter to keep the fine dust out of your intake tubing. paper filters are good, but over time your spending more money on filters than upgrades. I have a 2006 f-350 with a s/b cold air intake with the pre-filter and my intake tubing is cleaner than the paper filter I had. so like I said you need to buy the pre-filter with the cold air intake
Alot of people just made comments but evidently didn't watch the video! That's really sad grown men act like that!🤦♂️
I did watch the video.
It was purely opinion/anecdotal and even the anecdotes were lacking any sort of detail lol. "a muscle car"😂
The biggest issue with reusable filters is that some people dont maintain them properly.
In saying that, there is very little reason for 95% of cars to run anything besides the stock air filter. Even though its reusable it takes quite a while to recoup the costs of something like a k&n filter
I have twin throttle bodies and installed two panel K&Ns on my car 15,000 miles ago. Have had zero issues, maf sensors are still clean as a whistle and the engine pulls harder with better torque and top end power.
I have used k&n type filter in my 2000 Expedition since it had approximately 10,000 miles on it. I purchased the truck new. I got increased performance and fuel mileage. For these to work you must keep clean and make sure the mass air flow sensor stays clean also. Just as you must any air filter. It has saved me money because it is reusable.
I had 1 k&n in my 13 maxima. no problems.. just got a q50 twin turbo with dual Intakes and after I put the 2 new k&n filters I felt like the engine could breath better. they help and don't damage 99%of cars
Great lesson for honda lovers here
Bavarian Motor
I have an AF1 CAI on my 03 Expedition. I had to fabricate an enclosure to prevent hot engine compartment air from entering the intake which uses an oiled filter. Some of the newer CAI's now come with a box. I've always just cleaned the MAF a few days after installing a freshly oiled filter. I figured the engine will suck off any oil that is excess and burn it. Just clean the MAF shortly thereafter. I think the issue with the factory "CAI" is that it pulls cold air (really does) from the fender via a small hole. That seems to restrict air flow volume, though perhaps it is compensated for by velocity. But if that hole is really too small, it will under serve the engine. I have my box set up so it gets fed from its bottom front area, behind the front grill/headlight area. I have driven with a scanner to monitor various parameters and have observed the intake air temp = to the ambient air temperature, as measured by the sensor on the front of the truck.
I think the factor set up is very 'safe' in terms of being very sealed and very quiet, and is almost foolproof for average homeowner to maintain. the aftermarket CAI's have their place, but require more care and thought about maintenance.
There are independent air filter testing available on the internet. Often the original paper air filter is best. It has the least restriction and gets out the smallest particles. Cotton, foam, oiled cotton... you need an actual verifiable test to see what air filter actually works best. For someone who wants to keep the car forever it really does matter. For a high mileage person it matters. For someone who gets a car every 4 years it does not matter what they put on.
I think a site called GM central has done independent air filter tests and, for the most part, paper has better filtering and less air flow restrictions.
Thomas Burns . I read the same case study performed by an independent source about 7-8 years ago. If I remember correctly, the stock filters allowed maximum airflow over a greater period of time than reusable. Also had better filtration in the ppm category. The reusable only was efficient for a short period of time before it needed maintenance.
Thomas Burns nope the k&n get better flow even when dirty then a traditional paper one. But you are right a paper one will filter better.
To be honest i think the only reasons to making this was 1 to make less garbage of airfilters. Wich i could not see for the cleaner pack cause thats waste to. Only other is what everyone knows... MONEY.
I prefer OEM filters. I only got a K&N cabin air filter because it won't do any harm to the engine and I go through those filters quite frequently, so it made sense to get a resuable one.
Ran a Dodge hemi almost 400,000 miles with K&N , still used no oil when I sold it.
Very well put. everybody should watch this video. All factory air intakes aer cold air systems, very few after market systems can be called cold air.
Mopar, ford, gm and others have there own colder air system like, AEM, AFE, K&N, SB, Injein because it works. For house power and better mpg.
Lilmiddwest Because it sells, regardless if it works or not.
Well said. Most, not all, but most aftermarket "Cold Air" intakes are really just "Hot Air" from under the engine bay intakes. Also, the factory air filter, and air box flows more than enough air for a stock engine unlike back in the day. The gains claimed by aftermarket air filters and air intake systems are really only at or near WOT. The biggest impediment to air flow is the position of the throttle body, not the air flow capacity of the air intake system. Unless you drive at or near WOT the majority of the time and have a heavily modified engine, these filters and air intake systems are a waste of money.
I have used K&N filters started in 1996 K&N is the BEST more air more horse power saved a lot money to.
Lololololllll
I agree with your basic points. 1. An air filter must fit properly to be effective. 2. Maintenance of the filter thru replacement or cleaning on an appropriate basis.
Bigger aftermarket intakes are not really used for their cold air as they are for more air flow. My 2008 Mustang GT drove way better when I ditched the stock intake, it used to feel like the engine was starved for air at higher rpm before I put in the new intake. And sincr then i've tuned it and it drives way better
+Nick Piberius Wilde you just think it drove better. cold air intakes are a LIE. they are not ducted to recieve air from outside the vehicle. all they do is give the engine the warmer underhood air, any idiot can see that.
+WhiskeyRiverRifleman I agree with you, they aren't routed or ducted and can lead to warmer air. But my point was that big cold air intakes generally have larger and smooter flowing pipes where the air can flow into the engine much more efficiently. I assure you that my GT drove 100% better with a cai vs the horrible stock intake with it's tiny 2 inch intake hole. Theres a reason why you need a pcm tune for large CAIs, it's because they bring in a lot more air than stock.
+Nick Piberius Wilde One only need to look at the "accordion style" air tubes that most manufacturers use to see that, yes, a nice smooth intake tube would be more conductive to improved airflow.
+Joe R Yep! I've since deleted my charge motion control valves for always-open steeda delete plates and now my engine gets even more air when I'm WOT and it really goes now.
not if it sits out from the engine compartment., it's much cooler down and out.
There’s a product you can pick up at your local Home Depot or possibly local hardware store called Natures Miracle it works very well gently cleaning home and auto filters and is also great for those greasy coveralls after an oil change! Fill a gallon bucket up with cold water and two cap fulls soak for an hour and rinse and dry. Warm or hot water may break down the actual filter material
I have a 2000 Dodge ram 2500 turbo diesel 24 valve with 385xxx Miles on it its got a K&N filter starts first crank no codes runs great annd i dont even maintain it much.....
I used to race motocross . The old oil foam filters we had were junk. Independent testing shows that very clearly
If you don't over oil your filter you shouldn't have that issue.
Dogurasu not true. I over oiled mine and the Check Engine light came on after approx. 20 miles. Turns out to be the MAP sensor. Took the MAP out and it was coated with oil. Cleaned it & was good for 100 miles then it came back on again. The K&N oil already killed the MAP. Had to replace it. Then I tossed the K&N in the garbage. Reason why I went with K&N was so I don't have to do so much maintenance. If you factor in the cost of the K&N, the time spent, the cost of the cleaner and oil, it's just cheaper and easier to go with a paper filter. That's what's in the car now a cheap air filter and I've had it going for 6 months and it's still clean.
Dogurasu I used to think it was good too. Now I know better since I had to buy a brand new $250 MAF sensor (hand to go with OEM) an aftermarket one failed, the throttle body had to be clean cause it was massively dirty. You may think my story is "bullshit" but it's very true to my wallet. My cousin who is a mechanic now also used to use K&N trashed his in all his cars. He seen many cases of cars with K&N that had issues. K&N is a good product if you perform proper maintenance. The thing is a lot of folks buy them so they don't have to keep buying filters. They also buy them so they don't have to do so much maintenance. Some buy them thinking it performs better (it's debatable, my experience, 7 years of use, saw no difference).
+Dogurasu I hate to bite the troll bait but still gonna.... K&N Proved it? They got no motive to lie besides money. Yeah they over oiled a filter, used grade school science fair test tools a truck parked indoors in a clean environment and it didnt come off. Then they used some non-realistic test and none came off. Hey go on and navigate to around K&N site to the part that admits that it does come off (hey because who are they to call the car makers putting out TSB's warning against it) BUT they tested it on ONE, yes ONE MAP sensor by spraying to much directly on the sensor it and it still worked... Now where is your verifiable PROOF it wont hurt it? Ive seen cars go for over a year with no air filter. I'm not trying to say K&N is horrible filter and has no place, but dont be a sucker for there bullshit marketing and sorry ass legal team abusing laws to force there product to be acceptable not to void warranty. Some cars the factory filter is good the life of the car depends on a lot of factors. I just know from what i have seen working on cars with them, that magic filter oil that only sticks to filter and lets more air and no dirt in looks like shit on the inside.
Okay well what brand oil do you use? I just put whatever oil change special i can find or walmart oil or whatever is on sale, sometimes go 10K without a oil change, sometimes would get a oil change at walmart every two weeks when i drove 7000 miles a month and that doesnt even factory in that some days my car would get started in the morning time and the motor would not get shut off for over 8 hours then it would get turned on and off constantly when i went to deliver pizzas after i got off work at my day job, never had a motor go bad, so it that the secret to longevity? is that how I get 200K-250K plus out of cheap chevy motors? hell no, it dont prove shit
Ford Mustang and other fords use the copperhead PCM which can make small adjustments to acommidate the more free flowing air filter no noticeable gains in the butt. But some gains will result.
K&N filters aren't for everyone, every environment, or every vehicle, but they are a well engineered product and I can back up their claims for filtration, longevity, and somewhat for flow as well. Here in Colorado at 1 mile elevation, we'll take any advantage in airflow we can get. These filters outflow a typical paper filter (remember the ping pong ball demo they used to have at the part store counters). That doesn't necessarily guarantee more power, but at 1 mile elevation, it's a real good bet because you're getting closer to the engineered specs. Up here, there's roughly a 20% power deficit. My f150 does definitely benefit when I'm wide open throttle with 8k lbs trailer going up the on ramp with Colorado Rockies thin air. As for filtration, I added 180k miles with a K&N to my 5.4 2v f150 that already had 100k with a Fram. There was never any hint of dust or oil downstream of either filter. I have always been careful to oil just a bit on the lighter side, from the dirty side only, and super evenly down both sides of every pleat as I was instructed to by a K&N Engineer. K&N publishes the micron size that they can filter to but that is completely conditional on the oiling. I've known people that have over oiled, not cleaned well enough or often enough and they had problems. Don't clean or oil incorrectly. At 280k, I confirmed that the 5.4 does not run well on water... Long story short, when I pulled everything apart, there was no scoring and the cross hatching was pristine. I bought an used later model intake manifold with the build to benefit from the larger runners and, despite the donor having 1/3 the miles, it was a nightmare for dirt compared to mine. Filter maintenance is far more important than brand, as long as we're taking about leading brands. As for me, both filters did great in this application with proper maintenance. However, application is as critical as maintenance. I also run K&N filters (plural) on my sport quad and would NOT recommend this. I have 2 stages and a pre-filter and I usually pull the first stage before the end of a single day when it starts to burble. K&Ns don't hold much dirt. There are much better filters for heavy dust environments. I've heard plenty of horror stories of diesels being destroyed by K&Ns too. There's a lot more air flow through a diesel and any filter that can't hold a ton of dirt and still not let anything through should be an obvious bad choice. K&Ns start to not filter as well when the oil gets absorbed by the dirt they hold. When they get really loaded up, larger pieces of dirt can actually be pulled through the cotton and now you have a dirty and damaged filter that will dust the engine. Diesels are particularly good at this. Guys do well with them on their diesels if they watch them like a hawk, but there is definitely a risk there. For diesels, a quality oversized paper filter adapted from a much larger application seems to be the safest and best of both worlds for flow and dirt capacity, so long as it's a common and inexpensive application and it fits in there. Food for thought, more is more. There will always be horror stories about K&N filters because of misuse or misapplication, but like most good performance parts, to those that truly understand how the part works, what the pitfalls and benefits are, and of course the risks, there may be plenty to gain. K&Ns aren't for everyone or every application so if you doubt yourself, best to stick to a safer option. And if you're the type to try and save a few bucks on a different brand without matching the filtration, flow, longevity, and definitely the gasket quality, then this is probably not a road you want to go down. Point is, don't be afraid to try one if you can see how they would be a benefit to you, but your results will depend on your understanding and commitment.
+Neil Townley Wow big write up! I know the diesel guys are especially guilty of this every one is always packed big time.
+FordTechMakuloco Ya, more air, more dirt. If you know of them and agree, the Ford blue diesel filter kit would make a good video for the diesel guys. I've not used one yet, but I had a girlfriend diesel tech that raved about them and said no one knows about them. I think I heard they were developed for the oil field diesel specials they sell in the middle east. Love watching your videos. You do a great job. Keep em coming
First of all I would like to say is that I do enjoy watching your videos and you have been spot on. The bad news is that I bought my K&N CAI a long time ago and it has been pretty good to me. Yes I have over oiled the filters. Yes I have had engine trouble codes due to oil on the MAF sensor. Yes I have replaced MAF sensor because it was destroyed and the trouble code would not go away. I'm not taking my CAI off the truck because I have other bolt ons that complement it. The trick is to not over oil the filter and to make sure you clean the MAF sensor with an approved cleaner.
This ford has an cold air intake and a conical filter from factory, so i think this means a lot, nowadays car manufactures are using all the good stuff from the "tuning society" and they gain power and fuel efficiency. Paper is cheap and you have to buy a new one everytime so i think this are the reasons for car makers to use them, less cost and the need of maintance and buying- produce of new. but if you try to breath through a paper sheet you know that it is not so easy. I was using a k&n conical filter in a 1.4 ecotec corsa b for 10 years and it was very clean inside and the gain of power was noticeable also i loved the sound.
I had a rigged cone air filter on my 95 Grand Cherokee when I had that. But mainly because the original system dry rotted and cracked, which dusted the intake. When I took it out the bolt heads snapped off, and I broke several bits drilling them out. So I just used self tappers for an aluminum plate, then bought some piping and a cone from Autozone. Bam, some sort of filtration system for the engine that isn't cracked. It may have not been perfect but didn't throw codes.
I found that our myself a few years back .when you put to much oil on them they contaminate the sensor and you are told you need a new sensor.I cleaned the one in my wife's car with sensor cleaner unhooked the battery and It's fine now.But at every oil change they both get cleaned.the filter get's oiled lightly.I don't know if I still have the original filter setup.But I would never buy another.And stick with Motorcraft parts.Sometimes you have to pay a little more but it's worth it in the long run.I take my Fords to my dealer that I deal with because they can do an oil change cheaper than i can.And I don't have to get dirty.
weird my dads run a k&n on his 2005 tacoma since like almost day one hit 200k miles not a single problem and handed it down to my nephew and its still driving around as strong as ever
I actually highly agree with you. I had a K&N I got fairly cheap, just one of their panel filters. However I live on dirt roads and it became absolutely caked with dirt. With my paper filters, I typically take them out every once in a while just to knock the dust off and vacuum out the air box. Now I am worried my MAF is caked as well, so I bought some cleaner to see if that helps restore my gas mileage.
I also think it's funny most people don't realize the stock system is a cold air intake. The best improvement IMO is usually to get a higher flowing paper filter, and to replace the factory tubing with smoother piping and couplets to reduce restriction and turbulence in the intake. The factory intake can actually flow plenty of air, even for turbo cars. Just shortening the run and slapping a cone filter on the end really doesn't do much. In a lot of cases, it isn't even a surface area increase. It's just silly.
If the filter is becoming caked with dirt , that means it's doing its job .
Or you are over oiling it .
I put one of those in a 2004 mustang with the 3.9 ltr V6 was a weird yr because most yrs had the 3.8 V6 or bigger. Yet I never had an issue with the stock installation. The filter actually allowed the intake to whistle when I accelerated and it sounded like a turbo or supercharger and that’s what people would think when they rolled up alongside of me when they heard it and always wanted to race. I traded that car for my 95 corvette which I still have and haven’t looked back sense.