K & N filter not good idea ?

[URLACHER54]

ive been going through some of the threads and im not understanding about the K & N filter, alot of guys say its no good whats the deal? i have a K& N in my 94 atx, should i go back to a stock air filter?

 

[Ishodu]

Too much oil on it can and will foul the MAF sensor. I have one but I clean the MAF quite often as well.

 

[Shoaz]

Whether or not you go back to a paper filter is up to you. If you've read the other threads you've probably already seen the various arguments hashed out.

What do you want to get out of your filters? If you want good filtering, then it's hard to beat a paper filter. The difference in performance between the two are pretty small, and only exist when the K&N is clean (which is when it doesn't filter well).

 

[dpsutphin]

I put in a K&N about 10,000 miles ago. I got a noticable increase in performance (and before you dyno guys start up, I said noticable, not measurable). It could have also been because I also replaced two old worn out mufflers at the same time with new turbo mufflers.

I have not cleaned it yet, and the problems only seem to occur if it is not cleaned properly (too much oil). In any event, I am happy with mine.

 

[shobote]

just make sure that the filter medium, which is cotton, is fully air dried out (and don't use a hair dryer or anything, as it will shrink) before you apply the oil, and you do not need to soak the filter with the oil; just a light spray and it will wick up; never had a problem with any of mine by cleaning and oiling properly. Have used these for 20 yrs. on all my cars.

 

[CerberuS]

K&N panel filter = yes
Cone = No-no.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Presuming you're talking stock-to-stock (i.e. panel filter and not a hot air sucking cone filter under the hood), the arguments over which is better are just like which oil is better: lots of opinions, lots of "facts" (that often cancel each other out), and it really just comes down to user preference and what makes them feel good.

If you're still undecided, just flip a coin!

 

[thecrew2999]

the K&N filter has bigger holes in it that allow more air flow where paper filter has smaller restricting the flow... the oil is used to catch the particals that would pass threw a non oiled filter...
im a big suporter of the K&N filter. trust me the guys who made it had done a good job...
a filter that will last longer then the car and is performance is hard to beat.

 

[URLACHER54]

thanks once again to everyone for the advice, im keepin the k & n in.

 

[Brett]

I ran a K&N in my ATX for months, then pulled it and put it into my MTX, never had a problem with either. As a matter of fact, i drove my ATX like 6 blocks the other day, without any airfilter in it ( i forgot) . I dont see any difference in power, but never had any of the problems that have been mentioned on the forum.

 

[Shoaz]

The real problems with K&N (or any gauze filter, or steel mesh filters) are long-term. If the car is exposed to dusty conditions a lot more of it is going to get through with a gauze filter than with a good paper filter. That's not going to hurt anything in the short term but may affect the life of the motor.

The MAF fouling is also quite gradual (at least it was in my case), and so may not be noticed for a long time.

And, as mentioned, try the car with NO filter and see if you can really tell a difference. Sometimes the "difference" noticed is just that some more sound may get out with no filter or a cotton filter. The "performance" difference is tiny if any at all.

 

[sdpatt]

People create problems with the oiled filters by over-oiling them. Just follow the instructions and oil it as designed and you won't have a problem with oil coating the MAF element. I have been running the K&N in my car for the last 250,000 miles without problems.

When all else fails, follow the instructions.

 

[Shoaz]

I think over-oiling definitely makes it worse, but I'm familiar with a number of cases where the media was arguably not over oiled but fouling still occured over time (mine being one of them).

Have you never cleaned your MAF in 250,000 miles?