Thoughts on K&N air filters

MassHoe04 said:

I had K&N on my 95 Dodge Ram (it was still Dodge back then...). It was 5.9 L Magnum V-8. I didn't really notice a whole lot of difference in sound or performance, if there was any. Not saying there wasn't, but just didn't seem noticeable.

Anyway... I figured cleaning and oiling the filter media was going to be better than buying filters. That road was paved with good intentions, but I never took the time to scrub the filter media with the brush (and using Chris Fix's term) soapy "wodder", like I was supposed to. I would get to doing that later, which never happened.

A quality paper filter can actually be better than a neglected reusable mesh filter.

I never bothered going back to K&N. Only because I know I won't clean it. I'd rather just do a paper replacement once a year. Cheap and easy.

Not saying they are not a great product, but just not for me...

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Forgot to mention @MassHoe04 , Chris Fix is from NJ.

Unless you are getting a tune, the air filter isn't going to make any difference.

I'm running the factory airbox and paper filter with a whipple as per their recommendation. So even with a blower on my truck, Whipple doesnt think a K&N or any aftermarket filter is better for flow.

slypher25aussie said:

Is the K&N filtration good enough? I understand they’re meh at filtration but have excellent air flow.

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Are you familiar with the term "Hegelian dialectic"?

fozzi58 said:

Unless you are getting a tune, the air filter isn't going to make any difference.

I'm running the factory airbox and paper filter with a whipple as per their recommendation. So even with a blower on my truck, Whipple doesnt think a K&N or any aftermarket filter is better for flow.

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I agree. Unless you override the parameters controlled by the ECM, any change in air flow or volume will just end up having things compensated by the ECM in attempt to line things up with what has been programmed.

The computer is just going to tweak other things, attempting to keep as close to the programmed optimum air/fuel ratios.

You would have to tune the computer to override the defaults, if you were trying to introduce more air or more fuel, with the expectation that the engine will put it to use.

So you are going want to get a different filter because the acdelco A3181C restricts your 5.3 to 295hp and 335tq. But the exact same acdelco A3181C lets the 8.1 make 340hp and 455tq..... probably not the filter restricting it lol

When I had my '97 Tahoe, I was driving an average of 300 miles per day for work. I filled up every day, and I calculated MPG and wrote it on every gas receipt. I did this for about 50,000 miles. One day I mentioned to a customer that I'd love to get better mileage. He recommended the K&N filters. I thought there was no way it could affect mileage with all the computer controls on the engine, but I tried it.

The next time I filled up, my mileage had increased by 1.5 MPG. My average mileage remained 1.5 MPG higher (going from 18.0 to 19.5) until I sold the vehicle with 340,000 miles on it. I did not see any change in oil consumption. I live in very dusty west Texas and was concerned about getting dust in the engine, but apparently that didn't happen. I washed and oiled the filter about every 50K, as I remember. A quick calculation shows a savings of over 1000 gallons of gas. That filter paid for itself many times over!

I tried a K&N filter on my 1995 Suburban, and sadly, it made no mileage difference at all.

I have the k&n in my Denali. I've had no issue.