Here is some interesting information about how K&N and other air filters stack up...

http://home.stny.rr.com/jbplock/ISO5011/SPICER.htm

Seems like a decent article... but I don't quite follow it in some areas.

 

damn i wish i had something to drink, anyway that article doesnt say too much. all it says is the most restrictive filters trap the most dirt. makes sense when you think about it

 

It's true, the more air you let in, the more dirt will get in.

I learn this myself with K&N filters, which after 3,000 miles, my oil was very dark, very dirty, and I found dust particles in the intake tube past the air filter.

After that, I went back to OEM paper filters, and now my oil still looks golden at 3,000 miles, and I don't get any dirt in the intake tube.

K&N filters are great for racing cars, and high performance cars where performance matters before longevity, but for my personal car, I won't do it.

 

Were you oiling the K&N enough? Since I installed my K&N my oil is no cleaner and no dirtier at 3000 miles then it was with the stock filter.

 

What was the "$285,000 machine" used?

 

Same experience for me, I have 58,000 on my K&N. Clean it about every 15,000 miles.

 

i call bs they was more interested in telling people the price of the machine and test price per filter then to let in info on how the machine tests each filter, but im sure if you filter more air then more dust and dirt can come in as well.. but if properly oiled then you shouldnt have a worry

 

I've had K&Ns on several vehicles. Never had a problem. My Ranger was traded in at 100K miles (literally just as the odometer rolled over). My CJ-7 went 550K miles with no undue engine wear by filtered air. My Celica went 258K miles before I sold it with the K&N...

I let my K&N go too long on the F150 and it got VERY dirty, but serviced it and it's all good. No dirt or dust on the clean side of the intake, so not sure what the problem is here...

I do get noticable improvements in throttle response, and MPG with the K&N, and no noticable increase in engine wear. So where is the problem with these?

This report looks to be B.S. to me...

 

Oil analysis has proven K&N's let more dirt in, with higher (silica/silicone?) counts. What that means is that the metal is wearing out faster in your engine due to more dirt being allowed in through the filter.

Read BITOG. Lots of info on there proving this fact.

 

you gotta pay to play

however, a properly oiled filter will eliminate the majority of dirt

so 1/2 in one hand, 1/2 in the other. I'll take my Volant any day

 

I wish thay also compared the AEM Dryflow in those stats. I recently put one in, and no oil required.

 

The whole secret to the K&N is that it's supposed to get more efficient as it gets dirty. The trapped dirt tightens up the gaps and makes the filter more effective, while still allowing maximum airflow.

 

K&N filters offer very little in power gains over paper filters and don't filter quite as good. Not saying their filters don't filter good enough but just not as good as paper. Then there is the cleaning and oiling aspect that is a pain. The dyno sheets that I have seen with the drop in filters for an late model camaro's firebird's net 1-3 hp increase so your talking less than 1% increase in hp...no big deal. I had a K&N in my trans am and even from the factory there was enough oil transfer on to my MAF that it casued the car to idle strange. So i went back to paper and could not be happier and no issues and no difference that I could tell by the set of my pants dyno.
Also there are several cars in the 500hp range that use paper filters so paper can flow plenty of air. I'll just stick with paper and know I'm getting the best filtration, not making a noticable difference in performance, and don't have to clean and oil the filter.

 

I believe those are called the cumulative sp? stats.

 

The main reason I bought my K&N was for the savings of not having to buy disposable filters anymore. Over the 3 years I've had it, it's saved me about $90 I would have spent on paper filters, replacing them about once a year. I've had to clean the K&N once in that time, so the oiling/cleaning isn't that big a deal.