I just bought a K&N drop in air filter for 40 bucks, as opposed to 11 for the Fram. Did I just waste my money, or is it actually worth it? I'm not looking for performance gains... really I just did it as a futile attempt to save any gas that I can.

Also, what are some preventative maintenance things I can do to increase fuel economy?

 

ur not gonna notice a diffrance, but actually being a waste of money.. i think not. just make sure u change ur oil every 3000k miles, fuelfilter10,000k miles , and clean that air filter every oil change.

 

not a waste of money, you wont ever have to buy a new one now.

 

Here are the facts straight up:

No increase in HP/TQ
But you don't need to worry about the air filter for 100k miles.

Other than that... it's really nothing special.

 

I ran a AEM dry flow replacement panel for a while before a CAI. I saw at least a .5 increase in mileage in all types of driving on my truck.

 

X2 on the AEM Dryflow dropin. No oil to worry about fouling the MAF sensor, either.

 

That's good to hear. I might switch to the K&N FIPK sometime in the future. The only other thing I can think of to save gas is to cut out my floor panels and turn my truck into a Fred Flintstone mobile... Or get one of those "as seen on TV" Tornado things

 

K/N dropin filters don't foul the MAF sensor when oiled properly.

 

Yeah, He's right on the oiling right part, however most never do it correctly because of time constraints. The placement of the MAF on these trucks is BEFORE the filter anways, so you'd never have to worry about it. However, if you've seen some of the latest filter testing done recently, you'd wouldn't run anything but an AEM dry flow filter. There is a reason why all the guys in the desert are running their filters out in the Baja stuff.

 

The MAF sensor on my 2006 5.4 is downstream of the filter.

 

From what I've heard about K&N's you will not notice a difference during normal driving, however at WOT, the K&N allows much more air flow!....Thus increasing power!...........

 

I have run my K&N for 68,000 miles, I clean it every 15,000 and oil it lightly as instructed. Have never had a MAF problem. It does not save noticable fuel nor add noticeable HP but it saves money on replacement filters.

 

Amsoil has a cleanable dry nanofilter for 38 bucks, guaranteed for 100k. Clean it with an air hose or a vacuum cleaner. I had a K&N, and I tossed it when I saw all the dust in my intake pipe.

 

I just like my disposible filters... I like watching them turn black over time.

 

Whether or not its a waste of money really depends upon how you look at it. If you are only look at increased horsepower and better fuel economy, then yes, its a waste of money.
However, look at the money you will be saving in the long run in filter replacements. Motorcraft air filters go for about $25 and even if you went cheap and bought a Fram you would still be spending $20. So basically, after 2 years the K&N pretty much pays for itself.
Personally, Im not a fan of K&N. I had a K&N drop-in filter in my truck and I ended up going back to a paper filter because of how poorly the K&N fit. You have to be really careful when installing the K&N, otherwise it wont seal properly and it will allow dirt into your engine.
You also have to be careful not to put too much oil on the filter when you reoil it, otherwise it can foul out your MAF.
For those reasons, I prefer to use the OEM filter. It costs a little more, but IMO its much less of a hassle. I just replace the filter once a year. It takes about 5 minutes to replace and to me its just much less of a hassle.