Smoke was used for the comparison. Bottom line the K&N DOES NOT
have the filtration the OEM paper filter does, and there is no benefit to the
K&N other than a lighter wallet. Only harm to your engine, and example
being the turbo dusting. You will also find high Si levels in UOA, from dirt
injested from using a K&N.

 

I have used k&n filters on 3 vehicles with a total of 100k miles with no troubles. My 97 ranger, 04 f150 heritage, and my 08 f150 which now has 59k on it and I put my intake on at 139 miles(when I bought it). The intake was also on my 04 for almost 20k miles. I just wash it off when it starts getting a tint to it from the dirt. I also have a backup filter so I use them and when they are both dirty, I clean them both and install one back on. I have noticed power on all 3 vehicles and gas mileage on 1. My 04 gained mpgs the other 2 did not really gain much if anything.

 

Got any proof for this ? We are talking about N/A & S/C gas engines so far, but the turbo part would be great to see as well.

At this point, all I have seen is a comparison ( not a real particle filtration test ) and opinions.

Don't know why the herd mentality has turned in the past 10 years, but it is comical to watch.

 

Go on any diesel site, and search. See for yourself the results of the damage it does to turbo vanes.........If that doesn't convince you, nothing will.

 

Here.........http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest3.htm

 

But I don't have turbo vanes, so how can they be damaged. What I do have is 135,000 trouble free miles, so you're correct, probably won't anything convince me other than someone coming in with conclusive evidence that their gas engine suffered damage from a CORRECTLY used K&N drop in filter.

 

My thinking is, if it is damaging turbo vanes with particular matter enough to sandblast the metal, It surely is a detriment to anything downstream.

Another test......http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html

However, people do what people do. I'm happy with the stock superior filter and you are happy with the inferior "superflow" filter. Think of it this way, if it allows more flow, more than air is passing through. In addition, your engine IS being damaged, you just don't know it........yet.

 

Well, another possibility is that all that grit going into the engine sandblasted my plugs so that none broke on removal. It also sand blasted the throttle body so that it did not need to be cleaned till I reached 102,000. You would think that all the grit into the cylinders would have caused increased oil consumption or damaged valves. Didn't happen.

When a paying sponsor makes a post advertising a product, and members jump in with disparaging posts about the product, I think that those of us who have experieced nothing but good from the product need to post our results. There needs to be some balance. I still have not seen one post that says a K&N damaged my gas engine.

 

+1 But keep in mind, you won't get any more air with the K&N! The OEM paper filter will flow more air then the engine can pull anyhow, so you could use chicken wire for a filter, and wouldn't get any more air.!

So it's loose, and no gain with the K&N!

 

I've used K&N filters going back to my '95 F-150 XL, and that old 300 6 is STILL going strong at 310,000! My '96 XLT was t-boned three months after my Papaw left it to me (wasn't mature enough for a V8 yet) but the old 5.0 seemed to enjoy the K&N. My '04 Heritage was a solid truck for 114,000 and my current '08 is gonna roll over 100K in the next day or two...

The proof is in the pudding, for me.

 

I'm still reading the other URLs, but a forum with herd mentality and supposition does not a fact make. anyone recall the jumping to conclusions that happened with the frame on the Raptors ? Someone said something that sounded good, and everyone jumped on the wagon.
There are some threads on this site with circuits on the F150 that do not exist. It is listed on at least a dozen other web sites. Just because it is passed around does not make it correct, and I know for a fact those 12 ( that I found ) sites are wrong. Someone extrapolating something into something it was not.

Just like this thread, where we have smoke being used as a comparison ( not a real test ) and the results of the comparison being extrapolated into something they may or may not be.

Let's add to the mix ( as said above ) what turbo vanes on a gas engine ?

This sounds like using an apples to describe an orange.

I know from actual use ( on the past 3 trucks ) that the K&N does not have a long term impact to the engine. The other 2 that I do not own now ( friend from HS has one, dad the other ) are still going strong with oil elements. Right in this thread, you can point to an easy 500,000 collective miles without the bad things happening.

We have post from members that are not professional tuners contradicting what tuners find on a dyno.
As soon as someone can disprove what the tuners have ACTUAL dyno tests showing, they only have an opinion that is being presented as fact.
Post up some dyno sheets that disprove the ones tuners have, let's see the facts.

This is where herd mentality drives the grape vine into overdrive.

Again all I see is herd mentality around supposition to date.
I am reading the nicoclub site, and it looks like a copy -> paste job, as non of the charts that the report refer to are included...

I go back to, if you like stock fine keep it stock. There is nothing wrong with that.
Don't try to push an opinion as fact or use reams of forums posts around calling BS on something.

 

I don't see any Herd mentality, But I DO see HEARD mentality. Read some more posts on other boards, then use what you like............

 

There is a Herd mentality, quite a few are running for the edge of the cliff it is so obvious.

The sky is falling, your truck is going to fall apart.

Just like the security disable circuit on the F150 and the "soft" frame on the Raptor.

If we are to use posted on many sites as the gauge for if something is true, I guess we should all start listening to beachkid about clay...
- People wanting to believe are starting to quote him now..

and we wonder how Jimmy Swaggart got away with what he did.. Anyone can build a following

 

I wish openclasspro would chime in. He has a fleet of service vans all running the K&N filter and some of them has as many as 400,000 miles. Just think of the money he has saved on replacement filters!

 

I've ran a K&N drop in filter from new,48k and zero problems.