K&N Air Filter Information
#1
05-13-2008, 09:56 AM
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K&N Air Filter Information
As a preface I believe there is a great deal of good information in these forums. I have read other posts concerning the K&N air filter and thought I would do a little investigating. It turns out K&N themselves took this issue to task and tested some of the claims against their air filters. These are links to this information:
http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/MAFTestresults.htm
This page has videos of tests conducted:
http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/massair.htm
My Rover has a K&N air filter and works well. Please remember this is information only and should be balanced with the wisdom and experience of members in this forum as well.
Cheers,
Pete
http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/MAFTestresults.htm
This page has videos of tests conducted:
http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/massair.htm
My Rover has a K&N air filter and works well. Please remember this is information only and should be balanced with the wisdom and experience of members in this forum as well.
Cheers,
Pete
#2
05-23-2008, 12:53 PM
#3
05-23-2008, 06:48 PM
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RE: K&N Air Filter Information
I went thru 2 MAF's even being more then cautious enough to make sure all the excess oil was removed. I also found that after a hard day on a dusty trail that if I attempted to drive come with out replacing the K&N with a back up old paper filter, I would loose a good 2 miles per gallon.
These filters weren't as hard on the older Lucas truck, but the Bosch MAF can't handle them.
Just remember a replacement Bosch MAF is over $200, at best you may gain apx. 1/4 MPG out on the road, it isn't worth the chance.
These filters weren't as hard on the older Lucas truck, but the Bosch MAF can't handle them.
Just remember a replacement Bosch MAF is over $200, at best you may gain apx. 1/4 MPG out on the road, it isn't worth the chance.
#4
05-23-2008, 07:09 PM
RE: K&N Air Filter Information
I have used K&N Air filters in previous Vehicles and Personally decided not to continue use.
Like everything they have there place. The largest vairable I see with K&N usage is user cleaning and oiling.Ever here of "my wife has a hard time making toast??" well some people will have a hard time cleaning and oiling the filters as needed. In the lab enviroment everything is controlled,outside the lab it is a free for all.
We are all human and none of us do everything exactly the same,in my point of view this is K&N Achilles Heel.
Like everything they have there place. The largest vairable I see with K&N usage is user cleaning and oiling.Ever here of "my wife has a hard time making toast??" well some people will have a hard time cleaning and oiling the filters as needed. In the lab enviroment everything is controlled,outside the lab it is a free for all.
We are all human and none of us do everything exactly the same,in my point of view this is K&N Achilles Heel.
#5
05-24-2008, 09:41 AM
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#7
05-24-2008, 11:27 AM
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RE: K&N Air Filter Information
I am willing to take the risk. If the MAF does in fact die (for whatever reason) I will send it to K&N and have them test it. I am convinced by their testing and research. Although they do have laboratory conditions, those conditions were much more severe than anything the average driver experiences. If anyone is reading this and has not gone to K&N's website I would recommend doing so. Don't let superstition or speculation stop you (anyone) from gathering as much information as possible.
Cheers,
Pete
Cheers,
Pete
#8
05-24-2008, 12:10 PM
RE: K&N Air Filter Information
After running a K&N for a while look at the inside of the filter housing and you will find more than a little dust that has made it through.
I have been in the Auto service for 28 years and have seen at least the old K&N's job preformance.
At the dealer that I'm at now we have seen fewer MAF sensors going out but fewer new car owners are puttingK&N air filtersin.
In the last six months we have had one truck come in with a mass air flow sensor code and it had a K&N style(they don't say what kind they are) filter in it we cleanedthe MAFand put a OEM filter in and sent it on its way.
I have been in the Auto service for 28 years and have seen at least the old K&N's job preformance.
At the dealer that I'm at now we have seen fewer MAF sensors going out but fewer new car owners are puttingK&N air filtersin.
In the last six months we have had one truck come in with a mass air flow sensor code and it had a K&N style(they don't say what kind they are) filter in it we cleanedthe MAFand put a OEM filter in and sent it on its way.
#9
05-29-2008, 12:10 PM
RE: K&N Air Filter Information
just another FYI.
27. Will a K&N filter cause my vehicle’s mass air sensor to fail?
No, it is both impossible and ridiculous.
It is impossible because we know that the oil treatment on our cotton is very small (usually less than 2 ounces). Once the oil is properly and evenly absorbed through the cotton, no oil will come off, even under extreme engine conditions. It is ridiculous, because no dealership or service provider has ever been able to provide us with evidence to support this “myth,” and in fact, our investigations have revealed that even authorized dealerships are simply speculating and do not have the test equipment necessary to know whether the sensor has failed or why. It is even more ridiculous because some car manufacturers use and sell air filters treated with oil on a regular basis. There are also major brands of disposable air filters that are treated with oil. We all use oil for the same reason, it helps in the filtration efficiency of an air filter. For more information on this topic including videos, see our Mass Air Flow Sensor Statement page.
Out of the millions of air filters we sell, we only receive a handful of consumer complaints each month that a dealership or service provider has blamed a vehicle sensor repair on our product. We take each complaint very seriously and see it as an opportunity to stop a consumer from being taken advantage of. We investigate the situation thoroughly and take full responsibility for resolving the issue. For more information on how we educate and persuade the service provider to reconsider their position, see Mass Air Flow Sensor Information & Testing. We are so confident in our ability to resolve these situations and to help a consumer fight back that we offer our Consumer Protection Pledge.
As a result of our standing up for consumer rights and providing assistance to resolve a disagreement, we have had over 100 actual sensors sent to us by dealerships who claimed our product had caused them to fail. Microscopic, electronic and chemical testing revealed that none of the sensors were contaminated by K&N oil (K&N Detailed MAF Sensor Test Results). What is perhaps the single biggest clue to what is going on is that over 50% of these sensors were not broken in the first place for any reason. Click here for more information on how this may happen.
No, it is both impossible and ridiculous.
It is impossible because we know that the oil treatment on our cotton is very small (usually less than 2 ounces). Once the oil is properly and evenly absorbed through the cotton, no oil will come off, even under extreme engine conditions. It is ridiculous, because no dealership or service provider has ever been able to provide us with evidence to support this “myth,” and in fact, our investigations have revealed that even authorized dealerships are simply speculating and do not have the test equipment necessary to know whether the sensor has failed or why. It is even more ridiculous because some car manufacturers use and sell air filters treated with oil on a regular basis. There are also major brands of disposable air filters that are treated with oil. We all use oil for the same reason, it helps in the filtration efficiency of an air filter. For more information on this topic including videos, see our Mass Air Flow Sensor Statement page.
Out of the millions of air filters we sell, we only receive a handful of consumer complaints each month that a dealership or service provider has blamed a vehicle sensor repair on our product. We take each complaint very seriously and see it as an opportunity to stop a consumer from being taken advantage of. We investigate the situation thoroughly and take full responsibility for resolving the issue. For more information on how we educate and persuade the service provider to reconsider their position, see Mass Air Flow Sensor Information & Testing. We are so confident in our ability to resolve these situations and to help a consumer fight back that we offer our Consumer Protection Pledge.
As a result of our standing up for consumer rights and providing assistance to resolve a disagreement, we have had over 100 actual sensors sent to us by dealerships who claimed our product had caused them to fail. Microscopic, electronic and chemical testing revealed that none of the sensors were contaminated by K&N oil (K&N Detailed MAF Sensor Test Results). What is perhaps the single biggest clue to what is going on is that over 50% of these sensors were not broken in the first place for any reason. Click here for more information on how this may happen.
#10
02-16-2009, 11:40 PM
First a preface, I'm a Land Rover newb so what I'm about to say is based on my experience with my Subaru WRX and its "sensitive" MAF. I've been running a K&N filter on my Subaru for 5-years and 120K--starting with a panel filter and then going to K&N short ram intake and cone filter--and I've had no MAF issues at all in this time.
The Subaru community is also very worried about how the K&N and other oiled filters will ruin the MAF due to contamination of the sensor. Some run paper, others expensive disposible non-paper filters... basically, you name it and someone's run it. K&N's gotten a bad rap with Subarus, but few people (none, actually) have come up with hard evidence that a reported problem had anything to do with their K&N's design or materials.
My feeling, and what K&N says, is that the oil contamination--if any--comes from improper cleaning of the filters. Basically, don't soak the filter in oil and only oil the side that is away from the filter and you'll be fine. At least that's what my 120K WRX and it's lifetime of being filtered by leads me to believe.
On another note, I think a lot of people say "K&N" filter when they're talking about an oiled filter. Sort of like people referring to all tissues as "Kleenex." Truth is, not all oiled filters are the same and so someone's MAF getting ruined may have as much to do with user error (which no one admits to, do they?), using an off-brand filter and calling it a "K&N," or lastly it could in fact be a K&N-induced problem.
Bottom line, I chose to trust K&N years ago and my car has not suffered. Today, in fact, I put a K&N in my D2... making it my first modification to an otherwise stock rig. BTW, going back to Subarus for a moment, the K&N typhoon SR intake was an early arrival in the "tuning" scene for the Subaru and is one of the few intakes that are known not to cause misread MAF readings... because K&N took the time and spent the money to design it right. I think this says a lot about K&N's business practices. As in all things, your mileage may vary.
Gabe
The Subaru community is also very worried about how the K&N and other oiled filters will ruin the MAF due to contamination of the sensor. Some run paper, others expensive disposible non-paper filters... basically, you name it and someone's run it. K&N's gotten a bad rap with Subarus, but few people (none, actually) have come up with hard evidence that a reported problem had anything to do with their K&N's design or materials.
My feeling, and what K&N says, is that the oil contamination--if any--comes from improper cleaning of the filters. Basically, don't soak the filter in oil and only oil the side that is away from the filter and you'll be fine. At least that's what my 120K WRX and it's lifetime of being filtered by leads me to believe.
On another note, I think a lot of people say "K&N" filter when they're talking about an oiled filter. Sort of like people referring to all tissues as "Kleenex." Truth is, not all oiled filters are the same and so someone's MAF getting ruined may have as much to do with user error (which no one admits to, do they?), using an off-brand filter and calling it a "K&N," or lastly it could in fact be a K&N-induced problem.
Bottom line, I chose to trust K&N years ago and my car has not suffered. Today, in fact, I put a K&N in my D2... making it my first modification to an otherwise stock rig. BTW, going back to Subarus for a moment, the K&N typhoon SR intake was an early arrival in the "tuning" scene for the Subaru and is one of the few intakes that are known not to cause misread MAF readings... because K&N took the time and spent the money to design it right. I think this says a lot about K&N's business practices. As in all things, your mileage may vary.
Gabe