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K&N Drop in Filter.. Reviews?

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by Airwolf NSX, May 30, 2011.

  1. May 30, 2011 at 12:17 PM
    #1
    Airwolf NSX

    Airwolf NSX [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Thinking about getting the K&N Drop in filter. Any reviews on why AFE is recommended over K&N?
     
  2. May 30, 2011 at 12:18 PM
    #2
    kingston73

    kingston73 Well-Known Member

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    Biggest thing is no need for oil in the AFE, and no chance of over-oil messing up the air sensor.
     
  3. May 30, 2011 at 7:04 PM
    #3
    PSJ

    PSJ Prerunners Work

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    Rear Leaf spring TSB, Bilstein 5100's all around w/ front set at 1.75", 265/75R/16 Mickey Thompson Baja STZ's, Trailer hitch w/custom wiring, AFE drop in dry filter, Rear Diff breather mod, Debadged truck, customized stock TRD wheel center caps, added factory fog lights, bed mat, door sills, tinted windows
    So far I am loving the wash with soap & water then dry program, vs the degreasing and cleaning of the K&N filter then the re oiling process. Much easier maintenance. :D
     
  4. May 30, 2011 at 7:45 PM
    #4
    WilsonTheDog

    WilsonTheDog Kylie's dad

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    ^Exactly. I just let mine soak in my mop sink with a couple drops of dish soap for about 10 minutes and let it dry overnight. Do that once a year and you're good.
     
  5. May 30, 2011 at 8:16 PM
    #5
    kessler89

    kessler89 Well-Known Member

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    i have a K&N and like it, it's just a airfilter unless you work at a gravel pit you'll probably have to clean it 6x in your lifetime
     
  6. May 30, 2011 at 8:55 PM
    #6
    trd09

    trd09 Well-Known Member

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    Have a K&N for the last 10k and like it, no problems to report. Took a peek into the MAF and throttle body the other day and it looked spotless. No dirt/grime/sludge or anything.
     
  7. May 30, 2011 at 9:01 PM
    #7
    Tillers_Rule

    Tillers_Rule ......................

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    Dropped my K&N in at 25K or 30K, I forget. I have about 62K now. I never worry about the thing other than clean and oil every 6 months.
     
  8. May 30, 2011 at 9:37 PM
    #8
    WilsonTheDog

    WilsonTheDog Kylie's dad

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    Magnaflow 12576 muffler & chrome tip, Westin step bars, 27% tint, Pop N Lock, AFE ProdryS, bed mat, Husky liners, D-rings added, Access Literider tonneau, Pioneer 4-ways all around, GY Wrangler Duratracs 265/75/16, 5100's @ 1.75", 1.5" AAL
    The only people who ever have a problem with the K&N are those that over oil. There are some vehicles (my '05 V6 Altima is one) that have BIG problems with oiled filters, particularly in destroying MAF sensors, oiled correctly or otherwise. This truck is not one.

    I shied away from K&N with this truck because of research I've done on them. You be your own judge on that one but I didn't like what I saw when it came to actual filtering. The AFE was a happy medium for me.
     
  9. May 31, 2011 at 6:22 AM
    #9
    PSJ

    PSJ Prerunners Work

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    Rear Leaf spring TSB, Bilstein 5100's all around w/ front set at 1.75", 265/75R/16 Mickey Thompson Baja STZ's, Trailer hitch w/custom wiring, AFE drop in dry filter, Rear Diff breather mod, Debadged truck, customized stock TRD wheel center caps, added factory fog lights, bed mat, door sills, tinted windows
    I have used K&N's for different applications for years. What has sold me with the AFE drop in filter is it looks just like a K&N in construction, except the plastic is black instead of orange. The filter element material is incased in the wire mesh just as with the K&N. Being only 30 bucks, a lifetime warranty and soap and water cleaning it was a no brainer for me. Plus, I have not noticed any dirt past the filter. Seems to be working or preforming as it should... :cool:
     
  10. May 31, 2011 at 7:29 AM
    #10
    Lurkin

    Lurkin Well-Known Member

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    In support of this, anyone interested in the K&N, or any other oiled cotton gauze air filter should check out the oil analysis results on BITOG. The analysis results when using stock, aFe Pro-Dry and K&N are very interesting indeed.
     
  11. Dec 29, 2011 at 9:06 AM
    #11
    johnnyman1

    johnnyman1 Well-Known Member

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    So I bought a K&N drop in air filter just to see what happened. I have a 2012 Prerunner DC v6 4.0l.

    What I found ws this. Truck sounded better. Definitely the engine sounded like it labored less. Very nice air flow sound.

    Did not drive it long enough to notice mpg.

    Low rpm performance not noticeable but once I got into the higher rpms that is when I noticed a huge difference. I mean ,, my truck was screaming. I was a bit shocked how the pick up was on it at high rpms.

    So after doing some research,, looking at all the test results I still decided to take it out and put the OEM paper filter back. Why? As a chemist I know how filtration and flow works. I am 100% convinced more particles do indeed get past the KN filter. Also,, even if the filter was as good as OEM at filtration,, the added air flow would just generate more dirt particles that flowed due to higher flow volume. Enough to hurt the engine,,, I don't know,,I am not a mechanic. Judging from posts on the internet it does not or would not likely allow enough particles to enter the engine,, but since I will be operating on low rpms mostly I will not see the benefits of this filter much. I also am not keen on screwing around with oil recharging.

    Anytime we mod our trucks especially with engine and suspension you are most likely modding it in a way that is not good for the engine or truck geometry. Many do it anyway bc they want to. This filter does help performance. Noticeably I would say. But I can't help but think that stock paper filter is ultimately better for the truck and what I will be using the truck for.

    my .02
     
  12. Dec 29, 2011 at 12:26 PM
    #12
    PlanoTaco

    PlanoTaco Well-Known Member

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    Do they make a AFE Pro-Dry S Air Filter for the 2012 4.0 Taco? Is it the same as the 2011?
     
  13. Dec 29, 2011 at 12:45 PM
    #13
    johnnyman1

    johnnyman1 Well-Known Member

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    far as i know '11 and '12 are same
     
  14. Dec 29, 2011 at 1:08 PM
    #14
    chris4x4

    chris4x4 With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. Moderator

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    Correct. A K&N filter will give no gain in HP or Torque. What it WILL give you, is less filtration, and a reusable filter. I ran a couple K&N's and when I did an oil sample, my silica (dirt) levels were off teh charts. If you live in an environment that has any kind of dust, then I wouldnt run one.
     
  15. Dec 29, 2011 at 1:43 PM
    #15
    RainDodger

    RainDodger YGWYPF

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    None yet! It's new!
    You'll get one of every kind of opinion here and you can take the advice offered in any one of them.

    I've Run K&N filters for maybe 30 years in every kind of engine you can imagine. I've never had any kind of problem you can pin on an oil filter that's not working as well as the next one on the shelf. I put one in a 1980 Porsche 911 Carrera that I brought from Germany and that car is still running with almost 300,000 miles on it and the engine has never been out of it. It's still running just fine, with good leak-down tests and great compression.

    Buy any of them, put them in and forget. They'll all work well enough for any of us.
     
  16. Dec 29, 2011 at 1:55 PM
    #16
    johnnyman1

    johnnyman1 Well-Known Member

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    I did not say it will hurt your engine. In fact I said from what I can tell it probably won't. What I am saying is that it will definitely allow more dirt particles in. I think Chris4x4 oil tests, and others have proven that.

    I do disagree with Chris in that I DO think it adds noticeable performance but just at higher rpm.

    If i was a red light racer i would leave it in for sure. I am not,, so I took it out. I like the fact that I am getting better filtration with OEM than with KN whether it matters or not.

    I am going to think about some more but I will most likely sell this thing for $15 if you want it. I have 50miles on it.
     
  17. Dec 29, 2011 at 2:14 PM
    #17
    Janster

    Janster Old & Forgetful

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    Wow - old thread revival.....

    I've had many K&N's over the years. They work great if you keep them cleaned regularly and you DO NOT over-oil them. I used to clean mine every 6 months.
    The oils is what traps the fine dust particles. If the filter is dirty and the oils are already 'filled' with dust - then it can't filter properly anymore. They have good airflow and work great. I got slight MPG gains from using them.

    In my current truck - I'm running the AFE. I do not get as much air flow as I did with the K&N's and I do not see any MPG improvements. The filter works fine and I don't clean it as often because I don't need to.

    If I wanted more performance - I'd get a K&N.

    If I wanted convenience (of having a cleanable filter) - I'd get the AFE.
     
  18. Dec 29, 2011 at 3:15 PM
    #18
    chris4x4

    chris4x4 With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. Moderator

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    Ive run the K&N drop ins on the dyno a few times, and any gains were within the margin of error of the dyno, and not conclusive. For example, one run found a 1.8 hp gain, the next a 1.3 hp loss, the next a 3 hp loss, the next a 2.1 gain....etc.. Nothing showed even an average small gain. When we flow tested the OEM filter, we found the filter flowed more than the throttle body would. Being as each combustion chamber fills only one at a time, and every other crank rotation, @ 5000 rpm, the engine requires 353.295 CFM air flow, asuming the CC gets 100% fill. The OEM Filter is capable of 400 CFM before creating any noticable restriction. Now....My testing wasnt done in a scientific lab, or under the watchfull eyes of the folks who engineered the engine. It was done by myself, and a few friends who like to experiment with this kinda stuff. 2 of my friends are engineers, and one has a degree in fluid dynamics. Is it 100% accurate? Probly not. BUT, It gave us an idea of what kinda restriction OEM air filters actually create......or DONT create.
     
    cytocycle likes this.
  19. Dec 29, 2011 at 3:26 PM
    #19
    chris4x4

    chris4x4 With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. Moderator

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    many times......actually, EVERY time.

    The thing is.....WIll a K&N HURT your engine? Probably not. The amount of dirt it lets in also depends on where you live. I live in a desert, so My filter needs to stop much more dirt than, say, Main, CA., etc. The amount of dirt the K&N, and similar filters allowed into my engine were at dangerous levels. Engine damage would have indeed occured, but when...I cant say. With the OEM filter, there were NO silica reports on my Oil Samples. I have friends that have ran K&N filters out here, and have had engines need a rebuild (Main bearings out of specs.) before 100k miles. I dont know of any engines out here (In my circle of friends) that have had the OEM filters, and needed a rebuild before 250k miles, or later. Once again, I want to add that I live in dirt. Your results may vary.
     
  20. Dec 29, 2011 at 3:32 PM
    #20
    maineah

    maineah Well-Known Member

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    X2 The tests I have seen also show no gain in removing the filter all together.
    I personally would just as soon have excellent filtering and just drop a filter in once in awhile then going through the BS of oiling it.
     

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