K&N or O&M filter

I apologize for the post in advance if this is beat up horse topic but came cross few videos showing that K&N while great filter for airflow is actually not good as filter for someone who runs dirt roads and sand etc. was curious if K&N is hype or maybe its good for city cars but when comes to offroading/dirt roads maybe stick with O&M or other brands. any feedback or recommendations of brands that work better.

Which Car Air Filter is Best? Let's find out! Fram, K&N, Wix, Purolator, & AC Delco showdown (youtube.com)

 

My 21 came with a TRD oiled filter. It works and I'm not going to change it in the near future.

 

I've used both K&N and Wix. While the K&N does work, and is nice because it is cleanable and reusable, I saw a lot of folks when I worked at the auto shop over oil them and wreck their Mass Air Flow sensors. I don't feel that the little bit of performance gain is worth the cost or potential of damaging my engine, so I use Wix. I have been very happy with their products and use them on all four of my vehicles, including their XP oil filtes. Just my two cents...

 

Reusable filters work fine if you aren't driving through areas of heavy dust and make sure to properly clean them and apply oil correctly, which I have had no issues with thus far. I use a TRD filter most of the time on my truck for normal driving, and swap in a paper OEM filter when I I'm in the dry season and am going off pavement for the day. Reduces how many OEM filters I have to use up while also keeping down how often the oiled filter needs to be cleaned.

 

Keep the regular filter. I had a K&N and got rid of it. It is too loud and does a poor job at filtering compared to OE filter. We are not driving race cars. No need for K&N.

 

I bought a TRD air intake system, mainly for the looks. I used the TRD filter straight out of the packaging. I had issues with severe throttle lag at times. Accelerating was like trying to push cooked spaghetti up a tree.

I removed the filter and installed a Wix. It was better, but still had moments of the lag in acceleration.

I ended up replacing the mass airflow sensor after two attempts of cleaning it.

 

The only place an oiled filter works better then a good paper filter is when it gets wet as the pores of a paper filter will swell and severely restrict air flow. However, water is far worse in an intake then a wet filter will ever be. If you have very limited access to replacement filters I understand an oiled filter need, past that, you aren't getting much, if anything in return other then less filtering and contaminants on the air flow meter. They tend to not like oil film.

 

Both are fine but there’s more possibility of error with a K&N. I’ve never had an issue and I’ve used them for decades, but others have reported problems.

 

Regular filter.

Effective, inexpensive.

Actually less work to swap than cleaning and oiling process. BTDT won't go back.

And there is no measurable power increase.

 

i’ve used K&N over the years as well and never had a problem, until now

 

I wouldn't use oiled. Either a dry reusable filter like AFE Pro Dry S or OEM.

 

My neighbor is a mechanic at Toyota and said you should never use oiled filters. In most cases, changing your paper filter once a year is adequate.

 

PAPER.
You can read a newspaper through a clean, "well oiled" K&N, or any oiled gauze filter for that matter after a couple washings.
Absolute junk, slowly but surely, wrecking your engine one million miniscule particles at a time.
Left that garbage behind as a teenager.

Already knowing the answer, I wasn't even going to bother with the video, but I like the Project Farm dude and was glad to see him out the K&N for the piece of shit it is when used as a full time filter.
And that one was BRAND NEW. It only gets worse from there..

 

My truck came with the TRD oiled filter. I swapped it out with the OEM paper with 12 miles on the truck. It’s for sale if anyone wants it.

 

And did that remedy the lag?
Clean throttle body

 

Replacing the sensor did fix the lagging throttle.
Throttle body is clean, 16k miles

 

I was a believer in oiled filters for years, boy was I wrong.

Once I discovered a thin layer of fine dust in my intake tube, that oiled filter went straight into garbage. OEM paper only for now on.

Stock air box is same as 5.7L tundra, 3.5L gets plenty of air.

 

Option

Magnum FLOW OE Replacement Air Filter w/ Pro DRY S Media


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Toyota Tundra 13-21 V8-4.6L/5.7L /Sequoia 14-22 V8-5.7L/Tacoma 16-23 V6-3.5L
Part Number
31-10247

 

^^^ Neat idea, would be skeptical of the dirt intrusion.

Personally……I’m sticking with an OEM type filter. Denso or Wix

 

WIX never disappoints..