What's the over all consensus with K&N Engine Air Filter's for our Taco's?

I used them in the past. Not as much for performance but more for hearing that they are good for your engine. And I like the thought of cleaning in place of buying. You hear equal good and bad info so your left kinds where you started.

But I did personally have a bad experience with one in my Focus as within a few days check engine light cam on and I lost like 3MPG. So what about the 2nd gen 2.7L? Went back to normal as soon as I went back OEM.

What do you know about it?

 

The word you want is "consensus".

Also K&N filters do not filter as well as factory paper/fiber. They are basically junk for engine health.

 

I use a regular paper filter.

 

They add engine sound for sure. I had one on my 2009 4.0 and took it off because the wife did not like it.

 

They add noise and make a life time air filter for the truck. That’s about it.

I don’t discourage buying it, but I stress that they need to be serviced with limited oil.

 

For most people there is no measurable gain in performance or fuel mileage.

Long term you may save a little money by not having to buy replacement paper filters.

They don't filter the air as well as conventional filters. If you drive in dusty conditions, I'd certainly avoid them.

I used one on a truck I used to own. After selling that truck I never went back.

 

If you want a filter you can clean and re use prob Better off with an AFE, they don’t need to be oiled. Doubt there’s any performance gains though

 

X2

 

Be cautious to that the filter media remains intact. Recently while inspecting and prepping to clean a K&N used in our Ford van, I noticed areas where the cotton gauze filter media had holes. Those areas were not filtering at all.
Contacted K&N expecting a warranty replacement. They stated what I found does happen on older filters and would not warranty the filter as it was slightly beyond the 10 year warranty.

The van being only street driven survives fine, but an off road vehicle could destroy an engine.

 

K&N air filters are either loved or hated on multiple enthusiasts car and truck sites that I follow. They sell millions of them. I have yet to find a definitive link between K&N filtering efficiency and catastrophic engine failure, or even shortened engine life. An extensive online search, I have yet to find a documented engine failure that is the result of inefficient K&N filtering media. Even Toyota offers a TRD Pro filter, similar to K&N. "Almost" every negative review of K&N point to various studies (which I do NOT dispute) documenting the K&N filter media as not being as efficient as paper media. What the studies don't show, is the relationship between air filtering efficiency and engine life. And I suggest that, it is because the effect is negligible in normal driving situations. (the engine sucks in the parts per million variance (particles) and spits them out the exhaust pipe with little to no effect on cylinder wear). Even in ultra dirty situations, the filter just needs to be cleaned more frequently. I have used K&N filter for years on and off road. Saved a ton of dough over the years. Not likely to change any minds here, but, K&N air filters do have a place as an aftermarket replacement for many applications.

 

Modern engines are not restricted like they were in the 70s (before computer modeling)

I've had them on old vehicles, took them off when I discovered oily dirt in the after the filter. I stick with paper now.

 

The ONLY place I'd consider a K&N in my truck is the cabin air filter.
In the engine, no way. I'll stick with paper.

 

I'm skeptical of the ability to clean them. Getting it wet with water isn't going to make months/years worth of dirt and dust just magically get up and walk away from the filter media. Seems gimmicky.

Every time I see one in a customer's car it's dirty, soggy and gross.

A new paper filter is 20$ at most. That's my coffee budget on weekday.. just buy a new one

 

For those who can't figure out to clean, dry and re-oil a K&N filter - you need to stay with paper.

 

How do you know its "cleaner" after washing? How do you measure something like that?

 

My trusted mechanics say No... So, I do the OEM paper. Pretty easy and inexpensive.

 

I tried a K&N oiled filter for a little bit. One day my check engine light came on so I took my truck in to the dealership to see what was going on. Apparently… over time just from airflow through the K&N oiled filter, a light sheen of K&N oil coated the bulb and wires of the mass airflow sensor, so the engine computer couldn’t get an accurate reading on intake airflow. The tech cleaned it with MAF spray and showed me what was going on. It was an easy fix, but I switched back to stock Toyota filters since then.

 

I'm sure most of us could figure it out. Maybe I'm just lazy. I like to toss the old one, put in a new one and go on with my life.
I used to rinse out my Fram oil filters and reuse them too but after blowing up a couple of engines, decided to just replace them.

 

I think it’s largely opinion based and many of the opinions are based on absolutely nothing. That any most if not all the problems with them come from user error. People put them in and go way to long before cleaning and maintenance and when they do they significantly over oil causing problems with the maf sensor. I have 2 for my Tacoma so I can switch it out and have plenty of time to clean and dry then I can oil a few days before changing it out. I’ve done this for years with 0 problems. I run stock in my other vehicles also with no problems. I’ve found if used correctly it’s the equivalent of installing a performance exhaust tip. You don’t loose or gain anything. Small change in engine sound but fairly insignificant imo.

 

Project Farm’s testing:

- K&N finished dead last.
- An embarrassingly poor filter.

https://youtu.be/sJ3L-E-ufYo