K&N Air Filter was worth it for me

Good morning Tacomaworld. I've read article after article about swapping out the stock air filter for a K&N and removing the charcoal air filter. Some like it and some don't while others could care less. But because I've used K&Ns before, I purchased the stock style K&N air filter for $49.99 at my local parts place for my Tacoma. I also removed that charcoal filter. I took a pair of flat snips and snipped the tabs off, no drilling.

The difference is what I feel in driving it and how the throttle responds. It is very noticeable to me.

Maybe you have experienced this, maybe not, but I have noticed that before, my throttle response was just ever so slightly delayed. Also while I'm driving down the freeway, while coasting, the truck would slightly slow down and then when I applied the throttle again, not hard, just to keep up speed, there was a slight delay and surge in power. Not smooth like you would expect. It was as if the brakes were applied just a minuscule amount. I could also feel this at slow speeds in bumper-to-bumper type traffic. There was definitely a delay and surge and it was a tad annoying.

Not after I put in the K&N. There is a very noticeable smoothness now and throttle response is instant. The truck idles smoother and there is no more of that slowing down, restricted feeling and response. I have no idea if removing the charcoal filter did anything or not, and since I did them both at the same time I have no way to tell now. But I can definitely feel a difference now and I love it. The truck responds well and is much smoother.

My truck is a 2015 double cab 4x4 TRD Off Road with the 4L V6 and it only has 1300 miles when I changed the air filter. I've had K&N filters on other vehicles before but this is the most notable change I've ever felt. I'm not a K&N endorser or an expert on anything. I'm just an old Air Force mechanic who is now a nurse, and I love driving. I've owned sports cars new and old, 4x4s, other trucks and beaters to boot. I know what I feel and I do recommend this swap. As long as it doesn't affect the smog laws of your state. I live in a state that doesn't require it.

I just did the anytime fog light mod, works great, and I'll add a second in-cab AC outlet later today, probably. I also will do the AC converter anytime 400 watt mod today as well.

Awesome site here, guys. Keep up the good work.

J.R.

 

enjoy the less than sub par filtering of air the KnN provides compared to OEM.

 

K&N air filters do let in more air....and more dirt.....Engines "run better" for a while, just not so long.

 

My truck had a drop in filter, my maf was horrible. I was getting 17-18, after I cleaned it and put in a stock paper filter I got 21 on a road trip. It may be better in terms of price, but I will never run an oiled filter again.

 

Thanks guys. I know K&N says to clean it every 50K miles but I clean mine at 10. I'll be watching though. Thanks for the feedback.
J.R.

 

What's the purpose of the charcoal filter anyways?

 

1. it does not restrict airflow on NA'd motors at all.

2. Its to capture fuel vapors on shutdown so they are not released into the atmosphere.

 

Is there a good way to clean it? My truck is pretty much only freeway and desert so it gets pretty dirty. Thank you sir

 

Butt dyno is always the best.. oh wait..

 

Not surprising - less airflow = less performance = less gas

 

Do what you feel is best, but a dirty K&N actually filters better and performs better. Also less chance of over oiling and oil running into the intake tract and sensors.

 

yet the oem paper filter still filters better than a clogged KnN

 

And the self appointed air filter experts come out of the woodwork - I, like thousands (probably tens of thousands) of other enthusiasts use K&N (or similar) filters in cars, trucks, motorcycles, off road vehicles, ATV's etc etc. The self appointed air filter experts cite studies and anecdotal evidence of sub par filtering performance by anything other than a paper / OE filter. Well, the one piece of evidence of engine harm I have yet to see referenced by the self proclaimed filter experts is: the actual engine FAILURE resulting from using the K&N filter (web site please). So, I admit to not being an air filter expert and I concede that a K&N filter might pass particulates that an OE paper filter would trap - how much does it take to substantially shorten the life of an engine? I have used K&N filters on almost "everything" I have ever owned for the past 40 years, and have NEVER had an engine failure, some driven hundreds of thousands of miles! I have no quarrel with the self appointed experts or even someone with the academic credentials to back up their assertions that K&N filters do not filter down the micron level of OE paper, but, suggesting catastrophic engine harm is a real stretch.

 

You can clean it all you want, but it still lets in dirt easier than a stock filter. What will you be watching for.... lower cylinder compression later on?

 

I stopped using them after finding massive amounts of dirt/sand on the wrong side of the intake. Since I never saw any magical power gains I decided paper filters are the better option. I live in the desert where it's dry and dusty. YMMV.

 

I've used K&N's many times before without any issues. Cleaned it twice a year and never over-oiled it.....
I've been completely happy with them!!!

 

So YOU, but not the rest of us truely is the REAL self appointed air filter expert. If we don't believe that, just ask you.....You'll be glad to give us all the anecdotal evidence you have at YOUR disposal.

I grew up about a half mile from the shop a gentleman by the name of Bud Brown.....You might not recognize that name.....But a couple former Indy 500 winners would. (ie Gordon Johncock, Danny Sullivan) Bud built the engines in their winning Indy cars. He also built engines that have won ARCA championships, USAC midgit, 3/4-midgit, Sprint Car, and Silver Crown car championships, 2 NHRA US Nationals Super Stock Eliminator winners, a two-time Madison Regatta Unlimited hydroplane champion, and a list that would take HOURS to type.....Bud did his own testing (on a flow bench) of several filter elements. K&N was close to NO FILTER WHATSOEVER. I ran 'em on my dirt bikes until I saw just how poor they performed. You can argue 'til the cows come home about how dirt doesn't hurt an engine....Some of us know better.

I raced AMA enduro and hare scrambles for 16 years. I spent 7 of those years on the payroll at a company you MIGHT have heard of.....Honda.....They tested every possible aftermarket part that could have given their bikes an advantage.....Including K&N filters. We toasted more than one CR250 engine.....I personally was on an XR600 that melted down during a GNCC series race at Winterplace West Virginia....It had a K&N filter on it at the time. It died of a case of massive premature cylinder wall wear when it injested dirt.

You can talk about what you have or haven't done all night long. I'm sticking with what I HAVE done, and what proof I've seen first hand. All it takes is having one single cylinder 600 CC 4-stroke motor turning about 7500 rpm to grenade between your knees and a person becomes a believer in REALITY real quick....

 

^ BOOM!

 

You just gave us three paragraphs of anecdotal evidence - LOL (and / or your first person experience with poor air filtration)

 

I did some research....as best I could anyway, before buying a filter. I've used aFe dry filters in the past with no obvious issues. But the aFe for the 4.0 was $80 and did not seem worth it to me. I came across AEM's DryFlow filter for about 1/2 the price of the aFe. After poking around on Bobtheoilguy site the general consensus was that the AEM flowed a little better than an OEM paper filter and filtered better than both the aFe and the K&N. So I figured for $40 I'd give it a shot. Maybe I'll gain a bit better flow but still filter better than some of the others. But mostly I bought it for the convenience of having to never buy another filter. I do a 5K OC with synthetic oil and filter. That should be enough to keep the engine's internals clean. In about a year I'll pull the MAF and check it. I never saw dirty MAF with the aFe....I don't expect to with the AEM either.