K&N filters worth the money?

https://nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html
Read this and I think you'll agree that the stock filter is where it's at.

 

I got mine from Amazon warehouse deals. $27. Over the next 50k it will save me money vs buying more paper ones. Performance wise probably about the same.

 

I have a K&N for every car I have had and have. I always keep the stock one when it's new and store it to use while the K&N dries/oil settles if I need to. Never have to buy another filter again is awesome so saving money in the long run. I buy the cleaner and oil from Summit Racing with their name on it since it's cheaper than the actual K&N branded cleaner and oil.

 

This is great to know. Thanks for sharing. I checked and the air filter is nice and clean even after 40 miles of dirt roading. The cabin filter is another story (like you mentioned). ODO ~3200 miles

 

You're welcome!

The engine intake is a great setup. Your cabin filter looks pretty good. I'll snap a pic of mine. Completely gray and loaded.

Did any dust get below your filter?

 

If you're really lucky, you get to clean the MAF sensor as well. Oiled filters are bad news.

 

Only if you really hose it up? We had K&Ns in front of MAFs on three cars now for over 280,000mi without a single problem. Oiling them to just get full coverage, giving it time to soak in completely, and then using a paper towel to dab the mesh was all that I did? Giving it the time needed was the reason for keeping OEM filters around and doing swaps when cleaning the K&Ns. It has been worth the effort on those cars and my bikes.

I keep itching to get one for the Taco only because of that mileage plus another 110,000mi of use on the bikes. No MAFs on the bikes.

 

Sounds like you do it properly. One thing that always bothered me was the fine line between getting enough oil on, and not too much on is a pretty narrow margin. I went about 6 years no issue, then bang. Back to paper.

 

I’ve seen reports of K&N (and other oil based filters) not stopping particles as effectively as factory filters, and it’s especially true if the oil is not consistently reapplied. Modern air boxes and oem filters are very high flowing, just like factory mufflers not having much back pressure. There isn’t much to be gained in swapping out air boxes or mufflers these days. A large part of that is because of the OEM manufacturers developing more efficient engines and looking for places to increase efficiency in the overall engine package. The engineers at auto manufacturers aren’t idiots, and when the bosses say “we need more hp and more mpg from smaller more efficient engines” of course they go for low hanging fruit like air boxes and mufflers if they’re going to the effort of designing variable timing valve train, direct injection, Atkinson cycle engines, etc.

So especially with a truck that may see off road use (like a lot of Tacoma’s do), why swap out a well engineered part that was designed by engineers who spent thousands of hours figuring that shit out, with some generic inferior oil based filter...

 

Interesting. Sorry that happened to you.

 

Here's mine:

 

I came from a jeep before the tacoma. After seeing JK owners having their engines blow and warranty claim denied because k&n filters let too much dust get through, I will never use one again on a 4x4. Now, these jeeps were used HEAVILY off road in very dusty conditions. A K&N typically filters enough for normal street use.

 

Finally saw through the K&N facade around the time I hit my early twenties.
Too much shit can make it past an unkept K&N, or any K&N that's wrinkled, crinkled, or in any condition that isn't pristine.
If I'm buying a used car, truck or motorcycle and see a K&N on it, I'm out.

Don't know if K&N is shipping filters with the Outerwears these days, but they should be.

 

They will never filter as well as a paper element, and therefore the benefit, if and when it exists at all, will never be enough to justify using K&N's. This is from my personal, hands on experience, YMMV.

 

I agree with you good sir. A K&N does NOT filter as well as a paper element. Oil filters are an old outdated technology (allows more airflow AND filters more? C'mon guys, really?). I do use K&N filters in certain applications. They also make more then just air filters, I use some of their other products too.

 

you mean like the sand and plant parts in the folds of the cabin air filter? then, yeah.

 

Sorry, I meant like this:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/k-n-pollen-filter-compared-to-oem.565769/page-2#post-18589733

 

couple of threads on this

almost nothing filters better while giving better flow than OEM. you can get stuff that filters better but cuts flow or you can go with something that has better flow but will let more particles through like K&N. The perfomance gains are next to non-existent if you go with a high flow filter unless you have a forced induction setup that now maxes out the OEM filter.

 

I've been running K&N filters for over 35yrs and not one issue !!! I've got K&N CAI on my truck and K&N Filter on my Drag race car

 

US Marine
Its hard to teach many of the youngsters nowadays, just read the board daily, many of them have lived half as long as others
yet they got all the answers.

I wont argue with them, I just let them believe what they want.

There will soon will be a post from a review or test results pushing another product. LOL