K&N Air Filter

[mike813]

Has anyone purchased a K&N Air Filter? They're available for the 4.6 and i'm thinking about ordering one. http://www.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?Prod=33-2426

I've used K&N's on previous vehicles and been happy with them.
Sorry if this has been addressed elsewhere--i did a search and couldn't find anything.

 

[ctrcbob]

From all I've heard, the K&N does not filter as well as the OEM. (because it allows more air [& particulates] to go through).

If you want the K&N for more power (as if 375hp is not enough), thats one reason to buy.

If you want the K&N because you can clean it and re-use, thats another reason to buy.

If you want to protect your engine, stick with the OEM

Back in April, I knew I would be driving through dust storms (I went through four between Flagstaff and Albuquerque), so I installed an additional filter in front of the air intake, above the radiator. I cut a piece of window A/C foam, cut it to size, placed it in front of the air intake, then oiled it. When I got to Roswell, it was full of red dust from the dust storms, but it protected the OEM filter. Matter of fact, it worked so good, after I cleaned it (and the entire engine) I re-installed it, and it still sits there to this day. Whenever anyone looks at my engine, I have to tell them what that piece of A/C foam is doing sitting there in front of the air intake.

NOTE; this does not hurt my gas milage in any way. Still great. I doubt it reduces my power, but even if it does, so what. I can give away a few hp to keep the engine clean.

 

[scottdk]

Yeah, I received the email from K&N stating they now have a filter available for the 4.6, but I'll just wait for a cold air kit from somewhere, or just leave it stock. Either way, I don't care, but don't want to do just a filter change. It's pointless to get any more power and expensive as hell for what it is.

 

[mike813]

K&N Air Filter Install

Allright -- my K&N filter arrived today from
http://www.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?Prod=33-2426

Install was quick -- it only took me about 5 minutes. Filter access is easy-just un-latch the two clips and slide the top of the air box out towards the clips and up. The downstream air pipe is flexible to allow replacement of the filter without having to remove the pipe.

I took plenty of pictures to document -- see below. It's amazing how the K&N filters compare to the stock filters from a quality/heft/feel standpoint -- top notch.

I'll post again after driving with driving/sound/power/fuel economy impressions.

By the way -- K&N includes a card in the box stating that this filter doesn't void any manufacturers warranty -- they offer to talk to any service personnel at your dealership that are telling you differently, and provide a toll free number to call to speak to someone. That's a pretty nice feature -- they should advertise that on their website!

 

[ctrcbob]

1. Did you notice the "trap door" in photo number 8?
2. I wonder what opens that trap door air intake?
3. Did you buy Filter Oil? If so, did you oil the filter? If not, do so. (See 5 below)
4. Did you buy their special soap to clean the filter every so many miles?
5. Make sure you don't over oil because if any oil gets on the sensors that measure the air flow, [downwind from the filter] that will not be covered by warranty.

I'm an old hand at using K&N Air Filters, but I'm not using one on this car. I remember when K&N used to advertise that the dirtier they get, the better they filter.

 

[mike813]

Yeah, i think that is just a flapper valve that serves as an entrance point for the outside air coming into the air box. I didn't buy the cleaning kit.

The documentation that comes with the filter recommends cleaning it after 50,000 miles. The filter comes wrapped in plastic and well oiled. I'll probably open up the air box every time i change the oil to check for debris (I did have a small leaf and a bug in the stock filter), but i plan to follow the manufacturers recommendation and service the filter at 50k.

Good point about the sensors -- there's an apparatus with a few wires running to it just downstream of the filter. I'll post here if i run into any issues. My wife and I drove a few miles to and from dinner--the sound and performance seem about the same and no issues with any sensors. I'll fill up the tank and see if there are any mileage enhancements.

 

[Calvin]

I have used K&N on my WRX STI and got almost 2 mpg increase! Granted our 4.6 is totally different but I bet it will help. Its been four years and I still haven't washed or reoiled it and the other day I had some service done on my house A/C system, I asked the service guy if I could use his flow meter. I hooked up the almost new Subaru filter and took a reading of 12.2? Then I hooked up the 4 year old uncleaned K&N and got a reading of 10.7. According to the A/C guy the old filter flowed better than the new factory one!

 

[Pwrplay]

Me thinks a K&N air filter is in the cards!

Dammit...why oh why do I read these Forums... they are costing me a FORTUNE!! LOL!!

 

[ImInPA]

K&N air filters actually trap as many or more particulates than an OEM filter. It is a "wet" techonlogy as opposed to a dry technology used in most OEM filters. Unless you live in a ridiculously dusty/dirty area (e.g. most driving over dirt roads) you should not even need to look at the K&N filter for at least 30K miles. I had one on an Acura and it was still going string at 60K. They are a great product that get an unfounded bad rap by folks that do not understand the technology.

 

[MattP]

I have the K&N filter for the V6 Genesis. Installation is exactly the same as described above, and took only 5 minutes.

I do a lot of back road driving for my commute so my mpg was lower on average than highway. I typically got 22mpg (highway would be 28mg at 75mph, 30mpg at 60mph).

Anyway with the K&N attached I am getting 23.7mpg on average on my normal driving route. Sometimes I am back to 23mpg, but thats usually because of my right foot urges . Overall an improvement.

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[Sayantsi]

With air filters, you have an inverse relationship between filtration and power - the more a filter restricts air, the less power/noise, the more it restricts air, the better it captures dirt before it enters the engine - OEM filters are generally restrictive to capture more dirt.

I'm dubious about any hp increase claims, but a K&N filter is good because you can buy it once and clean it yearly forever instead of buying a new filter all the time, thus saving money.