K&N air filters

[smith335]

i am thinking of fitting a k&n filter in my td5 disco.

do they make any differance.
are they worth getting.
and do they protect the engine as good as a oe filtter.
any comments please
cheers

[thermidorthelobster]

do they make any differance.

No.  You'll probably think it does (just like the car goes faster when you've just washed it) but in fact I'd put money on you not being able to tell the difference in a blind test, apart from the slightly annoying hissing noise.

are they worth getting.

No

and do they protect the engine as good as a oe filtter.

After coming back from Iceland I was scraping the wasps off my air mass flow meter, shortly before replacing it at considerable cost.  I'm now back to a paper filter.

[smith335]

i take it then your not a big fan.

so iam better sticking to the good old standard paper oe jobby .

thanks for you help.
any one else got any comments
cheers

[Range Rover Blues]

Yeah, I've got a K&N element in my standard air box and I'm quite happy with it.  Paper ones get cloggged up much worse than K&N which is a problem with LPG as it goes out of tune.  WOuldn't say it's any faster though, neither the filter nor the sport pipe made a noticeable difference, biggest noticeable change was with the tyres :?

[smith335]

you not had any problems with the air flow meter?
i have heard it can damage it?


so what are the benefits of a k&n filter over a paper one?

[thermidorthelobster]

Paper ones get cloggged up much worse than K&N

Yeah, but that's because the K&N filters let all the rubbish go straight into the engine!

Cut a big hole in your paper filter, and that won't clog up either  :P

[thermidorthelobster]

so what are the benefits of a k&n filter over a paper one?

In theory the K&N lets more air flow through because the holes are bigger, but it still traps the junk because of the oil coated surface.

In practice, it doesn't seem to still trap the junk.  A lot of it seems to go straight through.

K&N also say their filters don't clog up with use.  If they're not catching any of the junk, then of course they're not going to clog up.

There used to be a pdf of K&N filters compared with paper filters and others knocking around on the web somewhere, but I can't find it any more.  It showed that the K&N was a bit of a waste of time.

[Range Rover Blues]

Hoarses for coarses I guess.  K&N are the generic term we use for washable oiled filters and there are better brands.  For every study that shows they are useless another shows they are the bee's knees, I've been into classic fords for years and they are the business, you can tell the extra airlflow they free up because the carbs need re-tuning, often with bigger jets.  I like them because they are washable and at the price I paid then after 4 paper elements I'm at a loss.

Not every one likes them, I wouldn't put an exposed K&N on a Land Rover, but mine lives in the airbox and connects to the snorkel.

Oh yeah and when the LPG backfires I don't have to sweep it up

Absolutely no problems with the MAF sensor either.

[smith335]

a mixed bag here,
if there is the risk of crap getting into my engine then ill stick to the paper filters.
yes you cant clean them ,but you could just change them more oftern.

mmmm confused now,(dont take much)

[thermidorthelobster]

I should also mention, my K&N needed cleaning WELL before the recommended interval - it was only a few thousand miles.  And the MAF on my P38 went the same way as the one on the Disco.  I can't be totally sure it was the K&N filter that did it, but it seems quite likely.  (The MAF on the P38 was about 400 quid to replace...)

I don't dispute you get more airflow, but you'd get more airflow by taking the filter out altogether.  On a Land Rover I don't think it makes any measurable difference to the driveability of the vehicle.

[Budgie]

Well, like RRB, I've got a K&N fitted in the airbox which is connected to the snorkle on my 300 TDi (without a MAS   ) and have no complaints about it.
It does it's job, I check it regularly and alway wash it after a sesson offroad, otherwise it gets washed when it needs it.

I've had K&N's an quite a few vehicles and not had any problems. Doesn't mean someone else hasn't though. It's like most mod's, there are those that like them and those that don't. The choise is really yours.  

[winx]

on my old mk4 golf, it was not advised to use a k&n as the oil in it messed the MAF up, instead was told to use a 'green' filter, that wasnt oiled so didnt cause problems.

Not sure if it is the same with land rovers?

[Bulli]

K and N may have become a generic term in the same way hoover has- thats because both are great products. I have never heard of problems with the oil messing up snything and i have had more than a few.
There are other oiled filter but none i have seen are as good quality as K+N. You wont notice a major difference in performance as the initial induction side on low revving machines gives onlt a couple of % increase....on a 2 tonne truck its naff all. I find that as i have a snokel i can simply move round the filter about 3 times before it needs cleening.
Therm how on earth did a wasp get through any filter?? Was there a hole in it as a wasp is rather large.
You really notice a difference on Bikes, particularily older ones that you can play with the fueling. If you do put a performance filter in then you should in theory increase fuleing. Efi's adjust slightly to compensate but i really couldnt tell.