Which Air Filter?
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Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 207
Which Air Filter?
I know this has been posted a million times but I cant find any good posts on this. Anyone know best place to get a k & n air filter or which one is best or the max? I have a paper filter now and its already pretty dirty so I think i may invest in a better one. also, how do i install them is it just like the paper one?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 207
Your kidding right????? Here's some literature FYI:
Paper vs K&N
To meet minimum filtration standards, paper air filters must be thick and/or the fibers must be tightly compressed and dense. Therefore paper elements that provide adequate filtration are more restrictive to air flow by design. Additionally, as a paper filter becomes more and more clogged, the pressure inside the filter drops while the atmospheric air pressure (approximately 14.7 psia at sea level) outside the filter remains the same. It’s like using your lungs to draw the air out of a plastic milk bottle. When the pressure differential becomes too great, the bottle will collapse. The same thing could happen to your paper filter, although it is unlikely. But what will happen could be just as severe. An excessively high pressure differential created by a restricted filter can literally pull dirt particles through the paper medium. In other words, the performance of a paper filter, i.e. air flow through the filter and its ability to protect your engine, DECREASES near the end of its service interval.
Disposable Paper Air Filter
Pleated wood pulp bonded together.
As dirt builds, passages are plugged and filter must be replaced in approximately 10,000 miles.
Irregular passages filter out dirt on a go/no go basis.
As fibers swell from moisture or oil blow-by vacuum pressure increases and airflow decreases.
Turbulent filtered air.
Typical Foam Air Filter
Lack of surface area hinders air flow and dirt holding capacity. Open cell foam usually saturated with oil.
Dirt builds on outside and blocks the openings.
Higher vacuum pressures distort the cells drawing dirt deeper into the filter.
Airflow is reduced as cells become blocked.
Turbulent filtered air.
The K&N air filter is somewhat more complex. The unique design features multiple layers of oiled cotton fabric which captures the airborne dirt particles. These dirt particles cling to the fibers of the filter and actually become part of the filtering media. This process, known as depth loading, allows the K&N air filter to retain significantly more dirt per square inch than a paper filter. The cotton fabric is sandwiched between pleated aluminum screen. Pleating increases surface area which in turn prolongs service intervals. Pleating exposes substantially more surface area compared to a flat element like foam.
The dirt particles collected on the surface of a K&N element have little effect on air flow during much of its service life because there are no small holes to clog. Particles are stopped by layers of crisscrossed cotton fibers and held in suspension by the oil. As the filter begins to collect debris, an additional form of filter action begins to take place because air must first pass through the dirt particles trapped on the surface. That means a K&N air filter continues to exhibit high air flow throughout the life of the filter while it is accumulating dirt. At the same time, the air flow for an average paper air filter can decrease dramatically as the paper element gets dirty. So as dirt accumulates, the performance advantages of a K&N air filter can increase! Tests performed by an independent laboratory commonly known as the Frazier Permeability Test have shown that the Medium used in K&N air filters flows more than 300% more air than paper air filter medium when compared on a square inch per square inch basis. A Square inch comparison is not directly proportional to the increase you can expect from installing a K&N air filter in replacement of a paper air filter due to the effect of such things as filter size, number and depth of pleats. However, you can be assured a K&N air filter will provide dramatically more air flow which can enhance engine performance.
K&N vs. Disposable Filter Life
Stop Throwing Away Your Air Filter!
One K&N air filter will last the life of your vehicle. Assuming you drive your vehicle 150,000 miles and bought and installed a disposable filter every 15,000 miles, you would throw away 10 disposable air filters.
Paper vs K&N
To meet minimum filtration standards, paper air filters must be thick and/or the fibers must be tightly compressed and dense. Therefore paper elements that provide adequate filtration are more restrictive to air flow by design. Additionally, as a paper filter becomes more and more clogged, the pressure inside the filter drops while the atmospheric air pressure (approximately 14.7 psia at sea level) outside the filter remains the same. It’s like using your lungs to draw the air out of a plastic milk bottle. When the pressure differential becomes too great, the bottle will collapse. The same thing could happen to your paper filter, although it is unlikely. But what will happen could be just as severe. An excessively high pressure differential created by a restricted filter can literally pull dirt particles through the paper medium. In other words, the performance of a paper filter, i.e. air flow through the filter and its ability to protect your engine, DECREASES near the end of its service interval.
Disposable Paper Air Filter
Pleated wood pulp bonded together.
As dirt builds, passages are plugged and filter must be replaced in approximately 10,000 miles.
Irregular passages filter out dirt on a go/no go basis.
As fibers swell from moisture or oil blow-by vacuum pressure increases and airflow decreases.
Turbulent filtered air.
Typical Foam Air Filter
Lack of surface area hinders air flow and dirt holding capacity. Open cell foam usually saturated with oil.
Dirt builds on outside and blocks the openings.
Higher vacuum pressures distort the cells drawing dirt deeper into the filter.
Airflow is reduced as cells become blocked.
Turbulent filtered air.
The K&N air filter is somewhat more complex. The unique design features multiple layers of oiled cotton fabric which captures the airborne dirt particles. These dirt particles cling to the fibers of the filter and actually become part of the filtering media. This process, known as depth loading, allows the K&N air filter to retain significantly more dirt per square inch than a paper filter. The cotton fabric is sandwiched between pleated aluminum screen. Pleating increases surface area which in turn prolongs service intervals. Pleating exposes substantially more surface area compared to a flat element like foam.
The dirt particles collected on the surface of a K&N element have little effect on air flow during much of its service life because there are no small holes to clog. Particles are stopped by layers of crisscrossed cotton fibers and held in suspension by the oil. As the filter begins to collect debris, an additional form of filter action begins to take place because air must first pass through the dirt particles trapped on the surface. That means a K&N air filter continues to exhibit high air flow throughout the life of the filter while it is accumulating dirt. At the same time, the air flow for an average paper air filter can decrease dramatically as the paper element gets dirty. So as dirt accumulates, the performance advantages of a K&N air filter can increase! Tests performed by an independent laboratory commonly known as the Frazier Permeability Test have shown that the Medium used in K&N air filters flows more than 300% more air than paper air filter medium when compared on a square inch per square inch basis. A Square inch comparison is not directly proportional to the increase you can expect from installing a K&N air filter in replacement of a paper air filter due to the effect of such things as filter size, number and depth of pleats. However, you can be assured a K&N air filter will provide dramatically more air flow which can enhance engine performance.
K&N vs. Disposable Filter Life
Stop Throwing Away Your Air Filter!
One K&N air filter will last the life of your vehicle. Assuming you drive your vehicle 150,000 miles and bought and installed a disposable filter every 15,000 miles, you would throw away 10 disposable air filters.
No one here has shown any improvement in dynos, and have actually shown WORSE filtration.
Only gain I would see is that it lasts longer than paper element filters.
Nice cut and paste by the way, do you work for K&N? If you don't you should since you're markting for them right now.
Only gain I would see is that it lasts longer than paper element filters.
Nice cut and paste by the way, do you work for K&N? If you don't you should since you're markting for them right now.
I'll sell you my K&N for $20. I used it for about 20k miles (highway drivin') so it needs to be cleaned. I still have the box even. I believe it'll fit a stock 2001. I have an '03 se.
Originally Posted by cjden20thAE
anyways, to get back on topic, if I do go with the K & N (only for longer life dont worry bauerboy), do I need to oil it or anything when purchased or can I just take it from the box and install it?
If you read the box or any type of internet sales ad, they come pre-oiled, if you buy BAUER's then as he stated, you should clean it, which requires a re-oil before installation.
I don't think that's from THIS site, maybe K&N's, but anyway, GL and have fun.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 207
Bought the K&N yesterday from advance for 45 bucks, the people there both agreed there is a BIG difference in going with the K & N, but mostly because you dont have to replace them for so much longer than a paper filter. Car seems a little smoother when I get on the pedal, regardless if their is a change or not, I know I have a good filter in my car. More piece of mind I guess.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 2,835
Originally Posted by NIKV69
Anyone know if K&N makes a filter for the 05' ?
http://www.knfilterchargers.com/search/appsearch.aspx
http://mkiv.com/techarticles/filters_test/2/
Originally Posted by NmexMAX
No one here has shown any improvement in dynos, and have actually shown WORSE filtration.
Only gain I would see is that it lasts longer than paper element filters.
Nice cut and paste by the way, do you work for K&N? If you don't you should since you're markting for them right now.
Only gain I would see is that it lasts longer than paper element filters.
Nice cut and paste by the way, do you work for K&N? If you don't you should since you're markting for them right now.
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