Mayor111

Hey Guys,

Im about to change out my air filter. I know K&N is a great brand - but is it really worth 6x the price of the AC Delco one?

Please explain...

Thanks!

pewter99

the theory is you can clean and reuse the filter so therefore you save money in the long run and they flow better

bluestreak63

I remember putting one in my c4. I think it's snake oil if you ask me.

In my c5, I just replaced mine a couple months ago with another ac Delco.

SaxyVette

My '99 vert came with one..I ditched it first oil change. IMHO just a messy deal, my C5 has plenty of power with a nice clean Delco.

earlyseventy6

you can tell the difference and maybe get a little better mileage and HP. I put one in all my vehicles.

Fcar 98

These are in my car 20 years now. Well worth it to me. Not that bad to clean every couple years.

C5R USA

My first question to you is. How long have you had your car? Secondly, how long do you plan to keep it?

I view the air-filter debate by eliminating the thought of have ever having to replace it. Is it worth 6X the amount? Everyone's opinion is different. I say yes, because other than the occasional cleaning which really isn't that much of a hassle, the air filter is going to outlast the car.

To me, it was a no-brainer. I knew I was keeping my C5 for a long time, and after 13 years, I've never had to worry about it, except cleaning it.

If I had cars I was routinely buying then selling, then I would agree, it's better to stick with a disposable air filter. Buying any type of aftermarket filter would be throwing money away in that scenario.
Might be a good selling point but, I doubt you'll recover any money for it.

Honestly, all it takes is a visual comparison side by side, and you see why the K+N costs more, it's well constructed and built for a long duration of duty.

Just my .02

killian96ss

They last forever, flow much better than a paper filter and improve gas mileage, so yes they're worth the extra money. Another benefit is they don't fall apart if they get wet. I've been using them for well over 20 years now on everything from drag cars to econo cars and I've never had to replace one.

Steve

Keith Richards

I found a like new one on ebay for less than a 20 spot.

ztheusa

No.

If they actually "flow" better, then they also allow more dirt into the engine. You might as well just remove the filter if you want more flow.

whalepirot

Having never seen any proof to verify the ad hype about more airflow than a clean stock filter, I feel silly for having bought them for an assortment of cars. Cleaning/over-oiling is reportedly not rare and can foul the MAF. Once, I reasoned the reuse vs replace economics seemed wise.

I recall a (C4) thread that reported dyno results: new paper versus K/N did NOT verify higher flow claims and I suspect any difference would be undetectable for street driving.

momo20

i agree there has been research done on this that they do flow more air but more things get into your motor which is not good...as well when they are new or you re oil them they can mess with your air flow readings and cause issues that way as well

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html
K&n is dead last when it come's to the ability to capture dirt

pretty good read imo

Grandpa1

Having used K&N filters through the years I feel that a new replacement filter is the better way to go.
I never saw any improvement with the K&N and trying to find the cleaning stuff in my garage after a while was tough. Nasty job too!
New filters for me.

Mayor111

WOW - thank you - that was a very interesting article to say the least...

Sids04

The butt Dyno sez no.. they are more of a hassle imo

Mayor111

Well - I have something funny to share...

When I opened my air box, to remove the "old" filter - guess what was there?

A K&N filter - HAHAHAHA

So it looks like I got the advantage of a great filter without spending a dime... Its not that dirty - any tricks to cleaning it? Do you have to oil it every time you clean it?

leadfoot4

You realize, don't you, that "all that dirt" that the K&N supposedly lets into your engine, is at the particulate level, right??

ztheusa

You do realize, don't you, that "all that particulate dirt" that the K&N lets into your engine, is successfully filtered by the stock paper filter, right??

leadfoot4

Of course, I do!!


However, you can get to a point where a filtering rate can be strictly overkill. Secondly, you may not have been around here, 12-14 years ago, when the issue of the platinum pucks coming loose from the spark plugs, was an issue. Given the choice, I think a little 35 micron dust going through my engine has far less potential of doing damage, than a 0.020" diameter x 0.015" thick piece of METAL..........

ztheusa

Do you remember why the platinum "pucks" failed? Was it an age issue, or did it just happen randomly? I have an engine with platinum plugs and and considering replacing them with just standard plugs.......for that exact reason.