K&N Air Filter

[Crucifix]

Just installed this bad boy and honestly I have not felt any noticable improvement except at the high rev's. Seems to have a little more bite.

Just my observation.

Peter

 

[92ghost]

I did the K&N filter plus open air cut out on my 92. Can't really say I feel any (seat of the pants) difference and I doubt you would with any of your options listed. I have read that this combo yeilded 14 HP. I'm a little skeptical. Maybe 10 HP IMO. One thing I have noticed is you can hear the rush of air going into the filter due to the cutout box.


Wayne

 

[Hib Halverson]

On some cars, the use of an oiled cotton gauze (K&N) or oiled woven cotton (Green) filter is of no performance advantage because of the size of the filter compared to the engine's need for air. One of these cars is the late C4. On 90-96 cars, generally, you don't need a low restriction air filter for best performance until you get past the 450-500hp level.

Now, there always is cost advantage to these filters as they are reuseable, ie: when they become dirty, you wash them, reoil them and put them back in service. I you drive the filter a long ways, this can be a significant advantage.

 

[Edmond]

I think the cutout lid can make a kind of noticeable difference when combined with a K&N.

But like Hib said, you can put a K&N on an Escort, it ain't gonna make any difference.:L

 

[Evolution1980]

I did the K&N filter plus open air cut out on my 92. Can't really say I feel any (seat of the pants) difference and I doubt you would with any of your options listed. I have read that this combo yeilded 14 HP. I'm a little skeptical. Maybe 10 HP IMO. One thing I have noticed is you can hear the rush of air going into the filter due to the cutout box.
Wayne

I'm with you. The gains are probably 10-14 at the crank, but the trickle down to the rear wheels in only single digits, which isn't butt-dyno noticable. However, I too noticed the new "sucking up that air" sound, and I liked it!
I can say with documented video proof that a clean air filter is better than no filter at all. (I'm still a bit salty because at Cruisefest '04 I coulda settled to some extent the paper-vs-gauze question once and for all when I was on the dyno, except I brought the wrong size paper airfilter. DOH! I was going to do back-to-back runs. Oh well...

 

[WhalePirot]

you can put a K&N on an Escort, it ain't gonna make any difference.:L

It made none on my Pathfinder.

 

[Edmond]

It made none on my Pathfinder.

I put one on my Camry for the reason that paper filters are almost $10 each and I figured that I can reuse the K&N with some washing solutions that I would already own anyway for the K&N on the Corvette.

Didn't make any difference on the Camry either.

Oh yeah, Escort guy claims that he picked up 10hp with the K&N.:L

 

[andrewc4]

I think the cutout lid can make a kind of noticeable difference when combined with a K&N.

But like Hib said, you can put a K&N on an Escort, it ain't gonna make any difference.:L

Could you please explain what the 'cut out' is and what it looks like?

 

[Edmond]

Could you please explain what the 'cut out' is and what it looks like?

Look at the lid that holds the air filter on. It has the slits or "gills" that the air passes through and then through the air filter and so on. What some of us here have done is cut those slits/gills out. So basically, what we have is just the frame holding that air filter on. The air doesn't have to pass through the slits/gills, it just goes to the air filter.

Found a link:

http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?pf%5Fid=28790&dept%5Fid=1756&mscssid=CJ5MHMCFWH9P9G0VJ4RUGQBJUMLT2CW9

This is what it'll look like. You can use a grinder and do it yourself in 15 minutes.

 

[SSTibet]

Naaah, do not modify the car. Stock is good

 

[Jeb]

On some cars, the use of an oiled cotton gauze (K&N) or oiled woven cotton (Green) filter is of no performance advantage because of the size of the filter compared to the engine's need for air. One of these cars is the late C4. On 90-96 cars, generally, you don't need a low restriction air filter for best performance until you get past the 450-500hp level.

Now, there always is cost advantage to these filters as they are reuseable, ie: when they become dirty, you wash them, reoil them and put them back in service. I you drive the filter a long ways, this can be a significant advantage.

Hib, you've specified 90-96 cars in your post. Should I assume the same results would be gotten on a bone stock L98?

 

[andrewc4]

Interesting - thanks.

 

[Hib Halverson]

I think the cutout lid can make a kind of noticeable difference when combined with a K&N.

But like Hib said, you can put a K&N on an Escort, it ain't gonna make any difference.:L

Actually...what I said was the installation of an oiled cotton filter, such as the K&N or the Green Filter, on a 90-96 having an engine of about 450-500hp does not increase performance. I wasn't talking about Ford Escorts or any other car.

Please, let me elaborate. Several years ago I did a ZR-1 project for Vette Magazine. In the process, I accumulated over 100 chassis dyno runs. During a few of those runs I tested a couple of different air filter assemblies, finally settling on the stock air box with a K&N filter and a open-element top I got from DRM as the best choice.

To get an idea if there was anything--short of a true ram air setup--which could be better than that, I ran an A-B test with the above air filter configuration and no air filter system at all, just the TB extension and the existing air duct.

There was no change in performance in the "B" test.

In addtion, at the time I was also talking to LPE about tests they'd run on ZR-1s and they told me that in their A-B tests of a OE paper filter vs oiled-cotton there was no change. LPE further told me that was because the air filter assembly on the 90-96s supports up to 500hp.

I should add that the other discussions here about Ford Escorts and Toyota Camrys are pointless because they are about different cars with entirely different air filter assemblies and engines with different air flow needs.

Hib, you've specified 90-96 cars in your post. Should I assume the same results would be gotten on a bone stock L98?

That's a good assumption.

Bottom line: with 90-96es, say up to 475hp, using the stock air filter assembly with an open-element or cut-out top and a K&N, there's no performance advantage.

That doesn't mean that all oiled cotton filters on all cars do not improve performance, it just means on this specific application they do not.

This also does not address the other big advantage of products like the Green Filter and that is they are reuseable. When they become soiled, they can be washed, dried, reoiled and reused many times.

In the case of my ZR-1, that is the chief advantage of the Green Filter I use, today.

 

[WhalePirot]

To get an idea if there was anything--short of a true ram air setup.

which according to my Corvette expert, does not include the "cold/ram air" setup that feeds through the front plate.

I was also talking to LPE about tests they'd run on ZR-1s and they told me that in their A-B tests of a OE paper filter vs oiled-cotton there was no change. LPE further told me that was because the air filter assembly on the 90-96s supports up to 500hp.

I wonder if anyone hears this.

the other discussions here about Ford Escorts and Toyota Camrys are pointless.

I (we) were having a tongue-in-cheek moment.

Bottom line: with 90-96es, say up to 475hp, using the stock air filter assembly with an open-element or cut-out top and a K&N, there's no performance advantage.

That doesn't mean that all oiled cotton filters on all cars do not improve performance, it just means on this specific application they do not.

They are reuseable. When they become soiled, they can be washed, dried, reoiled and reused many times.

In the case of my ZR-1, that is the chief advantage of the Green Filter I use, today.

Not that it matters much, but I totally agree :BOW and do the same, for the same reason.

As always, thanks truly, Hib, for documenting the unpopular comments a few of us have made. Not all of us have access to the dynos and all that you have, and I really appreciate hearing the proof of what the rare Vette shops have shared with me. It ain't the marketing hype, but it saves me bucks.

I wish you'd chuckle more, tho.