K & N intake benefits

M

maximus_188

New member
I have a 98 GMC Sierra 4x4 Z-71 with the 5.7 350. I just added true dual flowmaster exhaust, and was thinking about putting a K & N cold air intake, and was wondering how much it would benefit my hp, torque, and gas mileage. Thanks.
 
I had the K&N in my twin turbo Stealth and really noticed no difference in mileage or seat of the pants HP gauge. However it made my exhaust note deeper and louder and you could hear the turbos spool up better and the blowoff valve was much louder!
 
DAVESCHIM said:
Small, unnoticable performance and mileage gains. Almost triple the dirt that got thru the filter and into my oil.
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I've also heard about more dirt, but maybe a good solution would be to get the new Amsoil filters instead.
 
I plopped one into my F150 and felt better throttle response right away. I can't say much for fuel mileage because I sure liked driving more enthusiastically after putting it in. :D



I have read a lot saying that they aren't cut out to be this and that, but I like the convenience of not having to worry about replacing it. Where I live, there isn't a whole lot of dirt in the air so I find myself not having to clean it much.
 
I used one once in my 4.3L Sonoma and hated it because no matter how little oil I put on the filter it always ended up messing up my throttle body. But if you got he cold air route it should put the filter far enough away from MAF sensors and stuff like that. Honestly, the best filter I have ever used was an Apexi oiless cone filter. Plus they also got the best airflow and filtering ability in a test I read.

One thing you might want to do after you are done modding the truck with the exhaust, filter and whatever else is have a good tune done to it. That should help as well.
 
I did a K&N cold air kit in my old Z-28. That together with a borla exhaust really improved performance to the point that you can feel it. I got better gas milage too.



Are you going with a direct replacement filter, or a conical cold air filter kit?
 
John Styrnol said:
I've also heard about more dirt, but maybe a good solution would be to get the new Amsoil filters instead.
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The new Amsoil filters are awsome, flow better and you don't get that oily coating from others messing with your maf. Get's a litle dirty just take it out and vacuum it.



I have a custom intake and dual exhaust on my truck, me likely V8 sound :spot
 
I don't know what kind of fan you have on that truck, but I think you would see better mileage and hp with an electric fan set up instead of the belt driven one.
 
If you do decide to go with a cold air intake check on ebay for one as there alot cheaper and they're the same exact thing. Just bought one for my 2000 celica and I can really feel the increased HP in the higher revs nothing different on fuel mileage though.
 
it mostly depends on the car and how much air its trying to pull in under load. If that is being significantly restricted by the stock box, or the stock box gets really hot, then a CAI will help.



K&N isnt all that different from any other gauze type filter. but for maximum performance, its a good idea to clean it every 2 oil changes. Those suckers filter well, but get dirty quickly and then dont filter so good no more.
 
Actually the dirtier they get the better they work. The catch 22 with filters is the better they flow, the larger the passages must be to allow more air through, so the more dirt is passed.

K&N kits are ok, but fairly expensive. Keep looking around or concider building your own.

I picked up 1 or 2 mpg with my coldairintake.



Used about 1.2oz of oil.

25,000 miles/

060717_kn_1.jpg




after cleaning

060717_kn_2.jpg




after reoil

060717_kn_3.jpg
 
John Styrnol said:
I've also heard about more dirt, but maybe a good solution would be to get the new Amsoil filters instead.
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+1 on that. i put a amsoil EA on my buick regal GS and never looked back. Meanwhile everyone with a KN is complaining about gummed up maf sensors.



The EA flows almost as well as the K&N, but unlike the K&N, actually functions as a filter.



A lot of the K&N cold air setups also do nothing but suck hot engine compartment air. I just gutted the front part of my airbox which is sealed up against the fender well.



Gutting an airbox (or buying a good aftermarket setup) and putting in a high performance filter witll gain you any where from 1-10 horsepower depending on what type of car. Super/turbocharged applications usually see the most gains. My regal had a good SOTP gain with the gutted box and EA filter. Also made it so you can hear the M90 whine in the upper powerband.
 
I have a Lingenfelter cold air intake on my GTO which utilizes a K&N filter sealed away in a box in the corner of the engine bay, with rubber strips that seal against the hood when it shuts to help curb the effects of engine heat. There is a lot of debate whether CAI's are good or bad, but the way I see it, an engine is just a big air pump... the more air it can pump in, through a free flow filter/intake, and let out through a free flow exhaust, the more efficient it will run.



If nothing else, I love the whistle my LPE CAI emits from 3K to 6K RPM. Even before my exhaust, just the CAI made the engine noise much more predominant and made the car much more enjoyable and fun to drive.



I have never had any problems with a K&N gunking up a throttle body or MAF but I'm usually very conservative on the oil, if I use any.



IF K&Ns were really as bad as everyone who ever had a bad experience with one wanted to believe, I doubt they would be as widely endorsed in motorsports as they are.
 
On normally aspirated cars...the difference in going to a CAI is slight...even K&N shows this if you look at their charts that shows the increase in each set up.



That said, on turbos and supercharged engines, there can be a good incrase. According to K&N, on my '03 Cobra, it's worth something like 30HP. I know I went from 9 pounds of boost to 10. Turbo diesel trucks get an increase as well. The sound from the front with the blower whine is awesome...but this is the exception to the rule.



A number of years ago, the whole debate about how well they filter came up on the VCA site. At the time, there was a Viper model, the ACR that came with K&Ns from the factory. Those, combined with smooth intake hoses were good for 10HP according to Dodge. Mind you, we're starting with 450 to begin with. A slight, never notice it, increase. Back on topic, I contacted K&N who verified that their filters actually filter out smaller pieces than a paper filter can. The dirtier they get, the better they filter. And, even when dirty, they flow better than a new paper filter. I cannot imagine that Dodge would have specified filters for a car they would have to warranty...if the filters could remotely cause a problem.



I know some of the Mustang guys have had MAFs get oil on them, that caused a problem. In most cases, it's due to simple over oiling of the filter after a cleaning. If memory serves me, K&N recommends cleaning every 30,000 miles.



In closing, I'd like to add one more point. In most cases, there is no big increase. I know for my V10 Excursion the increase of a K&N CAI is 12HP. If the car makers saw a way to improve power and performance by redesigning their intakes....don't you think they would do it just for the CAFE? Obviously, they need to be concerned with noise too.
 
Matt M said:
If the car makers saw a way to improve power and performance by redesigning their intakes....don't you think they would do it just for the CAFE? Obviously, they need to be concerned with noise too.
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It's mainly the noise and comfort thing. I grabbed a noticable amount of power in my car by flipping the motor mounts and gutting the airbox. It added barely noticable idle vibration (from the stiffer mounts) and a little supercharger whine (from the gutted box), but these are things the average buick owner doesn't care for.
 
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