Debunking the K&N Myth – Why OEM is Better

bjburnout · Uber Guru

Debunking the K&N Myth – Why OEM is Better

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Wow.

That's some pretty interesting stuff. Thanks for posting that.

cdnpont · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

I've always used a standard paper element. Too much trouble to clean and treat a reusable filter imop.

dualquadpete · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Too each his "own" but I installed a K&N "cold Air" kit on my 2015 Yukon & mileage increased to approx. what specs. said it would,[ 3 to 5 MPG] noticeable increase in "torque" & sounds great when you put the "boot" to it!!! Been on for a year & half & would say it's paid for it's self !!!! Don't know about just the paper filter only???

norontcan · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

In today's competitive world one always has to ask themselves this question when considering aftermarket. " If the aftermarket pieces are that big an improvement why wouldn't the original manufacture incorporate them into next years design? "

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

I think the answer to that is that the OEM have much broader ground to cover, including various weather conditions, warranty (durability) considerations, dealer maintenance costs, etc. etc. They have to guarantee that the car will perform well and last in all conditions, from -40C to +40C, for example. In snow or rain, on dirt roads, or other harsh conditions. etc.

Aftermarket parts are usually a compromise of some sort, sacrificing some daily driving characteristics for a boost in performance.

Additionally, if the data presented in the article is true, and the K&N lets more particulate into the engine, then the long-term durability of the engine will most likely be affected.

So, when it is claimed that the aftermarket product is better, the questions should be asked "better at what", and conversely "worse at what"...

bjburnout · Uber Guru

.......good response from a shop owner on another site

Let me put a little spin on this filter discussion. As a repair shop owner, I see performance mods all the time. First and foremost are cold air induction kits. I am talking newer cars here, as opposed to our cars. The main problem I see with the K & N style filters is that they have no place on modern fuel injected vehicles that use mass air flow or MAF sensors. Since these filters need to have a mist of oil on the filter media to be effective, all that does is contaminates the maf sensor and throws off voltage readings to the ecm. What actually happens is the oil from the filter is drawn onto and past the MAF sensor. There is a hot wire that is inside the sensor housing. This wire will first get contaminated with oil then what dirt gets past the filter gets stuck on the hot wire element. This oil acts like glue and really gets the hot wire element dirty. Now the element will still get dirty with paper element too, the K & N filter does it faster. So for a stock, street driven vehicle that is fuel injected, I tell my custmers not to spend the money. It is just not worth it.
Now on our cars with carburetors, there is a distinct advantage to having a low restriction air filters, whether it be open element, ram air or the like.
It would be interesting to see a dyno test comparing a paper element vs a K & N style filter to see the differences.
One would have to have the same style air cleaner and just swap filters on each dyno pull. Would be interesting.