K&N filters

binz · 11th December 2005, 12:44

As you know i bought a k&n for my kinetic.The filter was fitted in the original air filter box and we didnt close it.The sound has improved but not much change in performance(very little on the top end).Please note that i have a larger carb as the bike is the jap version.I have a doubt whether the ''cold air intake'' applies to this too.Should i get new piping and place the filter outside the bike???plzzz help!!!!!!!

binz

binz · 12th December 2005, 18:21

could someone plzz clear me doubts below

binz

filcord · 12th December 2005, 18:33

Thanks, I read the test report, and I'm blowing my money on something else this Christmas, certainly not an aftermarket air filter.

idnani · 13th December 2005, 21:13

From my experience, I have seen, and have been told by professionals that K&N 'drop in' filters DO NOT enhance performance to any noticible extend, and with respect to most indian cars, not at all! Sorry for the disappointment, here is the reasoning.

Unless the car's intake system has some MAJOR flaws in it, and its very restrictive in nature, then a K&N will help it 'breathe' better and give it the air it was designed for, and there might be a power gain, but you dont normally see this unless some nut designed the intake system and all production cars dont generally have such oversights.

Secondly, most indian cars dont have more than 100 - 140 BHP and the gain from an intake (CAI, HFI etc) is a generally a percentage of total power, say a 2% gain (which is a lot!) etc and thats really not very noticible on a low HP, low torque car to begin with.

So a drop in K&N filter on most cars is pretty useless, and in say a Honda city 1.5, you wont see even 1-2HP increase. I have personally witnessed a 3 liter lexus IS300 on a dyno, tested with K&N drop in (ZERO GAINS), and then with an HFI intake (2HP gain) and then the same HFI intake with a race ECU (aka chip) which gave a 12HP gain. This proves that K&N drop in filters are worthless, an intake gives little performance gain, and you really need to recalibrate the air/fuel ratio to get the maximum gain. In this example, an SRT HFI was used, which is pretty much the most advanced intake system available for the 2JZ engine on the lexus IS300 (same engine as the toyota supra), with a chip and the gains were 5% overall HP. Also, the lexus IS300 is very conservative from the factory, and shows a good amount of gain from aftermarket mods, so its not maxed out basically.

In general, intakes without a chip just add an agressive sound / tone to the car, and the placebo effect plays a greater role. There might be some power gain with just an intake but dont expect it to be much. I have read threads where people brag about their intakes, and claim their car is much faster etc etc...

idnani · 13th December 2005, 21:17

I just went back and read some ealier posts, what I said mainly applies to fuel injected cars...

karthik247 · 25th January 2006, 22:24

Guys just read at www.briskoda.net that K&N filters cause problems to the MAF's of cars cuz they have more oil than standard filters.

Can someone explain/confirm this.

wolfinstein · 27th February 2006, 19:06

although this has been asked a zillion times now..Don't mind my asking again..!

The K&N Filter- Will Increase Performance, But does it lower Fuel Economy-Even If I drive the same way I do now..will the filter increase consumption..!

How do you buy an orignal K&N Filter- There website mentions Fakes are available in the market...So how do you know the K&N you have is Orignal.

Any good place in Delhi where one can find an Orignal K&N filter.

It will fit like the OEM filter right- Whats the Estimated cost- The OEM filter goes for Rs 400 Showroom Price..! Will K&N be more expensive..!

Is the K&N filter washable or we still blow the dust out of it using an Air-Hose..! How long does it last...compared with OEM filter.

regards

shuhaib · 27th March 2006, 12:40

My experience with K&N is not at all bad. I have installed in my swift and the car performs very well. Top speed I have not tested yet.

Fues efficient - cant say 100% coz on highways I have got mileage upto 16.5kms per litter after installation of K&N (before it was giving me max of 12.5 on highways. City driving, 10 to 11 before and after.

Cleaning the K&N filter with water or blowing air will spoil it. K&N cleaning solution kit is available and I have read some where that you can even clean it with petrol but im not sure about it.

freakrz · 2nd April 2006, 12:38

hey...i am looking to buy air filter for my swift...this one i am getting it from the U.S...can someone tell me if a filter with 3 inch inlet would fit in or what is the standard size of inlet opening i need to look for when buying for swift..

mail4ajo · 4th April 2006, 18:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfinstein

although this has been asked a zillion times now..Don't mind my asking again..!

The K&N Filter- Will Increase Performance, But does it lower Fuel Economy-Even If I drive the same way I do now..will the filter increase consumption..!

How do you buy an orignal K&N Filter- There website mentions Fakes are available in the market...So how do you know the K&N you have is Orignal.

Any good place in Delhi where one can find an Orignal K&N filter.

It will fit like the OEM filter right- Whats the Estimated cost- The OEM filter goes for Rs 400 Showroom Price..! Will K&N be more expensive..!

Is the K&N filter washable or we still blow the dust out of it using an Air-Hose..! How long does it last...compared with OEM filter.

regards

Check www.methodsonline.com for all your answers

indianrunner · 1st May 2006, 15:02

Hi,

i have a non crde scorpio. Can anyone let me know the size/ model number of the k&n filter which can be used in place of the current one?
Rgds

racingismylife · 1st May 2006, 22:08

i have used the stock filter on my corsa feel the torque has increased because of which my fuel efficiency toobefore the filter with ac , my car used to feel very sluggish but now its awesome...i dont find any difference in the cars performance

manson · 1st May 2006, 22:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by freakrz

hey...i am looking to buy air filter for my swift...this one i am getting it from the U.S...can someone tell me if a filter with 3 inch inlet would fit in or what is the standard size of inlet opening i need to look for when buying for swift..

i think its more or less safe to go in for a 3' dia filter, would be fine with most cars around here, you could surely check with someone whose installed a filter though on their swift. One of Aseem's (member on the forum from delhi) has fitted a K&N filter onto his swift, maybe you could check with him what diameter pipe did he use.

manson.

Jay · 1st May 2006, 23:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by imjimmy

How would just adding a stock replacement filter to a car be a modification that requires skill?

From what i understand it's just a simple matter of opening the clamps, removing your old filter and placing the stock K&N there.
That's why i had said Stock replacement K&N filter is a safe and easy option.

Also i don't think it can degrade the performace/FE - so even if you don't gain much, you won't loose anything. It should surely do a better job than the filters auto companies put in their cars as stock.

totally agree with you on this imjimmy, i recently put stock replacement filter ( K&N ) onto my santro... can surely feel the difference in the torque at low rpm.... not checked the FE but then i am sure it would have increased as the gear change is easily possible at low speeds without any problem... am easily able to drive at 30 kmph in 5th gear ( city traffic ) without any jerks, a gentle press on the throttle and the car picks up speed without any difficulty. No doubting its performance..... the installation too is very easy and i dont think needs a person with skills only. Can be done in 2-5 mins.

sumitkalindi · 2nd May 2006, 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by protege

What's this Hosur guy stuff? Am I missing something?
BTW, I also have a K&N stock filter.. although I can't prove whether the BHP have gained or not.. I feel it has.. anyway.. my FE got improved by 2kmpl.. previously I used to get 12-13kmpl in my carb zen.. now it gives 14-14.4.. and I travel through the ver congested 100ft/Ring road in koramangla, B'ghatta road for my daily commute.. Probably.. K&N may be good for carb engines which are not optimally tuned as in MPFI. So MPFI engines don't see the gain.. and carb engines can see that.. any thoughts?

Carbs have to be tuned to perform with a K&N and it is very easy, you just fiddle with a screw here and a screw there and bingo. Well it is not so easy, but any mechanic worth his salt can do that. But MPFI, well in this it all depends on the chip, which is programmed to work with the airflow of the stock filters. So with the K&N it gets confused. Though it has a remedy, reprogramm the CHIP. well it is not everone's forte. and if not done properly can ruin everything.

However I have heard that what you need to do is disconnect the battery at night and leave it overnight, so that the programming gets erased. Then next day when you start the car the chip goes into learning mode. and you have to drive very cautiously, so that the chip can pick up your driving habits and reprogramm itself. How you Drive is how it gets tuned.

Though I never have been tried that.

11th December 2005, 12:44	#106
binz Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,306 Thanked: 431 Times View My Garage	As you know i bought a k&n for my kinetic.The filter was fitted in the original air filter box and we didnt close it.The sound has improved but not much change in performance(very little on the top end).Please note that i have a larger carb as the bike is the jap version.I have a doubt whether the ''cold air intake'' applies to this too.Should i get new piping and place the filter outside the bike???plzzz help!!!!!!! binz
	() Thanks

12th December 2005, 18:21	#107
binz Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,306 Thanked: 431 Times View My Garage	could someone plzz clear me doubts below binz
	() Thanks

12th December 2005, 18:33	#108
filcord BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: goa Posts: 997 Thanked: 68 Times	Thanks, I read the test report, and I'm blowing my money on something else this Christmas, certainly not an aftermarket air filter.
	() Thanks

13th December 2005, 21:13	#109
idnani BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Austin, TX, US Posts: 76 Thanked: Once	From my experience, I have seen, and have been told by professionals that K&N 'drop in' filters DO NOT enhance performance to any noticible extend, and with respect to most indian cars, not at all! Sorry for the disappointment, here is the reasoning. Unless the car's intake system has some MAJOR flaws in it, and its very restrictive in nature, then a K&N will help it 'breathe' better and give it the air it was designed for, and there might be a power gain, but you dont normally see this unless some nut designed the intake system and all production cars dont generally have such oversights. Secondly, most indian cars dont have more than 100 - 140 BHP and the gain from an intake (CAI, HFI etc) is a generally a percentage of total power, say a 2% gain (which is a lot!) etc and thats really not very noticible on a low HP, low torque car to begin with. So a drop in K&N filter on most cars is pretty useless, and in say a Honda city 1.5, you wont see even 1-2HP increase. I have personally witnessed a 3 liter lexus IS300 on a dyno, tested with K&N drop in (ZERO GAINS), and then with an HFI intake (2HP gain) and then the same HFI intake with a race ECU (aka chip) which gave a 12HP gain. This proves that K&N drop in filters are worthless, an intake gives little performance gain, and you really need to recalibrate the air/fuel ratio to get the maximum gain. In this example, an SRT HFI was used, which is pretty much the most advanced intake system available for the 2JZ engine on the lexus IS300 (same engine as the toyota supra), with a chip and the gains were 5% overall HP. Also, the lexus IS300 is very conservative from the factory, and shows a good amount of gain from aftermarket mods, so its not maxed out basically. In general, intakes without a chip just add an agressive sound / tone to the car, and the placebo effect plays a greater role. There might be some power gain with just an intake but dont expect it to be much. I have read threads where people brag about their intakes, and claim their car is much faster etc etc... Last edited by idnani : 13th December 2005 at 21:15.
	() Thanks

13th December 2005, 21:17	#110
idnani BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Austin, TX, US Posts: 76 Thanked: Once	I just went back and read some ealier posts, what I said mainly applies to fuel injected cars...
	() Thanks

25th January 2006, 22:24	#111
karthik247 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR, HYD Posts: 2,710 Thanked: 30 Times	Guys just read at www.briskoda.net that K&N filters cause problems to the MAF's of cars cuz they have more oil than standard filters. Can someone explain/confirm this.
	() Thanks

27th February 2006, 19:06	#112
wolfinstein BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 994 Thanked: 20 Times	although this has been asked a zillion times now..Don't mind my asking again..! The K&N Filter- Will Increase Performance, But does it lower Fuel Economy-Even If I drive the same way I do now..will the filter increase consumption..! How do you buy an orignal K&N Filter- There website mentions Fakes are available in the market...So how do you know the K&N you have is Orignal. Any good place in Delhi where one can find an Orignal K&N filter. It will fit like the OEM filter right- Whats the Estimated cost- The OEM filter goes for Rs 400 Showroom Price..! Will K&N be more expensive..! Is the K&N filter washable or we still blow the dust out of it using an Air-Hose..! How long does it last...compared with OEM filter. regards
	() Thanks

27th March 2006, 12:40	#113
shuhaib Newbie Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Calicut Posts: 12 Thanked: 0 Times	My experience with K&N is not at all bad. I have installed in my swift and the car performs very well. Top speed I have not tested yet. Fues efficient - cant say 100% coz on highways I have got mileage upto 16.5kms per litter after installation of K&N (before it was giving me max of 12.5 on highways. City driving, 10 to 11 before and after. Cleaning the K&N filter with water or blowing air will spoil it. K&N cleaning solution kit is available and I have read some where that you can even clean it with petrol but im not sure about it.
	() Thanks

2nd April 2006, 12:38	#114
freakrz BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Visakhapatnam Posts: 176 Thanked: 52 Times View My Garage	hey...i am looking to buy air filter for my swift...this one i am getting it from the U.S...can someone tell me if a filter with 3 inch inlet would fit in or what is the standard size of inlet opening i need to look for when buying for swift..
	() Thanks

1st May 2006, 15:02	#116
indianrunner BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: bangalore Posts: 226 Thanked: 33 Times	Hi, i have a non crde scorpio. Can anyone let me know the size/ model number of the k&n filter which can be used in place of the current one? Rgds
	() Thanks

1st May 2006, 22:08	#117
racingismylife BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 28 Thanked: 0 Times	i have used the stock filter on my corsa feel the torque has increased because of which my fuel efficiency toobefore the filter with ac , my car used to feel very sluggish but now its awesome...i dont find any difference in the cars performance
	() Thanks