K & N Filter??

[X-L-R-8]

Hey guys!!!!!! I'm the newbie here and btw, this is a great site. Anyhow, I have an '02 Mustang GT and I was wondering.........Should I get a K & N filter for it? My car is stock except for Flowmasters and I removed the air silencer. Someone told me that it wouldn't make a difference but a few others have told me that I should notice a little difference when I "get on it"....... Is it worth the $40 bucks??

[ModMech]

IMO, no.

Two reasons, first off I actually dynoed a stock (old dirty) panel filter against a NEW clean K&N, and lost power (~1rwhp). Secondly, the K&N filter oil will foul your mass air meter requiring frequent cleaning of the sensor element.

[BigDanTheMan]

i believe you that a K&N can loose you power, but i've never heard of there being any issues like that with the filter oil - where did you get this information?

[ModMech]

Um, I've cleaned hundreds of MAF sensors on vehicles equipped with K&N air filters, that's how. Typically a dealership will call telling you that your MAF is "bad", when really it is only completely fouled with oil and "fuzz" the oil collected. A really quick way for atech to make a buck on you is for you to install a K&N under your warrenty period, then he can sell you a new MAF every 10-15,000 miles because the K&N WILL cause it to read wrong, and therefore that "failure" is not a coverable failure.

I have also actually done back to back dyno testing of a K&N against an old dirty factory paper filter, and the K&N did in fact LOSE 1 HP to the old dirty paper filter.

[silverstangs]

I say do it, but don't over soak the filter with oil. As far a dyno numbers showing a loss...
I have yet to see any dyno's showing a loss, especially to a dirty stock filter, even with the K & N filter slightly over oiled. It's always been a 4~7hp gain. Even with dyno run to dyno run varience, 4~7hp gain is the norm, and that's just on the V6 mustangs. The GT's have been averaging 6~9hp. If anyone is seeing a loss by using a K & N filter, then it's a heat soak issue, usually caused by people thinking that the metal tubing used for (Cold air intakes) is going to keep air cool.

For those of you that are having a hard time trying to figure out the difference between a K & N filter and a paper filter... I have a demostration for you...

Take a paper towel, stretch it over your mouth and suck.
Then take your tee shirt and do the same thing.

That's about the difference between the two...

[brihamlin]

I put one on my Grand Cherokee and it seemed faster and more responsive. I took it out and gave it to a buddy before turning in my lease, we swapped my kn for his paper filter. My truck seemed sluggish after the move.

Nothing scientific here, no dyno, just feel. It felt more responsive with the KN.

[-FROG-]

lol, not a stock replacement K&N.... You need a "Cone". Cold air intake, intake systems are oftenly called a K&N, like all sodas are called a "coke". I guess you guys don't know alot about performance parts? This is the first mod I do on any and all cars I get! Of course it works!

[brihamlin]

Here is an article with step-by-step instructions on installing an intake system.

http://www.automedia.com/autoCare/ph...1ai.asp?affid=

[silverstangs]

Originally Posted by -FROG-

lol, not a stock replacement K&N.... You need a "Cone". Cold air intake, intake systems are oftenly called a K&N, like all sodas are called a "coke". I guess you guys don't know alot about performance parts? This is the first mod I do on any and all cars I get! Of course it works!

Nice hot air intake there from MAC, I tried that but decided it was keeping too much heat... went to plastic and picked up a couple more hp...

[-FROG-]

picked up more HP by going to plastic? If you say so.....

The fender well kits are the best for isolating the intake to the coolest most part of the car. Of course the pipe itself will get hot because it sits in the middle of the engine bay, but thats unavoidable. They all will get hot. If I were to run naturally asperated I would get a cold air kit like MAC or BBK. Any kit will wake up your motor. Mots people run a standard cone kit with the cone sitting in the engine bay. Not like you are going to ever feel 3 or 4 horspower in difference, so if it's inside the fender well or outside, it will indeffinately be better than stock.

The key here is that your car is now sucking air through a filter that unlimits the amount it car draw in.
The stock air box has a tine hole it sucks air through.
..................so the difference is like trying to breathe through a straw all day long or breathing with your mouth wide open.

[silverstangs]

Originally Posted by -FROG-

picked up more HP by going to plastic? If you say so.....

The fender well kits are the best for isolating the intake to the coolest most part of the car. Of course the pipe itself will get hot because it sits in the middle of the engine bay, but thats unavoidable. They all will get hot. If I were to run naturally asperated I would get a cold air kit like MAC or BBK. Any kit will wake up your motor. Mots people run a standard cone kit with the cone sitting in the engine bay. Not like you are going to ever feel 3 or 4 horspower in difference, so if it's inside the fender well or outside, it will indeffinately be better than stock.

The key here is that your car is now sucking air through a filter that unlimits the amount it car draw in.
The stock air box has a tine hole it sucks air through.
..................so the difference is like trying to breathe through a straw all day long or breathing with your mouth wide open.

Yes, especially when your getting 10~20degree higher tempuratures with a metal intake versus a plastic on a hot day. The idea is to suck cold air in, not suck cold air in and warm it up. If you think 10~20 degree's of tempurature is not worth 2~4hp, then that cool I guess...

Alot of makers are moving to plastic, it stays cooler, weighs less, easy to make. Hell even the lower intake plenum on mustangs is made from plastic...

[SVTcobra306]

That's what my "Maxcool" ice pack is for!

[BigDanTheMan]

Originally Posted by X-L-R-8

Hey guys!!!!!!Should I get a K & N filter for it? My car is stock except for Flowmasters and I removed the air silencer....... Is it worth the $40 bucks??

yo this guys is clearly talking about the $40 stock replacment filter, not the cold/warm intake set up.

[-FROG-]

Originally Posted by BigDanTheMan

yo this guys is clearly talking about the $40 stock replacment filter, not the cold/warm intake set up.

I know, but I feel he was lead astray by thinking that a K&N replacement filter will give you horsepower gains. Thats why we are trying to explain to hip what most people mean ehn they say a K&N filter, so he doesn't think a replacement filter is a super duper mod.

Also, I hear what you mean about plastic... I just think the chrome looks so much better and is not worth the time to Research and re design a new plastic intake, when all the pro's pretty much use metal anyways. To each his own.

[Future303]

Funny, I think the chrome looks gay.