Those of you with K&N filters

**MWright936** · 12-18-2008, 08:04 PM

Anyone that has a K&N filter, replacement or intake, how often do you clean the filter? Mine is looking a little dingy, but I'm not sure if it would be worth it to clean it.

**tbplus10** · 12-18-2008, 08:26 PM

I usually clean K&N filters about every 15k miles.
As advertised they do flow better when their a little dirty.

**dgreenbluet** · 12-18-2008, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by tbplus10

I usually clean K&N filters about every 15k miles.
As advertised they do flow better when their a little dirty.

why would they flow better when their dirty? just curious

**retired** · 12-18-2008, 08:56 PM

Once a year.

**jetcruiser** · 12-19-2008, 09:20 AM

+1 on the once a year. done it on several vahicles now. pretty easy to do.

**Sooner** · 12-19-2008, 09:45 AM

From the K & N website FAQ (http://www.knfilters.com):

"If you have not experienced a decrease in mileage or engine performance, chances are your filter is fine and does not yet need cleaning. To be more specific, the filter does not require cleaning if you can still see the wire screen on the entire air filter regardless of how dirty it may appear. When the screen is no longer visible some place on the filter, it is time to clean it. When used in normal paved road, street or highway conditions, our replacement air filters that fit in the factory air box should require cleaning every 50,000 miles and our large conical filters on an intake system should require cleaning every 100,000 miles. When used in dusty or off-road environments, our filters will require cleaning more often. We recommend that you visually inspect your filter once every 25,000 miles to determine if the screen is still visible."

The dirtier the filter gets, the better it filters. Plus, I think what tbplus10 was trying to say is that at its dirtiest, the K & N filter still flows better than the standard paper air filters.

**dgreenbluet** · 12-19-2008, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by Sooner

From the K & N website FAQ (http://www.knfilters.com):

"If you have not experienced a decrease in mileage or engine performance, chances are your filter is fine and does not yet need cleaning. To be more specific, the filter does not require cleaning if you can still see the wire screen on the entire air filter regardless of how dirty it may appear. When the screen is no longer visible some place on the filter, it is time to clean it. When used in normal paved road, street or highway conditions, our replacement air filters that fit in the factory air box should require cleaning every 50,000 miles and our large conical filters on an intake system should require cleaning every 100,000 miles. When used in dusty or off-road environments, our filters will require cleaning more often. We recommend that you visually inspect your filter once every 25,000 miles to determine if the screen is still visible."

The dirtier the filter gets, the better it filters. Plus, I think what tbplus10 was trying to say is that at its dirtiest, the K & N filter still flows better than the standard paper air filters.

wow thats alot longer than i would have guessed

**Sooner** · 12-19-2008, 10:09 AM

I can honestly say that I've never cleaned a K & N filter that I ran in one of my daily drivers. I usually sold the vehicle before it ever needed cleaning. However, I do clean the filters on the race car every year.