K&N filters Discussion - Do they work?

**Montana** · 05-22-2009, 06:00 PM

I am sure that this has come up before but K&N's aren't all they claim to be. We run in an extreme dust environment and when I went to clean my K&N in my rig, I found the filtered side of the air box covered with fine dust. The filter was barely even dirty The filter was in the truck less than one year and was cleaned at least two times. Again this is an extreme case, but it does show that fine dust particles are getting through. I guess that they would be OK to rin on the street, but not full time dirt like we do.

BTW, it is a 2007 2500HD classic

I will try to attach a photo (never tried it before)

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**99'HEARTBEAT** · 05-22-2009, 06:15 PM

Have you seen K&N's Dry Charger Filter Wrap,This is something that should help with fine dust particles.
http://www.stylintrucks.com/parts.aspx?partfamilyid=972

**1st Synthetics** · 05-22-2009, 08:40 PM

I used to use K&N but I would never in my life use one again. You are better off just buying a stock cellulose filter. Why do we buy air filters? TO FILTER THE DIRT. Have you ever seen K&N mention anything about filtering???? All they talk about is better flow. Next time you have one in your hand hold it up to the sun and look through the filter and you will see all the little holes where that dirt comes through, this goes for any wet gauze filter.

**TRPLXL2** · 05-22-2009, 09:04 PM

Are you talking about the K&N drop in filter, that goes in the stock air box? I used to have a 77 series intake, and it was horrible for everything. Made the engine run hotter, caused backfiring and I ended up taking it off. I put my stock air box back on, but It had a K&N drop in filter. I have only had it on for 300 miles, so I guess I will have to wait to see what happens.

**1st Synthetics** · 05-22-2009, 09:38 PM

No K&N filters well, Or i Should say, no gauze filter filters well.

**Dr_Zero** · 05-23-2009, 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by TRPLXL2

Are you talking about the K&N drop in filter, that goes in the stock air box? I used to have a 77 series intake, and it was horrible for everything. Made the engine run hotter, caused backfiring and I ended up taking it off. I put my stock air box back on, but It had a K&N drop in filter. I have only had it on for 300 miles, so I guess I will have to wait to see what happens.

http://cars.about.com/od/productrevi...g_knfilter.htm

How well does it filter?
Several readers have responded with concerns about the K&N's ability to effectively filter dirt out of the air compared to paper filters. After all, engine protection is the reason engines have an air filter to begin with. K&N insists that their filters are rigorously tested to meet OEM filtration standards.
Expert opinion: Not an issue

I discussed the issue with the owner of a reputable engine rebuilding shop. In his experience, the engines that suffered from premature wear were those in which the filters were routinely ignored. He didn't see any significant difference in wear in engines where the filters were routinely cleaned or changed, regardless of type. (He personally runs K&N filters in his own cars.)

Facts You might like to Know About Air Filters
http://www.aptfast.com/kn_additional...lter_facts.htm

As far as extremely dusty areas a prefilter would be something I would highly consider getting, a paper filter will clog under dusty conditions very soon also but you can get a prefilter for them also.
You ever notice on lawn mowers they have a foam filter over the paper yup its due to the dust and sand

**Montana** · 05-29-2009, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by TRPLXL2

Are you talking about the K&N drop in filter, that goes in the stock air box? I used to have a 77 series intake, and it was horrible for everything. Made the engine run hotter, caused backfiring and I ended up taking it off. I put my stock air box back on, but It had a K&N drop in filter. I have only had it on for 300 miles, so I guess I will have to wait to see what happens.

Yes, it was the stock replacement drop in filter.

**cmcoram** · 06-10-2009, 07:33 PM

I run K&Ns in both Chevys and the Harley. The Harleys air box is open, and OK is windy and dusty, so the filter needs to be checked, and sometimes serviced more often than K&N recommends. Thats just me, YMMV.

**jn1965** · 06-10-2009, 08:25 PM

On my '99 I run a K&N. It is the stock replacement kind, but I have the heavy duty filter setup where the filter is attached to the intake hose with a clamp. It almost looks like a replacement cone filter setup,but it sits in the air box. I have never had an issue with any dist getting past the filter. I wash and re-oil it three times a year using the K&N products for this purpose

**2ToNe04** · 06-13-2009, 04:14 PM

K&N lets too much dirt in, if theres that much dust i wouldnt be surprised your throttle body is dirty. You should check it out before your butterfly starts sticking or maybe worse **** up your engine.

i have an outlaw performance cold air intake. Mine is enclosed dry cold air intake...... they were designed for offroading racing.

you might wanna get an enclosed one like volant.