I have a 383 chevy small block. It makes about 450HP and 500TQ and it's in a daily driven vehicle. I have been running a K&N 14x4 round filter since the engine was new and it's at 30K miles now. I also have a ram air box surrounding the filter with dual 4" tubes that attach to the radiator support. Air comes through the front grill and into the tubes. I'm here because I've seen all the filtration tests on the internet, and in each one the K&N is the poorest performer.
I like the re-usability of the K&N and its ability to maintain high flow numbers over a long period of time and dirt, however if it means less useful miles out of the engine then that benefit goes out the window. It seems that even in NASCAR, where they run an engine 500 miles and it's toast, they use a dry fiberglass media filter that flows enough air for the engine. Even with the rapid wear on the engine from the mechanical stress, the extra filtration must be worth something during that 500 miles if they are paying that much attention to air filtration.
According to flow numbers I've seen floating around, a 14x4 paper filter is capable of flowing around 800 CFM which is more than enough for my engine. Paper will meet the CFM requirement just fine.
Sure the K&N has its advantages, but it has been proven that paper filters better than oiled gauze. Less dirt = less wear = longer engine life. All things considered, it seems like there is absolutely no reason to use a K&N as long as a properly sized paper filter is available. What do you all think?
I like the re-usability of the K&N and its ability to maintain high flow numbers over a long period of time and dirt, however if it means less useful miles out of the engine then that benefit goes out the window. It seems that even in NASCAR, where they run an engine 500 miles and it's toast, they use a dry fiberglass media filter that flows enough air for the engine. Even with the rapid wear on the engine from the mechanical stress, the extra filtration must be worth something during that 500 miles if they are paying that much attention to air filtration.
According to flow numbers I've seen floating around, a 14x4 paper filter is capable of flowing around 800 CFM which is more than enough for my engine. Paper will meet the CFM requirement just fine.
Sure the K&N has its advantages, but it has been proven that paper filters better than oiled gauze. Less dirt = less wear = longer engine life. All things considered, it seems like there is absolutely no reason to use a K&N as long as a properly sized paper filter is available. What do you all think?
