Why is paper better

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But the point is that using an K&N style air filter will not under any normal driving situations in any normal production vehicle will shorten the life of any part of the vehicle. End of story.
 
Originally Posted By: Jason2007
But the point is that using an K&N style air filter will not under any normal driving situations in any normal production vehicle will shorten the life of any part of the vehicle. End of story.


Yes, as long as the air where you live is purified and there's no dust or dirt in it a K&N won't shorten the life.
 
Well for giggles I took my K&N out last night, and put a new paper in. Immediate decrease in throttle response and performance. Did a few dynolicious runs to make sure it wasn’t in my head. Put the K&N back in this morning and I'm back to good. I must say I cleaned the MAF & throttle body with CRC and everything was very clean. No fine dust or oil residue. If the K&N is letting more dirt in then it must be microscopic and passing right into the engine. And if people can suck plastic straw tubing and shop rags into their intakes with no ill effects I probably shouldn’t be so worried.
 
Gauze is gauze ,paper or other synthetic element material can be manufactured with better tolerance control of the pore size .
 
Originally Posted By: Jason2007
But the point is that using an K&N style air filter will not under any normal driving situations in any normal production vehicle will shorten the life of any part of the vehicle. End of story.
proof? I never seen K@N filters used in anything where filtering is important. The air filter is the most important link in engine life.
 
Just bought a 2009 Dodge Ram, Hemi. I found this website and have been reading a lot about oil, oil filters and air filters. I have looked at these topics with a very open mind and not set on any one philosophy. I have my own ways of doing things based on 45 yrs of working on cars, boats, planes and drag cars. But I'm always open to new evidence that another method or product might be better. I will be running this truck till the wheels far off, but I do take very good care of my vehicles and do as much required work on it as I can.

After reading tons of pro/con info regarding air filters, I have enough info (so far) to be convinced that the paper filter is superior to a K&N filter. The cost difference is just not worth the difference in the ability to keep dirt out of the engine. And the only way dirt gets into the engine is through the intake system. My goal is to stop the dirt at the filter.

But if a K&N works for you, go for it.
 
I had a AFE drop in filter.I took it out and now I use paper(Wix).I added a FilterMinder and I let the guage tell me when to change the filter.Joe
 
Originally Posted By: BuickGN
Originally Posted By: Jason2007
But the point is that using an K&N style air filter will not under any normal driving situations in any normal production vehicle will shorten the life of any part of the vehicle. End of story.


Yes, as long as the air where you live is purified and there's no dust or dirt in it a K&N won't shorten the life.


I think that the life won't be shortened. The condition will be degraded.

It's kinda like your doctor being pleased that you quit smoking so that you'll die in much better health.
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Originally Posted By: Onmo'Eegusee
On a MAF car the oil from a K&N or other oiled filter can seep through and screw it over.


Only when you don't know what your doing.
 
Originally Posted By: Onmo'Eegusee
Yeah but who does? Most people are like, "A little oil must be good, more must be BETTER!!!"


That's the variable that rarely gets accounted for. Out of all the K&N users I have observed, they're all experts in "just the right amount". That's even if either of them apply a little or a lot. Everything appears 100% perfect if you've got a standard of one to go by.
 
Like I mentioned I never really had a problem with the K&N oiling the MAF. I also never re-oil mine, I replace it. This car seems to beat them up pretty bad. Don't know if it's the lack of the BOV and the shockwave that flows back and forth rapidly when I let off the throttle or the pure airflow. My 14" K&N looks like it's missing many of it's fibers after 10,000 miles. I can say for sure that the 14" filter outlasts the 9" filter in durability. Never had to clean one yet.
 
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Originally Posted By: Onmo'Eegusee
Yeah but who does? Most people are like, "A little oil must be good, more must be BETTER!!!"


That's the variable that rarely gets accounted for. Out of all the K&N users I have observed, they're all experts in "just the right amount". That's even if either of them apply a little or a lot. Everything appears 100% perfect if you've got a standard of one to go by.

Yeah. Put too little and its already poor filtration gets even worse. Too much and you get an oily MAF sensor. If you have a Hi-Perf car that needs the flow, I think BuickGN has the right idea.
 
Originally Posted By: Steve S
Originally Posted By: Jason2007
But the point is that using an K&N style air filter will not under any normal driving situations in any normal production vehicle will shorten the life of any part of the vehicle. End of story.
proof? I never seen K@N filters used in anything where filtering is important. The air filter is the most important link in engine life.


You must not look enough, because filtering is important for all vehicles, if people did not buy K&N the company would have shut down long ago. I love all the "experts" on this site.
crackmeup2.gif
This is what happens to so many people on this site
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, it is pretty sad. I feel like I am in the movie Zombieland.
 
I'll chime in. My 01 Impala had used Mobil 1 5w30 since day one(off the floor). A K&N air intake/cone filter was installed at about 10-11k and was in the car till about 65k(6-7 years), and a drop in filter with the airbox for the next 15-20k(1-2 years).

My K&N filter was cleaned every 7500-8k miles and it was dirty, very dirty. To me, that shows it did its job and it did it well. I won't bash K&N as I have good results with their products. Granted more flow = less resistance/filtering in some cases but it appears to have done a good job. It also depends on how air is coming into your airbox(IE from behind a head light, through a fender etc.) will determine how dirty or how big/small particles of dirt will be. My Impala's air box would have tons of leaf fragments and dirt/sand from some roads over the years.


My Xterra had a drop in filter from K&N for about 3k miles and again it was very dirty upon removal, I have since switched to a OEM paper filter on the cheap since I didn't have any recharger oil and cleaner(still don't). I want to see just how dirty it will get at 15k. An air filter is vital, but so long as you have protection of some sort much like an oil filter your engine will be fine. It's not like running fully open with no filter and allowing any type of debris into the engine.
 
Originally Posted By: postjeeprcr

You must not look enough, because filtering is important for all vehicles, if people did not buy K&N the company would have shut down long ago. I love all the "experts" on this site.
crackmeup2.gif
This is what happens to so many people on this site
02.gif
, it is pretty sad. I feel like I am in the movie Zombieland.


I'm no expert and I said this earlier, but perhaps I didn't make it short or clear enough. The results depend on the application and conditions that the filter is used in, so K&N can do a perfectly acceptable job in certain conditions while doing a terrible job in others. It depends on your vehicle and the environments you operate it in.
 
Originally Posted By: Jason2007
Id much rather have a lifetime air filter than to have to buy one every 15k than wory about some microscopic dirt that may get past. I think it is safe to say no engine has every blown up or wore out sooner because the owner used a K&N style air filter.


I'm pretty sure you're wrong, but it would depend on where you live. If most of your driving is on blacktop roads, in a rainy climate where the dust and dirt get washed off regularly, then you might not be sucking in that much contamination.

But if you live in a dry climate, or drive on gravel very often, then a lot of that contamination will end up in your crankcase.

I think more than one of the experts here will tell you that good air filtration is more important than which oil filter you choose. IOW, pick a good air filter and not worry so much about the oil filter.

Lastly, I do not understand those who argue about how much money they've saved by not replacing paper air filters every 20k or 40k miles.
 
Originally Posted By: bigmike
Money doesn't matter?? I must be at the wrong forums today.


I don't think that's what he's saying. We're talking pennies here. Skip one fast food meal a year and you've made up the difference.

The way I see it is why risk inferior filtration for pennies? Going with this logic we could ditch the air filters and save even more money until the engine wears out.
 
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