K&N filter on a pickup truck? Pros/cons

mfarmer2

Do k&n filters really help save gas? Also I've heard they can do damage on some engines? Any opinions?

obyone

From what I've gathered on the net....

Gas savings is negligible.

Engine contamination found under extreme conditions (mining)

Most people buy it cause of it's 1,000,000 mile warranty and save money cause it's the last one they will buy for that vehicle.

storogothf350

I have done a little research on the net but I still have a bunch of questions too. I have heard quite a few good things about the Amsoil air filter and it sure costs like much less that the K&N filter. Has anyone had any problems with either ???? Thanks in advance!! And a huge thanks to everyone for all of the information.

bigred17

I have I+N filters on all three of my trucks. I would not testify they give better mileage but will say they give more power. I have a 95 suburban with a 454 and I went up this hill towing a trailer at 45 mph. I changed to the the I+N filter and went up the same hill with the trailer at 50 MPH. I then changed to a flow master muffler and went up the same hill with a trailer at 55 MPH. I get 15 to 16,2 MPG at speeds of 60 MPH and I have a 3.73 rear end on a two wheel drive. Mileage in town is 10 -11.5 depending on whether or not it is summer or winter.

Do I get better mileage? I don't know but my mileage is the same as those with a 350 engine.

obyone

I get 13-14 city and 16-18 freeway with the 5.7 in a 4wd Denali.

storogothf350

I have the amsoil in the Denali and the K&N in the silverado. Not much difference between the two except that the amsoil will get oil all over your hands, engine compatement, and air filter housing. Messy.

lwittorf

I have a k&n in my 2001 ado and can't tell any difference in mpg or power but it only has 3k on it. My brother in law has one on his 93 gmc and he has noticed when he goes to Alaska it collects way more dirt on the k&n than he gets with the stock filter. When he came home last summer he showed me and the filter was just black with dirt on the outside but on the inside it was still red like he had just oiled it so I would say on general road conditions it does a better job than the paper ones. By the way k&n dosen't recommend it in sevear conditions I called to find out.

silv1500

i have a k&n air filter on my 1999 silverado with a 5.3motor. i also have a performance exhaust system. with both of these you can really tell the difference in horsepower.about 20more. you get more air and less restriction out the exhaust.

k0hb

If this is a work truck, (construction, farming, etc.) or used off-road, K+N is probably not a good idea.

kevin124

It's a great filter, but pricey. I paid around $50 for it and a cleaning kit. It will last the lifetime of the vehicle. I can tell no difference in mileage at all. It may provide more airflow and slight HP increase, but that would only be at high rpm and high speeds...your typical everyday driver would never see the slight increase in power because you would have to running all out to get it.
Pros....lasts forever, good filtering ability with no additional air restriction. Cons....pricey, must periodically clean. Mileage and Horse power will remain the same.

obyone

1-stock air filter
2-no air filter
3-K&N filter

Noticed absolutely no difference between 1 and 3. Some amount of intake noise with no. 2

silv1500

i agree if your truck is around alot of dusty areas cleaning of a k&n will be more frequent.

titus1

here bud....you stated in another topic that you spent $275.00 for the "Airaid" intake system for an 8HP increase. you also stated that you spent $300.00 for a Granitelli MAF for another 10 HP. now you say that you could not feel the difference.
.
are you saying then, that the stock airbox/filter is best left alone?
Rick

obyone

I guess you didn't know that I own 3 trucks. I'm not talking airaid in my last post. We are talking factory replacement of the stock air filter. The truck I'm referring to was my '00 Denali. There was no difference between the stock and K&N so I ended up returning the K&N and replaced with an Amsoil. Amsoil looks like it will filter the air a little better in off road environments as it has an added foam filter. Not that I take the Denali off roading.

titus1

my mistake as i was referring to your post #5.
Rick

obyone

prove it is to dyno the truck. Seat of the pants...no way...not 8 hp. Combination of Granatelli and airaid could be felt in the seat of the pants. That may be more due to the run lean condition caused by the MAF. To get the most out of the airaid, you must change the restrictive intake tube. So the recommended upgrade would actually be the FIPK by K&N as it replaces the filter housing and the tube. BTW, the 8 hp increase is what was posted by the manufacturer at the time that I bought the airaid. I believe airaid has "adjusted" their claim to hp increase. Why didn't I get the FIPK? Unfortunate for me, it wasn't available at the time I bought the airaid.

So, titus1, what have you done to your truck? Any pics?

Later.....

titus1

would be a better setup than the airaid? was'nt sure about it, cause i thought the airaid came with a K&N filter anyway.
Rick

obyone

You decide...

http://www.knfilters.com/fipk.htm

http://www.air-aid.com/200-112.html

titus1

seems that you are quite helpful, regardless of ones attitude.
thanks
Rick

stalknace

I have a 1995 Chevy Z-71 ext. cab w/ a 350 V8. When I put my K&N on it, i noticed NO difference in gas mileage, but I did notice a difference in power. It also has a deeper, throatier sound coming from the engine. It was well worth the $36!!

obyone

the airaid which, by the way, has more airflow than just changing the stock air filter, was dyno'd to gain up to 2 hp a high rpms while delivering -1 hp at midrange. Hmmm....what does that tell you about the stock replacement? Not sure but it tells me that the $280 spent on mine wasn't worth it. LOL!!

I wish I could post the article from Sport Truck that dyno'd the results. Funny thing was, they called the K&N a successful upgrade...I guess cause K&N advertises in their mag. How can a -1 hp gain be considered sucessful? Beats me...I thought it was so much BS that I threw the mag away....

pbraun

There are 2 types of filters, a "drop in" which replaces the stock filter, and a "cone" where the stock airintake is removed, and a cone style filter is bolted on to air intake system. The drop style is said to give a 2 hp increase, the cone style is said to give a 5-8 hp increase. I have installed a JWT air intake upgrade on my Nissan Frontier. I bought it from Automotive Customizers for $119.00. 954-970-9626. They specialize in Nissians. I also have a Flowmaster 50 series muffler. Both upgrades have increased the HP. They should also increase the MPG.

eric2001

I used the filter charger, claiming 20HP (5.7 classic). Fuel economy: unchanged. Seat of pants: unchanged. Noise level: vast increase. The factory air box was designed to quiet the air-flow, not so with the K&N. So if it is sound you are after, spend the $250+ dollars. Otherwise I would not recommend the full FIPK.