Another piece of useless information from your old uncle Shawn.....
attached mail follows:
This article may have appeared on the rx7-list a while ago but if so I don't
remember. Anyway, a lot of people on the list use K&N filters and I was
hoping they would be able to offer some counter-examples to the big story
given here.
Mike Lucas Calgary, Alberta
mike.lucas@crha-health.ab.ca
'87 RX-7 NA, Silver, 88k miles
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Article: 70180 of rec.autos.tech
From: neh2@po.CWRU.Edu (Nathan E. Heid)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: K&N... questions, answers, and challenge
Date: 27 Mar 1995 22:56:10 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
I've been reading the recent posts regarding K&N air
filters--one from a happy customer and then the responses of
doubt and distrust of the K&N. This is starting to look like a
miniature version of the Slick 50 thread. There seems to be
quite a few opinions but very little evidence. There's been
a lot of quoting and paraphasing of K&N's advertizing, but not
much hard evidence as to the ability, lack of ability of the
product to filter air.
The views of the posts seem to fall into the following
catagories...
1. K&N filters do nothing beneficial.
2. K&N's boost performance
3. K&N's boost performance but do harm by admitting dirt
4. K&N's boost performance and filter better than paper
Here's the question part. Does anyone have any real
information form testing or experience using the product? If
your vehicle is quicker or faster, while using the filter, tell
us how much. If you disassembled your engine after using it and
found sand and crap had eaten the motor, let us know.
Here's my part of the answers. I've been using a K&N
filter in my '87 Ford Ranger 122 CID 4 cyl. for about a year.
This is about 15000 miles of driving. I can't say that I
noticed much of a change in power(Not much plus very little
stills equals not much.) What the filter has done is to improve
my highway gas mileage through better volumetric efficiency.
The difference is only .75 to 1 MPG but every little bit helps.
As for filtering, I can find no grit on the inside of
the air cleaner bowl, carburator, or intake manifold. All the
dirt seems to be stuck to the outside of the filter where it
belongs. I'm sure some tiny particles get through. Paper
filters don't stop every thing either. Most of what gets
through isn't the fault of the filter element anyway. Most
contamination is due to tiny leaks around the filter, between
the air cleaner assemby, carb., and manifold, and old vacuum
tubing. As K&N recommends, I coat the edges of the filter with
grease to seal them to the air cleaner.
And now the challenge. These filters have been around
for a while now so if they aren't damaging there should be a
few high-mileage stories or if they are dangerous there should
be quite a few pissed off people with ruined engines. So,
how many miles have you driven with your K&N air filter?
--
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--
I'd Rather Be Flying!
neh2@po.cwru.edu
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Article: 70381 of rec.autos.tech
From: ac623@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Ross Gunn)
Subject: Re: K&N... questions, answers, and challenge
Organization: The National Capital FreeNet
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 05:06:49 GMT
In a previous posting, William V. Byars III (cajun@merle.acns.nwu.edu)
writes:
> Could you please re-post the K&N report with carriage returns? My news-
> reader makes each paragraph look like one line, and I can't read most
> of the post. Thanks!
> -William
Here it is again. Hope you can read this one.
Subj: K & N filters
To: John M. Saturday, January 21, 1995 5:14:10 PM
From: George Morrison
John: If I wrote "subjective" I meant "objective".. I was
responsible for evaluating re-usable air filters
for a major construction/mining company that had
hundreds of vehicles ranging from large earthmovers
to pick-up trucks and salesmen's cars. This study
was embarked upon due to the fact that we were
spending upwards of $30,000 a MONTH on paper air
filters. Using them one time then throwing them
away.. I inititated the study in that I was convinced
that a K&N type filter or oiled foam would save us
many dollars per year in filter savings, man hour savings,
and of course engines as these would filter
dirt better than paper. (yes, I had read the K&N ads and was
a believer)
Representative test units were chosen to give us a
broad spectrum from cars right through large front
end loaders. With each unit we had a long history
of oil analysis records so that changes would be
trackable.
Unfortunately, for me, every single unit having
alternative re-usable air cleaners showed an immediate
large jump in silicon (dirt) levels with corresponding
major increases in wear metals. In one extreme
case, a unit with a primary and secondary air cleaner,
the secondary (small paper element) clogged
before even one day's test run could be completed.
This particular unit had a Cummins V-12 engine
that had paper/paper one one bank and K&N/paper on
the other bank; two completely independent
induction systems. The conditions were EXACTLY
duplicated for each bank yet the K&N allowed so
much dirt to pass through that the small filter became
clogged before lunch. The same outcome occured
with oiled foams on this unit.
We discontinued the tests on the large pieces almost
immediately but continued with service trucks,
formen's vehicles, and my own company car. Analysis
results continued showing markedly increased
wear rates for all the vehicles, mine included.
Test concluded, switched back to paper/glass and all
vehicles showed reduction back to near original levels
of both wear metals and dirt. I continued with
the K&N on my company car out of stubborness and at
85,000 miles the Chevy 305 V-8 wheezed its
last breath. The top end was sanded badly; bottom
end was just fine. End of test.
I must stress that EVERYONE involved in this test
was hoping that alternative filters would work as
everyone was sick about pulling out a perfectly good
$85 air cleaner and throwing 4 of them away
each week per machine...
So, I strongly suggest that depending upon an
individual's long term plan for their vehicles they simply
run an oil analysis at least once to see that the
K&N or whatever alternative air filter is indeed working
IN THAT APPLICATION... It depends on a person's priorities.
If you want performance then indeed the K&N is the
way to go but at what cost???
And no, I do not work for a paper or glass air
filter manufacturing company nor do I have any affiliation
with anything directly or indirectly that could
benefit George Morrison as a result..
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