K&N Air filter questions

[robkay]

I know a number of posters swear by these. I've never used one, but I'm due for a filter change and am considering the drop-in one.

1. Any real world comments on how they affected your mpg?

2. Apparently at some point you do a wet clean and reoil. I imagine you would still check the filter at least annually and maybe remove it and tap out any noticeable debris. Do you ever need to blow them out, our do you just leave it alone until it is time to reoil?

Can't think of any other questions.

Thanks.

[127.0.0.1]

just use an OEM


if you could improve MPG by dropping in a different filter, Toyota would have done it already.

the engine and ECU is designed and fretted over as a complete system. changing one thing won't do jack. for any real improvements you need much money and time installing.

the only single mods which improve MPG are:

taking weight out, or rotational weight (lighter pulley, wheels) (get rid of seats)
less friction (lighter oils, skinny tires, overinflated tires)
aero body work (add-ons, take-offs, remove wipers...)

[robkay]

just use an OEM


if you could improve MPG by dropping in a different filter, Toyota would have done it already.

the engine and ECU is designed and fretted over as a complete system. changing one thing won't do jack. for any real improvements you need much money and time installing.

the only single mods which improve MPG are:

taking weight out, or rotational weight (lighter pulley, wheels) (get rid of seats)
less friction (lighter oils, skinny tires, overinflated tires)
aero body work (add-ons, take-offs, remove wipers...)

Oh, I wasn't necessarily looking to improve mpg, just want to make sure it won't make it worse. Some people do claim that they get improved fuel economy with the K&N's, though. Of course, those might be old domestics with horrible mpg to begin with.

Excellent points, though; and thanks for the quick reply!

[b_hickman11]

I have a K&N in both of my Yaris's and I love them. I'm not going to claim any mpg increases but it does save me money over the life of the car. You should never use a blower to blow out debris. I check mine about once a month and I usually clean it about every 15,000, even though K&N says you don't have to clean it until way later than that. The road I take to work is fairly dusty so thats why I clean it more often. I put about 5000 miles every 6 weeks on both of my Yaris's so it saves me a lot more money compared to someone that doesn't drive that much. As long as you clean it properly you will not have any of the oil issues that some of the poster will post. People that have problems with their K&N usually didn't clean it properly.

[bronsin]

MAS downstream of oily air filter. Gets oil on it. Car runs like crap. No thanks KN I dont need problems like that.

[supmet]

MAS downstream of oily air filter. Gets oil on it. Car runs like crap. No thanks KN I dont need problems like that.

Must take longer than 60k miles for that to happen, since mine has been working for longer than that....

:iono:

[RedRide]

I have be using K&N air filters for years with absoluly no problems.
One benifit of a K&N is they tend to "open up" the top end a bit.
Making an engine breathe easier can only be a good thing.

Cleaning and re-oiling could not be simpler, just about idiot proof but, evidently some do manage to screw it up.

.......if you could improve MPG by dropping in a different filter, Toyota would have done it already..........

Well, actually, Toyota does sell and install a "K&N type filter. Toyota calls it a "high performance" TRD filter and it is made exactly like a K&N for a ridiculous price. :wink:

[FAB]

I have a K&N in both of my Yaris's and I love them. I'm not going to claim any mpg increases but it does save me money over the life of the car.


me too.
i installed a typhoon kit and i am lovin it :)
really a great sound!

[BailOut]

I've been using K&N filters on multiple vehicles for a decade now, and have never had a problem. The instructions for cleaning and oiling, which is a semi-annual occurrence for me, are written at a 3rd grade level. It is an overnight process when done properly (if you start the cleaning on an evening, which I always do), and my guess is that those very few who have managed to screw the process up either did not read the instructions, did not follow the instructions, and/or did not have the patience to let the freshly oiled filter sit overnight before wiping up any excess (which I've never seen) and reinstalling the filter.

While these filters are not miracle workers as far as MPG or power go, they do indeed save resources by being reusable and having a lifetime warranty. This also makes them much more cost effective over the long run.

If you can read at a 3rd grade level and have enough personal fortitude to let a filter sit out overnight twice a year, you'll do just fine with a K&N.

[1stToyota]

MAS downstream of oily air filter. Gets oil on it. Car runs like crap. No thanks KN I dont need problems like that.

IF it's over-oiled, probably so...but I've read where some Yaris owners are removing the carbon trap from the air box [guess that'll gain lots of extra hp? :rolleyes:] ...with that, even under-oiling probably won't keep the MAF meter from getting contaminated, plus I've seen Yaris owners claim that since it's a filter that doesn't filter dirt as well as paper it showed up on their UOA results. :thumbdown: No thanks. :)

[1stToyota]

I have be using K&N air filters for years with absoluly no problems.
One benifit of a K&N is they tend to "open up" the top end a bit.
Making an engine breathe easier can only be a good thing.

Cleaning and re-oiling could not be simpler, just about idiot proof but, evidently some do manage to screw it up.



Well, actually, Toyota does sell and install a "K&N type filter. Toyota calls it a "high performance" TRD filter and it is made exactly like a K&N for a ridiculous price. :wink:

And if you read the fine print, and didn't let an authorized Toyota/Scion dealer do the install of their TRD HP part [don't know their view on K&N]...any problems that might occur can void warranty on part and possibly vehicle warranty.

[b_hickman11]

MAS downstream of oily air filter. Gets oil on it. Car runs like crap. No thanks KN I dont need problems like that.

Like I said....people that don't follow the directions.

[bronsin]

The stock air filter is really an excellent design. Its 99% efficient at removing dirt compared to the KN's 95%. My last one cost $13. Thats $40 for 90k miles of superior protection. At 90k miles Im buying a new car. I just dont see the cost/benefit being in the KNs favor. Maybe if I lived in Alaska on a dirt road and serviced the AF every 5k miles.

[RedRide]

And if you read the fine print, and didn't let an authorized Toyota/Scion dealer do the install of their TRD HP part [don't know their view on K&N]...any problems that might occur can void warranty on part and possibly vehicle warranty.

NO..... a warranty can not be voided by using a Toyota filter.

BTW, once I got a TRD exhaust for my Celica and had the dealer insalled it as then it would be covered under the bumper to bumper warranty which still had 2 1/2 years left on it at that point.

The service manage then asked me if I wanted a TRD air filter also.
When I told him I already had a K&N filter installed he said OK then. :smile:

[1stToyota]

NO..... a warranty can not be voided by using a Toyota filter.
BTW, once I got a TRD exhaust for my Celica and had the dealer insalled it as then it would be covered under the bumper to bumper warranty which still had 2 1/2 years left on it at that point.

The service manage then asked me if I wanted a TRD air filter also.
When I told him I already had a K&N filter installed he said OK then. :smile:

Wrong. Care to scroll down to the warranty claim on TRD parts NOT installed by the authorized Toyota/Scion dealer? :laugh:

http://www.trdusa.com/warranty.cfm

Guess it could all depend on the dealer and how serious they want to be about it...

[RedRide]

Wrong. Care to scroll down to the warranty claim on TRD parts NOT installed by the authorized Toyota/Scion dealer? :laugh:

http://www.trdusa.com/warranty.cfm

Guess it could all depend on the dealer and how serious they want to be about it...

Well yeah, That's why I said I let the dealer install the TRD exhaust
since I had well over 12 months/ 12k miles left on the Celica's warranty it piggy backed on that.
Othewise, I would only get 12 months/12k miles if i installed it myself.

They don't give you less warrany it you install it yourself. They give you more warranty if the dealer installs it providing you still have warranty (over 12 months/12k miles) left on the car to begin with.

This has been standard warranty practice for TRD parts for years.

[BailOut]

At 90k miles Im buying a new car. I just dont see the cost/benefit being in the KNs favor.
With that short amount of ownership time you're right that a K&N filter may not be worthwhile. However, with all of the other financial pitfalls of such a short ownership interval the cost of a reusable filter is the least of your worries.

[1stToyota]

Well yeah, That's why I said I let the dealer install the TRD exhaust
since I had well over 12 months/ 12k miles left on the Celica's warranty it piggy backed on that.
Othewise, I would only get 12 months/12k miles if i installed it myself.

They don't give you less warrany it you install it yourself. They give you more warranty if the dealer installs it providing you still have warranty (over 12 months/12k miles) left on the car to begin with.

This has been standard warranty practice for TRD parts for years.

The difference in warranty coverage is dependant on who installed the TRD part; authorized dealer installed, no issues with part or vehicle warranty, but as my TRD link stated, non-authorized installer of TRD part can void warranty of part, or vehicle, or both.

[bearda]

I used to run K&N filters until I started seeing UOA results come back with dramatically higher Silicon counts. 1stToyota is right about the amount of dirt making it through the K&N filters compared to the OEM paper one. When it comes down to it, I'd rather pay for the disposable filter than have a bunch of sand in my engine.

[aca72]

The true beauty of a K&N Filter...

they do indeed save resources by being reusable and having a lifetime warranty. This also makes them much more cost effective over the long run.

[bronsin]

With that short amount of ownership time you're right that a K&N filter may not be worthwhile. However, with all of the other financial pitfalls of such a short ownership interval the cost of a reusable filter is the least of your worries.

Hmm I put 5k miles a year tops on my car. Thus a car with 90k miles on it (for me) means 18 years of use.

[thebarber]

i have k&n drop-in's in both of my cars....i take a look at them once a year to make sure they're not filthy.

if find the oiled filter grabs fine particles

saves lots of dough over the long run too....50$ on a drop in is made up after 2 or 3 regular paper filter changes....

[1stToyota]

I used to run K&N filters until I started seeing UOA results come back with dramatically higher Silicon counts. 1stToyota is right about the amount of dirt making it through the K&N filters compared to the OEM paper one. When it comes down to it, I'd rather pay for the disposable filter than have a bunch of sand in my engine.

Agreed. If UOAs are proving that the oiled filter isn't doing as good of a job at keeping debris out of the motor then being frugal isn't too important if it comes with the inferior filtering trade-off.

[RedRide]

The difference in warranty coverage is dependant on who installed the TRD part; authorized dealer installed, no issues with part or vehicle warranty, but as my TRD link stated, non-authorized installer of TRD part can void warranty of part, or vehicle, or both.

I'm sorry but, I fail to see in your link where is says a non TRD part can void a warranty.
Fist off, that woul be illegal (at least in the US) unless Toyota can prove that it caused a particular problem that you claim is a warranty issue.
The same would be true for any after market part.

As far as a K&N filter, since Toyota also sells the exact same kind of filter, they can't legally claim it caused a problem.

[1stToyota]

I'm sorry but, I fail to see in your link where is says a non TRD part can void a warranty.
Fist off, that woul be illegal (at least in the US) unless Toyota can prove that it caused a particular problem that you claim is a warranty issue.
The same would be true for any after market part.

As far as a K&N filter, since Toyota also sells the exact same kind of filter, they can't legally claim it caused a problem.

:sigh: I never said that, link never stated that. It's not the TRD part that can void the warranty of the TRD part and/or the vehicle, it's the installer of that TRD part that can void the warrantry of that TRD part and/or the vehicle...guess Toyota doesn't want to trust their performance parts in the hands of a DIY project :iono:

That's what I said and that's what the provided TRD warranty link states.

[Thirty-Nine]

I've had K&N filters in almost every one of my cars since 1996 (that would be nine cars) and have never had an issue with any of them.

[RedRide]

:sigh: I never said that, link never stated that. It's not the TRD part that can void the warranty of the TRD part and/or the vehicle, it's the installer of that TRD part that can void the warrantry of that TRD part and/or the vehicle...guess Toyota doesn't want to trust their performance parts in the hands of a DIY project :iono:

That's what I said and that's what the provided TRD warranty link states.

The same could be said for any part TRD or otherwise from a winshild wiper to a turbo. If a bad install of a part causs a problem, the warranty issue pertaining to (and only to) to that partular problem may no be honered.
The key word here is "can" void a warranty not "will" void it.

However, Tyota must prove that a bad install cause a partucular problem.
Also, an owner is allowed to install a non Toyota part.

[b_hickman11]

The stock air filter is really an excellent design. Its 99% efficient at removing dirt compared to the KN's 95%. My last one cost $13. Thats $40 for 90k miles of superior protection. At 90k miles Im buying a new car. I just dont see the cost/benefit being in the KNs favor. Maybe if I lived in Alaska on a dirt road and serviced the AF every 5k miles.

So you think you are still getting 99% at 90,000 miles? My guess is that it would be 50% or lower. By then I could have already cleaned my K&N(several times) and still have it 95% or more.

[supmet]

So you think you are still getting 99% at 90,000 miles? My guess is that it would be 50% or lower. By then I could have already cleaned my K&N(several times) and still have it 95% or more.

50% would be high I think, and I have my doubts a paper filter would last 90,000 without just falling apart. Mine was filthy to the point you couldn't clean it without destroying it at 15k. If by some miracle it lasts 90,000 miles, there's no way it is going to last 18 years that its supposedly going to take to get to 90,000. I would bet a paper filter sitting in your garage wouldn't work after 18 years just from humidity in the air.

[1stToyota]

The same could be said for any part TRD or otherwise from a winshild wiper to a turbo. If a bad install of a part causs a problem, the warranty issue pertaining to (and only to) to that partular problem may no be honered.
The key word here is "can" void a warranty not "will" void it.

However, Tyota must prove that a bad install cause a partucular problem.
Also, an owner is allowed to install a non Toyota part.

Don't get excited. TRD came up with their warranty claim and how they can choose to handle the situation involving the warranty with the part and/or vehicle in any way they choose fit, when it comes to the TRD part being installed by a non-authorized Toyota/Scion dealer...they wrote their fine print, I didn't

[RedRide]

LOL One of us is getting excited and it isn't me. :wink:

I still fail to see what all this has to do with the OP's question about a K&N filter.
A filter is consider a wear item and is as such, is not warranted. except for defects in maufactruring.
The fact that Toyota sells a copy of a K&N filter (it may even be made by K&N) prevent them from claiming that a K&N is flawed technology.

Besides, people have been chaging their own air filters for many decades (including K&N)and I never heard a warranty issue being denied bucause if it.

[1stToyota]

LOL One of us is getting excited and it isn't me. :wink:

I still fail to see what all this has to do with the OP's question about a K&N filter.
A filter is consider a wear item and is as such, is not warranted. except for defects in maufactruring.
The fact that Toyota sells a copy of a K&N filter (it may even be made by K&N) prevent them from claiming that a K&N is flawed technology.

Besides, people have been chaging their own air filters for many decades (including K&N)and I never heard a warranty issue being denied bucause if it.

No, this just got a little too involved because you couldn't understand what you were reading in the TRD warranty claim. The reason I mentioned TRD warranty, and how TRD reserves the right to void their warranty on the TRD part [you're pretending that oiled filters are "wear items" that don't have a warranty?] and/or the vehicle warranty is because you chose to use the ol' Toyota TRD crutch that K&N has to be great because Toyota sells TRD parts...just thought it was time to mention that, yes, Toyota is so proud of their TRD filters, so long as they do the install, but if it's a DIY project they can renege on their filter warranty, and void your vehicle's warranty while they're at it, if they're in the mood. :bellyroll:

You may have never heard of it, but it's still listed on their TRD warranty claim. :headbang:

[Henry G.]

I've had K&N filters in almost every one of my cars since 1996 (that would be nine cars) and have never had an issue with any of them.
The best part of K&N's is not continually throwing $20 plus dollar filters in the trash.

[RUFFSTUFF]

The internet is for porn.

[bigbang]

The internet is for porn.
goodbye yaris world
I`m out this forums I join for the car
too much pervert on this forum

[RUFFSTUFF]

goodbye yaris world
I`m out this forums I join for the car
too much pervert on this forum


And certainly not enough of a sense of humor. Think about what you are going to miss if you leave:


Arguments over misinformation in air filters, oil filters, cabin filers, fish tank filters

Whining over the inaccuracy of gas gauges and filling up until the first click or until it sprays out

Complaining about only getting 39.987678 mpg when driving uphill at 45mph on Wednesdays

Being surprised when parts off of EBay not only don't fit but just plain suck

Questions on why their cars erupts into smoke and flame whenever they try to use said EBay parts (usually electrical)

Discussions on 13" wheels, because looking like your car is on skateboard wheels is trick

Politics, the lack thereof or excess in

Shifting an automatic, because bipolars need love too

Tales of people paying $10000 for used Yarii with 500,000 miles and wondering if its a good deal after the purchase

Not to mention the tutorials, pictures, funny stories, feedback from knowledgeable members, open discussions where no one gets their posts deleted, honest recommendations and reviews, and the hidden pictures of women with barely a stitch of clothing on showing you their gymnastics routines.


So I can understand if it seems a bit overwhelming, but really where are you going to go? The SVT Focus forum has been dead lately, so has the Yugo Enthusiast site. Drink your morning coffee, have a buttered croissant and come on back to YarisWorld... make sure you have your sexy underwear on, we're classy people here...

[RUFFSTUFF]

Guy calls himself "bigbang" and then says WE'RE perverts... imagine that...

[RedRide]

Yup, no sense of humor! :laughabove: