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03:26:38 - 12/24/2024
General Dakota Board
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Sesquash Dodge Dakota JOIN HERE
10/05/2003 15:54:10
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Subject: K and N Usage Dialog! IP: Logged
Message: To all that have installed ANY version of the after-market K and N filter...you might wish to read other's usage comments and then decide for yourselves if you still wish to continue using, or to even purchase a drop-in or a FIPK...
Just read...don't flame....if you feel this post does not apply or merit a thought...just carry on to the next. We all spent BIG BUCKS for our Dakota's...and SPEND even more to try to maintain them....but..might we do so at the cost of the actual equipment?!? Dunno....you read and decide for yourself....
Sesquash
2003 R/T Club Cab 5.9L
Read the K & N Filter Marketing Hype .
They say it FLOWS more air . They say NOTHING about better filtering !
Oil samples have proven that a higher silica particle results when
using a K & N filter . If you use a filter that has a different lab test
result , your entire turbo , intercoolers , and intake system are void .
K & N uses oiled fabric gauze as filter media - it has larger pores than
the paper/synthetic factory filter .
I used a K & N for 1 oil change , compared the numbers , and went
back to the factory filter - the numbers went down .
This is from K&N's website warranty page:
EXTENT OF WARRANTY:
Any defective Filtercharger® element properly returned to K&N will be replaced by K&N. K&N will not be responsible for any other expenses incurred by the customer under the terms of this warranty, nor shall it be responsible for any damages either consequential, special, contingent, or otherwise; or expenses or injury arising directly or indirectly from the use of the Filtercharger® element. Any Filtercharger® element returned to K&N must be sent at customers' expense along with a completed Warranty Claim Card and proof of purchase. K&N reserves the right to determine whether the terms of the warranty, set out above, have been properly complied with. In the event that the terms are not complied with, K&N shall be under no obligation to honor this warranty.
The only thing they warrenty is the filter itself! Big deal. Secondly, there has been no independent data posted here showing there is any improvement in gas milage, etc. And, they will not be responsible for any damage due to useing the filter; And some manuf. recommend against using them. It doesn't sound much like a winner to me. I am sticking with standard filters!
The K&N filters tend to let very fine dust through at the expense of increase air flow from what I have seen. Recently when I was doing a turbo compressor upgrade, the insided of the intake tube from the filter (K&N) to the compressor was lightly coated with oil and dirt. I have since switched to a Ford AIS dry filter system using a redesigned airbox and a donaldson filter system and 5000 miles and the inside of the tube is still clean.
Just my 0.02cents
My experiance with K&N goes like this...I purchased a K&N replacement element for an 2001 Ford Powerstroke. This is the drop in element that uses the stock airbox. I installed the element and went on my merry way. One thousand miles later I got curious as to how it was doing so I poped it out to take a look. It didn't look all that dirty, had a few bugs stuck to the outside but after 1000 miles it looked fairly clean. I then took a look at the turbo side of the airbox (after the filter) and noticed a slight film of dust covering the interior of the airbox cover and coating the inlet tube all the way to the turbo. This was a very fine dust about like talcom powder. I cleaned up the box and tube. Threw away the K&N and installed the stock paper element. After checking several times up to getting rid of the truck I did not notice any dust after installing the paper element.
IMHO if you are claiming an increase in airflow you have got to sacrifice filtration. If you hold a K&N filter up to the light you can see holes in it (alot). They are not all that big but holes none the less. I think this is what cause the dust in my 01.
Now, would the dust have caused a problem down the road? Being a mechanic myself I can tell you that it definitly would have shortened the life of the turbo and possibly the motor. Air entering your engine has to be as clean as possible to ensure long life.
In my opinion the drop in replacement K&N is not that good at filtering so I will stick with the stock element until something better comes along.
I took mine out to clean it and took two trips with the stock airfilter in(kinda slow gettin it cleaned) and noticed several differences,one was a feeling of better power and the other was better mileage. This summer got the K&N in for the trip to the Black Hills and ran it the whole time.Then went to California and changed to the old filter before I left. Traveled down on the freeway and back up on 101 and 1 and then later drove to McMinnville and back for the rally. Noticed once again,almost a mile per gallon on gas and improved performance with the Fram filter.....This wasn't a very scientific test with all the guages and computers,just seat of the pants feelings and fuel mileage records.
It's also possible that several tanks of 85 octane fuel made a difference,but the usage was actually higher on the side of 87 octane....
I don't know,I'll probably keep the K&N on the shelf even though it cost $50....
K&N's are an excellent filter for what they were designed for. Off road racing where thriple stacked paper elements were clogging.
They have, according to their own specifications, a higher micron rating than OEM paper filters meaning they pass larger sized particles than the OEM filters.
Over the years several hot rod, off road racing, and RV magazines have run tests on the K&N.
All the tests from all the magazines showed the K&N had no effect on dyno readings; either HP or torque compared to a new OEM filter.
They concluded that any power gain resulted from either replacing a dirty OEM with a new K&N or that the operator (because the K&N is an unsilenced filter) heard more sound and equated it with more power.
While on racing engines that get rebuilt after only a few hundred miles fines don't mean much...on a engine expected to go at least 100,000 miles before tearing into the lower end it does mean something.
First of all if K&N air filters were so great why wouldn't the manufacture install when the vehicle is built? Especially when most of our truck exceed $30,000. Second, for a air filter to allow more air volume to pass through other particles are probably able to do the same. Sure you might gain a slight mileage improvement but at the cost of allowing dust particles to pass through in to the motor. Doesn't make much sense to pay $50.00 or so for that kind of performance. K&N built there reputation on racing where after every race they take the engine apart and rebuild it for the next one. Hardly a proving ground for air filter. Now I know that most of us like to buy all sorts of little add ons to make out trucks perform better and run stronger but K&N filters our overated just like alot of other gizmos that promise more horsepower and better mileage. I had one for my previous truck and would not put one on my new truck if you gave me one.
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Sesquash Dodge Dakota JOIN HERE
10/05/2003 15:56:43
| RE: K and N Usage Dialog! IP: Logged
Message: typo in subject.
'Dialog' should have been: 'Dialogue'
Sorry..:*
Sesquash
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Russ Dodge Dakota JOIN HERE
10/05/2003 17:33:15
| RE: K and N Usage Dialog! IP: Logged
Message:
On another thread i mentioned that I talked to someone in the filter business (industrial/trucking/automotive). I questioned the K&N system (because of all of the talk of K&N on this DD.com website). He said they were best used just on race cars since the race engines get torn down and inspected regularly. They are more for air flow and not filtration. Racecars also need a higher unrestricted airflow than normal cars. He also mentioned that stock air filters get better filtration over time. I'm scared to think about what the insides of my engine look like now, what 2 years with a K&N did to my truck especially here in dusty Arizona.
Russ
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Yep Dodge Dakota JOIN HERE
10/05/2003 18:48:47
| RE: K and N Usage Dialog! IP: Logged
Message: Those K&N's will ruin your engine over time.
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lol Dodge Dakota JOIN HERE
10/05/2003 21:30:07
| RE: K and N Usage Dialog! IP: Logged
Message: You guys are full of it!
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01Motorsport Dodge Dakota JOIN HERE
10/05/2003 21:35:48
| RE: K and N Usage Dialog! IP: Logged
Message: Chicken Little made a career out of "the sky is falling!".
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H Dodge Dakota JOIN HERE
10/06/2003 07:09:55
| RE: K and N Usage Dialog! IP: Logged
Message:
I don't know wheather they are good or bad, and I think the consensus is about 50/50. 50% love them and 50% hate them. Honestly though, there must be something to the rumors. I don't want to risk scarring the cylinder walls or pistons by letting more dirt in. Why do it? So that your truck goes VROOM and sounds a little better. Reminds me of a trick I did when I was young. I turned the air filter cover upside down for better sound ..... but not better performance.
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