K&N Air Filters - Page 2 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

Domman56 · 12-13-2009, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

Please use the search engine or look around first. K&N filters have sprung up here quite a few times. Please do not multiply posts when you don't have to.

Sorry didn't see any of these threads
I'm brand new to the forum

Christ · 12-13-2009, 05:11 PM

That's why you use the search feature.

Regardless of what you saw, there is an explanation for it. In this case, I fully imagine that you changed an old OEM air filter for the K&N, and saw up to a 10% increase in fuel economy. Of course, you'd have gotten the same effect just adding another paper filter. It's part of basic maintenance, really.

If you see a guy claiming that he got 3MPG from changing to synthetic oil that's the same weight as his old oil, chances are that he changed from dirty oil to clean oil, and that's where the increase came from.

It's normally all in your head. I mean, seriously - think about it - If it was that easy to bolt on 3 MPG here, 4MPG there, doesn't it seem counterintuitive that some of us here aren't getting better mileage than we are?

Man, I wish I could bolt on about 30 more MPG and maybe an extra 300 HP to my van... and increase it's load carrying capacity to maybe 8,000 LBS, and towing capacity to like 20,000... that would be the limit for my license, basically.

Yeah, that would be nice.

Daox · 12-13-2009, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bondvagabond

He says in his research, that at wot it might be more efficient than stock paper. Do some of the pulse and gliders use wot? would a air intake different than a geo metro negate the test results and maybe make a k&n worth wild? I sure don't like to whole allowing dirt in thing though.

Pulse and glide, like Christ said, recommends 80% or so throttle due to enrichment (open loop operation). However, even WOT is not going to require that much air unless you combine it with high rpms. As ecodrivers know, high rpms greatly increase friction losses as well as oil windage losses and are definitely something to stay away from.

Domman56 · 12-13-2009, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christ

That's why you use the search feature.

Regardless of what you saw, there is an explanation for it. In this case, I fully imagine that you changed an old OEM air filter for the K&N, and saw up to a 10% increase in fuel economy. Of course, you'd have gotten the same effect just adding another paper filter. It's part of basic maintenance, really.

If you see a guy claiming that he got 3MPG from changing to synthetic oil that's the same weight as his old oil, chances are that he changed from dirty oil to clean oil, and that's where the increase came from.

It's normally all in your head. I mean, seriously - think about it - If it was that easy to bolt on 3 MPG here, 4MPG there, doesn't it seem counterintuitive that some of us here aren't getting better mileage than we are?

Man, I wish I could bolt on about 30 more MPG and maybe an extra 300 HP to my van... and increase it's load carrying capacity to maybe 8,000 LBS, and towing capacity to like 20,000... that would be the limit for my license, basically.

Yeah, that would be nice.

Well the filter in my el camino only had 500 miles on it when i replaced it and looked pretty much brand new so it wasn't that it was dirty the K&N just seems to flow alot better for this old 2 barrel V8

Christ · 12-13-2009, 06:17 PM

So here's what you do:

Buy a new OE filter, Wash your K&N and re-oil per mfg directions.

Fill the tank, noting vehicle position, fill rate, pump and station.

Install paper filter, drive 50 miles of highway, fill up and do it again.

Go back to the K&N and do the same, filling up from the same station/pump every time, to keep variables to a minimum.

Go back and do the paper filter one more time, two more runs.

Average the first two, the second two, and the third two, and figure the difference.

It's not exactly scientific, but it's the closest test you're going to get that doesn't take a year to complete.

If you show enough of a mileage gain to be attributed to the filter and not just some random circumstance, I'll drop the subject.

orange4boy · 12-13-2009, 06:50 PM

Stick to your stock, OEM filter...

A good article at Autospeed:

Don't Bother Changing the Factory Filter. Most times it's just wasting money

Christ · 12-13-2009, 06:56 PM

Excellent Article!

dremd · 12-13-2009, 08:11 PM

My FilterMinder has told me that brand new K&N flows worse (or at least creates more vacuum on the "clean" side than the used Factory filter did.

Bob is the oil guy Air Filtration Test Tells me that they filter poorly.

My failure rate of Karmen Vortex Air flow sensors tells me that they spray some oil in the intake causing more failures of air flow sensors.

alohaspirit · 12-13-2009, 08:12 PM

good article x2

a k&n (cone filter) decreased the mpg of my ford ranger

i think ill stick with regular ones for the time being

Domman56 · 12-13-2009, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alohaspirit

good article x2

a k&n (cone filter) decreased the mpg of my ford ranger

i think ill stick with regular ones for the time being

Thanks, What people aren't realizing is i'm asking what it has done from THEIR personal experience On my buddy's Ranger it increased it by 1.5 but he had a flat panel replacement filter Not the cone filter. idk that cone filters make too much a difference other than sound because they aren't always more efficient because of how some newer factory intakes are already made