Paper air filter vs K&N

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Previous owner had installed A K&N gauze air filter on my 95 Electra Glide, and after researching air filters I'm leaning towards buying an OEM paper filter for it. I bought the K&N cleaning and reoiling kit and serviced it and it seems to be doing fine, but I'm wondering if the paper filter would be a better choice. It seems the gauze filters allow more airflow but the paper filters capture more fine dirt particles. Capturing more dirt/silicon is what I'm after.
 
K&N do allow more fines to get through. Lots of research available if you Google it. On an Electroglide, you will NEVER get the rpm's high enough to ever see a difference in air flow. Like so many other things that are sold aftermarket, if it really added mpg, wouldn't all the car companies jump on it as an easy way to get closer to government mandated mileage numbers?
 
My opinion. The only time an oiled, cleanable filter makes sense is when used in extremely dusty conditions. A dirt bike? Otherwise, to much time to clean them and they let in to much fine dirt. Unless your time is free, economically they are a loss.
 
They don't do anything. At least to normal street cars. Its normally high performance cars with high performance engines that get any benefit.

Not only that but cars that are designed to be high performance are effective to get all the air they need. Normal street cars work under vacuum and will get all the air they need. The only time people ever notice a true difference is when they replace a very old cloged filter with a new K&N filter and the noticeable difference is because of the new filter nothing to do with K&N.

Not only that but let's say you add a lot of after market mods to your car and your car requires more air then its corrently getting. Adding a K&N air filter will not add any benefit since most of the back yard car modders rarely re-map computer to take advantage and ad more air into the fuel mix.


The ultimate purpose of a filter is to filter.

If you look online you will find a lot of evidence proving cold air intakes have no effect on street cars. Many many Dino runs with factory recommended air filter and a cold air filter and most of the time the cold air filters actually have negative effect on performance.
 
Quote:

If you look online you will find a lot of evidence proving cold air intakes have no effect on street cars.


OT:What i don't understand is why every person who has pointed out a CAI to me thinks CA comes from under the hood. An Olds 442 with a dual snorkel intake plumbed up to the grill from 1969 is what I consider to be a CAI.
 
Yep another vote for use a regular paper filter.

If you have a K&N get rid of it and clean the throttle body (carb cleaner) and clean the MAF (special MAF cleaner at parts stores)
 
I've already checked with NAPA and they're parts guy said that NAPA doesn't offer a paper element for my Harley. I guess I'll have to get an OEM paper filter from Harley, which will probably be better than the K&N.
 
Air Filters are first and foremost for keeping contaminants out of the fresh air they allow into the engine. K&N may not harm a thing but it surely isnt the best choice for keeping said contaminants out.
 
Originally Posted By: wemay
Air Filters are first and foremost for keeping contaminants out of the fresh air they allow into the engine. K&N may not harm a thing but it surely isnt the best choice for keeping said contaminants out.


Seems to be the right answer. I had one since day 1 on a 97 Explorer and it went 200k miles and beyond (crashed by next owner); I have one on 2010 Armada for 92k now and not an issue. I think many people overapplied the oil and caused issues with the MAP.

Anyway, after reading a lot of what is out there I see it as the KnN isn't the best choice, but it's not a BAD choice if oiled properly.
 
How many miles do you run in a year? Even if the K&N filter allows through a very small amount more grit than a paper filter (nothing is 100%), will you ever wear that engine out due to the air filter? Probably not. Keep what you have. Don't buy another.
 
I agree,

If you have one already, continue using it. We sometimes go overboard when addressing an issue. K&N will not be the reason your car fails.


Funny:

Changing oil, especially when using synthetics, at anything less than 5k miles is considered a waste of resources by many.

yet...

Using a K&N (which is still a decent air filter but great for the environment) is frowned upon.

Go figure.
 
Amsoil has a series of air filters that fit the HD's. I had one on my Sporty. Always single digit Silicon numbers.

Dave
 
Originally Posted By: Jimkobb
This is for a motorcycle.


Nearly all the answers are about cars - don't these guys read, or do they just have to comment no matter what?

I have K&N's on 3 of my bikes. One is because the OE filter is not available (Moto Guzzi Stornello) I use one on my Honda TLR200 trials bike too, this is a performance modification, not because the OE filter is restrictive, but because the flame trap is. Much more throttle response in that slam the throttle open from a standstill to get up a vertical bank, rock, tree etc. Both these filters are from another bike that had carb modifications...different carbs that didn't fit the airbox. Just using what I have in the shed.

I also have a K&N on my BMW R65, this time because it was cheaper than OE. No performance or fuel economy increase, but I didn't expect to see that. It's been on for a couple of years and have monitored dust in the inlet tract - appears pretty clean to me.
 
It's pretty much common knowledge that paper type OEM style filters filter better than K&Ns...the grey area is how much better do they filter.

I went with K&Ns on my M109R because the stock airbox/filters are very restrictive. When I went with an aftermarket exhaust system, I also used a fuel manager, so I figured why not open up the intake side as well. I could've just gone with exhaust and the fuel manager, but performance would've suffered some by not opening up the intake side...
 
On my '07 V-Strom the choices are stock paper, aftermarket paper from Hiflo, or so-caller performance cotton gauze from K&N or BMC, or oiled foam from Pipercross.

I've used the first three. The Hiflo is restrictive due to the perforated steel backing plate. The stock air filter with its hardware cloth backing and the K&N feel exactly alike according to my butt dyno. The K&N ends up being cheaper than the outrageous price Suzuki charges for their filter, and riders with many tens of thousands of miles report no problems.

My new 2014 DL1000A V-Strom air filter is $40 from Suzuki! No K&N listing yet. It doesn't yet need a filter. I LOVE the bike.
 
Thanks guys, I'll keep the K&N for now. Ken. I thought the OEM filter from Harley was expensive at $26.00...ouch! Good to know you are liking your V-Strom. I had an 08 DL1000 and they are fun bikes, and bullet proof. However, the air filters are a pain to get to.
 
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