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Originally Posted by Ghostrider 310
Just trying to help all other Boxster lovers. I have a K&N, I have had no problems, but if there is a proven propensity to ruin MAF's, then I want to remove it.
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Hi,
You're in denial. The K&N is not a good piece of kit at all. It was first introduced as a long-life alternative to Paper Filters for RACING. Then, later, their Marketing shifted toward emphasising the Performance gains to capture the Street Car Market as well. To a Race Car engine, which is regularly stripped and rebuilt, longevity is measured in hours, not months and years. Consequently, none of the longterm ill-effects of using this filter were ever realized. Not true for Street Car applications.
With respect to enhanced performance, either the gains are questionable, unverified or Placebic, such as on the Boxster. Or, are explained away by the fact that the filter has much larger holes in it and so passes more air, but also
more dirt. Adding more Intake Volume alone does little for performance, except the performance of the Aftermarket's Bottom Line. Most Dyno tests showing HP increases are on Cars which have been modified in other ways besides just the addition of a K&N Filter, such as Headers, Cams, remapping, new Plugs, Wires, Coils, etc. So, any increases can rarely be attributed solely to the K&N.
In some tests, such as this very scientific ISO 5011 Test -
http://home.usadatanet.net/~jbplock/ISO5011/SPICER.htm , the K&N was
PROVEN to pass 18 times more dirt than the best Paper Filter and was restricted in 1/3 the time, meaning that all performance gains, if any, are realized only in the first few thousand miles of Service. After this, they actually
underperform their traditional, Paper counterparts.
Considering the Advertising gain of such scientific testing (an ISO 5011 Test will achieve the same results here, there, today, tomorrow), why hasn't K&N done such testing? The cost would be miniscule, especially if positive results yielded increased sales, they would recoup the cost in no time. But they haven't published any such testing... why not? Are they Marketing Idiots? Or are such tests not favorable to their product? Likewise with the evasive email they sent - hardly definitive. They don't even acknowledge the problem...
but they qualify their denial beautifully.
OK, so we have a Filter passing 18 times more Dirt, so the obvious question becomes - where does all this Dirt go? Well, there is strong evidence that some contaminates and disables the MAF Sensor as most of the failures reported here are from K&N or similar Gauze Type Filter Users. Some passes through the Cylinder and Exhaust to lodge in the Cat(s) and lead to possible premature failure or reduced Flow (robbing Power). But, the majority of the Dirt passed through the Filter ends up in the Oil, shortening it's Service Life considerably (most people don't realize this or shorten their Oil Change Interval and so they allow the grit (and much of this Dirt is very Hard and Destructive Silicates - Sand) to flow through their engines for an intolerable period, shortening the engine's life). So, the trade-off seems to be some very modest gains (at best) while seriously compromising the Engine's Longevity and Ancillaries.
So far, it seems that the Detriments far outweigh the Benefits. Another consideration is that virtually all paper filters have a flow capacity which exceeds the flow demands of the engine, so is more
really necessary or better? As an anology, next time you're filling up at a Pump priced at $2.60/gal., just give the Clerk $3.00/gal. instead...
Then, there's cost - several times what a paper filter costs. But add to this the added Oil and Oil Filter Costs due to shortened Service Intervals (not insignificant on a Boxster), and perhaps even the cost of a MAF Sensor or Cat(s). Suddenly, the Cost/Benefit ratio is becoming increasing skewed - and not in the K&Ns favor!
Of course, there is the fact that many can't leave well enough alone (Modoholics) and/or want to have Bragging Rights or follow the
Herd. Well, the K&N performs marvelously in this regard... except for people in-the-know. To them, you will often look like someone who follows the Hype and really doesn't know what they're doing at all.
K&N and other Aftermarket Filters are popular and sell very well, but the Facts just do not favor their use...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99