K&N filter

[babalu87]

How many use it?

I will be ordering one later in the week.
I put one in my truck at 25,000 miles and its got 240,000 and still going strong.

Clean air = clean motor ;)

[Rich V]

I voted NO: I don't use it because I have seen quite a few studies that show the cotton gauze comes out of the filter. Since it's got to go somewhere, it goes in to the motor. No thanks!

Not only that but I don't think there is power to be had with a simple A/F alone in a stock fuel injected cars air box. Most of the dyno tuning I've done on BMW's seems to back up that theory.:

[1Lieutenant]

I have used one in the past. I honestly think it makes little difference in the longevity of the engine (OEM filters do just fine if you replace them on time). I suspect they DO increase HP, but ONLY at very high RPM when air flow restriction becomes a factor. With an automatic transmission who ever sees these elevated RPMs?

Environmentally, it probably is a good thing. Less disposable filters in the landfill.

Steve

[Too Tall]

OEM filter is excellent. It ain't broke!

[Rozinante]

I have K&N filters on several of my vehicles. I have used these filters for decades (four of my current K&N filters are over ten years old). I do NOT believe they provide a noticeable performance improvement. I have absolutely no fear of them coming apart and allowing gauze into my intake tracts. I use them because I find it convenient to clean and re-oil them (shelf life on the cleaner and oil is greater than my current life expectancy). If you plan to keep your car a very long time, they are probably cost-effective. If you plan to dispose of your car in three years, I wouldn't recommend the K&N's.

I hadn't considered the positive environmental impact of not using disposable filters, but it seems a cogent argument.

[jasonbkim]

I used K&N filter and wouldn't recommend it, Because the air flow sensor will cause trouble. You know, The air flow sensor(air mass meter) is so expensive.

[slowflyer]

I used one on a pickup. I did not notice any additional power or fuel economy results. I was also never all that confident that I cleaned it well at recharge time. I think Volvo's OEM is fine.


BTW- what do the poll choices mean? Yes = have K&N on Volvo now; have had at some point; have used one ; etc...

I know what the poster probably means but it is too ambiguous.

[Blairwright]

I use K&N, I have had it in for 20k miles with no issues. There really is no noticable performance gain but I think it's a good product so I use them in all my cars.

[markwemple]

The problem with the performance group is that you have to get the cleaning/oiling down right and many have trouble doing so. Regular replacement with paper filter is the safest bet. If the environmental issue is a concern, take a couple of moments and cut the element from the surround and recycle it. Its paper, afterall.

[Allen]

Hello all. New guy here.

I bought a 2002 XC a couple of days ago. Fantastic car. First thing I did was replace the oil with Amsoil Euro 5W-40, put in 8 ounces of Tufoil in the crankcase and put in a K&N air filter. Although the car ran very well before I did anything, it runs extraordinarily smooth and powerful now.

I like the K&N filters because they help free up torque in the lower RPMs. Plus I don't have to think about them for a long time, nor have to worry about finding a proper replacement.

Amsoil, as I'm sure most of you all know, is the original automotive synthetic oil producer, beginning back in 1972. Those guys know oil like no one else.

Tufoil holds the Guinness World Record for being the world's slickest substance. Tufoil claims that they've tested around 50 of the most prominent oil additives on the market with the four-ball wear test. This test was primarily done to establish longevity and wearability of the additives.

Every product tested burned up and turned to smoke in under five minutes.


Tufoil lasted.........16 days..........with greater pressure applied at a higher speed.


I've been using this combo on all my cars for the last six years with great success.

www.tufoil.com

[BillAileo]

If a car is still under warranty, you might want to think twice before adding any oil additives. The Volvo owner's manual, at least for the 2003 model year, expicitly states not to use any oil additives.

Bill

[Allen]

Bill,

The XC is no longer under warranty. I've had no troubles with using Tufoil in my wife's 2001 V70. Her car runs great.

I think that all car manufacturers recommend not using any additives, not just Volvo. Most additives are teflon-based and have a tendency to block oil flow which causes engine seizure, the thing the additives claim they will help prevent.

But Tufoil is not teflon-based. It's different, and strange. One cool thing about it is how small the particles are. They have no trouble passing through the oil filter, unlike teflon particles which will clog a filter.

[pperkinsc21]

Have used the K&N's in various cars for years. Nothing but great results.
Sorry folks, the filtration is superior.
I suspect the "No's" are either too cheap to purchase one or had a bad experience re-oiling the filter. Easy does it is the word
pperkinsc21
2005 XC 70 ruby red Metalic
1999 C70R+IPD performance upgrades (350+ HP) Convertible Nautica Blue Metalic - Bought in Europe

[volvoshad]

Maybe it's just me, but the performance does seem better with the K&N. Small but noticeable difference.[thumbup] What's this about cotton fibers getting in the engine?:confused: Is this another urban legend, or does someone have an SAE paper on the topic?

[funglenn]

With all the problems with ECMs in these cars, I would not put a goo covered K&N in it. I have used it in other cars with great success, but would not recommend for a Volvo

[PDXXC]

Sorry folks, the filtration is superior.
I suspect the "No's" are either too cheap to purchase one or had a bad experience re-oiling the filter.
I agree that the performance is better but I disagree with the filtration comment. Every vehicle that I've ever run with a K&N filter (3 motorcyles and two cars) has had increased particulates clinging to the intake manifold upon inspection. I oiled the K&Ns religiously and have always seen the same fine grit downstream of the filter. The stock filter works fine as long as you replace it according to your driving habits...I drove about 150 dusty miles off-road in Montana this summer and need a filter change sooner than had I not been in the dust...common sense I know, but some folks don't like that.

I think K&Ns are fine on race motors that get torn down every so often but I'd never use one on a turbocharged, fuel injected family car.

Just my $.02....worth everthing you've paid for it!
Cheers,
Jorge

[doublecheese]

Some years ago, I made a thorough research on replacing my K&N filter in one of my previous cars.

It's true that K&N filters give you more torque and hp, however you must make sure that when you place the CONE type filter in your car, you place it in a place where it won't sniff the HOT AIR coming from your hot engine. You have to place it somewhere where it gets the fresh air directly from outside.

Then you can achieve close results to the advertised results....

For my car by then, (Opel Astra GSI 16V 2.0 167hp) we found out that K&N Cone type filter just lowered my HP and torque when my engine was hot. Because that car was a small car with a rather big engine for the engine compartment so there were not too much room to fiddle around.

Therefore we still used a K&N filter (not cone type) which was exactly same size/shape as the original filter and fitted inside the original air filter box in the car which gave us a HP increase of 2.3 %

[v70+xc70]

K&N let more dirt through. Know of one example driven in dusty environment where the engine failed because it let so much dust in

Over oiling will destroy your Mass air flow sensor.....

[Allen]

Because of this thread, I've decided to uninstall my K&N air filter.
Most points make sense.

[SnowDog]

This discussion came up for me a couple years ago on a forum regarding BMW motorcycles with many of the same conclusions. The K&Ns are excellent filters out of the box and will likely perform better than OEM for some time. But if you choose the K&N, you should count on replacing it at the same intervals as the OEM, since the "recharging", or oiling, of the K&N is when the trouble begins - higher particulate numbers pass through the filter, as well as a nice mist of sticky pink oil.

Keep in mind - I'm paraphrasing the research of others here (in typical Internet fashion). I'm sure more scientific data could be found if you feel like google fishing.

I'll trust Volvo to provide a quality filter. No K&N in my XC (or my BMW GS) and I agree with PDXXC that the filters are more suitable for the racing world where longevity isn't the issue.

[PDXXC]

This discussion came up for me a couple years ago on a forum regarding BMW motorcycles with many of the same conclusions. The K&Ns are excellent filters out of the box and will likely perform better than OEM for some time. But if you choose the K&N, you should count on replacing it at the same intervals as the OEM, since the "recharging", or oiling, of the K&N is when the trouble begins - higher particulate numbers pass through the filter, as well as a nice mist of sticky pink oil.

Keep in mind - I'm paraphrasing the research of others here (in typical Internet fashion). I'm sure more scientific data could be found if you feel like google fishing.

I'll trust Volvo to provide a quality filter. No K&N in my XC (or my BMW GS) and I agree with PDXXC that the filters are more suitable for the racing world where longevity isn't the issue.

Hey SnowDog
Yep my '02 GS Adv and '92 GSPD both run stock paper very well. My Volvo will also continue to run stock.
Cheers,
Jorge aka, Advrider-Rubber Cow.

[Allen]

Welp, I switched back to the paper filter a couple of days ago.

During use of the K&N, it was difficult to drive the car at slow speeds. It was either barely moving or ramping up hard. No in-between for slow city driving.
The transmission was beginning to hunt during the slow speeds.
Shifting was getting more violent. The engine was noisey.

When I stepped into the turbo, the engine would rev up so quickly it barely had time to create horsepower, and would go into the red easily causing the rev limiter to kick in.

With the K&N, gas mileage was excellent, improving from 18.3 to 26.5. I also changed to Amsoil Euro 5W30 and Tufoil oil additive, which plays into this quick revving and mileage increase.




With the paper filter in, the engine ramps up much slower, allowing horsepower to generate rather than passing it by as it goes into the red.

The transmission no longer hunts, but shifts perfectly and smoothly, just as it did before I switched to the K&N.

The engine is quieter.

Plenty of torque in the lower revs. Very easy to drive slow if needed.

Gas mileage is falling. Breathability is decreasing, and can be felt when stepping into the turbo. A kind of choking is happening as the paper filter resists air flow at higer revs. Lower revs don't tax the filter, but higher revs reveal the paper's limitations.

However, good filtration is occuring, bottom end torque is back up, engine noise is down, tranny's working perfectly, and I'm moving beyond the K&N religion.[mad2]

I love my car.[thumbup]

[Allen]

Update: Now that I've removed the K&N air filter, mileage continues to fall. It's down to 24.8 right now.

The highest the computer has read so far was 27 MPG.

The car runs extremely well, and the mileage drop is a worthy compromise.

I've got some Nokian WRs coming in the mail this week. Can't wait to put those on.

I also ordered some custom floor mats from GG Bailey. Got 'em yesterday, and though they're not as heavy-duty as I'd hoped, they're still very nice, and look great.

[volvoshad]

There are a number of anecdotes about the K & N letting more dirt into the engine. If this is true, it will ultimately end up in the oil. My last OA showed low silicates (pre-K&N). With the next oil change, I will get another OA, and see if the silicates are up. This will be more quantitative than just a visual inspection of the TB. I will post results when available.

[Forkster]

If you ever visit http://www.bobistheoilguy.com - his tests on the K&N offer such little airflow gain, it's not enough to make any difference. A pop-charger maybe, even then, its more show than go.

Personally, I put a k&n in my 99 Maxima, not because I was after performance gains, but because I wanted a re-usable air filter. I'm a GREEN kind of guy and if I can take my old filter out, wash it, re-oil it properly, put it back in, that's fine by me. But I don't think you have to use a k&n in particular but its a greener solution than buying an air filter that you 'throw out' after a couple of years.

I personally think we should be looking at these kind of products instead of our typical consumerist attitude of buy-use-throw-out. It's not sustainable, and its not good to the environment. And we all know better than to criticize a 'green' product, apart from its bogus performance gains. :)

[KCsXC]

I have ran K&N filters for the last 4 years on my 02 with no issues. However I never try and clean and re-oil myself, always by new and replace. I have checked downstream several times and found the intake line very clean. My theory of switching to K&N was at the time the dealer wanted $39.00 for an OEM filter and I can get a K&N for $50.00. The K&N filter lasts longer than OEM and I figure that it is cheaper to replace a K&N filter yearly than an OEM a few times thorught out the year.
I am interested in the observation that the tranny runs better and engine quieter with the OEM. I am going to try this for myself and get back to you all.

KC

[skibo]

...I figure that it is cheaper to replace a K&N filter yearly than an OEM a few times thorught out the year....

???

The recommended change-out on the OEM filter is 37,500 miles, and when I changed mine at 40,000 it looked pretty clean. Unless you are driving in some very unusual conditions, or huge numbers of miles, I'm not sure why you'd want to change the OEM filter a few times each year.

[audrey in colorado]

Glad I read these posts. I was considering putting in a K&N filter in my 2001v70 xc but decided after reading these threads I'm not going to do it. Thanks