K & N?

[capriceman]

I was wondering about getting a K&N Air Filter but i dont know if its worth the money? Do any of you out there have one?

Since $40 bucks is alot for one. But I have been looking at one. E 1500 is the one i need.

But Since friday i got some Flowmasters put in the Caprice. it was about $300 dollars. since i need a new muffler any way why not go all out. Also I increased the Exhaust by a 1/2 inch. Now the Car Has alot more go. Im just wondering about going with a performance air filter.

[NOS2006]

K&N is a joke. If you can feel a difference in the same size airfilter by switching brands, your last one must've had a wad of mud stuck in it. I think you get like 1/50 of the horsepower they say you do at the wheels.

[Nick]

I can't answer as far as K&N drop-in filters go in the performance department...I can't imagine there are any significant gains...Though, they are good filters, you can clean them and reuse them, and they filter pretty well. Only drawbacks I know of is that you have to oil them...after a while the oil can create a thin residue/layer on your MAF which would throw off readings...nothing a little carb/brake cleaner can't fix though.

[balthazar]

Independant testing has revealed that aftermarket oiled air filters only provide a negligable HP boost and that's only when they are spotlessly clean. As they get any dirtier than spotless, they actually perform worse than a paper element throughout their respective life (oiled: to next oiling (often recommended @ 40K) vs. paper: replacement).... and the gap widens, too.

There's a reason no manufacturer (to my knowledge; other than perhaps a stray sports car or 2) uses oiled elements from the factory. The oiled filter advertising hype is largely based on Week 1 of use only.

[scharmer05]

i put in a K&N drop in and right away I could notice a little change...especially in the sound of the exhaust on the impala along with the magnaflow exhaust, and it felt as though the torque band was a little smoother...didn't feel like it added any horsepower though....still felt the same. I haven't noticed that it went away at all. It has been about 20k since I put it in so I still haven't cleaned it yet. I was thinking about doing it sometime the beginning of the summer. I don't know I would say go for it...even if it doesn't do anything for it, you'll never have to buy another filter again cus you can just clean it.

[balthazar]

When I bought mine I did a price comparison: it would take me 10 years of annual paper filter replacements to 'break even' with the K&N, and that 10 years was without figuring in the cost of the cleaning/reoiling kit. This was before the patent ran out (2 years ago??) and another 6 companies brought out there own oiled filters (Air Hog and Barry Grant are but 2)- the K&N prices may have had to decline in the face of competition since. Still, cost effectiveness needs to be carefully computed before assuming 'you'll save money'. Most people don't keep their vehicles nearly as long as 10 years.

[scharmer05]

i bought my k&n on ebay. paid $35 for it to be at my door.

[balthazar]

Sounds like a decent price- obviously they vary depending on the specific filter. Mine was $54 ('over the counter') when the same paper element was around $5.

[Northstar]

I've thought about getting a K&N CAI for my GTO, but I don't really have the money to spend on it. It's $210+ and it gives you an 18HP gain so I guess it's relatively cheap for the performance you get.

Does it have the same setbacks as the filter?

[balthazar]

ANY oiled-element air filter will only give you X-more HP for the first few months or so (IMO) of daily driving before dirt, dust & debris rob you of power over factory-spec filters. Unless you intend to clean it 6 times a year.

The CAI --assuming it's well-designed-- should provide more power regardless. I would use the CAI package with a paper element for best results.

[capriceman]

Well if that doesnt help out. what for around $100 will get me some major horse power. I have to order CUSTOM headers if i go that route which isnt plauseable.

[Derek77]

Well if that doesnt help out. what for around $100 will get me some major horse power. I have to order CUSTOM headers if i go that route which isnt plauseable.

What year Caprice is it? And why do you need custom headers?

Summit Racing makes good headers on the cheap. You can get them with ceramic coating for well under $200 too.

[Camino LS6]

There are non-oiled high flow filters out there, check into that.

[capriceman]

What year Caprice is it? And why do you need custom headers?

Summit Racing makes good headers on the cheap. You can get them with ceramic coating for well under $200 too.

1990 older boxy style.

Every where i go no one has headers for it. I would have to get them made specificly for my car. its a 305 and not a 350 which is part of the problem. i think the 350 and the 305 have different exhaust port placement.

[capriceman]

There are non-oiled high flow filters out there, check into that.

who makes them or how much are they on average?

[Buickfosure]

Accel Power Filter Looks like a good performance air filter one time use and it isn't too bad in price

[76ChevyTrucker]

capriceman, the 350 and 305 are the same basic design with a different bore. Exhaust placement is the same, if you stripped down the two engines and walked in someone who knew engines, they wouldn't be able to tell you the difference between them until you got the heads off.

[capriceman]

capriceman, the 350 and 305 are the same basic design with a different bore.  Exhaust placement is the same, if you stripped down the two engines and walked in someone who knew engines, they wouldn't be able to tell you the difference between them until you got the heads off.

Ok. hmmm so does that mean i could use performance intake systems for the LT1 in my car?

[daves87rs]

CP, I would avoid oiled filters all together.

They do improve the airflow, but at the cost of your oil and sensors.

and since you don't live in a decent year round weather state, then they are pretty much useless. Same thing if you do more city driving.

K&N actually protect less, as smaller particles get though the filter, dirting the oil even faster. and many times the film ends up on sensors, messing them up too.

That might be ok for a large truck, but are useless in cars. I had one in my s-10

4.3, and I did see some benefit.

I considered one for wife's car-but I wanted better filter protection-which paper filters offer.

[Camino LS6]

My firehawk uses the Donaldson Blackwing filter, flows like mad. Donaldson makes all kind of performance filters for industry but I don't know if they make something that would work on your car or not.

[rivieraranch]

This was before the patent ran out (2 years ago??) and another 6 companies brought out there own oiled filters (Air Hog and Barry Grant are but 2)-

I should have bought one of them Cary Grant filters . . .

[rivieraranch]

I am leasing Lacrosse with a 3.8 and decided to drop in a K&N. I see only a very small improvement in fuel economy. As it is, the 3.8 with the K&N does not get better mileage than my previous supercharged 3.8 did. The only benefit is that I can run regular gas in the 3.8. Should I clean this filter annually to maximize the benefit?

[daves87rs]

I am leasing Lacrosse with a 3.8 and decided to drop in a K&N. I see only a very small improvement in fuel economy. As it is, the 3.8 with the K&N does not get better mileage than my previous supercharged 3.8 did. The only benefit is that I can run regular gas in the 3.8. Should I clean this filter annually to maximize the benefit?

Unless you are seeing better pick up , at least, I would just buy a regular filter and save your money...

[rkmdogs]

Ok. hmmm so does that mean i could use performance intake systems for the LT1 in my car? 

Capriceman, you need to go on line to some of the "B" body sites, and read about the differences.

No, you cannot use LT1 headers--- if you could find them, but you could use L98

equipment.

The big difference is, you do not have the reverse-flow cooling system used with

the LT1 design, and therefore your coolant ports in the heads will not match the

intake manifolds.

Go read some of the back files in Hot Rod, to see what you can do with a 305.

BUT, performance costs money. How fast do you want to go?

AND.......... 100 bucks might buy you a good tune-up, and not much more!

I just spent over $600 wholesale, for parts for a major tune on my LT1!

The biggest and most economical performance change that you could make is

an engine swap! Go find a good 5.7L from a wrecked Camaro and do a swap. :AH-HA_wink:

[capriceman]

some one told me to do a trans swap with a turbo 400 and put a shift kit in it and change my torque converter. He said it makes a huge difference in performance and gets some real tire spinage

Do you think its true? would i need a beefy drive shaft and rear end to?

[Intrepidation]

There's always that million mile truck that's been using the same K & N filter.

Anyway, I looked up the filter for my car (Autozone.com) and it only costs $35 bucks...which I don't think is that bad.

[balthazar]

305 doesn't need the inherant brute strength the TH400 offers; won't develop nearly enough HP/TRQ. TH400 takes another 18 HP to spin over a TH350- which is an upgrade over the TH250 your 305 likely is bolted to.

Same applies to the rear/driveshaft: if you keep the 305- there just isn't much in the way of 'gonzo' parts out there to require a beefed drivetrain.

I agree with rkmdogs: swap in a 350 then we can talk trans/rear upgrades.

[mightymouse]

305 doesn't need the inherant brute strength the TH400 offers; won't develop nearly enough HP/TRQ. TH400 takes another 18 HP to spin over a TH350- which is an upgrade over the TH250 your 305 likely is bolted to.

Same applies to the rear/driveshaft: if you keep the 305- there just isn't much in the way of 'gonzo' parts out there to require a beefed drivetrain.

I agree with rkmdogs: swap in a 350 then we can talk trans/rear upgrades.

So true. Save your money. I have tried K&Ns...they work great for a few months.

After they are dirty, it's a lost cause. That oil and dirt does not come out....

Your money is better spent on new air filters! You can get 5 for the cost of 1 K&N.

So sorry, 4000lbs + 305 = bad news.

You need a lighter car, and at least a 350.... before you even think about a TH400

and a rear end. the 400 would also need a different crossmember and likely

drive shaft changes too. It's not the same length as what you have now.

[capriceman]

hmmm. so that 180 hp beast isnt enough. Engine swap just seems like to much of a hasle right now. maybe a camshaft change and headers but thats it. maybe a intake no more than 1700 is going into it for a cheap hp bump.

I think im retiring the engine swaping days after last time when the engine hoist broke and droppe a engine 3 inches from me its lost intrest.

I dont want some sleeper just want some more cruisng power.

[NOS2006]

If you don't want a sleeper, you'd better throw on some vinyls!

[capriceman]

and a fart can bolted to my 2 1/2 stianless steel exhaust tip?

plus a fake air intake on my hood

Edited April 30, 2006 by capriceman