Motorcraft did it...

Over-oiling is the problem there. No manufacturer can guarantee trouble free service if you don't use the product properly in the first place. I have run K&N's in all my vehicles with 0 problems. And as far as the oiled filter being at fault, my dad's 1996 Powerstroke had a K&N on it when he bought it with 68k miles on it, he now has 250k miles on it going strong and that truck has a turbocharger sucking the air through the filter much faster/harder than any of us w/o turbos. I also ran one on my Cummins with no problems but the Powerstroke turbo is much larger.

 

A test run by a firefighter/tree cutter that drives a chevy saying that chevy's air filter is the best, i'm sold

The fact that he drives a truck with no front axle and an engine made by Isuzu disqualifies him out of the gate

 

Really?

I'm as much of a Ford fan as anyone else here, but to automatically discredit someone based on the brand of vehicle they drive is absolutely ridiculous. Also, that guy is just reporting the results. The guy that actually did the testing works for the company that runs these tests and actually drives a PSD powered Ford.

As long as the test was performed in accordance to ISO 5011 specifications and the results are being accurately reported, there's no reason to discredit them. Of course, these two guys are the only ones who know if that's actually the case.

 

We can have this debate until we are blue in the face, but both sides are still going to believe what they want to.

My main point in all of this is that K&N filters not really the miracle product they claim to be.

I used them for quite a few years in several different vehicles. Not once did I see any increase in power or gas mileage. They also ended up costing me more in the long run because I didn't keep the vehicles long enough that I would have been replacing several paper filters.

Are you going to wreck your engine by using one? Highly doubtful. The amount of dirt you would get in your engine is probably not enough to hurt anything in the long run anyway. The amount of dirt those filters in the test were exposed to in less than an hour is probably more than the average vehicle would see in its entire life.

Are you going to see increased power and mileage? Probably not anything that you will notice.

Are you going to save money by not having to buy new filters? Depends how long you keep the vehicle. Most people probably don't keep vehicles long enough for the K&N to pay for itself.

With the billions of dollars that the auto manufacturers spend on R&D to get the most out of their vehicles, it's my theory that if you could really get more power, better mileage, and better filtration out of this type of filter, they would probably be installing them at the factory.

 

These aftermarket filters will increase your power by 10-15 HP on a modified motor , on a stock truck with no ***** you won't notice much , thats why you can't tell the difference....Lew

 

But at what RPM? My truck seldom goes over 3000 rpm, and it's usually under 2500. Most dyno plots I have seen only show improvement at crazy-high engine speeds where I will never be at anyways. As you said, I'm not even going to notice it (I do have a K&N in mine now, installed by a previous owner).

 

Yes at low rpm 2500-3000 you won't notice it , they help more on the higher reving 302s 3500-10'000

 

Yeah same here, the PO put a K&N on mine and it seems to get dirty rather quick. I wash it before winter and in the spring time but it's always so black when the time comes, either the area I live in is very polluted or something else is going on. I would have a paper filter but the PO removed the stock filter box and intake tube...

 

I wish that was the case, I really do. But you're forgetting the that the EPA doesn't let them do that. In other countries, sure, but not in America. In other countries our beloved Ford is pumping out cars that get 70+mpg's, they have that ability, just not permission to give them to us.

Are the air restrictor tubes that came in my truck designed to give me more power and mileage? How about the restrictive heads and exhaust that meet emissions requirements?

At the end of the day Ford has to make a profit and an extra few bucks per vehicle ads up to a lot. Is the stock filter "good enough?" sure it is and that's why they use it. Is it the best filter money can buy? No

 

You caught me, I almost had some fun with this debate. I do voluntarily come to this forum after all because I enjoy it. I'm not here to write textbooks, i'm here to give/take knowledge about the trucks we all enjoy.

I had been posting test results from both K&N and Motorcraft and people told me that my test results were biased. And then this one comes up from a random chevy owner saying that chevy filters are the best. I'm merely saying that the tests I posted at least have some checks and balances (false advertising laws, better business bureau etc.).

 

There used to be several good links, but most are dead links now. I'll see if any are still good. Here is another one.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/air-fi...ltration-test/

That ISO test that was linked to used to be one I had, but it was on a different site.

Results from manufacturers don't prove anything. The tests need to be done by an independant party.

My friend had that MAF sensor fail in his truck after installing a new KN. It was pre oiled by the manufacturer, so over oiling shouldn't have been the issue. That is one reason not to buy one.

I had their so called cold air intake, that is actually a hot air intake. It did not seal up at the throttle body at all. I felt it to be inferior.

We had a few drop in replacements on different vehicles and I was not impressed at all. If you look at them closely, you may notice them start to deteriorate near the edges.

Even our 97 Cobra runs the best with a stock filter.

My 65 Mustang has a modified roller 302 from a fox body in it. I had a KN on it for a short time. Now it has a Wix. It runs just as good with the Wix even under wide open throttle.

Something else is, alot of the performance diesel guys won't run them because they let in more dirt, which causes premature turbo failure.

On top of that, cleaning and servicing them is a hassle.

 

X2 Especially on that last statement.

 

I'd get a stock air box and intake tube from the salvage yard.

 

I may be out of line and may not say any thing BUT my 92 has a stock from the factory K&N in it as dose my buddys 93 with the 460. I have seen alot of the K&N factory filters and the stickers on the air boxes stating that the filters are the K&N and the how to maintain them. Now with all that said I am not sure if they truly make a differance or not. So if it wer me I would go back to the K&N to replace an air filter if the cleaning and recharge kit did do a good job. MY OPINION.

 

I'm not aware of any Ford truck that came from the factory with a K&N filter. It was probably installed by the previous owner. The sticker comes with the filter when you buy it.