Do any of ya'll use this air filter in your PSD?
I'm talking about the drop in replacement.
What do you think of it?
Is it all hype or is it really that good?

 

I wouldn't use the drop in K&N for sure, but would avoid K&N in general. I like the Tymar, if you like a reusable filter get the AFE. These are both better than the K&N.

 

why no K&N? is it only performance reasons or other problems too?

 

I have had no problems with mine. But I noticed very little if any improvement in performance. Not really noticable in millage increase either. But I will never have to buy another air filter so its ok!!!

 

They don't perform as well as the Tymar and AFE, and the K&N also lets in fine dust. As for never replacing the K&N, I read somewhere that Banks actually recommends replacing it after a few washes due to pinholing. Check out some of the other discussions on this site and others regarding K&N filters, not the best filter for a turbo charged engine.

 

I am looking at other air intake systems but i do not like the open element deal. I think i might go with AFE. thanks for your advice, i'm going to dump K&N as soon as i can.

 

Remember. Opinions are like A**holes. Everyone has one. I have had no problems with my KN intake kit. No problems with the turbo when I inspect. Could tell when I put it on, because the engine was better able to breath.

 

(Dito) I'm with RescueBob!

 

Got a couple of them ... if ya want one .... K&N filter that is

 

I like my K&N. I did notice the engine breathing a little easier. Mine tends to get dirty really fast though, but I've checked the air intake after the filter and haven't seen any dust buildup or anything else. I do want to change over to the Tymar or the other one because I've talked to a couple of folks around here who have them and they do seem to have better airflow.

basstardo

 

I've always heard different opinions on the matter, so in a truly non-scientific test, I decided that the K&N does let fine grit pass through more than a standard paper filter. Here's what I did to arrive at that conclusion:

I had an old vacuum cleaner and an idea.... a homemade "airbox" + ducting + various filters + different kinds of dirt....
For a dirt trap, I was going to use a metal plate coated with grease, but I stumbled upon something better: gluey mousetraps. I used a compressor to keep the dirt airborne inside the box, 30 minutes for each filter.

Results: I could only get 2 types of dirt to blow around much inside the box, the fine sand, and the stuff I got from a construction site, which was a fine dust. I used a 40x microscope to visually compare the trapped particles, and it was no contest, I could see about twice as much dirt on the K&N "mousetraps." I actually ran the K&N twice because the first time I thought I had a leak somewhere in the ducting.

Again, this is a totally NON-scientific test. Take it for what it's worth. Things not accounted for:
- The K&N is supposedly more effective when it's dirty. I compared a new Baldwin PA2818 to a freshly cleaned (second cleaning) RC4780 K&N element, which is the one used on their "off road" kit for the Superduties. BTW there is a filter wrap available for it now... it would be interesting to see how that performs.
- Airflow. I have no idea how much airflow my vacuum cleaner was creating. It was a Eureka canister vac (home type).
- Tester (that's me) bias / error. For example, what if I didn't oil the K&N correctly?

Things to consider:
- Although the K&N passed more dirt, both filtered very well... I was surprised at how litte dust actually got through. You really had to have a microscope to see the dirt.
- If you drive on the road, how much fine dust do you really have to worry about?

The thing that made me switch to paper: I got tired of cleaning the K&N. The whole process of washing it (messy and you can't do it in the middle of nowhere), letting it dry (sometimes you can't tell when it's really dry), and then oiling it (did I miss any spots?) takes too long.

 

I have one of the prefilters for one of the K&N filters I have, I know it keeps stuff of any size from getting into the pleats.

Cleaning and oiling are the big reasons I went with the Tymar...I'm lazy