K&N air filter

[J.K]

Hi all, my 2010 TDV6 D4 is about due for a service, was considering using a K&N air filter as the replacement, any one used these and do they improve performance at all ?

cheers JK

[ATH]

If that's the one you smother with oil I wouldn't bother personally. I used one for a while on a 300Tdi Disco I had many years ago and found no difference in anything except the mess to wash it when clogged with dust.
Threw it out after a couple of trips.
Now I take a spare OME filter if going off road and also just gently knock much of the dust out if I've been on really dusty tracks. Seems to do the trick OK.
AlanH.

[JDNSW]

A search on this forum should find quite a bit on these filters. (Not much of it very favourable)

As far as I can see the overall effect is that performance, with boost and fuel quantity controlled by the engine management system, should be unchanged. The reduction in intake silencing should give a significant improvement in the impression of performance (i.e. noisier), and the major reduction in filtering of intake air would see a reduction in engine life, depending on environment , of anything from maybe 10% to 90%.

[Slunnie]

With D2's the thinking is that LandRover brand filters are the most efficeint/effective, I would assume the same in this case also. Aside from using Finer/Uni filters as snorkel socks, I don't think there is a benefit on a 4WD.

[ramblingboy42]

this K&N thing has been flogged extensively in this forum.

most K&N enthusiasts also have a hi-clone fitted.

they are both as operationally efficient as each other.

[DoubleChevron]

I think there an expensive ****. The ones I've looked at ... sure they will make the inducation a lot louder .... and be fantastic hot air intakes (which will decrease performance for sure). Given I can see daylight through them quite readily ... they are certainly crap at filtering air. They might stop leaves and stones, but they aren't stopping dust if I can see through them .....

I may have been looking at the "sports" air cleaners though. Who knows, there standard replacement filters might be quite ok ( I'd never use one over a decent ribbed cardboard type aircleaner though .... not in a million years). The surface area for filtering on a well made OEM filters is a million times better than a small see through pod filter.

seeya
Shane L.

[Homestar]

Yep, as mentioned, good for screening out large insects, stones and kittens from your intake but not much else. Steer clear.

[discomatt69]

I used one in my D1 for a few years, from my experience providing you oil them correctly they filter better than a cheap paper filter. On really dusty tracks with the paper filters I would get a film of extreemly fine dust on the intake side after a few days, with the correctly oiled K&N it didn't happen. The total opposite from what a lot of people say. The issue is they clog up to quick and too much or not enough oil and that's where the issues arise.
Would I use one with the D4, no way, just stick with standard

[Hugh Jars]

K&N filters (and their copies) aren’t known in the automotive industry as ‘rock catchers’ for no reason. They may flow better, but there’s a reason for that. They are quite porous.
I’ve worked on numerous bikes fitted with them, and have always found dusting on the downstream of the filter in the intake piping.
You can work out what that means.
I steer clear of them...

[Homestar]

I used one in my D1 for a few years, from my experience providing you oil them correctly they filter better than a cheap paper filter. On really dusty tracks with the paper filters I would get a film of extreemly fine dust on the intake side after a few days, with the correctly oiled K&N it didn't happen. The total opposite from what a lot of people say. The issue is they clog up to quick and too much or not enough oil and that's where the issues arise.
Would I use one with the D4, no way, just stick with standard

I guarentee you'd still have dust get past the oil - a memebr who used to frequent here was one of only a handful of filtration Engineers in the country. He did a lot of tests - posted here somewhere - on air filters - OEM, aftermarket, K&N, etc - in all different conditions, brand new, dusty, clogged, just cleaned, oiled or not in the case of the K&N. The K&N always came out at the bottom for filtration - by an alarming amount, and the particulate size they let through was scary.

No 'I think' or 'a mate said' - actual scientific testing. There are plenty here that have seen tyese results - it would change your mind in a flash.

I think a well maintained, cleaned but used OEM paper filter scored best for actual filtration - better than a brand new one.