Mr.White Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 So im curious if its worth it to buy a k&N air filter for my 1st Gen W-body grand prix with the 3.4 Dohc. Does it do the amount of power its said to? I would assume a tune would be involved in order to get the power out of it. i appreciate you checking out this post - Mr.White Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psych0matt Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 it's worth grabbing one, although I doubt it adds much power. It's reuasable and sounds pretty mean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaPrix Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 (edited) it's worth grabbing one, although I doubt it adds much power. It's reuasable and sounds pretty mean This right here, I have them because they're reusable, clean and oil once a year (I switch between cars so, not a lot of mileage). So many people get ripped off at quick change shops on replacing filters its ridiculous. I believe there's dry air-filters that are reusable as well but I'm unfamiliar with those. Edited April 19, 2013 by GaPrix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 a K&N filter not only adds no power compared to a new paper filter of any kind, filtering efficiency on them is crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_e777 Posted April 25, 2013 Report Share Posted April 25, 2013 Wont do much but being re-usable is a good plus, and what RobertSaar said. They knocked down the filtering abilities to have greater airflow and made them red and thats about it. You want power? Exhaust manifolds and downpipe are the ones you want to be upgrading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhatTheFehl Posted April 25, 2013 Report Share Posted April 25, 2013 The only reason I have a cone style air filter on my Grand Prix is because it is necessary with the intake I have. Otherwise, I would much much rather just replace a disposable filter than screw around with cleaning and oiling a reusable one. A lot of unnecessary frustration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_e777 Posted April 25, 2013 Report Share Posted April 25, 2013 . A lot of unnecessary frustration. Depends on how drunk you are before attempting:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted April 25, 2013 Report Share Posted April 25, 2013 (edited) This right here, I have them because they're reusable, clean and oil once a year (I switch between cars so, not a lot of mileage). So many people get ripped off at quick change shops on replacing filters its ridiculous. I believe there's dry air-filters that are reusable as well but I'm unfamiliar with those. a K&N filter not only adds no power compared to a new paper filter of any kind, filtering efficiency on them is crap. The WORST THING YOU CAN DO with a K&N-style "oiled gauze" air filter is to clean it TOO OFTEN. If there isn't an eighth-inch of crap on the outside of the filter, DO NOT CLEAN IT. The thing filters BETTER when there's a build-up of dirt on it. The dirt wicks oil off of the gauze, the oiled-dirt BECOMES PART OF THE FILTER MEDIA, and makes the filter more effective. Folks don't read the instructions from K&N, they wash them every time there's a hint of dirt on 'em, and then end up disappointed because the filter isn't "working right". Buy two filters, install the "clean" one for the car show or cruise night so it looks pretty when you open the hood. Use the dirty one when you drive the car. It filters better than the clean one. K&N has suggested that sometimes you may need to add a touch more oil to the filter, because the accumulated dirt will have absorbed all the excess from the gauze, and the gauze represents a "reservoir" of oil. All of this was on the K&N web site the last time I researched for a similar post. I suppose it's still there, but I'm not going to look it up again. There's a long and involved junk-science review of air filters that's been circulating the internet for a dozen years. Supposedly "proves" that K&N filters are crap, and they use "calibrated dirt" as part of the methodology. Problem is, they dump all the dirt onto the filter in a few minutes, and the dirt doesn't have time to wick oil from the gauze like it would in real-life. Beware junk science. Cone-style filters on aftermarket "warm air intakes" are a load of crap. The OEM air box is specifically tuned to damp-out intake roar; the crappy aftermarket or home-made air intakes have no such tuning. They're noisy, give the impression of power...but are absolutely worthless on the dyno. Edited April 25, 2013 by Schurkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted April 25, 2013 Report Share Posted April 25, 2013 paper filters also filter better as they age, but their initial filtering efficiency is a lot better than K&N and other gauze type filters. i'd like to see at what airflow will a paper filter is actually a restriction at the size that 1G W filter boxes use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted April 25, 2013 Report Share Posted April 25, 2013 (edited) Easy to see when your filter is restricted. Diesel pickups, medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles (City busses, construction equipment, semi tractors, etc) have been using restriction gauges for years. They've become rather inexpensive. NAPA has 14 different part numbers ranging from under twenty bucks to about $80. Amazon has a few, here's a $16 example: Wix 24801 Air Filter Monitor Kit Or get one for a few dollars at a salvage yard that has diesel vehicles. The ones I like best have a nipple and vacuum hose, so the indicator can be mounted anywhere, with only the hose actually being connected to the clean side of the intake tract. You can even get them with a built-in electric switch that would light-up an "idiot light" on the dashboard. Because of the difference in airflow between a diesel and a throttled (gasoline/E85) vehicle, I'd expect that ANY indication of restriction on the gauge used on a gasoline engine would be sufficient to consider servicing the filter, so the light-on-the-dashboard probably wouldn't be calibrated properly for a throttled engine. Edited April 25, 2013 by Schurkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted April 25, 2013 Report Share Posted April 25, 2013 i'm fairly certain my father's 99 yukon(5.7 gas) has a restriction indicator as well... looks like the pressure between the air filter and throttle plate is compared to atmospheric presure to indicate restriction(and if i had to guess based on how that looks, it "ratches" down to hold the highest restriction measured, with a button to release)? seems like a 1 BAR MAP sensor could be used as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted April 25, 2013 Report Share Posted April 25, 2013 i'm fairly certain my father's 99 yukon(5.7 gas) has a restriction indicator as well... IF (big IF) it is calibrated differently than a diesel unit, that'd be the kind to buy. Does it have a part number on it? looks like the pressure between the air filter and throttle plate is compared to atmospheric presure to indicate restriction(and if i had to guess based on how that looks, it "ratches" down to hold the highest restriction measured, with a button to release)? Yes. seems like a 1 BAR MAP sensor could be used as well. Or a vacuum gauge, but it better be a decent one because 1" of vacuum would be plenty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted April 25, 2013 Report Share Posted April 25, 2013 probably be a while before i see it again to verify.... i took a look on alldata, and while it confirms that it should be present, it doesn't give a part number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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