K & N

[DASFREAK]

Just curious if the K & N filter makes that much of a difference if used on a bike with a stock ECM and pipes? No other performance upgrades. Thanks in advance.

 

[mrNICEGUY]

Not going to make a difference (at least not for the better) if fuel maps are left to stock too.

 

[user_deleted]

K & N filter

i hate 'em. but that's me.

 

[djs2k2]

Yes it will make a difference, you will go from a stock white and blue filter, to a k&n red and black filter! Mean no disrespect just board!

 

[dmp0001]

Not that you can notice. But they are washable and last forever. More potential with an open airbox.

 

[Internet Annoyance]

Some people hate K&Ns, theres even some website where some guy rants about them, havent seen anything that would say is valid about them, But i personally Like them, and have been using K&Ns since 1982 on all kinds of vehicles from race cars, to my hot rods, to farm machinery, they dont make filters for ALL of my applications, but enough universals i can adapt them. (Do you have one for a 1948 Triumph Speed twin?). By themselves you wont see a huge or even significant power increase, but on the other hand, they work better than a regular filter, it lasts for almost forever and you clean it and reuse it periodically, The idea is that combined with the modified airbox mod and a few other tasteful tweaks you would see an increase.
Some say the filters dont filter down to a fine enough particulate level and let too much dirt in, which the solution is simple, they make a prefilter for extra dirty apps, or you can make your own with HEPA filter material. Worked great for 3 seasons in stock car racing on Idaho and Oregon Dirt tracks for me before i stopped racing. Every motorcycle racer i know uses them as well. Dirt, road race and drag.

 

[go cytocis]

No performance improvement without exhaust & ECM. In my experience, you'll actually see a performance decrease

 

[snrusnak]

It's really hard to get pure FACTS on these topics...

From my experiences, I don't like K&N "type" (oiled) filters in general. I bought an airaid dry flow filter for my truck; it's just cleaner. The oiled filters make a mess. For the buell, I bought a K&N only because it's the "only" option(I know there are others but they are also oiled, I tried UNI the fit was not great).

As for performance, it's always best to match tuning to airflow in and out (intake and exhaust mods). But IMO, you will still get SOME performance increase. The ecm has some adjustment built in, even if stock. I guess my opinion is slightly invalid because when I did the K&N I also changed to the race maps, but I noticed a fair performance increase. Probably not a HUGE amount on a dyno, but it was enough that I actually felt it.

In other words; if anything, it will be equal or better to the stock filter.

 

[mrNICEGUY]

Nowadays filter technology has improved pretty much on every level, so that even stock vehicles have good filtering systems. It's not a rocket science, you only need to make sure you have a proper filter to do the job you want, like "Internet Annoyance" said.

Usually when people say they are not liking K&N, it's just only an opinion (like fancying red more than a blue).

Same thing with oil filters.

Here is some home made test's:

Flow test:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest2.htm

Filtration test:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest3.htm

Well there is a clear pattern on filtration ability compared to both flow and the type of filtration media used. The "high performance" cotton gauze and foam filters do not filter as well as some have claimed. I actually received an e-mail from K&N stating their filters filter within 99% of the OEM filters. This may be true, and 1% may not sound like much. I contend that 1% over many miles, may be important. Really, it is up to each individual to decide. The poorer flowing filters, remove more particles, and the better flowing filters remove less particles. If you think about it, that conclusion passes any and all common sense tests, so it is not surprising. There are many that will be shocked by the results, that should not be though. I've used high performance filters in the past, and I might again in the future. At the same time, I know that the stock OEM type filters perform very well in filtration and don't inhibit flow nearly as much as some think.

 

[DASFREAK]

Thanks for all the input guys.