Like edible paper elements? Sorry, couldn't help myself! I'd say hassle factor (important special care) makes them not for everyone.

Actually that made me think of something with the gauze elements that really makes me nervous; Buying a truck that has one and not knowing how the filter was mantained, or buying a used filter.

 

In my opinion, the majority of people that are having complaints about them aren't using them correctly.

Plain and simple.

 

This was my thought too. Many people seem to think that a filter has to be cleaned every month to work right. They don't realize that it's pretty much the same as a pair of socks; every time you wash them they get a little more threadbare, until you can see right through them. K&N specifies that you only wash their filters every 50 to 100 thousand miles. I think that's pretty important. If I had one I'd install it and just leave it alone and keep an eye on the minder.

 

I don't bother mine unless the filter minder is pulled down.

 

Most people that live in the city don't need a filter that filter better than a K+N but if you are a Rancher, farmer, or construction and are on gravel roads alot, it isn't a good filter. They have improved in recent years as many of thier competitors have better filtration.

As Nickg posted there is a very good independant test done on many brands of filters including K+N. I used to run all my vehicles with K+N's but not anymore after reading that test.

 

K&Ns were an option from the dealer when my trucks were brand new. Every Dodge dealer back then had them for sale.

Seems like if Chrysler thought they were good enough to cover under warranty they must be ok.

 

I think they are ok! They've suffered from a lot of Internet noise, but I have yet to read of anyone who actually used one and had bad silicon numbers in their oil analysis. All my oil analysis numbers have been just fine.

 

I agree with Robert, Bill, torquefan yellowyota on these K&N Filters!

I have been using them on my four Dodge CTD Pickups over the last fifteen years and have NEVER had any problems with them at all!
Like Robert, all my oil analysis' always come back good and IMHO the BIGGEST problem is IMPROPER CLEANING and RE-OILING of the K&N Filters!
Also, you have to let them dry THOROUGHLY after cleaning them.

--------
John_P

 

how do YOU oil them?

 

----------------------------------------------------------
I use the small K&N Filter Oil in the spray can and spray each pleat ONCE only
going from top to bottom. After I am completely done doing all the pleats I let the filter sit for about an hour. After that I come and look for the telltale "whitespots" (areas oil didn't fully penetrate) and I lightly hit those spots.

 

Thats how I do mine. Do you do both sides or just dirty side

 

Click> http://www.knfilters.com/cleaning.htm

 

I never seen that, not here in Canada anyway, I know you would loose warranty with Ford if your truck had a K&N on it. Maybe there is a reason they don't have them for sale anymore at the Dodge dealerships, I suspect it was the dealerships that liked the high markups on the K&N and it wasn't nessicarily Crysler endorcing them.

Take the time to read link and register so you can see the graphs, very interesting reading http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=117009, I was buying and running K&N's on every vehicle I owned (and still have 3 vehicles with them, will continue to run them on the track and low dust environments) but now that I got some good informed usable info on the subject, no more new K&N's for me. Other brands of performance filters perhaps. K&N just can't withstand much dust loading without becoming restrictive and they will let in to much large and small dust particles when clean. Thats just the facts, not speculation sorry, I felt a little taken by K&N when I finally took the time to read the test results.

 

Well I appreciate the input, but from my tests I haven't found a spec of dirt/dust come through it, so I'll keep running it. I usually don't drive in super dusty environments, that's what the company trucks are for.

 

Would these be oil analysis tests? Its the dirt you can't see that eats your engine.