Correct me if I'm wrong... but the idea of K&N's is that you allow more
air flow by providing a less dense/restrictive filter medium than say,
paper, but it has a trick up it's sleeve to balance the increase in
volume. The smaller particulates that might have passed through the
filter otherwise, are caught, like flypaper, to the the oiled medium.
Subsequently, you have to clean the filters in a bath and re-oil on
reasonable intervals based on exposure.
It's truly "apples and oranges" to compare filter media without
comparing the benefits versus the disadvantages.
The K&N offers very good air flow with less restriction than paper.
The K&N filter can be cleaned and will last for years. (And,
subsequently, can be cleaned before specific events, like a day of racing.)
That said, you do have to clean them! And you do have to maintain the
oil on the filter medium in order for them to perform correctly.
In my opinion...
K&N filters are FAR better than running without filters or with
something basic like a stocking, or thin foam, etc. over velocity
stacks, etc.
It's also far better than having to maintain and replace standard
filters that are restrictive even when new.
It's also far better than the foam type filters and will last longer.
I bought cars with old foam filters on them and some of the foam often
disintegrated in my hands.
That said, one has to balance their own personal needs, finances, and
the conditions that the filters are likely to experience in determining
the best choice of filter media.
The experience mentioned by Randal where a filter was hit by water
suggests to me that the filter was simply quite dirty and when hit with
the water the material trapped in the oil of the filter was released in
the form of a mud. Answer to that? Don't mount filters where they
can be hit by water and keep the filters clean! I highly doubt that
the material that caused the clogging was actual filter material
itself. If the K&N's sloughed off fibers to the extent that they'd
block engine parts, by being hit by water just once, why would there
even be a filter left after years of cleaning and, supposedly, casting
off of fibers? It's not like it can grow new fibers between cleanings!
I had one set of K&N's for about 15 years, and I didn't sense any
difference in density or weight.
Yes, I'm biased... I like the K&N system.
--Justin
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