K&N Air filter...

Do you have a link to these tests?

 

Google?
K&N air filter or OEM, why OEM is better

How well do K&N air filters work? — Autoblog

Filtration Testing for Amsoil, K&N, Napa, Jackson Racing, Baldwin, and Mazda air filters on a Miata

 

wow good reading. I been hearing more and more tuners and racers that they are using only dry filters and in the world of rally a filter sock is a must if you are using a cone style filter. I'm with most on saying that the stock filter and air box is more then sufficient for our under powered cars. I personally have a K&N and it has saved me a lot of money by just cleaning it and a slight re-oil. I was sure that if there were gains to be seen that it would be very very minimal if any.

Also, I'm confused. How would adding a air filter dirty your engine oil? It seems as if these people are running through straight dirt with there hoods open and never change their oil or oil filter. If any foreign contaminants were entering my engine through the intake Id be more worried about valves and pistons.

 

That is the whole point of worrying about contaminated oil. It adds abrasives that will wear on cylinder walls and bearings.

Y ou are right that in high HP applications a K&N type filter is the way to go but a lot of this is due to the wide variety of sizes available and overall engine protection is not as important since most engines putting out 700+ HP usually don't last very long anyway.

 

I just bought one for my Prius V (Veee) . Hoping I didnt waste my money after reading these reviews

 

All in all, it probably wont hurt your car, but it probably won't help much either. I regret buying one for my other car (a Honda) because the maintenance is just one more thing you have to do.

 

Maybe I can cancel my order as I just ordered today... Thanks

 

I have one and I haven't had any issues with it. I love it, I would keep the k&n.

Also, welcome to prius chat!

 

Thanks Dave.. I love this place. Such a wealth of info. This is my first Prius and car forum. Im just loving my car I could drive for hours

 

Nice reports but I don't buy. And FYI. Original post is from 2008. Update your info

I might agree that the paper might catch more dirt as that is the purpose

K and N is to let air through. It's not really a filter for dirt. Like OEM makes theirs

 

I agree OEM is made to be extremely restrictive, it’s designed and intended to be that way.
That’s why using a drop-in K&N is one of the first steps in improving breathing of the engine.
The next step is to remove the resonator... but that's in another post.

http://priuschat.com/threads/cold-air-intake-not-a-joke-or-noob-question.103291/

 

Blitz makes a panel filter that's dry, but is less restrictive than stock.
BLITZ LM PANEL FILTER: PRIUS 04-07

 

I put the drop in K&N in FRED, my 2012 Gen III, it is the only mod I’ve done. I have used them for several years on my other cars, because they all had small low horsepower engines, and I have a lot of hills to climb on a daily basis. Don’t expect any “knock your socks off” performance increase here, it is very slight, and only noticeable in certain situations. I can however agree with an earlier post that talked about a slight hesitation when needing to floor it, after adding the K&N that hesitation is gone. I also notice that the Prius like my other cars has a slightly easier time climbing the big hills around here. That is where the K&N can help, in situations where you are using close to wide open throttle, such as climbing hills or merging onto expressways with a lot of high speed traffic. Don’t expect any MPG increases on the Prius; it is so efficient to begin with, that even if there were, it would be very hard to measure. I did notice about a 1-2 MPG increase on my GM Cavaliers and my last car, a GM Cobalt; however the total MPG is much lower so 1-2 MPG is a big enough percentage to notice it. I also made sure to get the blessing of the mechanic at the dealer that will be doing FRED’s maintenance before I went ahead with it. He said it would help with the specific things that I wanted to use it for, and he was right. Again, unless you need wide open throttle or close to it in your daily driving, it is probably not worth the expense. I also took the time to wipe down the rubber gasket and any other areas that looked like there might be a little extra oil, to make sure none would get to the MAF sensor, and I have had no problems with this situation. Other posters are correct that the K&N will let a little more dirt through, so make sure not to skip any of your oil and filter changes. I have had no trouble with my engines from any extra dirt, but I don’t drive in areas with a lot of airborne dirt, if you do, this filter may not be for you. Some folks make it sound like your car will explode if you use one, that just isn’t true, but it won’t turn your Prius into a fire breathing street racer either. Don’t remove the carbon filter, as it is part of your pollution control system; and as always YMMV.