Has anyone used a K&N Air Filter on their Prius, and has any thoughts on if it was a good idea? Or, if you think it would be a good idea? I have one on my MR2 Turbo, and they're great. They seem easy enough to install. Dean 2010 Prius 3 2012 Prius 4
There's a thread here that had a big debate if a k&n filter did any good,, did nothing, or is even harmful to your prius. If I can find it, I'll post it here.
Don't. There are several reasons, but here's one that you might not have thought of. It's your Mass Air Flow sensor. I don't swing wrenches for a living, and I don't know if the G3 uses a hot wire type (somebody will chime in with the answer) and I don't know where this unit lives on a G3. However (comma!) I'd be willing to bet that there is one somewhere between the airbox and the ICE. So.....you're going to put an oil soaked gauze pad between the airbox and the motor, right? Oil is groovy stuff, because it traps and holds dirt, which is why K&N has you clean their filters and spray them down with....oil. I'm just not sure I want an air/oil mist cruising around inside my intake system's plumbing, because......(you gotta wait for it!) it traps and holds dirt. K&N's have to be oil sprayed for a reason. That reason is that they're really good at providing low-resistance air flow....but you gotta give something up for that. Right.....you got it. You loose filtration. ...and for what????? It's not going to improve your fuel efficiency, and it's not going to turn your PRIUS into a fire breathing, tire smoking monster. When I did some research on this for my V-Rod, which unlike the Prius can benefit from a high flow air filter if you also uncork the exhaust and remap the fuel, I chose Amsoil's Ea filter. Better flow rate than the OEM unit, but without the oil. They "claim" better than OEM for filtration, but I presume that it's good enough based on my very unique application. Would I use one on a Prius??? No way. Unlike the K&N....I don't think that it can HURT the car, I just don't see any benefit since I'm not planning on an exhaust mod or diddling with the fuel mapping. No thanks.
ETC(SS), yes. The Prius uses a hot wire type MAF that could be negatively affected by excessive oil. If care is taken when cleaning the K&N it shouldn't pose a problem but it'snot going to give you noticeably more power. The only argument that can be made in favor of the K&N in a Prius is cost vs. lifetime paper filter replacement and even that is weak.
This a can of worms that has two sides the people who claim that it will harm your MAF and let's dirt into the engine and those who like the idea of 1 filter for life and the chance of slight performance and mpg increase. The hatters of K&n filters claim that the oil can damage the MAF, witch it can. But over oiling the filter is something you do, it's no different then changing your oil and adding to much. It will damage your engine. And most if not all these people are going by what someone said and never have tried or ran one. People who have Run these seem happy with there investment. If not gaining anything but a lifetime filter for $35, vs $15-$20 every 15k. But some have said they have gained 1-3 mpg and that throttle response is a lot better. A lot of the gains like everything comes with how heavy your right foot is. If K&n filters are so bad for cars, why then does Toyota (TRD) sell a filter that is a K&N with the TRD logo on it? Hmmm Ive had them and in mine and my wife's cars for the last 15yrs and not never had any issues with them. From my 87Gti with a 1.8T swap, my 89 Katana 600, my 97 GSXR 750, my 08 STI with a gt35 turbo, my 08 GSXR 750, her 08 GSXR 600, her 09 corolla S, 11 Sienna SE, and now my Prius. Maybe I've had the luck of the Irish..... Or maybe they work.
I don't see how the supposed benefits of the K&N filter fit the Prius. Even on a Porsche set up for racing ......people debate the worth of the filters. With the money spent on engineering -- if auto manufacturers could get even 1 mpg by just changing the filters .... they would do it ... they don't.
I've ran them on over 3/4 of the cars I have owned and twice I suffered from MAF issues. In GM cars the soiled MAF caused transmission shifting problems and failure in some cases. The filter has its place in some applications but the Prius is not one of them unless you simply want a lifetime filter and can restrain yourself when it comes to cleaning it. It's not wise to assume that just because someone owns a Prius that they know nothing about racing and modding.
If you take a Prius in to a dealership for a driveability problem, the first thing they will want to do is take off the K&N. The potential performance benefit of a K&N on a Prius is vanishingly small, enough to deem it useless. The whole disposable paper filter argument is merely something that you would use to convince your spouse to let you install this bad idea. Invest instead in better tires and a ScanGauge.
5 subarus they are just a pia clean with special fluids some need to be oiled. as stated, bad for mas they don't do jack and even if you can pick up 4hp you'll never feel it in a subaru nor in a prius that has an engine that NOT directly connected to the wheels. i've also tried k&n replacement...worthless especially in a subaru. subaru air boxs are over designed for flow. do k&n air filter work - Yahoo! Search Results
See as I said GIANT can o worms. Lol haters will hate and the lovers will continue to love. But at the end of the day if these filters did cause tons of engine problems then why would they still be in business and for 60+ years. As the consumer decides if a product or business survives in the auto market place. With the internet and forums and SEMA if something was crap then it wouldnt make market. Thats like the people whom say the there isnt a noticeable diffence between a $50 Monster HDMI and the cheap $5 Wal-Mart HDMI cable. You be the judge. And remember OPINIONS ARE LIKE A$& holes, everyone's got one and no ones is perfect:rockon:
