Anyone running an after market air filter that is designed to increase HP? If so what brand?

I am thinking about a K&N system for my 95 pathy. Any feedback would be welcome as I don't wan tto waste what little money I have..

95 White Pathy LE

I am running the K&N FIPK kit. I noticed a good increase in HP plus my X has a nice grumble to it now.

Scott "Chia" Holland
God Forgives, Rocks Don't
Texas is the original South west.

It is debatable whether or not drop-in K&N filters actually give you increased power. I'm of the opinion that it might give you 1-2hp, but that's about it. They flow better than stock, certainly.

For a real improvement, an entire intake system upgrade would fit the bill. Currently they're made by K&N, Airaid, Stillen, JWT, SLR... All vary slightly and some even share the same general components. Where they differ most is in treatment of the "cold air box" and whether or not they replace the intake tubing running into the throttle body from the air cleaner assy.


Heavily Modified 2001 SE
6cyl 5spd 4x4 Solar Yellow

That is interesting, I think I will keep it for now though. Maybe I will look into one of those precleaners. As long as my air box is looking cleaner than before, I am not too concerned.

Thats the only one I found.. Has some interesting points though.. I wonder if the Nissan filters are similar to the BMW filters in performance?

Chances are, it wont hurt the truck at all.. If anything, think about picking up a precleaner for it (if they are available) to cut down dust intake when offroading. Also make sure to keep the filter oiled after its been cleaned. I could see a much higher dust intake if the filter isnt oiled properly.

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Ahh.. here is the BMW one:

http://www.seansa4page.com/resource/airfilter.html

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I've been looking around.. and cant find any reference to the articles that I found. A while back, I found one test done by an individual.. I believe it was from a BMW enthusiast site that had a particulate analysis of several paper filters vs the K&N.. it was a very interesting read.

In looking just now, i see there is a foam precleaner available which will block most of the large dust particles and keep the K&N clean for a longer period of time. This is what the Baja racers use.. and they change the precleaner at every pitstop.. but run the entire 1000mi race on one K&N filter. Mabye this is something you should get to help keep the filter clean while wheeling?

Mabye this is what I need. I tend to completely clog a filter in just a few wheeling trips. Its gotten better since I installed the snorkel (got the air intake up out of the dust a little i guess), but its still clogging filters more than I'd like.

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K&N may give you a couple more ponies.. but just be careful with it. If you drive in a dusty environment, I've seen tests that show the K&N passes more particulates when it starts to become clogged than other filters on the market. This may cause engine wear. But if your area isnt dusty all the time (like mine) then you shouldnt have anything to worry about.

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Hmmm.. I'll see if I can find it again. There was also a Land Rover mailing list dicussing it.. they said that very few people use the K&N filters while running caravan safaris across Africa due to the wear from the dust. Those that do end up going to another kind of filter after ruining their engine.

But then again, I've heard a lot of good feedback too about K&N. There's probably a lot more good feedback than bad, but the dust thing has me scared. If we werent in such a dusty environment, I'd probably have one in my truck now.

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Yeah I was trying to find the articles that I have read, but all of them seem to be written by those selling K&N... They do all say this...

quote:

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One might think that off-road applications would be perfect for an inexpensive, throw-away paper filter. However, K&N filters offer maximum air flow without sacrificing filtration quality - even when they become packed with dirt. Furthermore, K&N filters will help to prevent the engine sucking in particulate matter through a paper air filter as it becomes clogged. Dirt buildup on the boundary layer of a K&N filter actually enhances the filtration process because it adds to the surface area of oiled gauze filtering medium.

A K&N replacement filter will flow, on average, 50 percent more air compared to an equivalent paper filter. That means if all other conditions remain the same, a K&N filter will flow half again as much air as a paper filter at any point during the filter's life cycle. For example, if a paper filter flows 700 cfm of air at a measurable degree of restriction, an exact replacement K&N filter will flow, on average, 1050 cfm at that same level of restriction. If both filters are run in the identical off-road conditions each collects exactly the same amount of dirt, the K&N filter will continue to flow much more than 50 percent better than the dirty paper filter. K&N's flow bench tests show a K&N filter will provide closer to 100 percent of the required air flow long after the efficiency of a paper filter has dropped to 50 percent. In other words, due to its characteristics, the efficiency of a K&N replacement filter drops at a slower rate when compared to a paper element, i.e. a K&N filter will last longer under the same dusty conditions.

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I will look around and see if I can find something written by a less subjective party. I put a K&N in about 4 months ago and have noticed that the inside of my air-box has stayed cleaner although I have only been offroad three times in that time period. No you have me wondering....

quote:

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Originally posted by datz510:
K&N may give you a couple more ponies.. but just be careful with it. If you drive in a dusty environment, I've seen tests that show the K&N passes more particulates when it starts to become clogged than other filters on the market. This may cause engine wear. But if your area isnt dusty all the time (like mine) then you shouldnt have anything to worry about.

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Hmmm... I have read just the opposite. I have read that a dirty K&N is supposed to be better than a clean Paper Filter....