There isn't such a thing as too much air and not enough spark. A naturally aspirated engine will only pull the air it needs. The sole purpose of an intake system is to reduce the amount of restriction caused by the factory air box and intake tube.

If your vehicle was operating "out of range", a check engine light would appear. I would call K&N and ask to speak with James J. (Customer Service Manager). He will be able to assist you with any further questions you may have. Let him know that Tom W. @ AutoAnything sent you.

Tom
AutoAnything

 

A good tuner or flash will fix all issues.

 

TAP Auto Parts knows that time is valuable, we are all busy working during the day BUT, TAP Auto Parts has a great relationship with K&N products and know their products with hands on experience. If you don't have time chasing the vendor down and can't get a hold of James J. @ K&N. Give TAP Auto Parts a call 702-979-1577 or email Sales@TapAutoParts.com WE will make the call ourselves for you and help you out whether or not you bought from us.

Thanks, #TapAutoParts ...... We are Truck Enthusiasts just like YOU!

 

James is already waiting for his call. I worked at K&N for 8 years and also have plenty of experience with cases like these.

The bottom line, we are all here to help.

Thank you for chiming in and have a great weekend!!

Tom
AutoAnything

 

A factory engine has many deciding factors that dictate how much air will allow into it. Working backwards you have the exhaust, headers, cylinder heads, intake manifold and finally the throttle body. No matter how huge or free flowing your induction system is PRE Throttle body it will never magically allow the engine to flow more then the stock throttle body allows. On the 4th gens the stock intake system is already sized plenty large enough to feed the engines demands. That is why the HP increase on these goofy "Cold Air Induction" systems is so miniscule. If you put a larger throttle body on, port your heads, put headers on and a free flow flow exhaust then the stock induction system becomes a restriction. But without the majority of those mods the only thing an aftermarket induction does is make your truck louder on the intake side. That's it. And if you opt to use a K&N or some other oiled foam filter system you WILL be allowing more dirt to enter your engine then you would using a stock paper filter setup (This is WELL documented, search the net). So be warned of the costs and risks associated with these systems to make your truck a little more noisy.

 

What he said.....

 

Sorry, I don't buy that a properly oiled K&N allows more dirt than a dry filter. Been running them for 20 years. Just because you read something on the web don't make it fact.

 

You're correct. Just because something appears on the web, doesn't make it so. However, I'm in full agreement with NV290.
Unless you can repeal the law of physics, you cannot reduce the resistance to air flow in a circuit by changing the filtration element without decreasing the ability to trap very small particles, assuming a size-for-size substitution. Obviously, the porosity of the K&N filter element is different (more porous) if it reduces air flow resistance. Current manufacturers of this type of filter element use the oil as an attractant to offset the larger pores of the filter assuming that fine particles will stick to the membrane. But, there have been tests that pretty much prove that even with oil very small particles still pass through that would otherwise be trapped by a more cellulous material. And as the oil solidifies or gets pulled away from the membrane in the air flow stream over time, the effectiveness decreases.


If you’ve been using this type of filter element “for twenty years” and never had a problem, this is likely true as well. But was that on the same engine for twenty years? And did you ever pull the heads off and inspect the cylinder walls? If you live in a relatively dust free environment, you’re probably okay. But on a couple occasions I’ve seen the air flow facing surface of a MAF sensor beaten away on vehicles using a low resistance air filter system.
From a performance standpoint, lowering the pre-throttlebody air restriction may produce some relative performance benefit. But believe it or not the engineers who designed the factory system do know something about what they’re doing. Today’s engine induction systems are very efficient and are designed to provide maximum performance, fuel economy, and quietness. True, there is a compromise necessary to provide all three in a balanced way. But one must also recognize that by biasing towards one of those three objectives, there is likely to be a negative effect on the other two. In most factory designs, decreasing the pre-throttlebody resistance in modern fuel injected systems can cause a leaner air-fuel mixture in some RPM ranges (usually below WOT, but above idle). That’s why you sometimes will hear people state that their fuel mileage actually decreased. This can be exacerbated in colder weather. Since reciprocating piston engines by their nature like to run on the richer side of stoichiometric, leaning the air-fuel ratio will generally reduce engine power. And that’s why some will say the vehicle didn’t run as well.


Based on my experience a low restrictive air filter may produce noticeable results if the factory system was already highly restrictive for the sake of driveability and reduced noise. I cannot attest to their veracity, but people I know say older GM vehicles benefitted from them more than other makes. On third generation Hemis most I know say the benefits are either very minor or immeasurable.
Best regards,
Dusty






2014 Ram Big Horn 1500 Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP70, 3.92 LSD, factory dual exhaust, 20” wheels. Now at: 004200 miles.

 

Stop running 87 and switch to 91 octane fuel.

 

I am not basing my facts solely off of something i read on the web. I have used K&N filters in many applications (Everyday drivers, racing, motorcycles) for well over 20 years myself.

I used them in all my cars religiously till 2002. That is when i bought a 2001.5 Cummins Ram 2500. I also started drawing lube oil samples every 5,000 miles right before each oil change and using a bypass oil filter system. The vast majority of my driving was highway between Delaware and Connecticut 4 times a month on average. So i was averaging 1,500-2,000 miles a month. I drew a sample when the truck hit 5k miles and had my baseline for wear. After 10k miles i added a K&N filter and a host of other odds and ends unrelated to the engine. At 15k miles i saw a spike in the silica levels on the lube oil samples. This was after the K&N filter was installed. I checked for any signs of an intake leak and found nothing. But the turbocharger inlet hose had enough dirt on the inside that if you ran a paper towel over it you would see black dirt. I took the filter off cleaned it (even though it was like new) and re-oiled it. 5k miles alter another lube oil sample and again high silica levels. As much as i loved the sound of the K&N i knew something was wrong. So i reluctantly took the K&N filter out and put the stock paper filter back. I also cleaned the turbo inlet hose with degreaser to make sure it was spotless. Next lube oil sample came back with minimal silica. A fraction of what it was with the K&N filter installed. The inlet hose also had no dirt coming off it on a rag. Proof the filter lets in dirt. How do you explain higher silica levels with a K&N over a paper filter then?

Wanting more info and this was before the internet explosion of forums and the like i started asking around to engine builders. One of the most convincing example i received was from a well known Nascar engine builder in NC when i was down there delivering a truck. He said "Hold a K&N filter up to a light and notice you can actually see through it. Then try it with a paper filter. Now tell me how a K&N filter traps more dirt?"

He also pointed out simple physics. If you take two filters that are the same dimensions and with the same surface area and one flows more air it HAS to have bigger holes in it. So it WILL let more dirt pass through. Coating it with oil keeps the dirt off the gauze so it's easier to clean. But it doesn't magically flow more air but trapping more dirt then paper. Smaller pores trap smaller dirt particles.

Another thing to remember. K&N likes to show how top racing teams use their filters including alot of these 4X4 dirt racers. Do you think racers who rebuild their engines in some cases after every race care if the filter lets more dirt then paper through? Of course not. A K&N traps lots of dirt that can cause rapid engine wear. But long term wear is irrelevant when you rebuild your engines all the time. But for people who want to go hundreds of thousands of miles on the same engine need to worry about ANY dirt getting through.

So hopefully that sums my reasoning for not using them on any vehicle i intend to keep for a long period of time. And as for reading stuff on the internet, read this well detailed article from a very respected source in the industry showing a very fair and scientific comparison and then tell me you are not convinced:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest3.htm