Hi guys,

I'm looking for new filters for my needswings dual CAI. The originals were damage in frontal collision. The original filters are oiled K&N. I did some digging and a lot of folks all over the internet believe that K&N filters are not better if not worse than some OEM. They let in too much dirt etc. There is a study floating around that puts K&N almost at the bottom of the filters food chain. Should I get oil or dry? I'd appreciate any recommendations. The pipe this goes on is 3". And I don't think we have room for a filter bigger than 5" in diameter and about the same in height.

 

We run the K&N filters with the K&N filter wraps on our race car. We have had zero problems with them and we race all over the southwest, which is extremely dusty.

 

Are they oiled? Can you provide the part number?

 

The filters are oiled but the wraps are not. I don't have a part number, but Rob at Needswings does. Get them for him it's what we do.

 

What your saying is probably true because I'm willing to bet that less than half the people that install a k&n filter continue to maintain it... After purchasing your filters from rob pickup a k&n oil filter cleaning and oil kit from advance auto or like store rob may even have them. I clean and oil mine after every oil change probably a little extreme but car maintenance isn't work to me I enjoy it.

 

Do I understand this right: adding oil to air filter is to make it "water proof" and help trap more debris?

 

The oil is only to allow the filter to trap more debris. Water will not damage K&N filters, but they are *not* waterproof. Or more accurately they're not impervious to water, hence why they're put either behind the vehicle's splash guard, or have a splash guard affixed to the outside of the filter. Water being sucked into a cold air intake can cause hydrolock, which can in turn cause serious damage, particularly if it occurs while driving at speed... Say driving through a deep puddle with those plastic trays (the splash guard) removed from the bottom of your car.
Picture061sm.jpg

 

By the way - NeedsWings has all of the parts you need

K&N Replacement filter for our C.A.I. kits
K&N Recharger Filter Care Service Kit
And for the paranoid:
K&N DryCharger filter cover

 

You guys are killin me here. After searching for over a year, I finally found a mint DCAI. Now I'm reading that the filters let more dirt in than the stock ones. I gotta tell ya that when I looked at the K&Ns, I thought how are these things going to keep crap out of the engine. I figured that the oil did all the work. I guess I'll get the covers.

 

There are guys that claim the K&Ns don't filter as well. It's probably true. But, personally, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I mean, if there were a bunch of engine failures due to using K&Ns... We would have heard about it by now. Maintain the filter, don't drive through 18inches of standing water, I'd imagine you'll be fine...

 

Rob and Needswings.com have a long standing excellent reputation for selling high quality tested parts and tons of Crossfires (mine included) have his air intakes on their cars and I have never heard anything negative reported on this forum.
For added prtoection purchase one of these to go around your filter(s)

http://www.needswings.com/KN-PreChar...PCsrt6CAI.aspx

 

I would like to see the findings from a used oil test. If they test a bunch of cars and trucks that use K&Ns. I guess you could find a sign of dirt in the oil if the filters were letting dirt through. We may never know.

 

And K&Ns have millions of miles on vehicles outside of this forum in addition. As an aside, I've seen guys run a pair of pantyhose over the end of the pipe instead of a filter at the track. That certainly doesn't filter as well as a K&N and (anecdotally) I never heard of any problems caused by that either. The only issues I've ever encountered with any CAIs were with inadequate precaution and gross negligence with regards to water...

 

I use this on my single NW CAI..............21-2038DK - AEM Universal Air Filters, AEM DryFlow Air Filter direct from AEM

 

How did their wives feel about the pantyhose trick, or did they go to Victorias secret for them? Maybe they are a special design, For Men Only.

 

WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH MANY MANY FILTERS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS MODIFYING CARS AND LIKE THE K&N'S THE BEST. THE AEM FILTERS ARE MADE BY K&N, JUST WITHOUT THE OIL. THE LIGHT OILING TO THE K&N FILTERS ARE THERE TO TRAP THE TINY PARTICLES. IF TOO MUCH OIL IS APPLIED ON A CLEANING WE HAVE SEEN MAF CARS THROW CEL'S FOR BAD AIRFLOW.


WE DID FLOW BENCH TESTING OF SEVERAL BRAND FILTERS BACK WHEN WE FIRST INTRODUCED THE CAI INCLUDING THE AEM FILTERS ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER BRANDS. FOR THE SPACE WE ARED EALING WITH OUT BEST FLOWING FILTERS WERE THE NORMAL FILTER WE USE AND THE XSTREAM FILTERS. FLOW BENCH TEST RESULTS....


NOTICE THE INTAKE SYSTEM FLOWS BETTER WITH THE FILTERS THAN WITHOUT THEM


https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...flow-data.html

 

Wow, now that's cool I wish I understood what trick of physics causes that, but that's incredible.

 

K&N filters do not filter the air as cleanly as an OEM paper filter. That's how they let in MORE AIR. It's fine, it won't hurt anything. They actually filter better slightly dirty.

 

Lol. They were men's pantyhose :P

 

My question was about filtering not flow. I guess you have to give up one for the other.