[Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
KN filter is probably not going to hurt your MAF. But KN filters are a pet peeve of mine: they are a complete waste of money!!
First, a paper filter costs $10 or less. Saab says change it every 30,000 miles. So, drive your Saab 150,000 miles and it'll cost you $50 in paper air filters. Now, buy a single KN for about $40, plus the filter oil for $10 more, and prepare to drive 150,000 miles before you recoup the cost. KN's claims of economony are FALSE unless you are prepared to, literally, go the distance, a LONG distance.
And don't forget the time and hassle of cleaning and re-oiling the element. By the time the KN owner begins to clean his filter, I'm wiping the dust off my hands after snapping the last hook down on the airbox.
Then there's the argument that KN "helps the environment" by keeping air filters out of landfills. That is the most RIDICULOUS claim I have ever heard. 8 or 10 ounces of trash every two years?? Ask any parent of a young child how many pounds of diapers they put into landfills each week for a bit of perspective. Besides, the truly green, if obsessive, person would rip the paper out of the filter and recycle it, along with the metal mesh.
But the cost issue is secondary to the claims of filtering. Here's some interesting test data, data gathered from real, controlled tests, in a real, automotive-industry-grade laboratory using equipment and methodology specifically for testing automotive air filters (SAE and ISO tests):
http://home.usadatanet.net/~jbplock/ISO5011/SPICER.htm
Dirty air is bad for your engine - it breaks down the rings over time. KN doesn't do a good job of filtering air -- you can SEE THROUGH a KN filter, for Pete's sake! How well could it possibly be filtering? (Well, from the tests linked above, not so well.)
KN might be good for a race car. Race cars see very limited mileage before their engines are torn down and rebuilt, or replaced. And race cars need as much air as possible. So if the KN affords a bit better breathing when new & clean, then it's probably worth it to racers looking for every advantage. They don't care about how clean the air is because the motor isn't going to last for years and years.
People can believe the hype, believe the marketing, or believe their neighbor who swears by his fancy KN filter. But the tests don't lie, the cost-benefit analysis is simple, and the time saved by using a paper filter is undeniable.
OK, I'm ready for the diatribes from the KN faithful. :-)
posted by 193.219.28...
, Thu, 15 Sep 2005 08:18:48
, Wed, 14 Sep 2005 19:25:21, Thu, 15 Sep 2005 08:02:42
, Wed, 14 Sep 2005 07:53:21, Wed, 14 Sep 2005 07:51:53, Wed, 14 Sep 2005 21:19:21
, Thu, 15 Sep 2005 02:35:59, Thu, 15 Sep 2005 03:09:56, Thu, 15 Sep 2005 09:33:00, Wed, 14 Sep 2005 22:37:05, Wed, 14 Sep 2005 10:31:05
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
