Joe's Toy

What about True Flow!?

mikes19984x4

yeah, as the mazda and baldwin filters are fibrous filters also. but i've been driving almost 10,000 miles on my K&N and my MAF is not gummed up with oil...most likely because it came pre-oiled from the factory. most people run so many miles, then wash it out, and when it comes time to oil it yourself, they just over-do-it...that oil in K&N's recharge kit goes a long way...

mikes19984x4

yeah, but just think...for example...$10 x 7 = $70!!! at this point in time, you would've bought 7 NAPA filters, when you could've just bought one K&N and their recharge kit!!!

cackalak han

I change mine out every 15-20k miles. That means 7 times of changing it would mean 105-140k miles! I can live with spending $70 for less hassle (washing, oiling, etc.), maintenance issues (MAF) and better filteration.

mikes19984x4

true there, as in my opinion every man to his own. but yeah, where i live, it's dusty and add in going off-roading and all kinds of hunting trips throughout the year, i chose K&N because mine needs to be washed about every 5k - 8k miles, depending on what part of the year it is...

surf4runner

the filter does nothing to the sensor(s)...its the person who over oils it.


ive had mine on for over 60K mi w/o any issues!

pdyebrasil

Just my two cents... I was talking to my mechanic the other day (getting my brakes done) and he started going off on air filters and in his opinion Fram and K&N are the worst at filtration and the ones that he sees the most problems with. He said that he would personally stick with OEM air filters... I have a True Flow in mine, and he had no problem with foam filters. One point he brought up that I thought was pretty valid: he mentioned that there is no way that each time you clean a gauze air filter that it will be restored to how it was when you bought it. So over time your air flow and filtration will go down.

The following link is a movie done by True Flow (so yes, it's biased) but I think they bring up some pretty good info.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ThmW2SW1I-k

killa b

while i was attending uti a true flow vender came in and made a good demenstration. he took a paper filter,k&n filter and the true flow. than he put them in a flow bench device with a coffe filter thing behind the filters witch would capture any dirt passed through the fiter. than dumped dirt on them and the true flow filter flowed the best and filtered the most dirt out of the air.

tntempest

I have been running K&N's since 1991 on about 15 different cars and trucks and I have never had a mass air issue, if you watch your oiling you will never have a problem, less pressure drop = best performance period. But without the new amsoil filters pressure drop we have no real comparison. I was watching an episode of CHIPS one time and they were at a desert race and one of the trucks had a K&N logo so that was late 70's early 80's. MM&FF and 5.0 magazine have been testing this stuff for 15 years on arguealbly the most dyno tested engine of all time the 5.0 and have proved without a doubt power gains in the 5-7 range over a paper filter. It all comes down to pressure drop, and a clean paper filter still is worse and once it gets dirty forget it. I doubt the 1% less the K&N filters is anything like the dirt that bypasses the filter due to the crappy design of the housings letting dirt bypass the filter, at least K&N and others use rubber to help seal the area while a paper filter uses hard plastic. I have seen dirt trails pass in almost every airbox I have seen. Look at the filter in you houses central air system to see how much dirt passes around the filter, the dirtier it gets the more it bypasses the filter, that is why I tape my air filters in.

CASTAIC 4RUNNER

im goin back to stock ... all of those filters suck

mikes19984x4

excellent point tntempest. all of the "horror" stories you hear about ruining the MAF is simpley from error on the owner of the vehicle, as they over-oiled it, because the factory does not over-oil the filters...

mikes19984x4

are you referring to the filters in the link i first posted. because if you are, then "going back to stock" is basically the same as using the NAPA filter that bob-the-oil-guy used in his tests...

Maj

I've owned 4 K&Ns over the years (2 for SUVs, 2 for motorcycles). On all of them I could see pin-sized holes throughout the filter when I held them up to the sun. Since air will typically follow the path of least resistance, dirt particles are bound to stream through those holes. I don't observe holes like that in a paper filter (even cheap ones). I don't think there is an argument that the K&Ns flow better than paper elements. The question is at what cost to passing dirt.

K&Ns were developed for desert racing vehicles. The need was for a filter that would not clog and still filter at a reasonable level. Keep in mind that many desert racing vehicles get an engine rebuild after each race so filters that pass small amounts of dirt are not of concern. All they care about is not clogging and providing good HP (flow). That is not really the same criteria most of us have for our daily drivers.

ARB1977

Ive had TRD and Amsoil...back to stock.

mikes19984x4

yeah, i agree on the point about the desert racing vehicles, but i personally have noticed no excess build-ups or deposits on the engine side of my K&N filter, as i checked it all out when i did my ISR mod. but, once again, every man to his own...


and i still don't get the people who are all saying "i've had this" or "i've had that" and say they're going back to stock, because in the test on the link at the start of this thread, the "stock" filters seemed to do the same if not worse...

Spence1016

nice post. ive been contemplating getting a true flow filter for a bit.
theres a link to their video on this page http://www.burtmanindustries.com/zoo..._truflo_96u_v6

mikes19984x4

thanks man. yeah, i thought about something other than K&N when i first got my 4runner, but i decided on the K&N as that's what my dad, grandad, and uncle have all been running for years in their gas and diesel trucks and haven't had any problems with 'em...

Fo_SheeZy

It's got good reviews too!

MTL_4runner

That's a valid point, but who wants to run that risk of ruining a sensor.....no such issues with foam filters.

The Truflow is about the best one out there right now IMHO.

cackalak han

Where does it say that?

Which "bob" said that it filters the best, right? Paper air filters filter the best. Period. The ONLY reason people use K&N is for the re-usable factor (please do not bring up the extra power claims. It is not there). For an average driver, that means it will save them ~$15 every FIVE years (15,000 miles per year. OEM filter changed every 15,000 miles ($10 x 5 = $50); K&N filter ~$35?) Is $15 worth the risk of MAF failure, cleaning, oiling, possible accelerated engine wear? Not for me.

However, regarding the test, I do think a better test needs to be done. Not only with more mileage (I think 500 miles is hardly enough), but in a better controlled environment. BUT, I can guarantee that paper will still win by a land slide.