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I hate to ask, since K&N is apparently a sponsor, but the curiosity is just killing me. Have you folks been able to determine any fuel savings from the use of the K&N air filters?

Hi Jim:

___No, they do not help FE. I wish they were a direct sponsor but they are just a part of Google Ads which does help support the site. Without them, CleanMPG would not exist.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

The biggest benefit for a hypermiler is that it is reusable. If you have to pay for 10 filters over your ownership of the car, you may as well get a K&N and save some money.

There are still some who say a K&N will allow damaging particles into your engine.

The previous owner put one in my Insight, ostensibly hoping for *something*. Who knows.

Come to think of it... it probably needs to be cleaned.

One other thing about K&N's is that some MAF's don't get along with them. K&N's are oiled and they supposedly let in more dirt than most OEM filters. Combine the two and you get dirt that sometimes sticks to MAF sensors.

Dirty filters actually filter better ;)

With any aftermarket high flow filter you should regularly check the MAF for contamination.

Many high flow filters will help fuel economy slightly depending on how it flows at different pressures. Many aftermarket intakes/filters on a stock tune car will make them run leaner allowing more air through yet measuring the same which does increase your mileage. It varies on different cars and testing should be done to see what it does to your AFR's before you buy one.

The intake I use on my car ran about 1 pt. leaner after I put it on. I later retuned my car and adjusted the AFR's to my liking with different maps. 1 for fuel economy and 1 for power.

Hi Intense:

___Welcome to CleanMPG!

___And no, a K&N will not help your FE. The low RPM cruising methods inherit in most Hypermiling techniques are not prone to see a restriction in just about any air filter although most do encourage a once a year change just in case …

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi, I have a K&N air filter in my 98HX MT. There's not much difference in mpg, if any, but I can tell that the car does have a "little" more power with it in. I tested on a hill and swapped out the filters back to back. Definately a little more power along with more noise.

http://www.metrompg.com/posts/air-filter-part-2.htm Mileage was actually lower with the K&N.

Air filters will not change your fuel economy. They will affect how smooth your engine runs and the power of your engine. The reason the power is affected is because the cars computer adjusts the fuel mixture with the amount of air coming in, so if more air is getting in it increases the amount of fuel to maintain the proper mixture. Now that would make it sound like you would actual lose mileage with a better filter but that is where the power gain comes in place. The amount of power you gain offsets the higher amount of fuel used to maintain the correct fuel mixture. So more power means the engine works a little less to maintain the same speed so that offsets the higher amount of fuel used. In the same way that if your filter is very dirty and allows less air through you still get the same mileage. Your engine is working harder to do it but the amount of fuel being used is less since there is less air getting through.

The main benefit of having a clean air filter is that your engine runs smoother and works less so in turn you help extend its life.

K&N Air filters are nice but they do let more particles through than normal paper air filters which can affect your engine. It will speed up the wear on your rings and seals around the pistons and valves along with other parts. It will reduce the effective life of your engine oil and as a result from all of that reduce the lifetime of your engine and increase the maintenance you have to perform on it.

Since hypermiling is mainly about low speeds and rpms you would gain very little power from using a K&N Air filter.


Like if you actually follow that ad about the 5hp gain on a Fit you dont gain that HP until you get into the 5k rpm area which i never get close to.