Do K&N Air Filters really work? (Trans Am)?

Question

Car: 2000 Trans Am w/ the ws6 Ram Air Package. 5.7L V8 LS1 engine, puts out 320HP. Automatic Transmission. claims 17 city mpg/25 highway mpg.

My main question is, I've heard the K&N increases both horsepower and miles per gallon. I know every engine is different, etc., but what kind of gains can be expected and does it actually work for the $65. Also, would the gains, if any, be noticeable around town, or just racing?

Also, how much maintenance is it to clean, and if its so great for only $65, why didnt GM just install it themselves? seems like it'd be worth it to advertise better power and fuel efficiency. What are the downsides and tradeoffs?

Thanks everyone

Answer 1

hell yes worth ever penny

Answer 2

Watch doing K and N on ANY vehicle equiipped with a hotwire mass air flow sensor. The problem with doing that is that the oil that is "required" to make a K and N filter air comes off into the air inlet and sticks to the hotwire sensor and will either cause it to read erratic, or at worst ruin it. My buddy just lost mileage and power on his 2005 Silverado until I convinced him to remove the K&N and clean the sensor and reinstall the stock parts. Like somebody else mentioned, if it were that easy then GM would include them on each car. They spend millions increasing mileage and lowering emissions and would have long since gone to them if they were the right thing. Now don't get me wrong, an old carbureted vehicle can use them with no major problems and you can get those "promised" horsepower gains and better mileage, but still doing it at the loss of filtering efficiency as somebody else also pointed out. Like the old saying goes, "There is no such thing as a Free Lunch"!!! Just my 2 cents, save your money and warranty and leave it as is.

Answer 3

Hmmm.

In short these filters CAN make very modest improvements if they are MUCH less restrictive than the stock unit. However as you so rightly say, if it was that simepl, why didn't GM fir them as standard.

1. The practical difference is negligable from a performance point of view

2. Less restriction usually means less filtering - means more "nasties" come flying into the pots.

3. The MAIN reason they sell is because they make a noise and ricers just love that - hence the BOV which makes a loud noise instead of the quiet ones which weigh less, cost less and do the job faster!

4. If you want to make a difference on the inlet side of things, then porting can be donenext time you have the head off, ensuring the airbox where the stock filter is has a flow of clean cold air from outside - and of course upratng the IC.



Upsides: Look nice, "theoretical marginal gains"
Varies: Makes noise - ricers love it, some folks hate it
Downsides: poorer filtering than a stock filter,

Answer 4

I have a K&N in my V6 Firebird and i would say that they do help with horse and mpg. They might only give you a couple horsepower and a couple miles to the gallon, but if it has any improvements in gas mileage then it will pay for itself eventuallly. Also you never have to buy another air filter again. I think u are supposed to clean the air filter every 9,000 miles. They make a kit to clean it out for like $10, but i have also been told that rinsing it out will do the trick.

Answer 5

Alla K & N filter does is allow more air to pass to the engine. You may at best see a 1 mile per gallon increase and maybe 2 or 3 horsepower by just doing the filter.

Answer 6

Save your money for gas. Unless you have made other major modifications to the engine, fuel system, exhaust, cam and plan on driving at redline you will be wasting money. Check the HP curve graph printed on the instructions of the K&N unit. You will find that only nominal HP gains are made below 4,500 rpm. You can switch off your AC compressor and save more HP than you will gain at normal driving rpm ranges.

Answer 7

The oiled gauze air filter out isn't something new, they have been installation them to manufacturing automobiles in the Nineteen Fifties as known . i do no longer understand why paper components grew to become so popular, even with the indisputable fact that it particularly created a marketplace for paper filters that had to be thrown away each few thousand miles. They have been wiped sparkling in petrol and reoiled rather actual . They do paintings rather nicely increasing the air fee in the induction equipment. the downside that i got here upon with mine grew to become into that it grew to become into impossible to connect the warmth air intake equipment to it so extra petrol grew to become into wasted on short journeys with the engine taking longer to heat up.

Answer 8

Its not worth it. really its not. dont get me wrong, its a hell of a filter, but what is really going to help you is a cold air intake. K&N makes one for your car. what that does is really gives the air a much straighter shot to the throttle body. that will increase your horsepower, and the air will be colder. thats what i did. i just got the whole damn intake. the filter by itself will not give you any more then abuot 3 horsepower, and your millage wont go up dramitically. i would say less then a mile per gallon. the only great thing about them is you can use them over and over again.

so if your buying one cause you think it will really increase power, dont buy it. buy a whole intake. but if you just want a good dependable air filter that you can use over and over, and will paly for itself and more over time, then get it.

hope it helps.

Answer 9

It is so worth it!! I have a 2001 Trans Am WS6 and i put the K&N filter in it and it gave me up to 325 HP and my average MPG is about 24MPG at about 35 mph in town.

Answer 10

i have used them for many years.thye work very well and in the long run the cost ismuch less than buying paper filters.they do filter better than paper ,as for gm,they would rather sell you ten paper filters than one washable filter.and what about the constant labour on a vehicle with a filter that is installed somewhere ridiculous to get at

Answer 11

yes they work.

i put the complete intake kit on my 2006 chevy pick-up, and not only do i feel more power, my gas mileage went up about 1.5 miles per gallon on the highway. also cleaning is a nothing to do. just buy the cleaning kit, and the rest is easy, just follow the directions