K&N FIPK Questions

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M

mtnracer

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I just picked up a K&N FIPK from ebay (they are really cheap now) but have not installed it yet.

I understand the engine will be a bit louder than stock but how loud is that? Can you tell the difference inside the cab with the windows up? When do you notice the most difference?

I already have the headers installed and want to add the K&N and eventually the Borla exhaust.

Thank you.
 
HAHA yes, you definitely can tell a difference. It was the driving factor when I created my screen name.

When you're not on the throttle much, like 20% or less you wont really notice it. WOT getting on the highway, well.....enjoy.
 
I have one in our Mustang convertible. Only noticeable under WOT, and even then it's a distant whooshing sound.

I can't imagine it would be that noticeable in a LC given how quiet they are. The Mustang is no comparison from a sound deadening and with the soft top.
 
Paul, I'm in the same camp: I've always hears that a) oil/foam filters allow too much particulate into the engine and b) they leave a film on the MAF probe.

However, after a couple of high-dust trips it sure would be nice to have a washable/renewable filter element. Or a cyclonic filter/housing. This would be a great group buy, although it does appears to be a real estate hog for future under-hood project (compressor, dual batt, hx, etc).
 
I have read the same thing about oil on the MAF, but I think that comes from people "over oiling" the filter. You're supposed to only oil enough to change the color of the filter.

I had a K&N drop-in in my previous car and never had an issue in over 90K miles. The FIPK in my Mustang has only been in there for the past two years which equates to about 9K miles. We only drive it in the summers, but have had no issues.

Over on the Mustang forums, just about everyone has a cold air intake, whether it be K&N or other brand. Many more than you'll find here on this forum. I don't recall anyone mentioning a MAF failure due to oil.
 
FYI, open element filter on a 100 that's driven off-pavement isn't the best idea. You'll be having to clean that thing all the time. When I finally, after about 3-4 years of thinking of doing it, starting building my truck up I removed the K&N FIPK and put the original airbox back in. The couple times I had been on dusty roads prior, the filter got pretty dirty and required cleaning when I got home.
 
Thanks for the feedback. We just moved from East TN to South Florida so the 100 will only see action on vacation. Going for maximum gas mileage. :-) At least my commute is only 10 minutes to work without any highway driving.
 
Can somebody explain to me the physics of how a less restrictive element can improve mileage? OK, so air flows more freely through the filter. Less pumping losses = more efficient. I get that. But power is simply a product of the mass of air in the charge. So if it goes past the filter easier then that just means that the throttle body has to restrict it back down a little more than it would with a paper filter. 35 mph takes the same mass of air regardless of where it is restricted. I can see that at WOT a clean filter making a difference as at that point it's the most restrictive part of the system.
 
OregonLC said:
Can somebody explain to me the physics of how a less restrictive element can improve mileage? OK, so air flows more freely through the filter. Less pumping losses = more efficient. I get that. But power is simply a product of the mass of air in the charge. So if it goes past the filter easier then that just means that the throttle body has to restrict it back down a little more than it would with a paper filter. 35 mph takes the same mass of air regardless of where it is restricted. I can see that at WOT a clean filter making a difference as at that point it's the most restrictive part of the system.
Click to expand...

There is some question also about whether a cold air intake will even provide any power increases in today's computerized fuel injection systems. The MAF sensor is tuned to consume a certain amount of air and the standard airbox is designed to accommodate that need. Adding a less restrictive intake is fine, but if the MAF isn't programmed to take advantage of the increased airflow, it may be a moot pointin the end.

K&N filters (both drop-ins and cold air intakes) do not require a tune so if you don't reflash the ECU, all you're really getting is a reusable air filter. I'm not sure how K&N bases their HP gains without reprogramming the ECU.

I'm not saying they're lying, I just don't know. It may be worth asking.

Most people who add cold air intakes also retune the ECU in their vehicles. That's what I did with our Mustang.
 
On a scale of 1-10 :banana:, how easy/difficult is it to install the K&N FIPK kit? For the sake of comparison, let's consider an oil change as a 3 :banana: job.
 
I installed it on my Mustang. I say it was a 5. Maybe even a bit easier in the LC since there's more room under the hood.
 
The ECU will adjust to the increase (or decrease) in air flow so no tune is required on these limited systems. An increase in mileage is not likely since more air in will require more fuel mixed. You might see a minor power increase in the upper range at road speed.

I dare you to dyno it. :D
 
as mentioned above the factory ECU will adjust over time. You could get an error code about too much air coming through if you go too extreme, but it's a case of the ECU not being used to it.
Most of the people here (edit: here in OZ) doing the performance exhausts and air intakes (be it cold/cool air intake or forced induction) will get a piggyback ECU. There's several around.
A common one here is the Xede http://xede.com.au/ which has had very good feedback and recommendations but it depends how "wild" you go as you may then need to even replace the factory ECU with a Motec or similar.

When i got my LC V8 dyntotuned a few years ago (i posted on here about it) it came in at a paltry 82kW from memory (might have been less) and they said it was the Safari Snorkel that was the bottleneck. This was done before i did my exhaust mod and before i started playing with my Aussie factory airbox. The full airbox mod is over on lcool.org here LCOOL.org :: Log in
All i did was remove the "spinner" or turbine, which doesnt spin.

As i havent been working for quite a while, my mods have come to a halt but i can say that the K&N filter (see my sig below for pics) did not put any residue on the MAF sensor. But it's a different model filter to yours. (see pics in sig)

However, i have switched back to the factory filter for now. You can see the size of the two in the pics.
I've been researching this for ages so i hope that helps a bit!

EDIT: this one will fit the non-VVTI V8s if you want to spend the money: http://www.urdusa.com/Intakes-Cold-...ra-V8-w/Power-Box-&-MR-Tech/product_info.html

EDIT2: these are my performance bookmarks on Delicious (there are some PC specific ones so ignore those) http://www.delicious.com/search?p=performance&chk=&context=userposts|moooooooo&fr=del_icio_us&lc=1
cheers
peter
 
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I have one in mine with the dt headers. It is noticeable under moderate acceleration. I like it though.
 
Guys you're simply not going to get a mileage increase on any intake mods; whatever improvement you make will just be restricted back down by the throttle plate; the engine will see the same mass of air and will work just as hard to suck it through. More power at WOT? Sure/maybe. But you're simply not fixing the pumping losses inherent in a gasoline engine intake (upstream of the TB), you're just moving the restriction points around a bit. Downstream there is fruit to be picked, although it may not be very low hanging other than the obvious headers and exhaust.
 
sailor95 said:
With that CAI did u see any mileage increase?
Click to expand...

I honestly don't keep up with the gas mileage. I know it's terrible. I don't want to know just how terrible. My lc is not my dd so it takes me a little while to get through a tank of gas. I drive it 1 or 2 days a week. Sorry I can't help you.
 
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