K&N or not???

[cruisertom911]

Thought about running a K&N filter for the 80. I have had them on just about every car, truck or motorcycle I have ever had. Some people I have heard from said not to run one w/ the 80 series due to the extra oil that will be put into the throttle body. But let's say you have a oil catch can or don't over oil the filter...why not run one???? I have also seen that the stock filter from Toyota is washable but seems somewhat restrictive.

Let me know what ya'll think...

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I like K&N and run them in everything but the 80. The reason is I can not see it EZ. A dry K&N is like no filter at all.

Now I use a washable and did not see a difference from the K&N to the washable in my SC 80.

 

[firetruck41]

I wouldn't put a K&N filter on a vehicle as they let more dirt through and are not as good a filter as the OEM, also it is questionable whether they flow anymore or not. The current OEM Toyota Air filter is washable, too, so it is good bang for the buck.

 

[dieseldan]

If it's a new vehicle it will very likely void your warranty. I liked the K&N in my tdi but if its for an 80 series stick with stock.

My two pennies.

 

[RavenTai]

This subject has been beat to death, there is a lot of good info in the archives.

regurgitation:

the K&N material flows air with less restriction because it wide open, only catching the largest particles, if you look closely you can see the holes in the media.

if you ever get a chance check out paper media vs K&N's gauge under a microscope. it is eye opening.

I saw a taco that the filter had just been cleaned and oiled right before a unusually dry and dusty trip to Telico come back with a clearly visible dust in the air intake tube post filter. but this si less likely to happen on an 80 as it has a centrifugal pre-filter that catches most of the larger visible particles

this lower air restriction per square inch may or may not lead to any performance gains in the 80 series, one the surface area of the OEM filter is massive for the displacement so the filter is not much of a restriction in the first place, two the K&N for the 80 has much less surface area than the OEM filter. so the K&N has to have much less restriction per square inch just to break even.

the oil has been known to foul the sensor on Mass Air Flow meters (95-97) and make the door sticky on air flow meters (91-94), not sure about the throttle body but sticky oil that attracts dust cannot be good.

if you had a short lived street or race car where the air filter was too small then the oiled gauze might be good fit improving performance, it is not a good fit for a long life engine that is likely to operate in dusty environments.

pic, notice not only that each pleat of the OEM filter is larger but that there are many more pleats. much more total surface area.

 

[Darwood]

I saw a taco that the filter had just been cleaned and oiled right before a unusually dry and dusty trip to Telico come back with a clearly visible dust in the air intake tube post filter. but this si less likely to happen on an 80 as it has a centrifugal pre-filter that catches most of the larger visible particles

I had the exact same experience with my Tacoma. I even got dust behind the stock filter as well. I don't think the air box was designed so well in the Tacoma. When I switched to a foam Amsoil filter I no longer got dust behind the filter, however it was a gooey filter so that could have caused detrimental effects to the stuff downstream.

As noted by Raven, I once put the Tacoma K&N filter up to the light and noticed tiny pin pricks of light coming though. That was the day I took it out.

 

[Mike S]

First thing I did on my 80 was pull the K&N filter and replace with OEM. I haven't read that anyone was concerned about oil AND dirt gumming up the MAF sensor, but I was concerned.

IMHO, K&N is mainly about marketing yet another aftermarket product when Toyota's OEM stuff is what the truck was designed around, and its good gear.

 

[hadji_85]

One would expect the K&N filter to have wider openings when looking under the microscope. A normal filter counts on the gap distance to be smaller than the particle coming through (assume rigid body, no deformation). It would seem to me an oil filter doesn't not need as small as a gap, you count on the oil to catch the small particles, and the gap to catch the bigger particles while letting more air get in due to the larger size of the gap.

I remember seeing a "independent" "test" online comparing the K&N filter, i remember thinking there were some problems with the test though.

 

[RavenTai]

How does the particle stick to the oil if it runs right through the open hole without touching anything?

oil analysis often shows higher silicon concentrations (dirt) when K&N's are used,

 

[kennyv0826]

I usually run a high flow filter but have decided to stick with the stock one on my 80 since I run it in dusty condtions often and have heard the K&N may flow better but allows the smaller dust particles to go thru.

I have a brand new K&N filter (new in box, never used) if you want it let me know and I'll sell it to you for a good price.

 

[cruisertom911]

I really thank ya'll for the input. I thought a pre-filter (foam , not oiled) would be a good start. But, ya'll are right. The holes are just to big and the stock filer provides much more surface area to stop crap from coming through. And it is washable.
Much thanks on the input. The K&N is coming out and the stock is gonna go back in.

 

[photogod]

First thing I did on my 80 was pull the K&N filter and replace with OEM. I haven't read that anyone was concerned about oil AND dirt gumming up the MAF sensor, but I was concerned.

IMHO, K&N is mainly about marketing yet another aftermarket product when Toyota's OEM stuff is what the truck was designed around, and its good gear.

Now you can read it Mike. I had to replace the MAF in my 4Runner because I ran a K&N it and it destroyed the sensor.

 

[619TOY]

A couple of observations:

I've installed many K&N air filters in customers cars and if you're on the fence I would recommend you look through one towards the sky. What you see should shock you. Those holes you can see right through are definately bigger than anything I'd like to have in my engine.

K&N used to and may still say that their filters work better once they're dirty. Well no s***, once a large enough dust particle has finally clogged the hole(s), it should work better.

From what I've read the best filter for my 4Runner is the Amsoil. If I was interested in an aftermarket filter for my LX I would look into the possibility of an applicable one for it. I'm happy with the factory one for now.

 

[kennyv0826]

Does Amsoil make a air filter for the 80?

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I ran a Blackstone report with K&N and with an OEM washable and the PPM of silicon concentrations was the same.

Not looking to get flamed just sharing info but if you feel the need have at it.

 

[RavenTai]

I ran a Blackstone report with K&N and with an OEM washable and the PPM of silicon concentrations was the same.

Not looking to get flamed just sharing info but if you feel the need have at it.

No flame here

I said often, that implies not always, driving conditions play into it, also the tuna can pre-filter on the 80 might help out the readings.

 

[Bearcat80]

I have run K&N in Powerstrokes and Cummins both, I liked hearing the turbo whistle better. But, when I bought my 80 it had a K&N. Cool, I thought, until I got freaked about my head gasket, thanks Doug, and sent oil samples to Blackstone. They said, "No antifreeze was found, but the oil had 6 times the average amount of silicon. It sometimes comes from airborne dirt getting past he filter, so you may want to check that out". Immediate toss of K&N into trash and OEM filter installed. 10k later and the Blackstone report is now right below average.

 

[LX_TREME]

Hey I also have K & N here...except goes really loud after 2600 rpm..still can hear from inside even with window up sounds like Twin Turbo blow off valve whistle.... replaced the filter every 6 months or so..

 

[Darwood]

Why do you replace the filter every 6 months? K&N's are washable and filter better when dirty.

 

[hadji_85]

less airflow when dirty too