GM 4106 - Oil Bath Air Filter Alternatives?

[TomC]

If you want your engine to get the cleanest air and to last the longest, stay away from K&N washable filters. It has been proven they pass alot of dirt. Not a problem for a race engine that's being overhauled frequently, but with our sensitive Diesel engines, I would stay away. A good Donaldson dry air filter element is only around $100.00 and you have to replace about every other year. Good Luck, TomC

[eagle19952]

If you want your engine to get the cleanest air and to last the longest, stay away from K&N washable filters. It has been proven they pass alot of dirt. Not a problem for a race engine that's being overhauled frequently, but with our sensitive Diesel engines, I would stay away. A good Donaldson dry air filter element is only around $100.00 and you have to replace about every other year. Good Luck, TomC

This is a matter of opinion till you post facts.
I have over 180,000 of my and the previous owners miles on my 8V71 with a K&N.
Good Luck
DonaldP

[Uglydog56]

It is actually a fact.  An engineer friend did a rather comprehensive test.  This test was done on a miata but the data is still pertinent.  He purchased or had donated every brand of stock replacement and aftermarket "hi-performance" filter available for his car.  K&N was the worst, and didn't make the most power during instrumented acceleration testing.  Although it was near the top.  I don't remember which one was the best, and it wouldn't matter for us anyhow.  The point is, during thorough testing, with defined parameters, that was published (although I don't have a copy and it wasn't on like at a university or anything), K&N passed more dirt than any paper filter he tested, even Fram. 

[eagle19952]

whatever. I am still interested to see even a photograph of your engineer friend.
my motor is smarter than your Miata....
explain to me my success with K&N  OR PONY UP THE DATA 

[chessie4905]

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html


No personal opinion myself on this previous post, although having to clean and reoil sort of makes me want keep my oil bath unit, at least for now.

[Barn Owl]

There is one point everyone overlooks when discussing K&N Filters, they do pass more dirt new out of the box for a short while, then they preform very well. As they get dirty, like all filters, they filter better. The difference is that I can clean them myself. As I have posted many times I live up a very long dirt driveway and all of my cars ingest lost of dust and dirt. All of my high mileages "keeper" cars (100k to 250k) have the K&N filters and I go years and many miles between cleanings and I have never had problems related to filters. Prior to that I had to live with cars that were choking, and going through lots of paper air filters. Everything is a compromise, I know exactly the pros and cons of both, I know by real world experience how each performs. I have just put K&N filters on my bus without any regrets, worries, or concerns knowing and understanding the claims in the studies. Because of how few miles my bus gets I could run my bus without filters and it will easily outlast me. My bus will suffer some other failure before a dust buffet does it in. My bus is mostly used to kill grass (inactivity for those who don't get it). My longest trip I have ever taken was approx 8500 miles done in new paper, and I was shocked to find that when I got home they were completely trashed. After a lot of searching I found replacement K&N filters for the same price as paper, I jumped on it. After saying all of this I don't have a turbo, and I would reevaluate my filter style if I were to get something with one.

The nicoclub link has already been posted here on this board: http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=25884.msg283988#msg283988

Due to the lack of "official testing" available out there I have some problems with the some of the nicoclub post. Anyone can make a slick presentation, why is the "test" only found there? Something like that should be found in many places by different credible testing labs. My way of wanting to believe, but questioning everything, and using some "street smarts". I have never had a paper filter last like they show in their test. If they would or do, I will be glad to give them a try. I am always open to something better.

[luvrbus]

K&N has used a 40 year old law to protect their self and has been very successful using it they forced Cummins ,Cat and Detroit to remove "only paper filters can be used or it will void the warranty " that was in my Dodge pickup manual under warranty it was on the big three's site's for several years no longer because of the Magnson-Moss act .

Do we like purple,green, pink or yellow antifreeze,15/40 or 40w it's your engine and bus what's the deal we all do it different

[Barn Owl]

Do we like purple,green, pink or yellow antifreeze,15/40 or 40w it's your engine and bus what's the deal we all do it different

Now that's what I am talking about! I want to trash my bus my way!