K&N Air Filter Snake Oil? Is the K&N Air Filter really worth having. does it do a better job? is it Snake Oil? is it Marketing? Let's Talk about it! #memphismike
I’ve been running K&N filters in my Harleys for over 100K miles with great results and slightly improved performance. I put a K&N filter in my 2008 Goldwing this winter, but haven’t got to ride with it yet as we still have snow up here in Canada! I run K&N filters in my Honda Civic too.
Ok as a racer, here's what your looking at, k+n yes more air flow, the oil in the mesh catches the dirt, yes, more power yes when rejeting the carbs, or computer control fi will do it for you.... slightly better fuel economy, yes... this will be only very slightly noticable if you do your own accurate test. Maybe 1 to 2 %. You can it test yourself, take one cut it open...breath through the foam, now do a paper one....a paper filter will have you gasping for air in a couple of minutes. When we raced cars for years and years, we ran a new paper air filter every race 1 years worth of filters = nearly $500 .....now the k+n filter cleaner and oil only about $60 big difference. The k+n for racing (a no brainer) for your bike probably a good choice, but really not worth talking about.. now if you were racing the bike it's a whole different story. But to say a k+n filter is more restrictive is a very foolish statement indeed....
I agree with you . I worked at a lab and it is proven all you said . Also with Lucas gasoline treatment I do feel a little increase in power in just a few miles . That's from someone that worked in a lab and on a race car.
I have Used K&N and AE Racing filters for years in all my Autos and Motos. They work and over the long haul you save money. My Charge kit is 5 years old and still work for my Harley and soon my Goldwing as soon as the winter arrives for my maintainance. Stay Safe Brother! Motorman in Da Magnolia
Well... I can share my thoughts I guess. Mike, I install furnaces for a living.... we have the same issues in my industry. A tighter filter weave means less air flow. Better filtration but less air flow. Common sense and pure physics rule here. No magic. A loose filter weave means better air flow but poorer filtration. Adding oil to the weave is like sticking a magnet in a box of paper clips. So... K&N is simply providing a loose weave with oil, therefore giving you better air flow with paper clip (dirt and dust) magnet power. Only way you can get a tight weave and better air flow is to have more surface area. Bigger/longer pleats equals more filter surface area. This allows for a tighter weave and increased/compensated air flow capacity. So.....K&N is better air flow, hands down... but you better clean that puppy regularity to wash out the dirty oil. On a Goldwing, that is a big chore. So for me, when I had my 08 wing, ....OEM baby! Way less maintenance needed, and really......the wing is not a race track machine... I think it has all the power you need with the OEM, already has great gas mileage as well.... so..... yah. Thanks Brother! Your job is not an easy one! Fun! But not easy. Ward (Triumph Knight)
Thanka for your thoughts. It seems general consensus is the “more trouble” issue when replacing. Almost seems having a 2nd K&N ready would be the ticket but then more $$ as well
I dont mean to be so off topic but does someone know of a trick to log back into an instagram account?? I stupidly lost my login password. I appreciate any assistance you can offer me
@Ricardo Jesus I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and im trying it out now. Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
K&N in all my cars, and bikes so far. Usually I find that it gives a little low end torque, and increases the fuel economy by 1-2mpg in my cars, more in carbureted bikes. With the Wing, and the time and effort to get in there. The longer change interval would be why I would put it in, and when it needs replacing, i might just buy a second one, so i'm not rushed to recharge the current one. As for the complaints about more dirt passing. I always clean the airbox and hoses when I put the filter in, and I haven't found that to be true, the area past the filter is always free of dust and dirt every time i go back in to clean the filter. And never had an issue with MAF sensors, pretty sure that's people not being careful with the recharge oil, or not waiting for the filter to dry. My KIA dealer now sells them and recommends them to their owners.
Only thing about with the Wing is after you finally get to the filter you have to wash it and wait for it to completely dry before oiling and reinstall. OEM no wait time, but maybe you'll see a difference and enjoy it. Let us know.
K&N!!! I have been using them since the 70's on motorcycles. I have them on all my vehicles now. My diesel truck had 177.000 miles on it when I sold it without a problem. Pay attention to the cleaning instructions and it will last.
Mike, I think that is one of those things that one has to try out for their selves to determine. For me, I tried the K&N filter setup years ago in my 1993 Dodge Dakota and I didn't see one bit of difference. It seemed to me that it was much more time consuming cleaning, drying and re-oiling than it was worth so I went back to a factory Mopar filter and have stayed that course since. I have replaced the air filter in my 2008 GL1800 once so far and I used the factory Honda filter for whatever its worth.
Some people say they see no difference when changing to the K&N. Good! For me you get 50,000 miles (80,000 km) on that filter. Since it’s so hard to change, I’m sold.
I have a KN air filter in my Honda pacific coast. It’s been in there for 24 years. This is my second Honda pacific coast. My first one got hit from behind while I was waiting my turn at a stop sign. This same KN filter was in that machine for 3 years .. I transferred it to the replacement machine I got and it’s still in there in 2019. That KN filter that’s been in two of my Pacific coast, has approximately 140,000 miles of use. KN filters have a cloth element between two layers of tight screen. The reason this matters to me is, I have seen mice make a home inside air boxes in cars, my riding tractor, in my RZ 350. They chewed right through the paper. Mice aren’t going to chew through that screen. I clean and re-oil the air filter every year. I clean the filter with hot water and Dawn dishwashing liquid. Then I rinse the filter with hot water, blow it dry gently not real close, I let it air dry for half a day, then I recoiled it in a plastic bag with the tacky oil you’re supposed to use on Dirtbike foam filters.. you can’t use just plain oil because that oil will get sucked through the fibers and into the engine. That tacky waxy filter oil keeps the dirt suspended on the surface of the filter.. The reason I spotted this RU-vid video about Gold Wing air filters is, I’m picking up my very first Gold Wing ever with 9000 miles on it in two days from the original owner. I asked him if he had ever change the air filter and he said no because it only had 9000 miles on it. I wonder how many mice are in there the machine is a 2002.. I am ordering a K&N for my new wing, in addition to every other filter and fluid I will be changing over the next few days. I recommend the KNN filter simply because it has that screen support for the filter element, which would keep out mice, rocks, and birds, and snakes. I found a snakeskin inside the air cleaner housing of a Saab I once had... One other thing, I was riding with a friend of mine he was on his BMW r100 twin.. we stopped at a red light just down the street from his house we had just left from. I noticed three mice jumping out of his engine area right in the middle of the street. He keeps his bikes inside the garage in the house. I don’t know why mice love air cleaners
Since it's such a pain in the ass to change the air filter on a gold wing, the K&N filter will last forever, but you have to clean it, and you know what that's like. On a pickup I had, I used one, and it did give slightly better fuel mileage. I've had several of them, and they are a good product.
K&N is NOT more restrictive. When I installed a K&N on my last truck you could hear the air intake whistle when you hit the pedal. That was air flow! I have installed K&N on most of my bikes and will be doing it when my first air filter change is due on my 2018 Honda Goldwing Tour DCT. You can’t go wrong letting your engine breathe easier!
I added a K&N Filter the both my bikes wish is a VTX 1800 and now my 2008 GL 1800 Goldwing. I put the K&N filter in my VTX at 1100 miles and now I have 52 thousand miles with the same air filter it did increase my gas mileage and type in horsepower. After I put it in a Goldwing it increase my fuel economy I was doing about a hundred fifty miles to a tank to now 180 to Maybe by 190 miles to a tank of gas. So for me I give the K&N Filter two thumbs up.
The main thing is you change the thing at regular correct intervals! To me the messing around with loading the air filter with oil isn’t worth it, but to each his own! Randy
If there is either no change in the way a bike performs, or if it performs better, then the cost of the K&N is worth it. Once you buy it then you won't have to buy another one again. If you want to stay with stock then do that too, but people shouldn't tell others what they should do. Kinda like darksiding.
i don't use cleanable filters.i use always a new from hi-flo. so I'm sure a good cleaning.That is more inportent than have a lite more power.Rebuild a engine is more costley than a good filter.Thad is my opinion .and use always good oil en filter to .that save a lot of money even its more cost every year for the maintenance. sorry for the bad language.i'm not good in .Thanks and a save ride. a issue .i always ride whit full gear.You never now
I use OEM on the last change, I will see what it looks like in another 5k, then I will see if it need upgraded. This video seems very HD to me, maybe it's because I am looking at it on a monitor instead of my laptop, but great video quality.
Mike, I've ran both and personally couldn't tell any difference. But I had the 2006 down to about 2.5 hours start to finish. The 2015 took a little longer. I'm actually intimidated by the 2018. Fortunately I have a ways to go. But given the 15's condition at 12,000 miles, I think I will push the 18 out to 20k before I attempt it. Give cruiseman some time to do a video. ;)
Your computer is programmed to meter a certain amount of air. It’s the same for fuel. It’s like putting a high flow fuel filter in. To each there own. K&N is a good filter. It’s designed to be reused and cleane. A lot of people think you put it in and never touch it again and that’s not the case. You still have to service it. So in the end it’s rider preference.
Good product, k n n filter but it will dry faster in the area where the air flows the most and filtering will diminish. With the time and effort it takes to get to it OEM is has probably the same effect in the long run. If it were easier to oil it would seem worth it. With the size of the intake area's, with forced induction, at speeds, and the size of the filter area the wing seems pretty efficient swooping along. Lol. See ya at Wing Ding by way of the Dragon.
Use K&N on my cars, air and cabin. The cabin filter is 40.00 at dealer and it is paper, (50 cents cost of goods) the same for the engine. I recharge every oil change, although not necessary and they last forever. So I do the same with the 2019 Goldwing but will let you know over time as they ask for 18 k change for OEM. Now, how about the K&N Oil Filters, price is about the same as OEM these days. Or, we can talk about Amsoil and their Filters. Bottom line, it is that damn free will thing. LOL
The healthcare side of me would like to see statistical evidence- otherwise I consider placebo effect and marketing. 🤷♂️ Can’t go wrong w/ OEM. We’ll patiently await your follow up vid!🤪 hooyah🇺🇸⚓️
Here is my opinion, use what air filter you're comfortable with, but I would say stay away from the cheap ones. I had K&N air and oil filters in two of my past vehicles. It seemed like it had a bit more pep and increased fuel mileage. Then again, it could've been just in my mind. I have never heard of a K&N air filter doing any damage to a vehicle. I do believe that the K&N is a better built product than any OEM variant. Most likely, I'll put a K&N in my Wing when it comes time to change it for the first time. Oh, and one of my car had around 120K miles on it, with probably 80K having a K&N in it.
Mike, with simply changing from OEM to a K&N, you'll likely be able to feel no change in the bike's performance, there are just too many other air flow restrictions on a stock GW for a simple filter change to make a noticeable difference. But you certainly won't go wrong with the K&N filter and now you never have to buy another AF for your bike ;) ....just clean and re-oil the K&N and you're good to go.
Well Mike looks like it's been about a year since you started using the K&N Filter what are your thoughts on it also I would like to see the video of you and Dano replacing the air filter thanks
I have not re-checked it to replace it yet. Honestly, after a year, I see no inc/dec in mpg. I “might” can tell a tad more punchiness in throttle, but I say that lightly. Perhaps on next change we will do a vid. Thanks for checking in on this.
I know you talked about the air filter, but I wanted to know since your boy Chris went to the dark side how you feel about putting a car tire on the Goldwing the most luxurious bike in the world. 😆
Ummmmmmmm..... I say to each his own. For “me”, not going that direction anytime soon. I got new E4’s on and also an extra set in the garage. Not sure I wanna open up that Can of Worms just yet 😂
I found almost no advantage what so ever on my motorcycle. If you had one GW with and one without , you would not be able to tell a difference. There are some minuscule changes that occurs in afr but your bikes ecm compensates . I did some testing on my own with an AFR gauge and in some rpm ranges like I said minimal to no difference. The idea that more air flow indicates more particles in your engines indicates that those who say that do not understand how charging the filter with oil works. Those who have that issue are the ones that did not clean it well and oil it correctly with the correct product . An interesting fact my Honda Accord OE air filter has a oil coating on the filter. Interesting I think. I just did not like spending my time time cleaning it. Both my bike and car OEM unless you are making performance work then there is a good improvement with high flow filters. Note I have lots of performance done on my Vision, so at one point I had a K&N. The performance was way up in the rpm range close to 6k where I never really go especially on a touring bike. I deal with facts and what I have seen on a Dyno. Someone will say well it has to be tuned with the new air filter. That is a partial truth. Any bike will have a good over all improvement with a tune stock or not. I can’t say the same for the K&N
Now you have given me what sounds like an educated answer..THANK YOU! this is an item I just decided to try for myself and see. I do remember putting a K&N in my Shadow when I changed pipes years ago. I did not re-jet and that thing popped/backfired terribly bad...took it out a week later and put OEM back in it!
You will see no increase in performance. The OE filter flows plenty of air for an unmodified engine. There was a study some years ago which showed that the K&N did not filter dirt as well as an OE AC Delco filter in a Duramax. If the K&N was that great an improvement over OE, don't you think that the OE manufacturer would take advantage of it? Pure, snake oil, but it's your money and your bike.
This subject is as controversial as dark siding. Here's my take on K&N filters....they flow better, but they also let more dirt into your engine. What's more important to you, better filtration, or having a filter that can be reused?
Definitely snake oil. Manufactures spend lots of time and money to get this right. My bike had one in it when I bought it, now it has an OEM filter in it.. This was the change on my GW filter; i.imgur.com/iPj7N4m.jpg
Hello. I saw your video. Which camera system do you use? I would like to mount such a system on my wing. Thanks for a quick info. Gladly also to info@risal.cloud Regards from germany
