Try this for fun

Engine troubles? Try here.
pinztrek
Barbados
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2005 9:27 pm
Location: Atlanta Area
Contact:

Re: K@N filter

Post by pinztrek »

man on the mule wrote:Maybe the K@N works wonders for some,not for this kid.
Nor for most.... about the only thing about the K&N's that is confirmed is that they are somewhat less resistance to airflow than a pure paper filter. That comes with an (unacceptable) price unless you are OK with replacing engines every race like race teams do.

Or, just do like indy cars did and don't run a filter just a screen to keep out gravel. :-) Oh wait. IRL now uses K&N! So does NASCAR, which requires filters since otherwise teams would not run them.

I had the opportunity to be in the pits for two CART races with Bobby Rahal's team. Lot's of things they do, even warmup spare engines and keep them in a thermal blanket.

I asked about oil, and they laughed. Plain jane shell "fire & ice". When I asked about synthetics, they explained that the race engines do not run long enough for oil specs or air filtration to be an issue. They maximize for performance, since the engines are rebuilt each race with new parts anyway.

So the fact that xyz racing team uses K&N is simply not relevant to our vehicles.

There are ways to tell if an air filter is a restriction or not. The easiest is to compare atmospheric pressure with the manifold at WOT. Easy to do with EFI, and is how I know the pinz filter is not a constraint. There are acceptable differences. A better way is to put a map sensor ahead of the throttle body, and compare that to atmospheric. Will be a very small difference if any to atmospheric.

Have fun,

Alan
Erik712m
Posts: 1553
Joined: Sun Jan 21, 2007 7:52 pm
Location: Wichita, Kansas

Post by Erik712m »

Alan, Hope all is well down in flood town.
pinztrek
Barbados
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2005 9:27 pm
Location: Atlanta Area
Contact:

Post by pinztrek »

Erik712m wrote:Alan, Hope all is well down in flood town.
Thanks Erik, doing better than most. Flooded basement, an inch or so only, wet boxes of stuff in storage room, etc. A/C dead since the furnace room is in the basement.

But we have porcelain tile in the finished basement, so comparatively speaking it's easier to clean up. Down here it's hot enough that folks with wet carpets sour & mildew in less than 24 hours and often it's ruined.

Many, many roads & water mains still out in our area. Several deaths and some still missing, mainly from trying to get out on flooded roads. Some neighborhoods are locked in with no drinkable water, yet can't leave. They finally got them water dropped in.

Not hurricane katrina level in scale, but for the folks with water up to the roof it's bad enough. So in that regard we are lucky!

Thanks,

Alan
chacaocop1
Posts: 155
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:25 pm
Location: McKinney, TX
Contact:

Post by chacaocop1 »

Very educational posts. I will admit that I own a Ford Excrursion with a TD engine which I was considering to upgrade with the Banks system (yes I know, this is a Pinz technical forum) and now I am really hesitating. In addition the K&N filter for my Pinz was something I was contemplating to do for the longest but had always put it aside due to other more needy upgrades such as speedometer, exhaust, etc.

I will not state here my decision to upgrade or not but I will say that all your opinions have been VERY helpful.

I am glad I am part of this forum.
CHACAOCOP
1973 712M
pinztrek
Barbados
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2005 9:27 pm
Location: Atlanta Area
Contact:

Post by pinztrek »

There are some very good aftermarket setups for the 7.3 & 6.0 Navistar diesel that improve performance without compromising filtration.

On the ford diesels the airfilter/intake can be a constraint as well as the exhaust, especially if you "chip" for more HP. Less of an issue on the recent models but late 90's to 2005 or so it's an issue.

I'll have to check with a friend for the company name, but I'm thinking it's something like AFE that makes an improved airflow system that still filters per spec for the Fords.

Most of the time it's not just the filter as much as the overall plumbing, airbox location, etc.

If your airbox is really constrained, the home grown "drill holes in the air box" approach can help, but it's far better to plumb properly for cool, clean air than to take dusty hot air from inside the engine compartment.

On the pinz, if I were to do one thing to improve airflow it would be to get the air intake into clean/cool air. Couple of good approaches:

- Prof Pinz's beautiful snorkel mod which move the air intake up on the roll bar
- The FLA gang (Russ & friends) trick of popping a hole in the rear cabin wall and putting the snout of the air filter through it. Some plumb it up higher we well. Also helps with deep water.

Maybe Russ can comment?

If you have ever stood near a pinz running on a dusty road you can see how much dust it stirs up just from the cooling fan. Moving the air intake out of this will keep your filter cleaner longer. And cleaner means less restriction, if you are concerned it's a problem. Cooler air is also denser, improving the apparent efficiency of your engine intake system.

Have fun,

Alan
Post Reply