K&N oil filter; would anyone use this?

It might be the best 308 filter on the planet. The problem is it doesn't have the usage history of Baldwin or UFI. I'd like to see many people use them for many years before I try it. My guess is it works just fine.

 

The Baldwin or UFI (both with internal standpipe) will give you a shorter average time to full pressurization on a 308 (doesn't mean that the K&N is unacceptable, but it doesn't include this small refinement for an inverted mounting arrangement).

 

I use the K&N HP3001. Been using it for 3 years with absolutely no problems. Just had a major done a few months ago. Engine health came through with flying colors.
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You really should use one designed for inverted positioning (a valve/pipe), otherwise when you start the car, no oil gets to the engine until the filter is filled.

Seeing as the price is about the same, go for the Baldwin, which can be ordered from any truck parts place in the country. (Don't use Fram, as the quality has gone way down, so they have a nasty habit of failing in two different ways!)

 

K&N spin-ons get good reviews for filtration, but until K&N publishes more tech data, I'll stick with Baldwin because they're a known entity with regard to initial system pressurization. Baldwin-Hastings is old school but well respected in industry and fleet use where filter performance and oil chemistry is tracked.

 

If the KN does not have the standpipe, I wouldn't consider it. THe lack of it, IMO, shows a design limitation that makes it inferior to a filter like the Baldwin. One would think that a company like KN would supply a filter that would work optimally in any application but no standpipe means it's not as good inverted as it is "upright."

Also, KN air filters do not filter as well as standard paper filters, opting for alleged better flow capacity over filtering ability; I wonder what their oil filter philosophy is?

I'd stick with Baldwin.

 

I have used the Baldwin oil filter for years.....along with the KN air filter. Both have worked great, with no problems.

 

Unfortunately, you won't know if a filter worked great or badly until the engine is disassembled and the clearances checked.

K&N air filters are well known to not filter as fine a material as paper filters do. K&N themselves state that the filters work "even better" as they start trapping material. This is because the trapped material reduces the size of the openings that can pass dust.

You can count on the fact that a new K&N filter is allowing more dirt into the engine than an new oem paper filter. Whether any power is to be gained will be totally based on whether or not the oem airfliter is large enough to satisfy the engine's requirement. If it is, a K&N (or no air filter) will not increase power at all.

 

After seeing these posts, I decided to try the K&N filter. The engine oil lamp stays on longer than the UFI filter during start up when cold. I'll switch back to UFI or maybe try the Baldwin next time.

 

LOL...What do you mean "next time". Just un screw it and screw on a different one!!

 

"Next" oil change (6 months or 50 miles). I'll give it a few months to see how it filters the oil. K&N makes good products. Per the other posts, it appears not to have the start up bypass feature; it only takes a second or less longer in my car to fill up. People are using it with no problems. Not enough in my mind to replace and discard it right away.

Cheers

 

With K&N it's all hype and great marketing. Oil and air filters included! Have you ever heard the term 'Snake Oil'?

Just like the 'Pet Rock'; marketing and packaging is what made it a hit. Bottom line, it was just a rock and not even a special rock......In my opinion K&N is just another flim-flam product with no special attributes. Pay the extra bucks but I can guarantee you won't see added performance!

Yeah, you can clean and re-oil their air filters but is that really any big deal!

 

Baldwin.

Baldwin.

Baldwin.

Baldwin.

 

"I'll give it a few months to see how it filters the oil."

How are you going to make that determination?

 

Your car, your decision, good luck. Hope we don't read another post next year about having to do an engine job because of poor oil lub problems. It only takes a few minutes to change the filter and don't even need to drain the oil, so for me it's a no brainer, i would not risk a $20,000+ engine rebuild on a $35.00 oil filter. I don't thats why I use either Baldwin or UFI.

 

I stick with UFI,Oil,& Air Filters.Thats what the car came with,I'll keep using them.Last time I boar scoped my engine Clean as a Whistle.