Guys,
I have used K&N filters for many years and never had anything but a positive experience. I just ironically installed a matched set on my XKR175 a few days ago. I paid $85 for the set and I did it as I had the front bumper off filling in the front license plate holes and getting ready to prep, paint and color sand. With the bumper off, you can see all the plumbing associated with the filter boxes all the way up. Really cool that essentially our XKR's are factory cold air systems. I am a bit taken back by the angry comments associated with K&N filters. Logic says that it is virtually impossible to get oil up the tube and around to where the MAF sensor is? So, why would folks get so up in arms over this? My thought process is that if I have any perceived problem, I will put the stock filters back in. And the folks that are adamant that you are wasting your money and figuring out an ROI on a sub $90 part??? We drive Jaguars and now you are going to pinch pennies? All I know is there is a perceivable difference between stock and the K&N's for sure and more air in, the better. As they say on the pregame American football shows "Come on Man!!!"

 

Interesting logic on old technology since as you admit, the factory designed the X150 SC with an intake system that is designed for cold air inlet. Whose logic says that it is 'virtually impossible to get oil up the tube and around to where the MAF sensor is' when vehicles have had this condition?

As Americans often say: 'stop drinking the cool-aid'. Stop believing the marketing hype on something that is 'old school' from the 1960s and is a waste of money that has yet to prove to me on a dynamometer any of the claims put forth by the manufacturer of these filters. I believe in the 1800s this type of marketing was referred to by Americans as 'snake oil'.

Perhaps you just need to simply 'put the stock filers back in' and stop second guessing the engineers who designed the vehicle...

 

Well,
I guess we should all just go buy Tesla's as the "old school" 60's solution for air filters to a century old archaic internal combustion engine design is not relevant anymore. If we buy Tesla's, we don't have to ever worry about filters again ha ha !!! Look, I am not looking for an argument... especially on something as mundane as air filters. I'm sure they all work within a few % of each other and no one is going to have a problem either way. I again am simply stating my opinion which for 20 years has been positive on all the vehicles I have put K&N filters in.

 

On the topic of MAF failures...
I would personally love to avoid hype... Just as long as someone can provide facts to back what they say.

Right now I see K&N with a research facility, a loyal following in the grassroot motorsport world, and a willingness to lab test any MAF failure found. They are even willing to educate those that know very little about the subject.

What I don't see is anyone willing to do proper R&D or lab testing to prove K&N is lying or otherwise. Maybe I've missed some obscure lab test out there somewhere? If so please post up!

 

This is becoming one of those 'religious' things - you either believe in K&N or you don't. They have a good rep in motorsport - not sure whether that always translates to street cars (Hewland transaxles are pretty good, but I'm not hankering to get one for the XKR).

I have no view either way on which is "better"; my only thought is that the car is set up based on the standard paper filters - if you change that, I guess you're relying on the ECU adjusting for a different airflow. In the absence of a compelling reason for change, I'll continue with the status quo ante, i.e. the standard filters.

 

K&N passes more dirt than acceptable to OEMs

It would be cheaper and more profitable for an OEM to use K&N, as K&N would give it to them free in-return for the endorsement; and the OEM could mark it up more than a paper filter.

They dont do all this because shorter engine life is not acceptable.

 

I pretty much agree here . I have had the opportunity to use K&N in 2 applications and although I didn't believe the hype in HP my reason was for it's life. I installed one in my wife's 89 Volvo at 90K miles and clean it every 2 years. The car now has 349K miles and still going . I also had one on my 77 Weber carb Ferrari and did the same clean cycle and put 30K miles on it before selling it. Was there a performance difference , I couldn't feel it. Did it hurt the car , I don't know but I never did any analysis. Will I use them on the Jag , I don't know but having a SC new to me I'll have to do some homework.

 

We've had a considerable number of people on modern cars (say 1995 on) whose MAFs have been dirtied, I would think by slight amounts of oil carried by the air gradually building up or by the extra dirt allowed through by the filter. (I suppose one issue is marginal overoiling or that oil just gets dragged through as vapour, another is underoiling.) Then they get a badly running engine and eventually codes. Some of the MAFs have cleaned, some haven't. Generally the wrongly-reading MAFs change fuelling. Over fuel wastes fuel and gradually damages cats, under fuel causes lean running which is bad for petrol engines. Anyone happy with these issues, use K&N.

 

2 Questions.

Has anyone got 50,000 miles out of their ultra-high tolerance, low oil flow, forced air, Jaguar 5l with a K&N filter.

Has any redneck tried to oil a paper filter.


Someone here said it best, Corvettes used oiled cotton filters in the 60's- even those bumpkins have moved on to high filtration paper.

 

Stock paper filters are fine for me.

 

I always love a good K&N discussion, and I can't resist adding a few random thoughts:

1. That K&N enjoys a great reputation in motorsports is essentially irrefutable. But it seems possible that if the use of a K&N filter has any long-term negative consequences, they may be somewhat mitigated by the typically greater frequency of service (and even partial or complete rebuilding) that motorsports engines receive compared to the average street engine.

2. It seems logical to me that an air filter that can pass a greater rate of air flow can also pass dust and grit particles of larger diameter. Some owners find that acceptable, others do not. Yet another reason to celebrate individual liberty.

3. I once conducted a simple test to gauge the maximum subjective performance increase I might expect by using a K&N. I waited until just after a heavy rain (so the worst dust would be washed from the air), then removed the entire air cleaner housing and short pipe to the MAF (which would have been replaced by a cold air intake). I took a drive on a favorite local road and felt a noticeable but minor increase in engine responsiveness. However, the increase in induction noise, especially at WOT, was significant. Given that the minor increase in engine responsiveness would have been somewhat reduced by the resistance of even a high-flowing K&N filter, I opted to reinstall the stock paper filter and to live with the slight decrease in engine response in favor of greater protection against airborne grit.

If you opt for the K&N, more power to ya' (pun intended).

I look forward to further discussion!

Cheers,

Don

 

Just for the record, the companies I've been able to confirm as Jaguar air filter OEMs are:

Mann
Mahle
Valeo
Visteon (a former Ford division that supplied Ford-era Jaguars)

To my knowledge, all the OE filters supplied to Jaguar have been made in Germany, the U.K., France, and either Spain or Portugal (I'll have to check my records). I'm not aware of any OE filters from Asia, but that will likely change as Jaguar proceeds with its plans to assemble vehicles in mainland China.

If you know if any other Jaguar air filter OEMs, I'd be grateful for the information.

Cheers,

Don

 

Hi Don,

There is another major problem. K&N relies on dirt sticking to it, thus the oil. I would not trust any filter that did not have the ability to bounce dirt off it, if I was going force air in from the dirtiest part of the car-the front and just a few inches of the ground. That's why manufacturers dont put an intake outside the car, especially up front, you are sucking in moisture, dirt, road salt and even insects. Worst, you are ramming it in there. Therefore its safe to say that the jaguar has one of the highest filtration requirements, especially with a very tight tolerance engine.

 

Gregory,
I think a lot depends on where you live and drive! We in the PNW we have clean rain washed air (except for truck and Jet exhaust!) and are therefore are very easy on air filtration requirements............
So for me in the Seattle area OEM's work just fine! May not be true for other drier or dirtier locations.........
Just an engineers simple point of view!

Not raining yet! but will take Honda to lunch! because I am in the middle of polishing the XK !

Cheers, Adrian

 

But they do..............

Cold air induction has been in mass production since the 70s on even the most mundane piece of transportation.

 

For all of the aforementioned comments on avoiding the use of K&N filters, I for one totally agree

One other thing puzzles me.....For those that really look after their car, spend lots of money of add ons / mods / upgrades etc and service regularly....
The extra bhp is minimal if even noticeable to say the least, more noise perhaps?
However, some have cited the convenience of extended change intervals??

I change my standard air filter every year ( it's only 1 time per 365 days, maybe less ) surely that's no hardship?
It may just be me, but I really don't get it.

If and I stress IF the OEM ( whoever that may be ) who spends Millions / Billions on research and development don't use it, I struggle to see how I can know better in this instance?

Just my 2c worth, but each to their own I say

 

The sole advantage of an oiled air cleaner is it's re-usability vs. being a throw away piece. I don't think the economics of it makes sense for the average driver.

Oiled filters do not offer an extended cleaning interval over a conventional paper filter. Hopefully nobody is actually doing this...........

 

I know Mikey I hear you, but a standard air filter here ( aftermarket ) can be had for around £8 - £10


Heck even a genuine one isn't really that expensive, probably around £15 - £20 depending on make / model
I know some may differ here n there, but that's about it in a nutshell for me anyway

 

Yup. I don't think I've ever owned/driven a vehicle long enough to make the economics of a oil-wetted type work.

 

If you get oil on your MAF from a K&N filter, it's because you used too much oil.