Took my car to the dealer for the usual oil change got a call that i needed an air filter, which i told them not to replace it. It would of cost me $31 bucks if i did it through the dealer, and i thought of just getting it through any regular auto parts store, but now if i do that it would be $53 bucks from a KNN. They say it will run for a long time and i wouldn't need to replace it just by cleaning it with a special kit. My question is how good is the KNN filter??? and if just by cleaning it and not actually replacing the air filter is it any better..?? (Sorry old school :)

6 of one, half dozen of other...it's like asking whats your fav oil. Pro's and cons to everything.....

Some say K&N doesn't filter particles small nuff' and can damage engine...others say you get better performance compared to stock air filter....

Sure, you can clean the k&N filter and it'll last you a million miles....doesn't say anything about your engine lasting....

You'll get plenty of pro and cons...

If it's cleaned and oiled properly, you'll get many years of use out of it. If it's over oiled, it can contaminate the MAF sensor and your car won't run well. I had a K&N cone filter and cold air box in my 2004 Grand Prix for 3+ years and 85,000 trouble free miles. I have a high flow paper filter in a Volant CAI in my G8 and I like it since I don't have to worry about oil contamination.

Some other arguments against the K & N are from an RV/towing site I frequent. I have seen a few tests that show, under the vast majority of driving conditions including heavy throttle input, the AC-Delco air filters flow just as good as the K&N, but trap more junk.

Where the K&N filters begin to flow "better" are at the extreme upper limits of RPM ranges where most of us rarely spend much time at all.

I used to use K&N filters in my trucks. One day, as I was "recharging" one, I realized I really didn't feel like doing this. My time was better spent doing something else. For just a teensy, weensy more flow at hardly used RPM's and unoticeable gains, I paid more for a filter that I had to spend time washing. I kinda felt stupid doing it.

Do real research to compare flow and, if one is better, see just where it is better.

...

Get this
AFE Post (http://www.g8board.com/forums/showpost.php?p=426902&postcount=17)

I searched for that AFE dry panel filter and it says there's no application for the G8. Do you have a part number?

Nevermind I found it:

http://afepower.com/shop/details_new.php?partno=30-10160&truck&searchtype=word&keyword=30-10160&brandID=59

The K&N's do have better airflow, but it comes at the cost of reduced filtration. Unfortunately you can't have your cake and eat it too with this particular product. I wish I had kept all of my links I used to have for my car crap, but I did. I had a very good particulate test that showed all of the high performance filters. The K&N was middle of the pack as far as filtration. The particular test they provide that shows good filtration is not the same test most other manufacturers use. It's for larger particulates. For those of us that have CAI's, we too are allowing more particulates into our engines than stock applications. Again, it's a fair trade off for the gains and sound it provides. At least to me : ) I personally would not purchase the K&N stock replacement filter.

This is coming from the guy that wacked the door on his G8....

Here is a test I just googled. It shows air flow and filtration.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest1.htm

Here is another one:

http://www.mkiv.com/techarticles/filters_test/2/

This is coming from the guy that wacked the door on his G8....

Nice : ) I wacked it with a snow shovel today.

I'm just giving you a hard time, sorry to hear about your misfortune. You're right though, the K&N doesn't filter as well as a paper filter, so a high flow dry filter is a better choice.

The Afe looks like a good way to go.

Some of you may not care for my source but..........I was in a Doctor's office and there was a Porsche dealer magazine. It said oiled cotton gauze (K&N) filters for race engines or race event's, and paper filter's for everyday engine's or normal use.

An oiled gauze filter will out flow a paper filter, but there are a lot of high flow fiber filters out these days, so they aren't a good choice any more.

Some of you may not care for my source but..........I was in a Doctor's office and there was a Porsche dealer magazine. It said oiled cotton gauze (K&N) filters for race engines or race event's, and paper filter's for everyday engine's or normal use.

How can anyone really argue? It's true. There are some very good dry filters out there that are a good compromise of flow/filtration.

So, this page scares the crap out of me: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest3.htm

I have the K&N drop-in. Is all this dirt causing damage?? Would I be better off just going back to the paper??

Your motor will be ok, I've been using K&N filters for many years without any problems.

I had a K&N cone filter and cold air box in my 2004 Grand Prix for 3+ years and 85,000 trouble free miles.

Thanks ended up getting the filter from the dealer.. might try the K&N in the future

You should go with the AEM panel filter. You'll get better performance and better filtration.

http://afepower.com/shop/details_new.php?partno=30-10160&truck&searchtype=word&keyword=30-10160&brandID=59