Is K & N still the air filter to get?

[sport2004]

I never really thought about that, but what you said makes sense. I even googled it a bit. Most of the Toyota dealers talk about filtering the air coming in, and the charcoal helping with the odors coming in. So, I was kinda right about the smell in your vehicle, but not the ones from the burger and fries left in the back seat :zoom:

OK, I have heard of vehicles that do actually clean interior air, but have no experience with it. When I recently changed out the cabin filter, leaves, debris, etc, it didn't seem there was any intake from inside.

 

[90Duck]

Port only. It would make better power and get better fuel economy if it had Toyota's D4S port and direct injection.

But it would likely be a negative in terms of longevity, as I understand the fuel jetted on the outside of the valves is what keeps the carbon from building up like it is prone to do on direct injection engines. The combo of port and direct injections could be the holy grail.

It's all a tradeoff. The performance and fuel economy of my WRX is pretty impressive, but I am certainly not under the assumption that it will last nearly as long as I hope my 4Runner does.

Enough off track, sorry for the diversion.

 

[Volke]

But it would likely be a negative in terms of longevity, as I understand the fuel jetted on the outside of the valves is what keeps the carbon from building up like it is prone to do on direct injection engines. The combo of port and direct injections could be the holy grail.

It's all a tradeoff. The performance and fuel economy of my WRX is pretty impressive, but I am certainly not under the assumption that it will last nearly as long as I hope my 4Runner does.

Enough off track, sorry for the diversion.

Negative in terms of longevity how? D4S is a combination of port and direct injection, so it still has the self-cleaning properties of port injection. Look up the BRZ/FR-S/86. It uses Toyota's D4S and has one port and one direct injector per cylinder, for a total of 8 injectors. It's on the 3.5L Tacoma too. It has been around since the '05 Lexus GS350.

 

[Texas_Ranger]

I had a K&N when I was going on dirt roads more often. I could clean it after a trip but it was a hassle and I got tired of the mess. Went to a Toyota OEM. Looks good and has a pre filter pad in front of the pleated section.

The Fram has the same pre filter pad as well. I installed one last weekend.

 

[Whippersnapper02]

Buy a K&N, AEM, TRD or any washable air filter so that you do not throw away something after 1 year or 12,000 miles of use. All these reusable filters offer adequate filtering and if there is any performance enhancement then consider it a bonus.

I own a TRD air filter on my Gen5, I had a K&N on my Gen4 and all my cars for at least 15 years and never a problem. I will never say or prove they increase HP or MPG but I know I am not filling up the landfill. This is my Earth Day contribution. :hippie:

Takes about 5+ years to make up the purchase cost of the K&N.

 

[90Duck]

Negative in terms of longevity how? D4S is a combination of port and direct injection, so it still has the self-cleaning properties of port injection. Look up the BRZ/FR-S/86. It uses Toyota's D4S and has one port and one direct injector per cylinder, for a total of 8 injectors. It's on the 3.5L Tacoma too. It has been around since the '05 Lexus GS350.

Yep, port and direct combo would appear to solve the problem of direct only. I find it interesting that manufacturers (Subaru) don't seem to be concerned about it - maybe because by the time the carbon buildup has a measurable impact on performance and economy, the engine will be long out of warranty anyway?

 

[PaulB-2006 T4R]

Takes about 5+ years to make up the purchase cost of the K&N.

Cost was not my point I was trying to make.

 

[ayeyothisiskyle]

Cost was not my point I was trying to make.

But an OEM filter takes literally 30 seconds to change. With a reusable, you have to clean, wash, dry, re-oil, install which can take hours (includes drying time).

Where an OEM filter is $10-$12. 30 seconds to change. A reusable (K&N for example) is $60-$65. With a couple hours of cleaning when you decide to change it.

This all assumes they have the same filterability of particulates in the air where the driver is driving. The user needs to decide if they want to just get a package, open it up, clip off 4 clips, remove old filter and replace, reclip and start driving or do those things above then clean something and dry it.

It also depends on driving conditions. Are you in an area or drive to an area where there are fine particulates in the air? How gunked up does your filter get after an offroad trip? What is the level of dirtiness are you allowing your filter to get to? How long does it take to get to that level?

What is your time worth?

Going off of jetboy's post about not knowing if fine sized particulates that pass through the air filter and makes it into the engine will cause damage, I think it does, but there is another filter, the engine oil filter, that can help get all that out. I think we all agree that we only want oil and its additives, fuel, and air in our engines. Anything other than that can presumably accelerate engine wear.

 

[tpetsch]

But an OEM filter takes literally 30 seconds to change. With a reusable, you have to clean, wash, dry, re-oil, install which can take hours (includes drying time).

Where an OEM filter is $10-$12. 30 seconds to change. A reusable (K&N for example) is $60-$65. With a couple hours of cleaning when you decide to change it.

This all assumes they have the same filterability of particulates in the air where the driver is driving. The user needs to decide if they want to just get a package, open it up, clip off 4 clips, remove old filter and replace, reclip and start driving or do those things above then clean something and dry it.

It also depends on driving conditions. Are you in an area or drive to an area where there are fine particulates in the air? How gunked up does your filter get after an offroad trip? What is the level of dirtiness are you allowing your filter to get to? How long does it take to get to that level?

What is your time worth?

Going off of jetboy's post about not knowing if fine sized particulates that pass through the air filter and makes it into the engine will cause damage, I think it does, but there is another filter, the engine oil filter, that can help get all that out. I think we all agree that we only want oil and its additives, fuel, and air in our engines. Anything other than that can presumably accelerate engine wear.

I just paid $22 including shipping for a "17801-38051" please tell me where I could of bought one for "OEM filter is $10-$12" ? ...Thanks.

 

[ayeyothisiskyle]

I just paid $22 including shipping for a "17801-38051" please tell me where I could of bought one for "OEM filter is $10-$12" ? ...Thanks.

Wait for deals:shrug: Now its $22.

edit: I also use the browser extension "honey" to get the lowest price. I think I used that. Instead of 2-day amazon shipping it took like 4 days from that supplier.

 

[Whippersnapper02]

Cost was not my point I was trying to make.

What about the trash thing? As long as you are breathing, you're adding to the pile. :flamethrwoer2:

 

[83Mule]

I have used K&N for 40 years and it is all about proper cleaning and oiling. I wipe the inside of the intake tract with a white towel and it is immaculate even though the filter is filthy after a desert trip......that's all I need to know. I paid $38 for my K&N drop -in so that is about 2 Toyota filters. I live in the Desert and I have to clean or replace often so all my vehicles have them. Only one issue on my 89 4Runner at 150K the filter shrunk from age and K&N sent me a new one for free after 11 years!:dancin:

 

[Saker]

What about the trash thing? As long as you are breathing, you're adding to the pile. :flamethrwoer2:

Agree.... Also, when you stop breathing, you also add to the pile! :whip2::shocked:

 

[PaulB-2006 T4R]

Agree.... Also, when you stop breathing, you also add to the pile! :whip2::shocked:

AWESOME!! Whippersnapper02 :yield:

 

[Jetboy]

I think you'd be better off to go 20k between oil changes than use a reuseable filter - for engine life span. Paper filter and 20k oil change would likely have cleaner oil than 10k and low effectiveness air filter. That's probably a better way to save the planet too.

Also just an FYI - a paper filter can hold more than twice as much dirt before degrading flow performance than a K&N or AFE. So you can run a lot longer in dusty conditions before it will start to actually degrade performance. As the dirt accumulates the reusable filters suffer restriction much earlier in the dirt loading where the paper filters do not.

K&N Air Filter Review - Debunking the Myths (and why OEM is better)

 

[Decipher]

^ I absolutely would NOT go beyond the Toyota recommended 10,000 mile oil changes. That seems foolish to me. They know what they’re doing so I tend to follow that.

As far as air filters, we’re splitting hairs in performance gains. I say just go with a quality dry filter that has the same OEM style pre-filter element. These are not performance engines and any gains are negligible while compromising filtering performance. The cost per year is minimal and the value of not wasting your time cleaning and oiling is priceless.


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[sport2004]

As far as air filters, we’re splitting hairs in performance gains. I say just go with a quality dry filter that has the same OEM style pre-filter element. These are not performance engines and any gains are negligible while compromising filtering performance. The cost per year is minimal and the value of not wasting your time cleaning and oiling is priceless.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Couldn't agree more, but I do not know what is the 'pre-filter element' referred to. I just installed a Bosch.

 

[ayeyothisiskyle]

Couldn't agree more, but I do not know what is the 'pre-filter element' referred to. I just installed a Bosch.

Some filters are just the paper pleated filter. Others have the pre-filter before air hits the pleats. In the photo below, you can see that there is a filter floss type material that is glued onto the bottom of the filter. Thats the pre-filter.

Some OEM part numbers come with the prefilter and without the prefilter. Some are "made in Japan" some are "made in USA."

 

[sport2004]

Some filters are just the paper pleated filter. Others have the pre-filter before air hits the pleats. In the photo below, you can see that there is a filter floss type material that is glued onto the bottom of the filter. Thats the pre-filter.

Some OEM part numbers come with the prefilter and without the prefilter. Some are "made in Japan" some are "made in USA."

Thank you, never saw that before.

 

[VikingInAfrica]

not working for me.. am i doing something wrong?

This work for you in the desert? Then what am I doing wrong...? I use it in extreme dusty circumstance and with OEM my cabin was dust free. With this new K&N washable filter I have dust everywhere. Is it possible to install wrong?

I have used K&N for 40 years and it is all about proper cleaning and oiling. I wipe the inside of the intake tract with a white towel and it is immaculate even though the filter is filthy after a desert trip......that's all I need to know. I paid $38 for my K&N drop -in so that is about 2 Toyota filters. I live in the Desert and I have to clean or replace often so all my vehicles have them. Only one issue on my 89 4Runner at 150K the filter shrunk from age and K&N sent me a new one for free after 11 years!:dancin: