K&n Fipk?

[Ele'ele]

I have read the post on K&N and the test that showed more dirty air was allowed in along with the increased airflow. My question is , is it still worth getting? I installed the TRD high flow airfilter but did not see or feel any gains in HP or fuel economy. Is the vollant any better than K&N?

When I had my 95 pathfinder I modified the air intake my self to allow more air in and when I floor it, the engine made a pretty sweet rumble. I also had a Flowmaster cat back installed and that made it even better.
So i know that installed an open airflow to the 4runner would be sweet, especially in my V8. Any suggestions?

 

[iFORCE]

I think a big problem with intake is that people tend to think it'll give substantial HP. Even if it gave 10HP, you wouldn't feel it. It's such a negligible amount that drivers aren't going to feel the difference.

As for the sounds, just because it doesn't make a lower tone doesn't mean that the engine isn't breathing better. Yes... it lets the engine breathe a bit better but what good is it if you can breathe better but you can't fart as freely(exhaust).

If you want a modification that would produce a substantial HP gain.. and one that you will notice.. a supercharger would fit your need.

 

[Iowa4Runner]

I've heard K&N's don't filter as well as the OEM units, which doesn't surprise me. I'm not convinced they do much for horsepower either. I'll never use them on any of my vehicles.

 

[Jason B]

I've heard K&N's don't filter as well as the OEM units, which doesn't surprise me. I'm not convinced they do much for horsepower either. I'll never use them on any of my vehicles.

Can you see individual dust particals? Nope.

Can you see holes in the K&N filter if you hold it up to the light? Yep.

If the holes are bigger then the dust particals, then how does the filter stop the particals? IT Can't.

I'm not the biggest fan of K&N.

 

[bulldog-yota]

I'm not a big fan off aftermaket airfilters. For some vehicles they do help, and I think vandert is very happy with his one in the V6. Somebody also have the Volant unit and is very happy with it.

There will be gains, but most of the time it is marginal.

My problem is that once you put in the fipk system, you will allow more dirt into our engine. You will also compromise the emissionstatus of the vehicle, the V8 has a secondary charcoal filter for emissions going the other way.

So if you go off road you will have two problems, one is more dirt coming in and the scond is that it will be so much easier todrown your engine in deep water crossings. Teh stock intake and box helps a lot to protect your vehicle from drowning, with a fipk system you loose it as it is easy to splash water on the filter though the engine bay.

 

[iFORCE]

I'm not a big fan off aftermaket airfilters. For some vehicles they do help, and I think vandert is very happy with his one in the V6. Somebody also have the Volant unit and is very happy with it.

There will be gains, but most of the time it is marginal.

My problem is that once you put in the fipk system, you will allow more dirt into our engine. You will also compromise the emissionstatus of the vehicle, the V8 has a secondary charcoal filter for emissions going the other way.

So if you go off road you will have two problems, one is more dirt coming in and the scond is that it will be so much easier todrown your engine in deep water crossings. Teh stock intake and box helps a lot to protect your vehicle from drowning, with a fipk system you loose it as it is easy to splash water on the filter though the engine bay.

Spashing water on the filter isn't going to harm anything. The only way it'll harm your vehicle is if you fully submerg the entire intake. (Try drinking through a straw with the tip half submerged). By then, you would've submerged your engine and there would be alot more concern from you then just water in your intake.

Filters are filters. Nothing is 100% unless you completely sealed the intake. Most filters will filter almost all the air going into the engine so choose your filters wisely.

 

[bulldog-yota]

When an engine is under load (i.e. going through a mud bog) it is like a massive vacuum cleaner. It will suck water through the filter with ease, even if it is just splashed on it. A relatively small amount of water will hydrolock an engine, which in some cases destryes the engine. That is why Volant (I think) makes their open filter system in a closed box to avoid engine bay water egtting to the filter itself.

Maybe splash is the wrong term, but when you drive through water there is relatively large volumes of water entering the engine bay. You dont have to submerge the filer in water and the water level does not even have to get to the filter for a sufficient amount to get into the intake system.

The 4Runner below had it's engine running the whole time and was driven after being pulled out. If he did the same thing with a fipk system his engine would more than likely have been toast.

 

[iFORCE]

So what your saying is that all those modified civics with the CAI will suffer engine damage if they drive in the rain. Obviously the filter will get hit with some water... but I don't see them dying out there (sometimes i wish they would).

 

[bulldog-yota]

So what your saying is that all those modified civics with the CAI will suffer engine damage if they drive in the rain. Obviously the filter will get hit with some water... but I don't see them dying out there (sometimes i wish they would).

The volume of water entering the enigine bay from rain is not comparible to driving through a stream of water. Maybe I need to adjust my deinition of splashing, but if yo do a water crossing a great volume of water gets "spalshed" around in your engine bay. This will get sucked into your intake system by the engine unless it is closed of from the engine bay itself.

Try this experiment:
Take a jug of water, rev the engine to 3000 rpm and then "spalsh" (pour) the whole jug on the fipk air filter and see what happens. The filter is not submerged in water at all yet it sucks a great deal of water into it.

That is what I referred to splashing.

Ask people who have hydrolocked their engine in water levels far below the intake of their air system.

 

[iFORCE]

Maybe instead of that.... try taking a straw and splash water on the open end and see how much water you can suck in.

CAI are not enclosed yet sit fairly low in the engine compartment. People have been using it for a long time yet I don't see people shouting "hydrolock". I know this as I was an admin on a local performance car site.

There will always be moisture entering the intake/throttle body. The air contains moisture but it depends on how much moisture gets in at once. A regular intake vs. a FIPK is more or less the same thing. What's gone is half the factory tubing and a open filter is used. A factory intake just has more piping and if submerged... will hydrolock anyways.

I just don't want people getting overly concerned in terms of water getting in the TB.

 

[bulldog-yota]

iForce, if you look at the stock air system design you will notice the actual intake for the stock system is on the inner fender on the passenger side pointing backwards and protected by the inner fender trimming from the wheel completely. There is a good reason why this was done. My brother has a Ford Ranger and the intake sits in the engine compartment pointing forward, pretty high up. He has hydrolocked his engine twice when doing water crossings. Fortunately he was going slow enough, so no damage apart from pulling plugs and getting the water out. The second time I was with him and the water was far lower thn what I have crosse in my 4Runner, the diffference was that water spalshed up high enough to get sucked in.

What I'm saying is that if you only drive on road, dont worry about it. If you however go offroad and do water crossings you will want a system that is enclosed from the engine comparemet at the bottom and sides. The fipk does not do this.

Please dont confuse offroad water crossings with rain and ricer hondas.

 

[iFORCE]

Offroad = submerged (doesn't matter where the opening is facing, submerged is still submerged)
Driving = spash spash (yes.. ricers get spash spash)

This is getting off topic.

Some people like K&N whereas other people like Volant. Unless you will be driving your vehicle for 150,000MILES, you won't be noticing too much of a difference between K&N, TRD, etc.

I too have the TRD filter but I have it not due to a potential increase in HP but as a financial consideration. It might increase/decrease HP but I know I won't be noticing the difference.

 

[chillwihll]

RE

I installed the TRD high flow airfilter but did not see or feel any gains in HP or fuel economy. Is the vollant any better than K&N?

Well see, that's because you didn't remove the secondary (permanent) air filter that's behind the stock filter--(if your V8 has one). I broke mine off with a screwdriver/pliers. Feels much better now . I don't like the FIPK system because it's poorly designed like the guys said, but if they made a cold air intake where the cone were located in the wheelwell where the stock intake pipe opens up, i'd sport it. ***Oh yeah, and I put my stock filter back in when i go off road because of the dirt issue.***

 

[bulldog-yota]

On the FIPK, I'll stand by my previous 2 points. As I notice you have a lifted 4Runner with KO's I assume you plan on going offroad with it.

1) More dirt will come throught the filter. This will become a big issue if you go offroad.
2) WIth an FIPK system or similar desing to it, you will significantly increase your risk of drowning the engine when going through water crossings or mud holes.