K&N filters - worth the bother ?

[Tone the bone]

I read somewhere that a swap to a K&N air filter kit gave a small boost in performance as well as an improved sound -
Anyone out there done it and was it worth it ?
Panel filter or kone?
Any other tweaks needed afterwards ie to engine management system ?

997 Gen 1 3.8 S

Also Still confused over which sports exhaust to go for. Not too worried about performance boost but not sure me or the neighbours Could live with a Gundo Hack looking for something a touch more mellow !!!

The Carnewal ? Guys in Belgium sound good and reasonably priced

Anyone in West London with a 911 with the above mods ? I would love to have a look and listen 😜

[mollytherocker]

I dont beleive they do much at all. I am sure I read a thread about a guy rolling roading his boxster? And the peak bhp reduced with the aftermarket filter!

[Trev450]

An increase in induction noise is about the only difference.
Caernewal exhaust mod is possibly the best for an oe system.

[Tonsko]

I had a cone filter on my G60. It added a nice bit of air noise to the charger rumble, but probably not much else, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself.

[Tony1963]

This is my take on aftermarket 'performance' air filters.

If any of the manufacturers of aftermarket air filters could show that, in an independent and repeatable test, an increase in power was produced, then the proof, together with graphs and references, would be advertised in every magazine and on every forum. Everyone would be fitting them to their cars, and everyone would be happy.

However, no such independent tests exist, and these days the adverts don't even claim more power, just something bland like "Designed for more power" lol.

Many tests show that some non-OEM filters let through more particles, which is more than enough to scare me off. Others clog up quickly and flow badly within a few thousand miles.

[anonymous-user]

Have heard of the oil off these filters covering sensors etc

[hygt2]

I have just the simple K&N panel air filter and it does not make any differences to performance. Just better induction noise and it can be cleaned and reused and that is it.

[jakesmith]

They're about the noise. In my opinion the boxster and cayman don't really need it as the driver is so close to the engine you hear it a lot more. In the 997 theres a mod you can do plus a panel filter combined for £200 prob give a nice induction rasp in fact i might buy one now!

[DasChin]

Design 911 have got some really good prices on their blue panel foam filter.

http://www.design911.co.uk/fu/pt697_702_-cma81-cmo...

£45 including VAT. worth a punt.

sometimes they come up even cheaper on ebay so worth a look.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-911-996-997-3-4-...

I have the BMC panel in 6.2 GT3 and it makes a good noise. I also added the RS spec Rear Air Ram duct to help get more air in and it does fell more pokey as you get up the range and more air going in.

Edited by DasChin on Wednesday 8th July 07:58

Edited by DasChin on Wednesday 8th July 08:00

[Tony1963]

I'd still be asking for test results on how much dust passes through any non-oem filter, both when new and at 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 miles. And the flow measurements.

[zulash]

jakesmith said:

They're about the noise. In my opinion the boxster and cayman don't really need it as the driver is so close to the engine you hear it a lot more. In the 997 theres a mod you can do plus a panel filter combined for £200 prob give a nice induction rasp in fact i might buy one now!

I had an air induction mod. from Design 911 fitted to my 997.1 3.6 (which basically replace the 'silencer' from the airbox) i was told to also change the filter but have not decided which panel filter to go for ...... any suggestions welcome.

[996lee]

especially now its getting hotter and when the engine bay is hot my induction kit makes it feel a little hampered off the line but im convinced it feels a bit more urgent from mid to the high rev range when the air is flowing better

and it makes a great sound too! and I know we don't have the engine bay on display all the time but it certainly looks a bit sexier than the oe setup



and a little vid for anyone interested in the sound difference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_IrBxmGZzE