wcl77

I see my newly purchased 2011 requires 2 air filters? I was pleased with the K&N filter in my ls430. The cost for 2 is roughly $100. Opinions on the merit of such purchase will be appreciated.

zracer31

My .02 on K&N filters. If you operate your engine in an environment where there is no airborne particulant then go for it and spend the money to MAYBE gain fractional increase in performance and/or mileage. Their claim is more airflow - well in order to get more air flow you have to increase the surface area and/or reduce the restriction through the media (filter). With your naked eye you can easily hold a K&N filter to the light and see straight through the gauze - well then if light can pass right through so can abrasive particles that are NOT good for the long life of your engine. Our cars have more than enough filtration area with two filters for a smallish 4.6L engine. The money you spend on these filters, plus the time to clean, dry and re-oil them exactly to prevent contamination on the mass airflow meter is in MY opinion not worth the cash and time outlay for supposedly benefits as mentioned earlier. Each to his own, but I feel that with a stock engine that most of the time is spent loping along under 2K RPM's the high flow nature of K&N's is not justified nor the potential increase in accelerated wear on piston rings or micro scratches on the cylinder walls....

PRSUIT460

iTrader: (3)

I had K&N filters in my 2007. Bought them new. The oil came off the filters and dirty'd up my mass air sensors. I'd keep the OEM ones in there..

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

I had good luck with the K&N in my ls430 as well.

I would get them again for my 460 if I found them at a good price.

I don't think you will get any extra performance, nor will you destroy your engine, but the fact they are re-useable makes them worthwhile for me.

RandyV

General consensus for most all models and makes is that K&N filters contaminate the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor wire.

The downside outweighs the upside.

Give it a try.

Doublebase

I've read that the filtration on the K and N is just not as good as traditional paper, therefore leads to premature engine wear. I've always been intrigued by them - and being able to keep a filter for the life of a vehicle - but hearing that the filtration isn't up to snuff did it for me.

tofuprod

I've run K&N in the past and I've never felt and noticeable gains in performance (not that I was looking for any at the time). The whole cleaning with the oils etc and all of that, I don't believe works well when it comes to engine longevity, I would stick with OEM - they do just fine for our cars.

mattbeeezy

iTrader: (26)

I've never had a problem with K&N drop in filters in either of my cars. It is a hassle when you need to clean it because the filter has to be fully soaked and then fully dry before putting it back in your car. If your LS is your daily I would just get the paper filters call it a day. Now if your looking for more air flow there is a mesh air guard at the top of each air box that you can cut out if your feeling up for the DIY. There was a thread on here, can't find it at the moment but I've done it myself and have not had any problems.

roadfrog

After a couple of VERY scary oil analysis' from Blackstone Labs from using K&N filters, I stay away. I used them for a short time in my Ford F350 diesel as well as a 5.0 mustang. Both oil samples came back with warnings that my oil had high levels of silicate (sand). Needless to say, sand is not good for your engine. The only place for K&N is at the track, where engines are torn down after every race or two. Also as mentioned, there are reports on numerous forums that the oil used in these filters can foul your MAF. I would also encourage you to check out some very in depth reviews and studies on K&N vs other paper filters and re-usable filters similar to K&N. One of the tests involved showing how much particulate got past the filters and how much air flow through the various filters etc. Here's just one of MANY: http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html