K & N Airfilter.....does it help!?!? - Honda Prelude Forum

EBPlude · 12-12-2001, 08:07 PM

I work at a Honda dealership and i was talking to some people about getting a K & N airfilter for 2001 Prelude. Does this help any at all, because they were saying im going to gain 10+ horses from this and im almost positive that isnt' right. what is an average gain in horses i will see if any and will i notice any difference whatsoever. thanks.

also is there any maintenance needed with having a k&n in ?

5Gen_Prelude · 12-12-2001, 08:42 PM

You probably won't gain much, except the money saved by reusing the filter over and over. The 10 HP is on vehicles with less technology built into their engines. Know any of those?

SleepyFish · 12-12-2001, 08:57 PM

I have a drop in K&N filter. No noticeable performance increase, but you don't have to buy filters over and over.

Kool-Lude · 12-13-2001, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SleepyFish
I have a drop in K&N filter. No noticeable performance increase, but you don't have to buy filters over and over.

Yes...but you do have to clean them over and over. And its a PITA, imo. I would just stick with the stock filter until you are ready for an aftermarket intake.

jc836 · 12-13-2001, 03:22 AM

Have it and can safely say that it will help with gas mileage. I'm just about ready for the first cleaning as I put it on at 5000M and have almost 30 now. The package says you only need to service it between 25000and 50000 miles. Cost is about $10 for the kit you need. Does it increase horsepower on a 5th gen-not really worth checking. The engine seems to breathe a bit more freely tho.
Happy Holidays and Good Luding

US_HONDA · 12-13-2001, 08:57 AM

As concensus has it, K&N's will give slightly better fuel mileage, in fact, noticible. The performance gain is negligible though - you may see 1 or 2 hp at the power peak, but you don't buy K&N's for this reason!

12-13-2001, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kool-Lude

Yes...but you do have to clean them over and over. And its a PITA, imo. I would just stick with the stock filter until you are ready for an aftermarket intake.

if you consider over and over every 50,000 miles then i guess you're right

Kool-Lude · 12-13-2001, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by prelude_driver
if you consider over and over every 50,000 miles then i guess you're right

That all depends on the conditions which you drive in. If the air is clean and you see little traffic (no cars in front of you spewing out stuff), then ok..50k. On the other hand, I had mine on for less than 10k miles and began to notice a drop in air flow. Cleaned it and everything was fine again. I do not have my front turn signal covers on in order to allow more air (and junk) to flow into the fenders...and that may also be a big factor. Then again, i doubt i would want to run any filter longer than 10k, but thats just me. And yes i know that K&N says air flows better with some dirt...but too much dirt blocks flow. So I think filter mileage depends on several factors, just like spark plugs and oil. Its not the same for all conditions and driving styles. My plugs will never go to 100k miles as Honda suggests...its pure rubbish.

HRC · 12-13-2001, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kool-Lude

Yes...but you do have to clean them over and over. And its a PITA, imo. I would just stick with the stock filter until you are ready for an aftermarket intake.

although my AEM filter won't last a lifetime, i've cleaned it a few times already, so there is really no difference in what need to be done between a k&n and an aftermarket one.

PREYLUDE · 12-13-2001, 03:11 PM

I'm selling my K&N air filter charger...on my car for a month....i have the box and everything. You can hear a little difference in the noise...not much though.

Kool-Lude · 12-13-2001, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by HRC

although my AEM filter won't last a lifetime, i've cleaned it a few times already, so there is really no difference in what need to be done between a k&n and an aftermarket one.

True...but at least you get power gains with the aftermarket intake and filter. Thus, my whole point is that the K&N drop in is not worth the hassle. It is of course worth every bit of time needed to clean an aftermarket intake filter.

Pete · 12-14-2001, 08:52 AM

K&N makes complete intake systems for many American v-8 applications. I know a guy who bought a kit for his 5.2L Dodge Ram and he said it made a huge difference in mileage as well as performance.

cementups · 12-15-2001, 08:30 AM

Alomst anytime you make air flow better thru your car, it is beneficial. And anything is better than the crappy paper filter that Honda puts in. I have the K&N in my car. For me it was just a cheap option until I decided on which CAI I really wanted.

Kool-Lude · 12-15-2001, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cementups
...And anything is better than the crappy paper filter that Honda puts in.

Seriously....you really think its cheap? I have replaced many airfilters on different cars before, and I think the oem Honda filter is one of the best I've seen. The filter is very thick and the pleats are uniform and solid, and the frame is strong.

Quote:

Originally posted by cementups
I have the K&N in my car. For me it was just a cheap option until I decided on which CAI I really wanted.

See now this is why I say just wait until your ready for an aftermarket intake. It is NOT a cheap option. Mine cost $40 plus $10 for the recharge kit. I just bought an oem filter online for $12. Buy two or three online...should last you at least 30k miles and save you time, money and the hassle of cleaning something that is doing very little, if any, for performance. Again, of course its worth the money and all the time to clean an aftermarket intake filter, as i stated before.

If you doubt what I say so much...replace your K&N drop-in with a new $12 oem filter for one day, and then tell me what you think. Heck..i've even done this comparison with an oem filter with 10k miles on it. And i've gone back and forth a few times. Maybe those of you that feel a difference with the K&N are replaceing dirty oem filters with new or freshly cleaned K&N...that is not a fair comparison.

Im not here to say that K&N filters are crap, nor am i saying that all drop-ins dont work. Im just trying to point out that our stock intake system is better than most stock sys. out there, and the drop-ins were designed for all types of cars..so some cars with crapy stock intakes would benefit more from a drop-in than our Preludes due.

Btw, not flaming or anything...just want to state my point clearly and share my experiences with you all.