matic and a 2014 Honda Odyssey with 72,000 mi.
I’m hearing some mechanics poo poo them and I’m curious what your thoughts are on them. I feel that I get better gas mileage better horsepower and I don’t have to worry about changing them for a long time or cleaning them. I always see that they outlast the time that I keep the car so I don’t have to worry about changing the air filter. Also they aren’t much more than the OEM filter. What do you think?
If you like them and don't mind the cleaning and re-oiling, then keep doing what you're doing. But the extra air-flow comes at a price nobody tells you. It's true that they flow better but that's because the filter media is more porous than paper elements, however, it also lets in bigger contaminants thru into the engine. So, if you need the performance and rebuild your engine regularly then the potential damage is not a big deal, but for normal driving regular air filter is fine. I used to be in the oiled filter camp but changed my mind after seeing more problems cropping up in the muscle car forums from oiled filters passing more dirt.
I tried a K&N filter on my truck and not worth the hassle of re-oiling it. Also, in my case, it cost significantly more than the OEM.
Unless one has a performance vehicle and is going to re-tune the ECU, I recommend to everyone to stay with OEM. Scotty has mentioned the same numerous times in the past.
If you enjoy washing and re-oiling them every once in a while, go right ahead.
Realise the OEM paper filter is the easiest option for most people.
They cause more problems then they are worth. You gain no meaningful power, and could hurt the way the vehicle runs.
Is it worth using a K&N air filter?
If you're trying to shave milliseconds off your quarter-mile time, and you rebuild your engine every weekend, then sure.
Otherwise, no.
