Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner

Done With K&N Crap

2K views 13 replies 12 participants last post by  ///BHRpowered 
#1 ·
Well there have been things I have done to my Jeep that worked out really well or were a non-issue and just worked as they were advertised, and then there are those things that are nothing short of a nightmare.

My K&N FIPK has given me nothing but trouble since I bought it; first off I spent a lot of money but thought it was worth it. (I bought into the hype) secondly I thought the thing would provide more power etc but at most it really just makes noise (Which is ok) but I have had it on my 96 5.2 and now my 98 5.9 and it just doesn't measure up to all the hype. Of course there is the filter testing that has been done and if anyone has seen the outcome to that you have to admit it makes you think maybe it wasn't such a great upgrade. In theory it should be a good upgrade but they make claims that just don't hold water. The filter is not a good filtering unit; I'll go as far as to say it's generally bad as far as filtering dirt. The plastic tube is just a piece of junk that may have been designed well but the quality of their manufacturing isn't worth the money to say the least. My first tube was not molded correctly and rubbed the hood liner really bad; they all do to some degree or another but this was because it was a bad mold. You could see how it was off. The replacement they sent had an issue with the ring that slips over the Intake; it was loose but it mounted so I ignored it. The other day I'm changing out the cap and rotor (Those of you with 5.2's or 5.9's know this is a pain to do)
I removed the tube to get a better angle on removing the cap; when I go to re-install the tube I see the ring is completely loose and part is out of the molding. So I try for the better part of an hour to get that band back up into it's place and it's impossible. It's like putting a square peg in a round hole! Since I have no other vehicle I have to make this work somehow; so I pull the band out and re-install it upside down. Sounds strange but it did work; although I'm sure it's not a tight seal. Truthfully it never really did seal completely in my mind anyways but now it's worse. Also there were a couple places where the band mounts inside the tube where plastic had obviously broken away; I can only guess that it's now in my intake somewhere? All this and what I paid? You would think you should expect more; charge me what you will but at least give me a quality product. It's my choice to spend the money or not.

So I contact a guy named Thomas Walden at K&N; this is the same guy that sent me the first replacement. I have tried and tried to get a hold of him and can't get a reply from him or customer service; when I call I get a voice mail or someone who will have him return my call. So basically I have nothing.

I will not own another K&N product; too expensive and it doesn't filter anywhere near like they claim it does. On top of that to add insult to injury their quality isn't there. I take care of what I have; I didn't throw it around the yard and blame them for my mistake. This is a quality issue they are very aware of. The first thing Thomas asked me when I called him about the first tube was if it was the band; he told me that they are having a lot of issues with it coming loose. Strangely my first one was locked in there tight.

If anyone is using this I would check it; even if you think it's ok. When the band comes loose from the plastic there will be plastic that will break off and go right into the intake.

I'm seriously thinking about going back to the original filter box; I really haven't seen any intakes that are worth the money they want for them. Plus I feel stupid paying $250-300 for one of these and truth be known it's probably not helping my engine as far as filtering anyways.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Good post there, I sympathize with your situation. I was thinking of doing this upgrade and now I am concidering not doing it.

I have the "drop in" style K&N and it seems to be fine. while I dont have the sound thing I assume It still has an increase in flow over the paper style filters.
 
#3 ·
The air flow isn't as much as they want you to think, plus no matter if it's a drop in or the kit the filter is the same media. (Cotton) The AEM Brute Force uses a different "Non oiled filter" but I just don't see it worth spending $300 for some marginal at best increase in HP. Honestly I think my MPG has gone down not up.
 
#5 ·
I bought a used FIPK and it has been fine. I did not buy it for MORE POWER becuase I knew that I would not see a power increase at all. I bought it second hand so it was not a big hit in the wallet but I really got it to free up room in the engine bay so I can relocate the washer fluid bottle. But so far no complatnts...
 
#7 ·
Hey i bought a volant air intake for my 4.7 and they dont give much power but it does make it sound much better but i got mine from AutoAnything.com and i payed some thing like $250 and it does make it feel more"peppy" IMO but not much power though
Matthew
 
#9 ·
the kn fipk works fine on mine. Im not saying it gives extra power, but it looks good, frees up room, and has never had a problem with fitment. Mine slides right over perfect, and seals up tight.
 
#10 ·
Have the drop-in K&N filter, maintenance instructions specify washing the filter in K&N filter cleaning solution. Is there an alternative to this, an off the shelf cleaner or solvent, that works just as well?
 
#11 ·
My turbo city dual air intake works like a champ.



Hunter
 
#12 ·
A common mistake is people think its actually going to give you power, and more then that, power your going to feel. Not true, for the most part its just a sound, but its a cool sound. It does give you SOME power, but you won't feel it, I think its about 13hp max I'v seen advertised from non honda lovers/realists. So 13 horsepower over 235 dollars (going price on ebay) is about 18 dollars per 1hp. Now lets say you pay 4500 for a supercharger that adds 110hp, your now spending 41 dollars per hp.

But you would feel the S/C and love it

Moral of the story. Its actually much more finanicial feasible, plus it looks and sounds great, and you never need to buy another filter. I'm sick of people complaining. Research for yourself, if your going to let other people decide how you live your life, spend your money, and when to take a s*** then you deserved to be screwed. (even when your getting the best bang for the buck)
 
#13 ·
///BHRpowered said:
A common mistake is people think its actually going to give you power, and more then that, power your going to feel. Not true, for the most part its just a sound, but its a cool sound. It does give you SOME power, but you won't feel it, I think its about 13hp max I'v seen advertised from non honda lovers/realists. So 13 horsepower over 235 dollars (going price on ebay) is about 18 dollars per 1hp. Now lets say you pay 4500 for a supercharger that adds 110hp, your now spending 41 dollars per hp.

But you would feel the S/C and love it

Moral of the story. Its actually much more finanicial feasible, plus it looks and sounds great, and you never need to buy another filter. I'm sick of people complaining. Research for yourself, if your going to let other people decide how you live your life, spend your money, and when to take a s*** then you deserved to be screwed. (even when your getting the best bang for the buck)
Exactly what I was thinking. I did the FIPK upgrade and complete exhaust with headers all at the same time. I felt the extra power. It maybe isn't a bunch, but i can tell it is there. If you watch any of the car shows on TV the #1 thing to do for extra power is upgrade your intake and exhaust because it has the best hp to money ratio.
 
#14 ·
Its also more of a beginnier mod,once the car has the ability to breath better at its foremost entry and exit point, you can start to work on everything in between.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top