Air Filter Comparison: Ac Delco vs K&N vs Green no dyno #s !!
10-13-2010, 10:04 AM
#1
Air Filter Comparison: Ac Delco vs K&N vs Green no dyno #s !! Accidentsly posted in the wrong section last night....
Well this sucks because I wrote a long post and when i tried to finally post it it asked me to log in and I lost it all
Had the opportunity to make a useless post and take pictures so I went for it
I'll keep this super short this time. I bought my ss with a K&N. Ive always liked them but it fit like $hit in the blackwing box/lid. I took it out to get a cleaner kit as i had no idea what they mileage or how dirty it could have been and put in an AC Delco filter since I like in a new construction zone anyways and I didnt plan to beat on the car till I freshened alot of things up and got it up to par.
I like K&N and never had an issue with them. Im sure we all can agree that the internet is full of so much BS that its nearly impossible to seperate the bs from fact. I can 'feel' a difference with a k&n.. lmao such a classic. I bet if you didnt eat that big mac yesterday you'd be lighter too and you would probably feel it
I googled as much as you about filter and dyno tests and comparisons and in the end I went with what I liked. I ordered a Green filter.
Here's my .02 on the 3.
AC Delco:
Fits great.
Really tall pleats (more surface area?)
filters well
felt no difference of course from the dirty K&N or maybe it was the wife overloading my senses with stress and kept me from noticing who knows.
Glue seepage on the clean side. Surprised to see it and no wonder the ends of the pleats never got dirty.
K&N:
Fits like total rear end. I mean
My blackwing lid clamps were so loose I couldnt even keep them up on the lid. ALmost like they were telling me wtf you doing. The thickness of the K&N is much smaller than oem filters and it doesnt give the upper lid anything to press onto the airbox to give a tight seal. I cleaned this filter and was going to use it so I washed the rubber with dishwashing soap. got yelled at by the wife for having more car stuff in the sink and then put on foam tape all around to help give it a better seal.
Sucks that it never gets pink like new. once they get dirty they will always stay darker in the areas that gather more crud.
Very flimsy build. hold it from one side and it flexes and the pleats bend and get all out of shape. Not by much but it sucks.
There is seepage of the black stuff used to keep the filter together onto the filter area. about .5 inch x the entire length so thats not too great I suppose.
Green:
Fits Amazing !!! I installed it on the way into work and wow it's a great fit. tighter than the delco even and I have a decent amount of tension in the lid clamps so I feel better knowing its putting pressure down on the filter to keep it sealed.
Noticed the steel mesh is a larger square design than the k&n. I guess they wont stop small pebbles like the k&n but the media behind it looks much more intense'? im at a loss for words at 330 am sorry
The cotton behind it is finer and and at least to my eye looks like it can do a better job. I dont know f** all so Im no expert its just my .02
The green has much less seepage than the K&N. They advertise this on their website. I was surprised to see any but when I measure it was around .3x16" of an inch on both sides more filtering area. If someone can do the math I'd be honored.
The build is WAY better than the K&N. the edges are all made thick and durable. it doesnt flex when handled and just feels solid.
Here are the pics !
All 3. K&N cleaned once ( and probably under oiled a bit). dirty Delco and new Green
Delco was widest but the edges didnt get dirty due to the glue on the back
Tall pleats = more surface area? maybe this is why aftermarket filters dont pick up any power?
K&N
Flimsy
Thin surround = pi$$ poor filter seal. You can see the foam I used to help make it thicker. I didnt end up using it anyways since the green arrived today. You can see the difference vs the delco here
New bad boy. GREEN !!
thickness and seal area Green vs delco.
K&N vs Green closer view.
Cant wait to beat the snot out of my SS on the way home tonight and see if it will finally hit 4th gear at full throttle from 3rd over and over again. The perks of night shift lol (empty roads and highways) !
CONCLUSION. I dont think I will ever buy a K&N over a green EVER. K&N you are dead to me period. The Green is better in every way and is even supposed to filter better. I'll be leaving the green in for several weeks and when the winter tires go on I'll probably throw the delco on to suffer the poor weather. I mean who races in the snow anyways.
Tim Hortons COffee here I come !!!
Well this sucks because I wrote a long post and when i tried to finally post it it asked me to log in and I lost it all
Had the opportunity to make a useless post and take pictures so I went for it
I'll keep this super short this time. I bought my ss with a K&N. Ive always liked them but it fit like $hit in the blackwing box/lid. I took it out to get a cleaner kit as i had no idea what they mileage or how dirty it could have been and put in an AC Delco filter since I like in a new construction zone anyways and I didnt plan to beat on the car till I freshened alot of things up and got it up to par.
I like K&N and never had an issue with them. Im sure we all can agree that the internet is full of so much BS that its nearly impossible to seperate the bs from fact. I can 'feel' a difference with a k&n.. lmao such a classic. I bet if you didnt eat that big mac yesterday you'd be lighter too and you would probably feel it
I googled as much as you about filter and dyno tests and comparisons and in the end I went with what I liked. I ordered a Green filter. Here's my .02 on the 3.
AC Delco:
Fits great.
Really tall pleats (more surface area?)
filters well
felt no difference of course from the dirty K&N or maybe it was the wife overloading my senses with stress and kept me from noticing who knows.
Glue seepage on the clean side. Surprised to see it and no wonder the ends of the pleats never got dirty.
K&N:
Fits like total rear end. I mean
My blackwing lid clamps were so loose I couldnt even keep them up on the lid. ALmost like they were telling me wtf you doing. The thickness of the K&N is much smaller than oem filters and it doesnt give the upper lid anything to press onto the airbox to give a tight seal. I cleaned this filter and was going to use it so I washed the rubber with dishwashing soap. got yelled at by the wife for having more car stuff in the sink and then put on foam tape all around to help give it a better seal. Sucks that it never gets pink like new. once they get dirty they will always stay darker in the areas that gather more crud.
Very flimsy build. hold it from one side and it flexes and the pleats bend and get all out of shape. Not by much but it sucks.
There is seepage of the black stuff used to keep the filter together onto the filter area. about .5 inch x the entire length so thats not too great I suppose.
Green:
Fits Amazing !!! I installed it on the way into work and wow it's a great fit. tighter than the delco even and I have a decent amount of tension in the lid clamps so I feel better knowing its putting pressure down on the filter to keep it sealed.
Noticed the steel mesh is a larger square design than the k&n. I guess they wont stop small pebbles like the k&n but the media behind it looks much more intense'? im at a loss for words at 330 am sorry
The cotton behind it is finer and and at least to my eye looks like it can do a better job. I dont know f** all so Im no expert its just my .02The green has much less seepage than the K&N. They advertise this on their website. I was surprised to see any but when I measure it was around .3x16" of an inch on both sides more filtering area. If someone can do the math I'd be honored.
The build is WAY better than the K&N. the edges are all made thick and durable. it doesnt flex when handled and just feels solid.
Here are the pics !
All 3. K&N cleaned once ( and probably under oiled a bit). dirty Delco and new Green
Delco was widest but the edges didnt get dirty due to the glue on the back
Tall pleats = more surface area? maybe this is why aftermarket filters dont pick up any power?
K&N
Flimsy
Thin surround = pi$$ poor filter seal. You can see the foam I used to help make it thicker. I didnt end up using it anyways since the green arrived today. You can see the difference vs the delco here
New bad boy. GREEN !!
thickness and seal area Green vs delco.
K&N vs Green closer view.
Cant wait to beat the snot out of my SS on the way home tonight and see if it will finally hit 4th gear at full throttle from 3rd over and over again. The perks of night shift lol (empty roads and highways) !
CONCLUSION. I dont think I will ever buy a K&N over a green EVER. K&N you are dead to me period. The Green is better in every way and is even supposed to filter better. I'll be leaving the green in for several weeks and when the winter tires go on I'll probably throw the delco on to suffer the poor weather. I mean who races in the snow anyways.
Tim Hortons COffee here I come !!!
Green is the brand, greenfilterusa.com
10-14-2010, 12:17 PM
#6
Amsoil makes (or made) air filters, but I never looked into them a whole lot. Just not too big on the whole wet filter idea, myself. Plus, a $7 Purolator air filter twice a year isn't big spending (compared to what I spend for other car ****).
I am glad to see K&N getting their asses trounced on filters, though - their stuff is garbage, they just have a marketing team that rivals Apple.
I am glad to see K&N getting their asses trounced on filters, though - their stuff is garbage, they just have a marketing team that rivals Apple.
10-14-2010, 08:56 PM
#7
Staging Lane
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Austin, TX
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Stupid K&N. I installed one in my car over two years ago with full confidence. Been using it for... I dunno... probably 50K miles. I took apart the rest of the intake tract from lip to TB and my MAF screen was full of all kinds of stringy gunk from the K&N not sealing. Can't believe I didn't notice it before, AND let a bunch of crud go through my engine. 
