K&N Air charger Cold Air Intake Kit - Worth the cost?

[88_Eddie]

i wouldnt put one on a newer vehicle, but i have a cone filter on my stock 88 b2, and it runs so much better that it did with the stock setup.

 

[Jason_J]

Here are my two cents.....cheap intakes that you see everyone sticking on thier rice burners will wreck havoc on a MAF(I make alot of money cleaning them from repeat customers). K&N makes a great product, there is no denying that. Your best bet if you want an aftermarket filter is to get a K&N that replaces your factory filter in your factory air box. You really have to consider all the R&D that Ford puts into producing the optimum setup for your rig before you slap on aftermarket parts that are hyped up. Just keep in mind that there is almost always a downside to performance upgrades. More air = more dirt!

 

[ford4]

well i installed one on my 2007 3.0 l . I have a superchip which can measure 0-60 times and i gained 0.20 sec off my time. not really worth it unless you like the sound.

 

[stmitch]

well i installed one on my 2007 3.0 l . I have a superchip which can measure 0-60 times and i gained 0.20 sec off my time. not really worth it unless you like the sound.

Not worth it? Racers spend 10's of thousands of dollars, and car companies spend more than that to see those types of gains. How much gain were you expecting for spending $200 on a 3.0 ranger? If every $200 mod I put on my truck would improve my 0-60 time by that much, I'd be thrilled!

 

[Rearanger]

Not worth it? Racers spend 10's of thousands of dollars, and car companies spend more than that to see those types of gains.

I think he said .2 seconds, not 20 or 2 seconds.

 

[stmitch]

I know what he said. Do you know how difficult it is to increase 0-60 times? Do you know how many engineers lose sleep trying to get an improvement of hundredths of a second in a 0-60 run? For a simple, cheap, bolt-on mod to improve acceleration that much is a significant jump for any vehicle, especially a 3.0 equipped ranger, and would be well worth the $200ish investment imo.

 

[Rearanger]

that much is a significant jump for any vehicle,

Yea, I mean I can leave the house .2 seconds later and still be on time for work. I'll even miss fewer important meetings. Why I think my life's a failure if I don't beat the guy next to me to the next light. This is street, not track, put the $200 toward college or retirement or make a charitable donation, things that really mean something in life.

 

[trxusrngr]

I Agree with Jason_J 100%! I just installed a K&N Drop in Replacement style filter on my 93 and noticed a big improvement. I threw the idea of a full intake around for a while, and when i looked at prices and looked at the factory ford set-up i realized the only gain will be looks. I don't think you would loose anything by installing a full K&N, but on the otherhand your not changing/gaining alot either! You are really just offering more parts to fail and maintain Hence:The cone filter that is a dirt magnet, and needs to be cleaned often. All my 3.0 has is magnaflow duals, a G.M.S MAF, and this drop in K&N. I noticed a world of difference in throttle response with the filter(and it was only $50.37 @ parts store). I drive the truck daily, and i attend college in Ny. I drive 327 miles one way, and i have noticed great gain in MPG with this filter, and exhaust.

 

[stmitch]

This is street, not track, put the $200 toward college or retirement or make a charitable donation, things that really mean something in life.

Umm, this is a truck forum. We are truck guys/gals. Spending money on our trucks is what we do. The whole reason forums exist is to share knowledge and information about ways to maintain, and improve our trucks. Why are you even on an automotive forum if you're going to look down on those of us who choose to spend our hard earned money doing what we want with our own vehicles? Nobody is perfect, yourself included.

 

[Rearanger]

Spending money on our trucks is what we do.

I believe the title of the thread was, "Worth the cost?"

 

[stmitch]

And we've both made our respective cases. The difference being that I've got personal experience with the topic at hand, and so far, you haven't mentioned any kind of experience, you've only stated your opinion, and talked down to those of us who are willing to spend that money on our trucks instead of something "that really means something in life" as you put it . A mod's value or "worth" is entirely subjective, and you're free to share your opinion. The only people who can truly attest to a mod's value however are those who have tried it. You've played devil's advocate here, and shown the side of the argument that opposes my opinion, (which I can appreciate) but how can you chime in on an item's "worth" if you've never used it?

 

[ford4]

Not worth it? Racers spend 10's of thousands of dollars, and car companies spend more than that to see those types of gains. How much gain were you expecting for spending $200 on a 3.0 ranger? If every $200 mod I put on my truck would improve my 0-60 time by that much, I'd be thrilled!

well it did sooo yeah... why would i post that if it wasnt true? and im not trying to be an ass just posting what i experienced with the k&n intake.

 

[Rearanger]

how can you chime in on an item's "worth" if you've never used it?

Because there is no EVIDENCE it is worth it and I have better uses for $200. I think a roof spoiler would improve hwy handling, why don't you go out and purchase one so you can opine if it does or not.

 

[JohnnyO]

I have put K&N drop-in's in two different trucks, didn't really make any difference in anything. Mostly I figure I'll save money over time by being able to clean the filter instead buying a new one once a year. I only have one in this truck because I had a $10 coupon for Pep Boys. Simple fact is that the stock intake already IS a cold air intake. An open cone filter with no heat shield is a hot air intake. Also a 3.0 or 4.0 doesn't flow enough air that a different filter will make much difference until you're turning 4000 rpm or so.
Best improvement per dollar is a K&N drop-in and remove the silencer from the airbox (free).

 

[Psychopete]

Mostly I figure I'll save money over time by being able to clean the filter instead buying a new one once a year.

I really don't see a savings when you factor in time. I would buy time if I could, how much is your time worth? You can buy a lot of paper filters for the upfront cost of a K&N & cleaning kits. I like that I can throw away the old paper filter, and put in a new one - pretty much as fast as you can describe how to do it. Then you are done to do whatever else is more important, whether it be nothing or working on something that is far more interesting. I would find cleaning an air filter as tedious as scraping off old gaskets, which I don't think there isn't anything I hate more than scraping off old gaskets and RTV.