K&N drop in filter worth it?

I did a search, most threads were about cold air intakes and performance. I'm looking for a bit of savings in gas. I spend a good amount of time just idling with the A/C blasting, example today I was typing up an email to a job and was just sitting idling for 45 minutes.

Would a less restrictive drop in filter save a bit of gas in that instance?

I have the 3.6 V6 1500 with 3.21 gears 8 speed. Currently I get 14 MPG city, I haven't drove it on the highway much yet, she's only got 183 miles on the odometer. I'm sure the Arizona heat makes it use gas even more.

I've run the k&n drop in for years in everything I've owned. Any increase in milage is minimal, butt Dyno says small performance increase. I like them but it's a personal choice, many don't think they're worth it. It's you're truck, run what you want.

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I have seen a few people mention drop in filters being beneficial. There are probably a few other brands out there as well.




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I run one in my Jeep simply because it's washable. Taking the Jeep out on dusty, crusty trail environments it gets caked with dirt quickly. It's paid for itself 10x over just being washable.

As far as performance, I didn't really notice any improvements in performance or fuel economy. Jeep has the same 3.6 engine as well. The Mopar filters are actually very good filters as far as filtration and flow. YMMV, but that's my opinion.

I've heard mixed reviews of oiled filters. There are some dry washable filters out there, which is what I plan on getting when I need one.

The truth about the K&N filters is that they don't filter as well, giving them the appearance of being "performance".

And regardless of anything else, how much could you save to offset the cost of the filter. Maybe find another place to do your paperwork like a Dunkin Donuts or a Burger King? No gas burned and the expense of that gas as well. And another reality check, exactly how much fuel do you burn while sitting? I don't know, but idling for 45 minutes probably doesn't consume that much, although I could be wrong. I'd be more concerned for sludge buildup in the crankcase than fuel consumption.

On our Durango with the 3.6 the K&N CAI made a small difference in performance & mpg. Sounded absolutely amazing but gains were probably not enough to pay for itself. Depending on how many years you own it, you may get your money back just because it is washable & will last for years to come.
Now I did have some great results from an unlikely item. For $100 I bought one of these performance chips (GTE Stage 1 Performance Chip OBDII Module). Gained a little performance but most importantly gained 2-3mpg! I really had my doubts that this thing made that much difference so I unplugged it for a few weeks. Mileage dropped back to where it was at. Plugged it back in & within a couple days was back to increased mileage. This doesn't work for everyone & sure doesn't work for all vehicles. When I got my RAM 2500 w/6.4 I thought what the hell I am going to throw one on it. Had zero effects on performance or mileage.
I will warn you customer service is horrible! I thought since I had such great luck with the first chip that maybe the one I purchased for my Ram was just a dud. Asked if I could return this one & get a new one & they said no problem. Sent mine back & when they got mine they sent me a bill stating it would cost this much to get the other one. They were trying to charge me $50 plus shipping! I said the ONLY thing I would pay for would be shipping. They agreed but told me shipping & "handling" was going to be $27! NOT going to do it! I paid return shipping to them & it was only $6-7. HORRIBLE!
As I said though I had great luck with it on my 3.6.

power and mpg will increase but it will be minimal. but seeing how its as new as it is, it might still be beneficial in the long run seeing how you don't need to buy another. just need to clean it.

Save your money for something else--
Jay

patchelect said:

The truth about the K&N filters is that they don't filter as well, giving them the appearance of being "performance".

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I've not seen any indication that the K&N does not filter well. And I off-road in very dusty environments. Anyone that's been to Uwharrie when it's dry will know what I'm talking about. The intake tube, throttle body and intake manifold are spotless while the filter will be caked with dirt. It's been in my Wrangler for 5 years now with probably 50+ washes on it. I can't say if the filter is worth it to someone only driving on the street and might replace their filter every 15k miles, but for people that off-road in dusty, silty conditions they're worth every penny.

As for me I want a filter made for the street. One that will keep the junk out of my motor. When I was racing I wanted one that would keep out the chicken bones and bear cans. Let all the air in that was possible. Now I want to keep out more.

I would check out the aem dry filter before deciding on the k&n.

I had a k&n filter in my last truck for 8 years. So it basically paid for itself. Motor still ran great, I cleaned it about once/year. I didnt notice any improvements in mileage/performance though.

Thanks guys, awesome advice and experience! Finally got some highway time today, drove 45 minutes @ 70mph and got average 26mpg. The 3.21 gears helped i'm sure.