K&N Air Filters

[BoxsterLL11]

Just in case anyone is interested, EuroCar parts have a discount online deal going at the moment, I think until the end of the week (code is CRAZY70).

I have a 981 Boxster which I have owned only for 4 months but I have been using K&N filters for nearly 40 years so it was always on my radar to fit K&N's to the Boxster.

They normally retail for about £61 each (you need 2) and I got mine today from EuroCar Parts for £39 each.

They are an easy fit through the boot access.

They do not need oiling as they are pre-oiled prior to fitting for the first time and I got this response from K&N today as I had heard rumours about the filter oil playing havoc with the mass air flow sensors.

[font="comic sans ms,sans-serif"]The oil does not come off of a K&N air filter when it is in use, even when over-oiled or in extreme air flow rates exceeding 1000 CF'M.[/font]

[font="comic sans ms,sans-serif"]If somehow K&N air filter oil were to make contact with a mass air sensor, the oil would not cause the sensor to fail. We have intentionally coated mass air sensors with our filter oil, and monitored the sensors' output when installed in daily driven vehicles. These sensors continued to function normally, even after being sprayed and submerged in K&N air filter oil. K&N air filter oil does not cause problems with mass air sensors.[/font]

These are for life air filters and can be cleaned & re-oiled at 50,000 mile intervals.

You can buy cleaner/re-oil kits from various suppliers.

The K&N part number is E-0666

 

[notechmike]

Ok so no problems using them but what is the advantage? Economy, power, sound....

 

[BoxsterLL11]

Less restriction to air flow means engine breathes easier, increase in horsepower & acceleration.

It is the cheapest & easiest and often the first performance mod to do, if that is your thing.

 

[laura]

I don't know how old your car is but wouldn't this affect any Porsche warranty?

 

[BoxsterLL11]

Taken from K&N website .....

[ul][*]Designed to boost horsepower and rate of acceleration[*]Can be cleaned and used again[*]High air flow with exceptional filtration[*]Lasts up to 50,000 miles before cleaning is required depending on driving conditions[*]Works with original equipment manufacturer vehicle electronics[*][style="background-color: #00ff00;"]Will NOT void vehicle warranty[/style][*]Million Mile Limited Warranty®[/ul]

 

[dpoynton]

[style="background-color: #00ff00;"]Will NOT void vehicle warranty[/style]

They would say that wouldn't they?

I'd check with my PC.

 

[Brian_Innes]

I've always fitted cotton air filters on all my previous Caymans. K&N and BMC were both successful, although I found the BMC version easier to fit on the 987.

I never had any issues with my OPC about fitting cotton hi-flow air filters. The techie knew not to change the air filter at service time.

Brian

 

[BoxsterLL11]

I fitted a BMC filter (as used by one of the leading F1 teams) to my 987.gen2 boxster last year before I traded it in for the 981.

Can't say it made any noticeable difference but the OE filter which was the filter that was installed since the build date was quite black even though the car had had two services by the time I bought the car.

It was a little tricky to fit it, not least because the access was via the top engine cover with the hood parked in the service position.

At least on the 981, with access is via the boot, replacement is much easier with only the offside filter requiring moving the engine ecu out of the way.

 

[turbo jonny]

I had a set on my radar after reading this thread

https://rennlist.com/forums/987-981-718-forum/981965-6000-miles-oil-change-air-cleaner-change.html

 

[BoxsterLL11]

Fitted the K&N's yesterday, took about 30 minutes.

Worst part was getting the boot moulded carpet out & back in.

Even though the car has had 2 services by OPC's, the OE filters were dated from the build date and were quite black with feathers and other debris stuck within the filter elements.

The intake tubes also had a fair few dried out leaves that were beneath the filter cone.

 

[BoxsterLL11]

The OE filter

 

[BoxsterLL11]

The K&N ready to fit.

Yes I did remove the plastic before doing so.

 

[Boxbrownie]

Looking at the number of pleats of the K&N it appears to have much less filtration area than OE, I'd love to see flow charts of both (from an independent source).

 

[Motorhead]

Note that Porsche doesn't recommend air fiter replacement until the 6-year/60,000 mile service on my 987.2 CS. I presume that it's the same for the 981.

Jeff

 

[Brian_Innes]

Air Filters, and geo settings, are the most neglected aspect of maintenance among most owners.

Looking at the photos above proves the point that air filter replacement at 60k miles is much to long an interval. I bought two sets of cotton air filters and swapped them over every 12 months, resting one set after cleaning ready for the next change-over.

Brian

 

[MrDemon]

5k miles on the GT4 is a dead filter

the side scoops are killing filters and these are still 60k mile item !!!

these are only 1,600 mile GT4 filters !

 

[BoxsterLL11]

The K&N filters are about 30mm shorter at the narrow end of the cone compared to the OE filters which is obviously reducing the total flow flow area.

However, if the pleats are further apart, which lets the better passage of air hence the higher air flow, but with a better filtering efficiency hence cleaner air.

With the pleats of the OE filter being that much closer together it is much more likely the troughs of the OE filter become clogged quicker which then restricts passage of air and filtering of the air passing through the filter is then only being achieved by the crest area of the filter which is then probably overloading the air flow for a reduced flow area, thus compounding the problem.

The close pleating of the OE filter might achieve good filtration when new but must strangle the air flow through the filter particularly the older & dirtier it gets.

I wasn't aware that 60k was the service schedule for air filter replacement but that seems ridiculous when my filters have only done 18.5k and their condition.

Like I said, the job took me 30 minutes so even if you do not like the idea of performance filters and prefer to stick with OE filters, do them more regularly than 60k, its an easy DIY job.

My car was only serviced 6 months/2000 miles ago yet the offside intake tube had twice as much leaf debris than the photo of the nearside one.

 

[Motorhead]

A 60,000 mile service interval does seem excessive to me, but Porsche will have based this upon extensive development testing in different environments, measurement of airflow and engine performance, etc., rather than the filter's appearance. I'd be interested to see how quickly any air filter starts to look "dirty".

As D says, the side intakes - particularly those with the GT4's scoops - are ideally positioned for ingesting debris thrown up by the front wheels.

Jeff

 

[Brian_Innes]

Same goes for the 718 air scoops. They are very much in the air flow and debris firing line compared to earlier Caymans.

I'll be checking my 718 S air filters soon, 6700 miles up in 6 months. Not sure if BMC/K&N cotton filters are available yet for the 718. OE replacements will do if not.

Brian

 

[MrDemon]

A new OEM flow more air than BMC and K and N, they just clog up and go down hill from day one.

I tend to fit new oem items every year.

6 years or 60k must be sapping bhp.