[ElleB]

 I have been looking into the use of these K & N  filters in place of the standard ones since reading up on some of the German "tuning chips', as some recommended that the change of air filter would be advantageous.
I made some inquiries with K & N overseas and received this reply. 

We do not give the exact gains for a specific vehicle, since it is depending on several circumstances. Our intake systems are being developed on a dyno with a horse power gain between 5 and 10% as target. When we do not gain enough (or lose power), we will not bring the kit on the market. The Kia Cee’d we had in, gained slightly more than 6 bhp @ 5600 rpm. It might seem not much, but we measure the bhp’s on the wheels. That means the gains on the flywheel are bigger (transmission resistance).
We did test the kit on a 1.6 petrol version of the Cee’d.  For replacement filters we do not claim the 5 to 10 % horse power gain. In general we see a gain between 0 and 5 BHP for the replacement filters.
The gains for a chipped diesel car are even bigger in most cases. The reason is that the amount of diesel is higher. The K&N filter causes improvement of the fuel mixture, since the air flow increases. I advise you to first have the filter changed before you tune the car.

 I checked out the 2 Australian importers and the CRDI filter ( Pt no.33-2380) is about A$115.

 I then also had a price from the US supplier and have chased up post to Aust via a friend in the States.
 I can get a 6 pack of these filters, landed for A$75 per filter, plus post to whatever Australian destination. So a saving of $40 or so..

 So, if anyone is interested in grabbing one of these filters, I will bring in a 6 pack, on a first come first served basis, let me know, with cash up front. Delivery time will be about 2 weeks from placement of order.

With the strength of the A$....now is the time!!!

 Cheers
 Elle B

[Lorian]

I wonder how noisy it will be.

I used to have a K&N filter on a car when I was 18 and the induction noise was pretty high.

[rustynutz]

Good onya, Tony....Thanks for offering this, I reckon you should be able to get rid of a few...

[Surferdude]

I wonder how noisy it will be.

I used to have a K&N filter on a car when I was 18 and the induction noise was pretty high.

Me too. On a couple of 40DCOE Sidedraught Webbers.
GREAT sound though.

[ElleB]

Thanks Guys for the comments...Just to be sure I have sent of a request to my K & N contact in Europe asking for an answer to the question raised. He was the one that supplied the info I quoted in my initial post.
 I am thinking that there may be a change in the induction noise for the petrol version, but would be surprised if it was as significant in the CRDI.

 I will post the answers ASAP.

Cheers
 Elle B

[Paolo5]

I have a K&N in my diesel. To my ears it is as quiet as the OE filter was.

[Master_Scythe]

Remember K&N do 2 things:

1. a Panel filter to replacer inside the airbox of most vehicles. These are NOT designed to generate more power (and often make you LOSE some), they're dsigned for MUCH better filtration. and they do this EXCEEDINGLY well.

2. a 'Filter Kit' which usually comes with a mount and some piping, like a cone\exposed\pod filter. These are their range that generate performance, simply because (lets make up some numbers for ease of explaination), a pod filter is 150% the performance of a stock airbox, and the stronger filtering robs 25% of that better flow.

So you're still left with extreme filtering and 125% air filter flow.

The guys to watch and harass are Amsoil, they make a Nanofiber EA filter, i'm emailing them now to see what they sell, their search is pointless >< for a HUGE company like amsoil i'm unimpressed with their IT guys, lol.

[beerman]

$75 is good considering Hyspairs has a standard filter for $30.

Would there be some form of receipt so I can claim the cost back on my lease?

Anyone use one? Has their economy improved?

Would you have to reset the car's computer to recalibrate it?

[Waja]

I have been using one of these k&n replacement panel filters with a tuning box for a while and I don't think that I noticed any substantial difference, but my economy has always been good 4.0-4.7L/100km max. The way I looked at it was that in the long run it is a lot cheaper to use one of these replacement panel filter kits as long as you maintain and clean them at the required intervals as Hyundai tend to rip us off with the simple paper filters. Also, as Paolo5 said, it is just as quiet as the stock OE filter.

[rustynutz]

To read more about K & N Filters, click HERE or HERE

As you'll see, these filters are washable and reusable so, at the very least you'll save heaps on replacement filters over the life of your i30.

[Master_Scythe]

yup, washable is the main feature.

[rustynutz]

Take note that this replacement filter is also suitable for your 1.6 & 2.0 litre petrol i30....

[2i30s]

Take note that this replacement filter is also suitable for your 1.6 & 2.0 litre petrol i30....

thanks for that very,very usefull fact Russ. 

[bloodnut]

  I've K&N filters in all my cars the last 10 yrs, wife has one in her i30, for the last 2 yrs, main advantage is you can wash them, i do hers every 5000, due to the i30 having a otr {over the radiator air intake}, if not washed often you will notice more fuel usauge, they are not noisy & cant say i've noticed any perfromance gain. Mine cost me $100.
Cheers Bloodnut

[Lorian]

1. a Panel filter to replacer inside the airbox of most vehicles. These are NOT designed to generate more power (and often make you LOSE some), they're dsigned for MUCH better filtration. and they do this EXCEEDINGLY well.

2. a 'Filter Kit' which usually comes with a mount and some piping, like a cone\exposed\pod filter. These are their range that generate performance, simply because (lets make up some numbers for ease of explaination), a pod filter is 150% the performance of a stock airbox, and the stronger filtering robs 25% of that better flow.

This seems a pretty important point. the filter I used to own years ago required you to throw the air box away and install a (very large) cone filter.

[rustynutz]

1. a Panel filter to replacer inside the airbox of most vehicles. These are NOT designed to generate more power (and often make you LOSE some

Seems K&N think otherwise, Master_Scythe....

K&N’s replacement air filters are designed to increase horsepower and acceleration while providing excellent filtration. We make over 1,200 different replacement air filters for virtually every vehicle on the road. These filters are washable and reusable and are custom designed to fit into your existing factory air box. Their drop-in design means adding performance is simple. With most vehicles you simply remove the disposable air filter and replace it with a K&N.

[beerman]

I've K&N filters in all my cars the last 10 yrs, wife has one in her i30, for the last 2 yrs, main advantage is you can wash them, i do hers every 5000, due to the i30 having a otr {over the radiator air intake}, if not washed often you will notice more fuel usauge, they are not noisy & cant say i've noticed any perfromance gain. Mine cost me $100.
Cheers Bloodnut

5000k? They seem to be saying it needs doing every 50000 miles (80k). Do you drive in a dusty environment?

[ElleB]

Guys,Just want to correct something that Rustynuts mentioned. I guess he got the info from the K & N website (see link http://www.knfilters.com/search/applications.aspx?Prod=33-2380), BUT   as mentioned below, K & N have qualified it with me as initially I also thought the same.

 My information from K&N in Europe is that the "drop in filter is only for the CRDI diesel engine.
 The petrol one has another part number and is as described by others, it is a cone shaped item.

 See this comment from my contact.

"Thank you for your interest in K&N products.
Unfortunately the 57-0683 does not fit your i30 1.6 diesel. It only fits the petrol versions. Only option we have for the i30 1.6 diesel is the replacement filter." (33-2380 )

Personally I think the wash ability, thus cost saving, and airflow are the prime factors, especially for those tinkering with various "chips" and tuning boxes" as stated by the chip supplier that I was in contacting.

Check this link for more K & N testing detail

As I said earlier, I will post their reply once received.

Elle B

[ElleB]

Sorry,   

 The link mentioned did not attach re general testing and data relating to their air filters.

 http://www.knfilters.com/dynocharts/33-2380.pdf

[rustynutz]

Hmm interesting, Tony.....A look on the Hyspares website shows the same air filter for both diesel & petrol engines.
http://www.hyspares.com.au/bluecart/products/813

Thank you for your interest in K&N products.
Unfortunately the 57-0683 does not fit your i30 1.6 diesel. It only fits the petrol versions. Only option we have for the i30 1.6 diesel is the replacement filter." (33-2380 )

Your contact has said the cone filter (57-0683) won't fit the diesel engine, he hasn't said the "replacement" (33-2380) filter won't fit both diesel & petrol....

Anyhow, I guess someone on here with a petrol i30 will soon tell us if the filter is indeed cone shaped.

[eye30]

Can I throw a spanner in the works.

When I read the warranty T&C's it states genuine HY parts have to used otherwise it will invalidate the warranty.

So are K & N approved by HY as genuine HY parts?

[rustynutz]

Can I throw a spanner in the works.

When I read the warranty T&C's it states genuine HY parts have to used otherwise it will invalidate the warranty.

So are K & N approved by HY as genuine HY parts?

I don't know about Hyundai but K&N have this to say:

"When you buy an OE replacement K&N High-Flow Air Filter or High-Flow Air Intake System you can be confident your vehicle’s warranty will remain in effect.  If you experience a difficult dealership, K&N will resolve the issue so you won’t have to.

The following summarizes the K&N Consumer Protection Pledge:
 
K&N pledges to our customers that they will not be taken advantage of and charged for a repair due to a dealership warranty denial blamed on the presence of a K&N product"

And here is K&N's Product Warranty

[beerman]

To void the warranty they would have to prove that the non genuine part was to blame for any problems.

Which would more than likley have the parts supplier battling in your corner.

They can't just say you fitted a Ryco air filter so were not fixing your busted auto....

It would appear that the fitting of these filters is a relatively cheap "non invasive" way to get an increase in performance.

[Master_Scythe]

1. a Panel filter to replacer inside the airbox of most vehicles. These are NOT designed to generate more power (and often make you LOSE some

Seems K&N think otherwise, Master_Scythe....

K&N’s replacement air filters are designed to increase horsepower and acceleration while providing excellent filtration. We make over 1,200 different replacement air filters for virtually every vehicle on the road. These filters are washable and reusable and are custom designed to fit into your existing factory air box. Their drop-in design means adding performance is simple. With most vehicles you simply remove the disposable air filter and replace it with a K&N.

Yeah, but they're doing a nice little trick, they're measuring filter materials only. So a layer of their filter vs a layer of factory. Yeah, they'll win.

however in reality, they often (not always the case, i cant speak for certain for hyundais, I used to be a Honda boy) have thicker plastic supports around the edge, thicker layers of filter material than was used in the test, and often the test is done without the mesh\flyscreen that keeps its shape.

For a specific example, the Honda Jazz air filter has a slit cut out of the plastic edging on the filter. The K&N one does NOT. with a propper airflow diagram for the airbox (people on fitfreak.net go too far sometimes, lol) its noticed that a lot of the flow is blocked by the wide rim on the K&N, which explains the power loss they all mesured. Its not an uncommon occurance.

I'm not shitting on K&N. only saying use them for their OTHER merits, not power.

You want the best? Harass Amsoil with me to make a filter for us, nanofibre for the win.

[rustynutz]

Yeah, but they're doing a nice little trick, they're measuring filter materials only. So a layer of their filter vs a layer of factory. Yeah, they'll win.

So how do you know they do this?  Is this fact or a myth spread by the opposition?.... :-\

[VFouR]

K&N don't seem to think much of the i30 anyway: Hyundai put the I30 on the showroom floor as a cheaper alternative to its better equipped European rivals. The I30 is equipped with only one standard airbag and no ABS brakes.

http://www.knfilters.com/news/news.aspx?id=1734

[ElleB]

Well since I started this discussion, I have been following the comments and great work done by others in adding "bits" of info here and there, that is the great benefit of this forum...

 I have been back in contact with my European K & N guy and overnight received the following comment.

"K&N tests the products as they are sold to customers. We do not cheat with different filter material or any other changes.

You will always have skeptics everywhere; a well-known myth is also that we would measure with the hood open. I can look you straight in the eyes and confirm that we are an honest manufacturer. We do have cancelled several kits, since we did not gain any horse power with it.

The K&N filter is not identical to the original one. We use different rubber for example. This explains why some dimensions are slightly different (the height of the edge for example). "

Additionally he directed me to this link that has such a wealth of information that I suggest that you make a coffee or crack a tinny and  read and digest the contents.

http://www.knfilters.com/facts.htm

 Just to address a couple of issues raised in the last few days,.....I have cut and pasted a couple of excerpts from the mass of info that this link provided.

"Independent Laboratory Test Results
In order to verify our filters maintain filtration levels necessary to protect your engine, we test our filtering media through independent laboratories. The testing procedure used in the past was the SAE J726 air filter test procedure established by the Society of Automotive Engineers, however this procedure was recently superseded by testing procedure ISO 5011."

"New Filter Media
On occasion we see “new” air filter media’s developed and sold under the premise they provide increased levels of dirt filtration.  More often than not, as opposed to quoting specific efficiency numbers, this “increased protection” is described as increased dirt retention capacity, meaning the filter can hold more dirt before requiring replacement.  Remember, K&N air filters have always provided a service life in excess of disposable filters and then only require cleaning and oiling for re-use."

" Vehicle Warranty
Contrary to what you may have heard or read, in the USA, a K&N Filtercharger will not void your vehicle warranty. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, passed in 1975, prohibits a manufacturer from conditioning its warranty of a consumer product upon the consumer using any article or service (other than one provided without charge under the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name, unless expressly authorized by the Federal Trade Commission. If the manufacturer does not provide air filters free of charge, they cannot void the vehicle's warranty simply because you have installed an after market air filter."

There is a heap of interesting "stuff" in that link, so set a bit of time aside. 

Maybe I will need my mate to get more than a 6 pack !!!

Cheers

 Elle B

[Dazzler]

More gr8 info thanks ElleB

[paul]

quote from above "they cannot void the vehicle's warranty simply because you have installed an after market air filter."

So does this also apply to oil filters ?