K&N....is it worth it?
 

I'm debating whether or not to spend $70 on a K&N drop in filter.....i've heard both ways...that they are worth it...and that it is a waste of money.....if you have one...or know of someone that has...share the differences you noticed please....i want to know how much it helps it breath better....thanx....you input is appreciated...:cool:

I had a K&N cone on my old Beretta, and it actually made the car run better. It didn't stumble and hesitate like it used to, and it got somewhat better fuel mileage (22 vs 18mpg, more air flow=better MPG)
Paying $70 for a drop-in isn't justified though, go to automotive warehouse. I'm probably going to get one for my car. And don't forget the cleaning kit!

what about with cold air intake???

by the way goon...you going to dark nights?

Sure wish I could, but I work 3pm-11pm on weekends :(

If you do the K&N, get the cone filter. You won't see much with the panel filter. I got the filter and adapter off Ebay for $28.95 shipped to my door. Very worth it IMO.

Can you describe the Ebay filter?
 

There seem to be a lot of generic cone filters out there. Are there specs on the cone? Diameter, length, inlet dimentions?

I'd have to measure. Mine came as a kit.

are you talking intake pipe...and cone filter?....b/c that would be very cheap.....

Right Now Cheap is Good, but...
 

I f you follow the intake tube from the throttle back down to the MAF (that sits directly on top of the stock air box) you find that the inlet to the MAF is a rectangular hole. Its pretty small, but the plastic coupler (the lid of the stock air box) seems to ne even smaller.

The only think I want to change is to remove everything under the MAF and couple its rectangular intake port directly to a filter initially. Maybe later I would add a cold air tube underneath.

The main thing is to just get some air into the engine. The airbox lid is so restrictive its got to be robbing more horsepower than the filer itself. I think that lid is the reason a drop-in K&N just does not have a lot of effect.

http://motographic.com/illustrations/airfilter-sm-1.jpg

Look at this image (ita a Camry, but similar to Protege) see the arrow pointing to the little adapter. Vibrant technologies makes three of these. One each for Subaru, Nissan, and Toyota. None for Mazda. My guess is that the Toyota adapter is the one I need, but I don't want to order it without knowing.

I figured someone here has bought this piece and knows which one it is, or the part number, or something. If they did buy this piece, then they'd know which filter fits in the available space. There is not much space, so it will have to be a short filter.

MPG?????
 

MPG should get worse if you free up air IN! Because the more air , the more Fuel will be needed! Am I wrong!!!!

You are wrong, and you are right.

Yes with more air coming in you can now get a lot more fuel into the engine when you stand on the throttle and that means you get lower mileage, but...

If you drive lightly, keep your foot out of the throttle you should see an increase in mileage as the lower restriction means the engine has greater intake tract efficiency (doesn't have to suck as hard to get the air needed).

In reality I would not expect more than .5 - 1 MPG increase with any filter change. And I expect the way we drive you are going to stand on the throttle more. Many drivers will thus have lower mileage, but its your choice how you drive.

Cool! :)

Anyone seen a K&N drop in filter for a good price on the web? Last time I checked, they ran about $35 w s/h (2002 Protege).

Any deals, let me know... tnks :)

it would be really nice if all i had to do was buy a cone filter and a adapter....that would be cool....has anyone done that?