Has anyone swapped the standard Superb air filter for a K&N filter?

 

I had one in my previous vehicle and it really felt like it made a difference to the acceleration and made the (gruff) engine a lot smoother. I used to like the slight whistle sound it gave on acceleration too... :-)

 

Has anyone fitted one to their Superb? It would be good to know if the results are as positive before shelling out - the Superb's a different beast to the old and unrefined 4X4 that the last one was fitted to!

I had one (panel type - simply replaced standard filter) on a Golf GTi. Saved me a fortune over 7 years, simply cleaned every 6 months instead of replacing. As for performance and sound there was no difference.

 

Would I buy another, probably not since it would possibly affect the warranty and require notifying to the insurers as a modification.

 

I do have K & N's on my track car. Bought them in 1997 and still going strong. In a moment of madness about 10 years ago I replaced them with one of the foam RamAir filters simply because I could easily get a colder air supply to the throttle bodies but after 3 years the foam was turning to dust, total crap. Refitted the K & N's and sorted a cold air supply which is what I should have done originally.

Edited 8 April, 20179 yr by skidpan

2 hours ago, skidpan said:

I had one (panel type - simply replaced standard filter) on a Golf GTi. Saved me a fortune over 7 years, simply cleaned every 6 months instead of replacing. As for performance and sound there was no difference.

 

Would I buy another, probably not since it would possibly affect the warranty and require notifying to the insurers as a modification.

 

I do have K & N's on my track car. Bought them in 1997 and still going strong. In a moment of madness about 10 years ago I replaced them with one of the foam RamAir filters simply because I could easily get a colder air supply to the throttle bodies but after 3 years the foam was turning to dust, total crap. Refitted the K & N's and sorted a cold air supply which is what I should have done originally.

 

Maybe it's a worthy addition to a gruff old diesel like my old car, but of no great benefit to a more modern and refined engine. It doesn't affect warranty, but I'm not sure about the insurance situation - it shouldn't, but that's not to say our low-life insurance companies wouldn't use it to make few extra quid or avoid a claim.

A decent (OE) paper filter will filter far more air than a std TDi can use,

So I change mine every service (I’m on variable so roughly every 18K miles) despite the service interval being every 60K miles!

 

They will sound a little throatier, so may sound quicker but I doubt you will find it is.

10 hours ago, Gizmo68 said:

A decent (OE) paper filter will filter far more air than a std TDi can use,

So I change mine every service (I’m on variable so roughly every 18K miles) despite the service interval being every 60K miles!

 

They will sound a little throatier, so may sound quicker but I doubt you will find it is.

 

It's interesting - the K&N in my old 2.5 Sorento did make a difference, it was smoother and felt more responsive - it could have just been perception though. I don't think I'll bother with the Superb - it's already pretty smooth and responsive and I think the £60 would be better spent on LEDs or something else....

My 2p...

 

I had a K&N in a previous car with a remapped PD130 TDI engine.

When it comes to cleaning and re-oiling it - it's difficult to know whether you've done it right. I used to worry that I'd either under-oiled it (causing it to filter even less dust) or over-oiled it (causing it to flow no better than a fresh paper filter, with the added risk of oil deposits on MAF sensors etc).

Once you add up the costs of the filter, and then the cleaning stuff & oil, I doubt there's a strong financial argument to running one in the grand scheme of running costs, unless you're trying to use man maths to persuade the Mrs it's a wise purchase.

Never really noticed any difference in performance either TBH, maybe you would more on a naturally aspirated engine, but in a typical stock/stock-ish TDI with the turbo helping to overcome flow restriction I doubt it makes much difference.

 

Now, I stick with paper, but change it every service like Gizmo does. rather than at the ridiculously long suggested interval.

It's also much quicker & easier to drop in a new paper filter than the faff of wash / dry out / re-oil.

35 minutes ago, muddyboots said:

When it comes to cleaning and re-oiling it - it's difficult to know whether you've done it right. I used to worry that I'd either under-oiled it (causing it to filter even less dust) or over-oiled it (causing it to flow no better than a fresh paper filter, with the added risk of oil deposits on MAF sensors etc).

 

It's also much quicker & easier to drop in a new paper filter than the faff of wash / dry out / re-oil.

 

Totally agree with this - the one I had was a nightmare to clean and re-oil.

K&N Filters have their uses, in certain types of use and environmental conditions, 

Plant, HGV's, Offroaders, Motorsport / Rallying etc etc.  

Clean Paper filters are what most need for road vehicles in the UK,

but if you have a vehicle that is going into H20, Dust etc etc then you do want a filter that will not self destruct at a hint of water getting to it.

 

Performance might seem OK with a fresh new K&N but one that starts strangling an engine is just extra expense and a PITA,

If you get wading wrong and your waterproofing / snorkle / intake on an offroad vehicle they can sometimes just about save you destroying an engine if the water does not get past the filter. (Hydroing it. / Hydraulicing.)

Edited 11 April, 20179 yr by Awayoffski

REVO offer a performance filter that isn't paper and thus doesn't need as much maintenance.  I routine bang and hoover was all I did every few months.   

 

http://www.revotechnik.com/product-details/air-filter-intake-kits/propanel-air-filter-element-mqb-audi-a3-s3-seat-leon-skoda-octavia-vw-golf-7&engineid=239

 

Did it actually make any difference to performance?  Hard to tell as I got a ~50bhp remap the same day I had it fitted.  REVO *claim* that their tests showed a typical 2-3bhp power gain when used.  

Just stuck on min my Superb 3 1.6 DSG. Immediately smoother, along with smoother gear changes. Mind you the old filter was fecked!

I’ve got R600 now but the Ramair panel filter is what I had before. K&N filters are oiled and I wouldn’t go near them ever again especially on a diesel, they mess with EGR/DPF/MAF. I had an Insignia 2 cars ago and I got rid of it because the oiled filter had sludged everything up, another few thousand miles I’d have had a huge bill.

 

I didn’t over-oil it before anyone suggests that 🙂

Edited 8 July, 20205 yr by drewellis

I have one fitted for about 1 year. Immediately noticed the increase in performance (approx. 15%) and increase in mpg (however it is a company car and I don't pay for fuel)

Regarding the cleaning, it can be done overnight after looking at the YouTube video to get it right.

 

Overall, the car has become a lot better to drive, smoother and punchier.

 

hope this helps.

1 hour ago, ajcireland said:

Immediately noticed the increase in performance (approx. 15%) and increase in mpg

 

15%? Really? On a 245 that's 36ps. On a 1.5 150 that's 22.5ps. 1.5% maybe but definitely not 15% just from a filter. A TDI would see no gains at all either.

2 minutes ago, MarkyG82 said:

 

15%? Really? On a 245 that's 36ps. On a 1.5 150 that's 22.5ps. 1.5% maybe but definitely not 15% just from a filter. A TDI would see no gains at all either.

I drive a 2.0 TDi. only reporting what I have experienced.

3 hours ago, ajcireland said:

I drive a 2.0 TDi. only reporting what I have experienced.

 

Do you have Dyno outputs? I'm not disagreeing that you may feel a difference, but it is physically impossible to get that much from changing a filter especially from a diesel that is not controlled by air flow. The stock air box and filter is good for well over 200hp on the 2.0 tdi 150.

Placebo effect?

My next mod then should take me over 400bhp with a 15% gain. That's good value.

Wow! You’re going to pump the tyres up to 45psi, aren’t you?  

My Racingline R600 is available now if anyone is interested, 75% gains!

 

Sorry I’m just messing 😁

 

Pm me if you’re interested in the R600 tho, I’ve only had it since 1st June