:funny:Sorry for stealing thread but were just having a good time debating.:lmao:
I see
NO K&N paper here! lol
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Paper vs K&N[/SIZE][/FONT]
To meet minimum filtration standards, paper air filters must be thick and/or the fibers must be tightly compressed and dense. Therefore paper elements that provide adequate filtration are more restrictive to air flow by design. Additionally, as a paper filter becomes more and more clogged, the pressure inside the filter drops while the atmospheric air pressure (approximately 14.7 psia at sea level) outside the filter remains the same. It’s like using your lungs to draw the air out of a plastic milk bottle. When the pressure differential becomes too great, the bottle will collapse. The same thing could happen to your paper filter, although it is unlikely. But what will happen could be just as severe. An excessively high pressure differential created by a restricted filter can literally pull dirt particles through the paper medium. In other words, the performance of a paper filter, i.e. air flow through the filter and its ability to protect your engine, DECREASES near the end of its service interval.
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Disposable Paper Air Filter[/FONT]
- Pleated wood pulp bonded together.
- As dirt builds, passages are plugged and filter must be replaced in approximately 10,000 miles.
- Irregular passages filter out dirt on a go/no go basis.
- As fibers swell from moisture or oil blow-by vacuum pressure increases and airflow decreases.
- Turbulent filtered air.
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Typical Foam Air Filter[/FONT]
- Lack of surface area hinders air flow and dirt holding capacity. Open cell foam usually saturated with oil.
- Dirt builds on outside and blocks the openings.
- Higher vacuum pressures distort the cells drawing dirt deeper into the filter.
- Airflow is reduced as cells become blocked.
- Turbulent filtered air.
The K&N air filter is somewhat more complex. The unique design features multiple layers of oiled cotton fabric which captures the airborne dirt particles. These dirt particles cling to the fibers of the filter and actually become part of the filtering media. This process, known as depth loading, allows the K&N air filter to retain significantly more dirt per square inch than a paper filter. The cotton fabric is sandwiched between pleated aluminum screen. Pleating increases surface area which in turn prolongs service intervals. Pleating exposes substantially more surface area compared to a flat element like foam.:lmao: