What is people's opinion on a properly installed K&N 57i kit?

no1beemerfan

....as I'm thinking of putting one on my Laguna I 1.8 8v. I'll take out the old airbox and bring the Kit as far forward as I can away from the engine and build a proper box to the side/rear to keep the heat of the engine out.

Is it worth it though!?

On a 1.8 Laguna ? Waste of cash in my opinion, is a 57i not over €100.

no1beemerfan

RoverJames wrote: »

On a 1.8 Laguna ? Waste of cash in my opinion, is a 57i not over €100.

Yes it is which is what is making me wary. Its just the current system seems a bit restrictive but if its done almost 200k it must do a decent enough job!

What about a K&N filter?

voxpop

the performance filters let in a little more air - not much extra, they do let more particles through than the paper. You might get a slightly quicker throttle response - probably not much else.
There are a few comparisons on the net - was tempted myself by a performance filter - decided the standard paper one was probably the all round best bet.

A DIY Cold air feed might help some - if you dont have one ?

no1beemerfan

no1beemerfan wrote: »

What about a K&N filter?

I replaced the air filter in the ZT with a K&N panel filter, she seems a bit more happy to rev but the old air filter was due a change. No real change in induction noise, although a stab of the accelerator at idle gives a little air gulp sound.

mickdw

If its an oiled filter, I wouldnt use it with any car running an air mass meter as they are easily fouled with oily deposits

Hotwheels

On your car, only difference it will make is a louder induction noise..worth it? nope.

Kits like this work best with other mods, Stainless Steel exhaust, high lift cams etc...

Gumbo

My opinion is you would be wasting your money on a K&N kit for your car OP.

Absurdum

it'll sound ****e and give negligible bhp gains => waste of money

fletch

Had one on my last car....complete and utter waste of money. No power gain whatsoever.

bmw535d

friend of mine put one on a vti civic. no idea if it gave more power or not but by god it sounded sweet afterwards.

mondeo

When I was a teenager I use to muck around with these type of kits, the only thing I ever gained from them was improved throttle response. For the most part they only produced noise! I would not bother with them unless I had a big engined car which would probably benefit from one.

langdang

Put one on a 1.6 Mini Cooper, nice noise when you sink the boot. No appreciable power gain/loss. In fairness, the standard airbox on those would probably be better with a K&N panel filter, if BMW had spent another 10c on the flimsy clips that hold the box together. I got sick of looking at my DIY efforts with selftappers and a big strap of velcro and decided to fit the K&N 57i. They are a bit expensive in fairness for what they are, if the airbox on the Mini was actually sealing right I might have just gone for a fancy panel filter.

mullingar

Waste of time on a sub 2.0 engine TBH.

However, Im guilty.

I have one on my 3.0 I6 engine (GS300) and I love the straight-six induction roar when I floor it when the second induction channel opens :D:D

Very different to the crappy induction roar of a 4 pot. This just screams to everybody "I have a tiny engine and I'm telling the world "

A V8 would be SWEEEEETTT!

no1beemerfan

Right thats off the list then! Thanks for the feedback everyone

stevenmu

My previous car came with a K&N cone filter the previous owner had fitted, after a while I put back in an OEM airbox and standard filter and it ran noticeably smoother, quieter, and I think it even had a tiny bit more torque.

Without a proper cold air feed, the bolt-on aftermarket filters just tend to take in hot engine air which is crap for combustion, so they just add noise and even reduce performance.