First decent road trip for my Cummins.

[bdeboer]

If it helps any my '08 Chevy Crew Cab diesel with 6 passengers and a 30' travel trailer gets around 12 mpg. The truck is consistantly around 17.5 in mixed driving.

I think the wind resistance of the travel trailer has more to do with the mileage than weight.

 

[Highbeam]

I have used a K&N filter on my last gas chevy for just over 100,000 miles. It never got dirty. I removed it and will never use another K&N for anything. You could shine light through it when new (and oiled) same when old.

K&N has a million mile warranty on THEIR FILTERS, which will never include damage to your engine. That's just silly. So if you're foolish enough to use a K&N until you ruin your engine then you can go ahead and get another K&N for free.

Ford sells a heavy duty upgraded Air Intake System for use in heavy dust but also when you want superior filtration AND flow than the OEM paper filter can offer. It is a very nice upgrade made by a quality company (not K&N) and then marketed and sold by Ford with their logo on it.

 

[Dmace]

I have used a K&N filter on my last gas chevy for just over 100,000 miles. It never got dirty. I removed it and will never use another K&N for anything. You could shine light through it when new (and oiled) same when old.

If there really was any excessive amount of dirt passing by that air filter then your Mass Air Flow sensor and Intake Air Temp sensor would have been crap within a couple of thousand miles. 100,000 miles with no engine related issues means that filter worked. The fact that you could still see light through the filter proves how well the oil and fabric layers work to "move" the dirt to the edges and not block air flow.

K&N has a million mile warranty on THEIR FILTERS, which will never include damage to your engine. That's just silly. So if you're foolish enough to use a K&N until you ruin your engine then you can go ahead and get another K&N for free.

K&N Product Warranties

For the original purchaser of the product, our warranty covers any engine damage or related costs incurred as a direct result of the use of a properly installed and maintained K&N O/E replacement air filter

This includes reasonable vehicle repair costs, sensor replacements, car rental fees or other incidental expenses directly related to an engine problem caused by the failure of a K&N product.

I know I sound like a commercial for K&N but I've had their filters in everything from a home-built dune buggy, atv's, and dirtbikes to diesel trucks and a 600hp turbo-charged race car to my everyday cars and trucks and NEVER had a problem.

 

[oliver1555]

If there really was any excessive amount of dirt passing by that air filter then your Mass Air Flow sensor and Intake Air Temp sensor would have been crap within a couple of thousand miles. 100,000 miles with no engine related issues means that filter worked. The fact that you could still see light through the filter proves how well the oil and fabric layers work to "move" the dirt to the edges and not block air flow.


K&N Product Warranties


I know I sound like a commercial for K&N but I've had their filters in everything from a home-built dune buggy, atv's, and dirtbikes to diesel trucks and a 600hp turbo-charged race car to my everyday cars and trucks and NEVER had a problem.

Sounds like you have the perfect filter for your use. If it works for you, that's great.

I did notice that the warranty states, "K&N O/E Replacement Air Filters and Air Intake Systems purchased from Authorized Dealers are backed by a Million Mile Limited Warranty when used primarily on paved roads" and "excluding commercial grade heavy duty diesel air filters" which is what this thread is about.

 

[PoorMansCat]

IMHO, the bottom line as it pertains to K&N filters in Cummins powered Dodge trucks is that there is no benefit.
It has been proven time and time again that it makes absolutely zero hp. increase and zero fuel mileage increase. With that said, the only other possible advantage would be disposable vs. reuse..... The factory Fleetguard filter is considerably cheaper than a reuseable part... and there is no cleaning/recharging kit that must be purchased for the disposable filter...
Fleetguard filter is approx. $15.00 No recharge kit and not reuseable
K&N is approx. $70.00 and recharge kit is approx. $10.00 filter is reusable..

Time required to service for the Fleetguard is about 5 minutes (or one beer)
Time required to service the K&N is going to vary due to drying time.....

Seems like a no-brainer...

 

[JB4310]

Wow! this should be the K&N filter debate thread.

I put one in my 07 Cummins powered Dodge 3500 and went from less than 10 MPG to 10.6 consistently. This is a 12,000 lb service body truck that almost never gets on the highway.

So I know for a fact it increased MPG by 5+%. I know that's not much but it's something. I hope all the doom and gloom talk about K&N filters causing premature engine failure is not factual.

JB.

 

[Marveltone]

Wow! this should be the K&N filter debate thread.

No kidding! I should have grabbed a bigger bag of popcorn!:licking:

Joe

 

[RobertN]

Really, why a K&N on a Dodge. BHAF all the way...

FWIW, I had a K&N on dirtbikes, but it still had a foam filter over the top...

 

[PoorMansCat]

same here... If I were to make a change, it would be to a BHAF...
I ran K&N filters with water resistant Outerwears on all my ATV's... when it went under water and filled the airbox with water, it would just suffocate the engine vs. a paper filter trashing out...

 

[Marveltone]

Every report I've read that actually did real dyno testing said that 3rd gen. stock Cummins engines make between 0-7 hp with aftermarket exhaust over OEM, regardless of brands... However, there is a trade-off. The air intake temperature on the OEM is much cooler than the aftermarket systems; so much that once the engine compartment heats up to operating temps, the aftermarket systems actually lose 15 hp to the OEM! In the 3rd gen. Cummins, the stock air box is actually engineered pretty well, and keeping the air cool is actually more important than trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist.

Now, all this changes if you're chipping or otherwise modifying your engine, but I'm talking stock, as it would take literally thousands of dollars to see any significant change in power or fuel economy.

Fuel economy can best be met by using clean filters, keeping the RPMs in the 1900-2100 rpm sweet spot and the turbo boost down when accelerating.

Joe