Howdy y'all,

I recently installed a K&N Cold Air Intake system into my '08 Grand Prix GXP. My primary excuse for this was because the two clips on my stock air box broke and rather than figure out a stock replacement or some jerry rig to fix it, I figured I'd just go for the "upgrade". The K&N 63-3059 seemed the best rated option available for my car, so I went with it. However, in the days since I've installed it, I've had a number of people tell me I made a mistake going with an oiled K&N air filter, indicating that even with regular cleaning and re-oiling they aren't nearly as effective at filtering air as a standard paper/dry air filter and can lead to permanent damage. My father-in-law went as far as saying "a K&N filter is a mechanic's best friend because it keeps them in business".

Truth be told, the entire 1 extra horsepower the intake brings me isn't worth risking damage to my engine, so I figured I might as well look for alternatives. Issue is, I'd like to use the same intake system I installed since I've already paid for and installed it and there certainly isn't anything wrong with the tube itself, just potentially the filter. The problem that this has created is I can't for the life of me find a compatible dry air filter anywhere. I've gotten close in some cases, but for the most part all I can find are alternative branded OILED filters, which defeats the point.

So, I decided I'd come ask for some help on figuring out what best to do here from people who would know better and actually have experience with this kind of stuff- which is what led me here.

My two questions: Are K&N oiled air filters really that bad even if you regularly wash and oil them? And, if so, could you help point me in the right direction on where to get a compatible dry air filter replacement?

For reference, here is the actual air filter that came with my kit: K&N RU-1048 Universal Clamp-On Air Filter

And here is the complete kit I purchased: K&N 63-3059 Performance Air Intake System

The primary dimensions I am having a hard time finding compatibility are: 6" Flange Inside Diameter, 6" Height, and 7.5" Base Outside Diameter. Technically, depending on if the air filter comes with its own flange attachment, the only critical size would be the flange inside diameter as that is what connects to the rest of the system. Though, there isn't a lot of room to spare due to the tight fit of it all.

I appreciate any advice and help y'all can offer me with this. I am certainly no mechanic and am finding my lack of experience and know-how affecting my ability to identify what will work and what wont.

Edited March 29Mar 29 by JSPitman

I run K&N filters on nearly everything I own. I have K&Ns on my:

72 Lemans - 455 NA

86 Trans Am - 305 TPI

16 Challenger - 392 EFI

18 Colorado - 3.6L EFI

Only my 94 Roadmaster has a stock AC filter. That’s because my late father replaced it before he passed away and it is still good.

I have not experienced any issues with oil fouling of the mass airflow sensor that some claim . Only the Colorado is daily driven and I have over a 125k miles on that K&N filter! I don’t super saturate the filter media with the oil once I clean it either. I clean the filter every 10-15k miles, which is about once a year anymore for me.

I say go for it. Others folks here may have a different experience.

Wow! That is a loaded question. I have never used K & N for some of the reasons you described! That said I would find several things hard to believe. In a truly comparable system there is no way a K & N oiled filter out performs a dry filter! JustA can’t happen! Why? Physics! Volumetric efficiency is a somewhat complicated measurement, but it will make or break an induction system. Remember this in all things the path of least resistance is key! The longer the path the more resistant. The more bends the more resistance. The smaller the porosity the more the resistance. All of these apply to the K & N filter system for the GP as well as a fair amount of their other aftermarket setups. If needed I could elaborate, but for the sake of just answering your question, no the K & N will not harm your engine! Neither will it add any HP to it! Most likely you will lose about 10-12 HP with it, compared to what the increase could be with the modified air box like I have. That mod increased HP by 15 HP over stock!

Consider this for one moment. If you drive your car on regular roads most of the time, I.E. not dirt. You do proper maintenance on your car as well. Do you really think you need more than a 10 micro filter? Both GM OEM filters & K&N are 10 micron filters! By adding oil you are further reducing the pore size of the K&N! Making it harder for the air to pass through. Additionally there is more debris in your oil than the air coming in through the throttle body. And the debris in the oil is smaller than what’s in the air. Did you know your oil filter is only 20 micron? So you think you need 10 for the air? JustA don’t oil the K&N filter & you can resolve the whole issue.

The fact is this, if you look at my progression build, (FWD ground pounder) starting around pg.7 I show the modification to the stock air box & explain it. This modification breathes better than any K & N filter ever thought of. The stock OEM filter is more than sufficient by its pore size as well as its surface area. 

I know you said your box broke, but those are available in many places.

Edited March 30Mar 30 by Last Indian