Is putting a K&N airfilter (57i) on my 8v a waste of time and money...thoughts?

[Wayne]

smoothed and drilled box wont do fack all either apart from let dust and moisture in, nor will a expensive panel filter 

I have a Pipercross panel filter in mine, induction kit did not fit (long story)

[trog_nfs]

smoothed and drilled box wont do fack all either apart from let dust and moisture in, nor will a expensive panel filter 

Induction kit is a waste of money on an N/A car, as the temperature of the air entering the inlet will directly affect power due to its density. Its a bit different on a turbo car as the turbo heats up the air anyway, hence the need for a cooling aid in between the turbo and engine e.g. intercooler/ charge cooler.

Paper filters are actually better at filtering dust than cotton ones (what K&N filters are made of) and don't require oiling, as the oil has been shown to destroy MAFs over time.

You're just as likely to suck up water with an induction kit as with the smoothed airbox, its all to do with the cold-air feed placement. Look in the mk4 section with the hydrolocking incidences, due to the low placement of the feed.

Dyno testing has shown that in the mk3s case, the air box mod is the best you can do.
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=129025.0

[AudiA8Quattro]

The problem with paper filters is they don't work at full efficiency for very long.
This is why a k&n will allow the engine to breathe better, unless you want to replace the paper filter every month....

[F17BAD]

yeah its six of one and half dozen of the other aint it

the point i was making is that neither will give u gains, i used a K&N om my old 8v lump, for some reason the car was jumpy in 1st gear, after i ran the 57i it solved that issue 

got one on my S3 engine but its relocated to outside the bay, again had to run this as the original airbox for the engine would not fit in the bay.

i had to make up the pipe work to relocate to outside the bay. before this it was sat in the bay with the "heat".. i feel no difference in performance from where it is now (outside the bay) to where it was (near the turbo heat)

on this basis i think people worry too much about heat soat 

[nikkiy9]

i stuck one on my golf (when i had it) and it used to drink petrol like it was going out of fashion

[AudiA8Quattro]

yeah its six of one and half dozen of the other aint it

the point i was making is that neither will give u gains, i used a K&N om my old 8v lump, for some reason the car was jumpy in 1st gear, after i ran the 57i it solved that issue 

got one on my S3 engine but its relocated to outside the bay, again had to run this as the original airbox for the engine would not fit in the bay.

i had to make up the pipe work to relocate to outside the bay. before this it was sat in the bay with the "heat".. i feel no difference in performance from where it is now (outside the bay) to where it was (near the turbo heat)

on this basis i think people worry too much about heat soat 

I would say a panel filter and smooth box may give a couple of bhp peak, the main difference will be mid range torque, basically you will feel an improved throttle response.
In your case Brad, you won't feel any difference, you won't if you're already running silly power 

[F17BAD]

 

[Len]

There is one other way of looking at it......
A K&N cone filter never needs replacing.
So if you keep the car long term you are saving on servicing costs!

[F17BAD]

tbh iv always ran K&N and i personally like them lots, but thats just me.. others hate them.. its just down to personal pref

[Len]

Been using K&N's since the early 80's.
I even rate them so much I actually bought one for one of my company cars!