K and N filter

riggssuzuki

riggssuzuki

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Just a quickie. Any benefit to fitting a K and N panel filter or is the OEM one just as good? Do you get increased induction noise? Will i get any improvement in performace as per their advertising bumf or is it all just sales talk?
 
Wouldn't fit a K&N personally. Green Cotton or BMC is where my monies would go.
 
does anybody know about the carbonio cold air intake ?
 
They do sound good, but you shouldn't be buying one for power.

The problem with turbo charged motors compared to NA motors is that the turbo increases the air temperature massively, so the small decrease in temperature from the intake has little effect. You are unlikely to get any more of an increase in power than you would from a panel filter.

With my old 1.8T I simply installed a Green Cotton panel filter and drilled the airbox. This was just about as efficient as a CAI, made a good amount of noise, and only cost £40.

I'm not saying you should drill your air box or anything drastic like that, but if you do want to upgrade your air filter, anything more than a replacement panel is really just throwing your money away if your in pursuit of power. If its noise your after, fill your boots.
 
This was on my mk4 golf, with an air feed to the box from behind the grill. Drilled on the underside, so only cooler air going in. But as the turbo is operating at temps in the 100's of degrees, the air being a few degrees cooler is almost irrelevant.

Anyway, I did this just for the noise, not for any performance gain. And I am not saying I would recommend it in the Audi, I know I wouldn't be doing it in mine, but then mines is a diesel.

And I will say, I did get the noise I wanted. And my k03s 1.8T was running a solid 240 bhp and 280 lbft so I know it wasn't doing any harm.
 
xs2man said:
This was on my mk4 golf, with an air feed to the box from behind the grill. Drilled on the underside, so only cooler air going in.
Click to expand...

Done this too, and defo agree k&n isn't worth it.
CAI maybe if you stage 2 you need a it more free flow air, but you'd have to make decent air feeds. IMO I wouldn't bother!
 
I think replacement panel filter give the illusion of more power but as the same restrictions apply in the pipework and the filter media surface area I have never felt any tangible benefit over paper units which filter better than most aftermarkets.

I had a Carbonio on my last S3 and I didn't really notice much improvement if I'm honest given the lofty price tag, so I switched to the ITG which opens up the top end of the speedo zone (particularly noticeable on autobahns last year) but again for daily driving doesn't change the characteristics that much for road legal driving. The biggest benefits of the Maxogen are right at the top end of the rev range where the car didn't become breathless like with the awful S3 air intake set up.

Carbonio

DSC_9246.JPG


ITG (Winning no beauty contests!)

web.jpg


I think the best you can do is smooth or drill air boxes or put direct large bore flex hose feeds into the air box which tend to look unsightly. The OEM filters in the A4's should be more than adequate for the BHP (even mapped).
 
It is the smoothing of the "ridges" that are in the airbox.

DSC01362.jpg


Once these are smoothed, you get less turbulent flow through the box.

DSC01369.jpg


Then you drill the box such that the increased flow still flows through the filter, as well as increased induction noise:

DSC01375.jpg


Of course, you might want to feed cold air to the box also.

DSC01383.jpg


This was a very common mod on the old 1.8T engines. As said previously, I had done it to great effect. Not sure it would really be necessary on the newer Audi's though.

But as said previously, with your mapped 2.0T, you should only, at most, need to change the filter.
 
Last edited:
So would I really notice a'nice' noise with a more free flowing panel filter like K&N or pipercross or the like? I am aware there wont be any real increase in power but i like a bit of engine noise.......If i could persuade 'er indoors' I would be going for a Miltek exhaust too but I have to earn many more 'happy wife miles' before i tackle that subject.
 
As I said above, I personally wouldn't go K&N, and Pipercross are as bad. Thid is due to MAF issues I had with my 1.8T many years ago with these filters, so would go green cotton or BMC.

As for noise, you may or may not notice any difference. If you do, it will only be slight. But it would be more noticeable once you have your exhaust on there.

I have also previously swore I wouldn't have another Miltek due to problems I had with both my mk4 Golfs and these exhausts. Although the re-sale value of them always seem to bring me back if I'm honest. I think I would be more inclined to go for a custom exhaust though. Stainless Creations down around the Falkirk area make beautiful custom exhausts.
 
xs2man said:
As I said above, I personally wouldn't go K&N, and Pipercross are as bad. Thid is due to MAF issues I had with my 1.8T many years ago with these filters, so would go green cotton or BMC.

As for noise, you may or may not notice any difference. If you do, it will only be slight. But it would be more noticeable once you have your exhaust on there.

I have also previously swore I wouldn't have another Miltek due to problems I had with both my mk4 Golfs and these exhausts. Although the re-sale value of them always seem to bring me back if I'm honest. I think I would be more inclined to go for a custom exhaust though. Stainless Creations down around the Falkirk area make beautiful custom exhausts.
Click to expand...

Wallace performance In Aberdeen do one off stainless exhausts too. Unfortunately the missus will need to be worked on 1st so to speak.....
 
Yeah, that's always the problem. You are not alone.
 
Ha ha that was the hand bag last year. Price of a flamin Miltek system!!!!!! I think it will be as much as a set of Louboutin shoes...Ouch. Price of a bloomin car!!!! Hey if shes happy, i am delighted (but skint)......... If I wanted the new RS4 I would be donating dangly bits to medical research to pay the bills. Oh well I'm married so I dont need them anyway :greyrs4::doctor:
 
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