nobody said a k&n filter is crap..
people just need to understand why they are changing to a k&n and the compromises involved..
just some info as to why milage gain claims with cai's and airfilters are baseless..
from this report's conclusions
"Results show that clogging the air filter has no significant effect on the fuel economy of the newer vehicles (all fuel injected with closed-loop control and one equipped with MDS). The engine control systems were able to maintain the desired AFR regardless of intake restrictions, and therefore fuel consumption was not increased. The carbureted engine did show a decrease in fuel economy with increasing restriction. However, the level of restriction required to cause a substantial (10–15%) decrease in fuel economy (such as that cited in the literature3,4) was so severe that the vehicle was almost undrivable. Acceleration performance on all vehicles was improved with a clean air filter"
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/pdfs/Air_Filter_Effects_02_26_2009.pdf
will a k&n give a small increase in power? yes.
will it give improved throttle response? probably.
does it filter as well as a paper filter? nope.
is it a lifetime filter? yes.
will it increase fuel effieciancy? nope
will a k&n cause more engine wear over a long period due to less effieciant filtration? unknown..
