[BMW5and7]

Do you all have any experience with K&N Engine Air Filter instead of the OEM filter? Any issues? What filter do you all use? I hate to let dealer change the air filter during oil change as they charge premium for it!!! plus they take too much labor for a 5 min job like this!

Update: After doing some search, the impact of oil found in these K&N filter on the engine or turbo is concerning me a little bit. I am thinking of just going with the OEM filter to be on the safe side. FCBEuro are selling the de-branded (No BMW Logo) filter for $20!. It is the same as the OEM but without the BMW logo. Same filter with BMW on it is still not bad for $40.

Thoughts?

For reference, my vehicle is a 2019 530e PHEV

[Chappers 71]

I ran a K&N panel filter in my lightly (380bhp) modded e92 35i for 70,000 + miles. I renewed it when it had done 50k & would clean & oil it when I thought it needed it.
No issues with running it & my bum dino told me it did make a slight difference over the paper filter. Also tried a few ‘back to back’ comparisons between the two & the engine seemed a little more responsive & it had a bit more ‘go’ with the K&N.
Also when I had the turbos replaced at 106k there was no noticeable pitting on the turbine blades caused by ‘as some say’ to large dust particles passing through the high airflow material.

Will most likely get one for the G31

[BMW5and7]

The impact of oil on the engine or turbo is concerning me a little bit. I am thinking of just going with the OEM filter to be on the safe side.
FCBEuro are selling the de-branded (No BMW Logo) filter for $20!. It is the same as the OEM but without the BMW logo. Same filter with BMW on it is still not bad for $40.

[Chappers 71]

Not sure what you uncovered with your 'research'

I just followed the how to wash & oil the filter instructions & let the oil dry before installing it, never had any issues. Even if one were to 'over oil' the filter the K&N filter oil doesn't 'come off' the filter.
My 35i had done 126,000 miles when I sold it & It was still running fine.

https://www.google.com/url?q=https:/...YkP_1ThfLYHiU9

But as you say paper filters are inexpensive & easy to replace.
On a 530e probably not worth fitting a high flow filter anyways

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by Chappers 71

Not sure what you uncovered with your 'research'

I just followed the how to wash & oil the filter instructions & let the oil dry before installing it, never had any issues. Even if one were to 'over oil' the filter the K&N filter oil doesn't 'come off' the filter.
My 35i had done 126,000 miles when I sold it & It was still running fine.

https://www.google.com/url?q=https:/...YkP_1ThfLYHiU9

But as you say paper filters are inexpensive & easy to replace.
On a 530e probably not worth fitting a high flow filter anyways

Found multiple reports from reputable sources for studies that concluded the K&N filters (and similar types) allow more particulate matter through as evidenced by analyzed oil. It may not happen in every single car for every single user, but it does have in impact obviously based on the studies i have read and researched. I will just avoid it to be on the safe side and use OEM.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by Chappers 71

...
I just followed the how to wash & oil the filter instructions & let the oil dry before installing it, never had any issues. Even if one were to 'over oil' the filter the K&N filter oil doesn't 'come off' the filter...

Overoiling has been know to foul MAF sensors.

[Chappers 71]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Overoiling has been know to foul MAF sensors.

Hmm…has it though? Did you read the attached link I posted?
And why over oil it?? Surely it’s easy enough to spray the correct amount of oil onto the filter…unless ones a complete muppet & even if that were the case K&N’s research says their oil won’t ‘come off’ even on an over oiled filter & I’d rather believe K&N, a reputable company over someone that’s posted a video of the result of them having sprayed so much &/or the wrong oil onto a filter that they get it into their maf sensor

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by Chappers 71

Hmm…has it though? Did you read the attached link I posted?
And why over oil it?? Surely it’s easy enough to spray the correct amount of oil onto the filter…unless ones a complete muppet & even if that were the case K&N’s research says their oil won’t ‘come off’ even on an over oiled filter & I’d rather believe K&N, a reputable company over someone that’s posted a video of the result of them having sprayed so much &/or the wrong oil onto a filter that they get it into their maf sensor

Wasn't a video. This was pre-tube from owner's forums. I never experienced it and even had a filtercharger on a previous car. It's just that paper elements are so cheap these days I just use the factory filter. I toy with the idea of a K&N every now and then...

[NVRfollo]

I swapped out the OEM for BMC when I owned the 550. I think the build quality is better with the BMC vs KN

[kring]

K&N works great on my M550. The overall intake design greatly limits particuates as I check my filter every month or two and there is never anything there.

The particulates that make it to the engine are way over exaggerated- yes technically some super fine light dust can make it through but none of that will harm the engine at all. We’re talking organic matter like skin cells or dust at 5microns that would just burn up in the chamber or blow right out the exhaust. People act like pennies and sand make it through the filter all day long. 99.99% of all that fine particulate is actually caught with the filter & oil.

Better airflow with a good K&N is worth it. Millions of people have been using them on millions of cars and for billions of miles and there is absolutely zero cases of a K&N causing any issues whatsoever.

Now do you need one - nope, stock air filters are just fine!

[Warp Ten]

While this is not exactly BMW related, I owned a couple C4 Corvette ZR-1s, the high performance version of the mid-Nineties Corvettes. In the 90s the person who was then and is now the foremost expert on the ZR-1 engines did some dyno testing on several air filters including the K&N. The results showed that there was little or no improvement in performance (horsepower and torque on the dyno) and that the less expensive OEM AC Delco air filter was perfectly fine. I had use K&Ns on a couple of cars but found it a pain to have to keep oiling them. On the ZR-1s I kept the stock air filter and they ran fine; only when drag racing would I remove the filter element from the air box for the runs. Oil analysis was not widely used back then (at least by our group) so I don't know about particulates, but I would imagine that GM engineers, who did extensive testing on all components, wouldn't be putting air filters on their cars that let lots of oil or particulates into the induction systems. By the way, anyone old enough to remember the oil bath air cleaners on mid-Fifties GM cars (and others)? Picture below from a Buick. --Bob