I HAVE A 2007 WOLVERINE 450 AND WAS HAVING SOME SERIOUSE SMOKING ISSUES SO I TOOK IT IN TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND AFTER 4 WEEKS THEY FINALLY TORE IT DOWN AND SAID THE K & N FILTER HAD LET SAND GET SUCKED INTO THE MOTOR..... I THOUGHT A K & N WAS ONE OF THE TOP FILTERS? I WAS JUST CURIOUS TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD AN ISSUE WITH THIS FILTER?.....AND DOESNT THE FACTORY WARRANTY STILL COVER YOU ATV EVEN WITH THE K & N?

 

You have to watch. K&N need a pre-filter to work as they should. They also need to be oiled and cleaned more often than foam. Otherwise they will kill your engine just as a foam will if not taken care of. You must watch though because, their are many out there who are totally against K&N. If your dealers mechanics are some of those they will use the K&N as a scapegoat.

I know this will soon turn into a K&N vs Foam filters thread but, I'm going to say that when used properly K&N WILL work efficiently and work just as good as any foam will. I was against them until my 450 came with a K&N. I wanted to end the debate myself with proof of dirt getting into the intake. I oil and cleaned the K&N as they instruct and check it before every ride. I have yet to find any proof at all of it letting dust through and, I live in oklahoma where we are known for some of the finest of sand hills around.

K&N on my truck or car however will never happen. Did have proof for myself that they don't work there.

 

I think if you take care of the K & N and everything is tight, it should be no problem..

Ive ran them in cars Ive had, and in my scrambler, no issues...

Ive switched over to foam, they R cheaper, and seem to do as good if not a better job all around...

UNI

 

Like the others said. Outerwears and and maintenance is the KEY!!!!!!

 

Wow, not one K&N hater yet? Where are you guys at?

 

Here is the thing with K&N in ATVs.........

Yes they need a prefilter, and yes they need to be oiled and maintained with more diligence then a foam filter.

In a car or truck, there is a HUGE difference. I hear people always say they use they in their car for years with no problems and that is true. I've used them in my own cars/truck with no problems. But cars generally do not operate in dirty and dusty conditions to the same level. And most importantly, auto intakes are longer and do not suck with the same pressure as ATVs do....

ATV intakes really suck hard, much harder than people think. And to that end their filters can be compromised more than that of a car. So it is that much more important that a K&N be oiled well, and have a pre-filter set up......

I mean think about it.... a foam filter is very constricting by itself, and they STILL require that we oil them. So naturally a more free flowing filter like a K&N will allow more "air" to pass through. And if there is a place on that filter that is not oiled enough, the air and particles will find their way through it with the high PSI in ATV intakes....

Some ATVs are worse than others. My z400 sucks a lot harder than my Honda Rancher or my Wife's Raptor. And I would imagine there are some that suck harder than my z400 too. I would not use a K&N in my z400 but I might use one in the Rancher.

Personally my next purchase will be a Motoworks air filter...... no oil at all sounds nice to me.....

 

I just put one in my warrior and it seems to be running pretty hot. I didn't know about the prefilter being neccessary. Could this be the reason?

Also i just cleaned it but i didnt oil it yet due to the fact that the instructions seemed very animent about the amount of oil used which has kind of scared me a little. Any advise?

 

If you put a K&N and did not rejet, you are most likely running lean, which will make you run hot.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: ss97

Here is the thing with K&N in ATVs.........

Yes they need a prefilter, and yes they need to be oiled and maintained with more diligence then a foam filter.

In a car or truck, there is a HUGE difference. I hear people always say they use they in their car for years with no problems and that is true. I've used them in my own cars/truck with no problems. But cars generally do not operate in dirty and dusty conditions to the same level. And most importantly, auto intakes are longer and do not suck with the same pressure as ATVs do....

ATV intakes really suck hard, much harder than people think. And to that end their filters can be compromised more than that of a car. So it is that much more important that a K&N be oiled well, and have a pre-filter set up......

I mean think about it.... a foam filter is very constricting by itself, and they STILL require that we oil them. So naturally a more free flowing filter like a K&N will allow more "air" to pass through. And if there is a place on that filter that is not oiled enough, the air and particles will find their way through it with the high PSI in ATV intakes....</end quote></div>

Well put. As I said before. I live out in the dust hills of OK. We had a K&N in a Toyota 4 Runner. It was in for about 3 months and when we did a checkup there was dust on the inside of the intake. Needless to say we will Never run a K&N on a vehicle again. If your in town in less dusty conditions I don't think you'll ever see a problem.

I haven't had any negative experience with the K&N on my 450 but, I do maintain it like I should and I know others will not but, If I haven't had any problems I don't think anyone that rides mainly in the coarse sand of the dunes or in wetter conditions will have issues at all.

 

Yeah i've been through all the motions with this problem but like i said, i never knew about the prefilter. I try it and if it makes a difference