K&N Air Filters

[smoothrunnings]

Whats the vertic on K&N air filters for murano's?

I have a 2009 SL AWD. I live in Toronto, ON Canada, and I am not sure if I would just run the filter dry or use the grease on it and if I would benefit from it at all?

Anyhow I would like to hear what others have to say.

My murano has 26,000 ish miles.

Thanks

[njjoe]

I may be wrong but I believe those filters come pre-oiled and require no prep for their initial use. The oil (or grease, as you call it) is used after the filter has been used for a while and then cleaned.

-njjoe

[Gpionav]

What about the supposed HP boost? Anyone notice a change in HP? If yes, should I consider $$?
Thnx.

[chuck jones]

Smooth: You don't give up do you? You've got two discussions going about the same issue....both have the same result....zero benefit.

FWIW...K and N come pre-oiled. Most guys make the mistake of re-oiling them thinking that more oil captures more particulants.... and the excess oil is drawn into the throttle body and ends up fouling the sensors and throwing a CEL. LEAVE IT STOCK....There's absolutely no advantage to a K and N filter.

[SamR]

I have one in my 05. I havent noticed the HP boost. But if you are a DIY kind of guy. It saves from changing air filters when changing your oil.

[Pilgrim]

I don't buy the K&N argument. I believe that if you let more air in, you're letting in more grit and junk as well. I briefly tried one and there was no apparent change...so why would I use a filter that lets more grit and debris into my engine, has no benefit and costs $$$?

Save your money.

[Qat]

I had one, actually the CAI, on a previous vehicle (Jeep). I saw no benefit in HP or MPG and even though I only had to clean and re-oil it every 6 months or so that process eventually became a PITA.

It looked good in the engine compartment, though.

[nitely]

I believe this has been discussed before. The only benefit of these K&N air filters is that its recyclable. You do not have to buy another filter. However, you have to oil it on a regular basis with a chance of over oiling ---which most people tend to do--- that could cause trouble if excess oil get sucked in the intake. Also been reported here. It does not trap particles as much as the regular air filter as well. Why even give youself these headaches? Its so simple to change the oem kind air filter. $12 a year is nothing.

Attempts in adding hp in the MO is futile because of the cvt. And changing your air filter does not increase your hp. You need to throw in $$$$ to get some real noticeable difference and the cvt will still be your hindrance. So stop and just enjoy your MO and maintain it well.

As Clint would say,.....A man has to know his vehicles limitations.

[njjoe]

Originally Posted by nitely

As Clint would say,.....A man has to know his vehicles limitations.

-njjoe

[jcman311]

I dont know about the hp, but after my recent oil change where I changed to mobil 1 and put the drop in k&n filter, I noticed quite an increase in mileage. Highway I was averaging about 22mpg before and now I'm getting almost 24.5 mpg. City has gone up about the same as well.

[chuck jones]

More than likely has to do with the oil and/or your foot on the accelerator than the filter. Some of the synthetics are designed to provide better lubrication and less engine friction. This is a tough crowd to convince about filter..so just go buy the K and N and be happy. I have a few cases of Mobil 1 left over from a couple cars I used to own....and will probably switch to the synthetics for the next oil change.

[chuck jones]

Slightly off topic, but still relevant....reference the oil. I checked with Nissan and for the synthetics, they're using either the Mobil 1 0W-20 or the 5W-20. If you have your car serviced at the dealerships....you'll get charged about $8.20 a quart. I went to Walmart and found the 5W-20 in a five quart container for $25...so that comes to about $5 per quart. Since an oil change takes about 5 quarts, you'll end up paying about $16 extra just getting it from Nissan.

I also inquired what an oil change would cost if Nissan did it using the Mobil 1 instead of the "regular" brand...whatever it is they use...and was told that it would be around $80. as opposed to $30. The Fram oil filter for the Murano cost $4.64 and the Fram air filter was $7.94 for a total of $37.58. Considering that they don't replace your air filter for a regularly scheduled oil change, take out the roughly $8 and you've got roughly $30 worth of oil and filter....so you get charged about $40 (varies from dealership to dealership) to rack it up, and drain/change the oil, and another $41 for the oil itself. By doing it myself, I'll save about $ 40-50...if I use Mobil 1.

I just bought one of those Fumoto oil drain valves that some of the guys (Bill???) posted about that greatly simplifies the oil change process and eliminates having to crawl under there with a socket or box end, unscrew the drain plug, put a collector pan under it etc. The Fumoto valve was $26 with free shipping, so in the process of one oil change, I'll pay for all the things I bought and have enough left over to buy a six pak or two,..then the future changes are big savings. Granted, not everyone wants to crawl under their cars and would rather just pay for it..but for those of us who don't mind fiddeling around, it's a great option and a pretty substantial savings. With the synthetic oil, you also go to 7500 miles between changes...although that usual 3,000 mile schedule is a dealership money maker and unnecessary.

I also checked with Nissan service manager to make sure that I wouldn't violate the language of any Nissan warranty policy, and since it gets to over 100 degrees here in the central CA valley during the summer, I've gone to a Mobil 1 5W-30 considering the fact that the heat will turn a 20 weight into the consistency of water...so a higher viscosity makes more sense. we rarely if ever get to freezing, so a slightly higher viscosity makes more sense for this region.

[BillArf]

Chuck ........... Avoid the Fram oil filter. Fram used to have a decent filter but that was a long time ago. Most motorheads avoid the Fram! Consider one of the following oil filters:

Choice for Oil Filter:

WIX 51358

Napa Gold 1358

K&N HP 1008

Mobil 1 M1-108

Also, Chuck you could use 10W30 weight where you are. When you do the oil change use the whole 5 quarts in tha 5 qt. container.. The couple or so ounces of overfill will be of no issue. For an filter end cap wrench if you need one, you need a size 65mm, 14 flute that fits the stock Nissan filter and others. Harbor Freight sells a bundled, end cap wrench set that includes others plus the one you need (65mm, 14 flute) for about $6.00. A real deal. .

Forgot to mention.. I recently spoke with 3 different dealership Nissan Service Department -Managers- and they all said they use a synthetic blend for their routine oil changes. They all said Nissan dealerships can pick what they wish to use (Nissan USA does not dicate) and that some dealers use a better quality then others. Some use just plain Dino oil and not a blend.

For me, I will go with Mobil 1 or Penzoil Platinum full synthetic I buy at Walmart. I use Wix or Napa Gold oil filters and do the oil changes myself. With my doing this, I save lots of $ and have superior oil protection to boot.

.

[nitely]

Originally Posted by chuck jones

Slightly off topic, but still relevant....reference the oil. I checked with Nissan and for the synthetics, they're using either the Mobil 1 0W-20 or the 5W-20. If you have your car serviced at the dealerships....

Thats weird...nissan service manual only recommends either 5w/30 or 10w/30. Maybe not weird its a nissan dealer. But I will never use that weight.

[chuck jones]

Nitely: I guess Bill explained the difference in dealership recommendations about oil. I'm used to the Porsche circuit and they were VERY particular and consistent about recommended oils and replacement parts....It's not that they even recommended.... but rather MANDATED oils,...to the point it's in the warranty and failure to follow would void the warranty. A replacement engine in the TT was $25,000 by the time you got done with the R and R. Consequentlly, we had a tendency to stick closely with the "recommendations".

So now I know...Nissan leaves it up to the dealerships, who it appears are inconsistent. I have been a Mobil 1 and Amsoil guy for years, and will continue. Given the comments from Bill, I'll probably go to the higher viscosity for this area...it escapes me why the local dealership would be pushing a 0W-20 in a climate like this...maybe they use that for hte new engine break-in period then switch over to higher viscosity. Dunno.

Bill: Thankx for the info on the Fram and the list of the better alternatives...I'll be going back to Walmart and returning it. The jury is still out on the viscosity range for the oil. What do you use? I've got 2K miles left on the last of the freebie oil changes Nissan gave me as incentive to buy. It looks like with the Nissan, you can use high quality third party OEM filters from manufacturers who meet higher standards. There's no sense cheaping out on a couple bucks for an oil filter and toast thousands of dollars worth of engine. Same reason I only burn premium.

Good hints from the forum today....old dog learned two new tricks today....not bad for a Sunday huh?