K&N has finally produced a Performance Intake Kit for the '05 Xterra. Their dyno testing shows gains of almost 12hp. 4Filters.com says the kit (going by the part number from K&N) shows a price of $321.04.

K&N \'05 Xterra Intake Kit

Sweet! I've been waiting for this to come out. I had put this on my previous car and it worked out well. Funny I just asked a guy at Advanced Auto Parts here the other day about this and he said probably not until next year.

I was at the local truck shops in town, both had a display on how little the K&N filter actually filters. I had a K&N filter in my 2001 Xterra, but this time I am going to get a true flow air filter.

Not trying to kill your buzz on the K&N those do let more air in than the stock paper filter, but you have to wonder what else they let in. Big racing shops trust K&N so I would bet they are OK. I just have changed my mind recently.

- Bruzer

Very interesting idea. This is the first time I have heard this in all the times I have seen info on the K&N. Definitely worth investigating. Thanks for the link BTW! I did a search on their site but no retailers in my area. I'll have to search in Phoenix. I just installed one of those K&N OEM flat replacement filters for my X. Wish I had seen this first!

i hope that's the price for the polished kit only. that's a little steep for an aircleaner!

I am not trying to sway anyone either way, just trying to inform.

What caught me was the K&N filters are not actually thick, they are something like 4 layers of gauze cloth (oiled) smashed together and shaped in a Z pattern. The true flow filter is a full inch of foam to stop the dirt or whatever else. That alone makes sense. The video I saw at the dealership showed a guy pouring fine sand through a paper filter and over the K&N filter and showing how much sand got through. Of course the true flow had less sand get through than either. It looked like the K&N had more sand get through than the paper filter!

I still use a K&N in my Harley, and probably will for a while. Just trying to inform so folks can make an educated decision when buying air filters.

Yea, I have been doing a little checking and have a little more concern as I go along. One, if you over oil, some people claim it has damaged their MAF sensor. Not good. Secondly I am definitely worried it won’t filter as well.

Some people think that as they go along they filter better as the dirt/oil combo starts blocking stuff better than a freshly cleaned and oiled one. One thing is for sure, there is allot of opinions out there about air filters. Some people think the foam is the worst. I have no idea yet!

Thats a damn rip off. Id never pay more than 75$ for an intake.

So, does this mean, that whichever you choose ~ K&N or TRueflow, either is 'better' than the stock airfilter?

Depends on what you mean by better.

If by better you mean allow more air into the engine, then yes, both would be better than the stock paper filter.

If by better you mean keeping dirt out of your engine, then no, the stock paper filter will be better than either of them.

Note on the chart where the increases seem to take place, not until you get over 3000 rpm. In my driving, very little time gets spent over 3000 rpm. On the highway, it is at 2000 or below. It is not worth the money. I bought filters from the sponsor, Courtesy, and I will change my air filter every 10,000 or sooner and will be ahead of the game.

I don't have anything against K&N but I tried it on my wife's Honda Accord. I saw no significant change in performance or fuel economy.

The drop in replacement K&N filters are good for one thing though.. in our club we have trails with deep water crossings. A few members have gone a little too fast through the deep water, and sucked some water into the airbox - the water wasn't necessarily that deep, but enough of a wave/splashing was created to get some in.

Anyways, the point is, those with stock filters, we found the small amount of water breaks the filter element, and some moisture gets into the intake. Those with K&N filters, we found all of the water stayed in the airbox and didn't get through the filter.

We're not talking huge amounts of water, but we find that they are good insurance for those who seem to like to go through water a little fast. I have gone through the same water, and never had any signs of water droplets in the airbox.

Where do you get a new intake for $75? Do you buy the PVC at home depot and cobble something together? Do tell...

I've had K&N filters in all my vehicles since 1989 and I've never had any problems with the cars that were normally aspirated.

The only problem I've had was fine sand getting sucked through the filter and eroding compressor blade leading edges on a turbocharged Ford SVO. It probably didn't help that it was running 18 psi on a stage III hybrid.

My 05 X is running a K&N from Courtesy. I just pulled the filter out after 7,500 miles and found the airbox to be perfectly clean downstream of the filter. That is impressive since I tend to run higher RPMs on a daily basis than most folks.

Bo