K&N Filters for Swift VDi

Hi all,

    My swift vdi is due for delivery next week , after a waiting period of 2.5 months. When i visited my dealer today , he suggested me i could go for K & N filter for my Vdi which would improve performance and also cost around Rs.5300/-. I would like to know that more on this filter

1. Does it improve performance of my car? , If yes, is it the performance of the FE or pick-up.

2. What is the life time of this filter ( the life period ), or at how many kilometers i need to replace this filter?

3. Is it worth going for this filter?

4. Which is the best stereo set to install , am looking for PIONEER with an investment around 15K?

Please help me.

Hi Sunil, Congrats on the new car (in advance!)

K&N Filter: It reduces the restriction on the air path to the engine, and results in more air sucked in the cylinders. So there is some power improvement.

K&N is not like your regular filter which is disposable, and available somewhere in sub-1k Rs. range. The paper filter is required to be REPLACED periodically. On the other hand K&N filter uses a sponge-llike filter that has to be cleaned and oil impregnated. This procedure is tedious and subject to quality variations in servicing - not a good thing!

Most of all the filtering provided by K&N filter is reported to be inadequate. This means dirt can be sucked in the engine, and scour the cylinder walls etc, resulting in damage to them - this can result in loss of FE, power and other issues gradually cropping up. This is the worst part of the K&N filter use.

I don't know if replacing the stock filter by something like K&N is allowable in a new car - you risk voiding the warranty. Check with the dealer about this issue.

My personal opinion - this upgrade is not worth the downsides and hassles involved.

Thanks krishna for your valuable feedback. I have even enquired to some folks here , they too has the same opinion. That  would save my money of about 5K, i also told dealer not to do TEFLON coating as well which saved another 4K.

Could you please tell which ICE setup would be good for my car?

For ICE: please create a new thread for the same in this section.

In the meantime do refer to the current threads under discussion. This would help you in setting a budget.