I cannot find a K & N filter anywhere. I just want a simple drop in aftermarket filter. Part number 33-2296....Factory is out of stock as well?? Any advice? They say they are available in the UK but not in US??

 

At the time of this posting it says one left in stock. I ordered one from Amazon about a month ago.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C4SL4U

 

If I remember correctly www.outmotoring.com has this drop-in filter.

 

Now I am not sure if i should go K&N or ALTA foam filter..It seems the alta foam filter would breath even more??? What r your thoughts??

P.S. Thank you, and they do have the K&N for around $50 and the ALTA high flow foam for $50 which looks like it would perform even better???

 

I've just installed the drop in K&N filter for my 2011 MCS. Will post in a few days any noticeable difference in performance, etc.

 

Thank you look forward to any updates!!!!

 

I installed my K&N drop in at a few hundred miles, so any differences in performance/mpg will be hard to differentiate as I'm still breaking in. sorry.

 

I got the aFe dry filter. I have heard too many tales of messing up the MAF with filter oil. It may cost $20 more, but if it saves me $500 for a new MAF it's worth it.

http://www.amazon.com/aFe-30-10174-P.../dp/B002QFK9FS

 

G33KGUY,

I have a 2011 Cooper S as well. Where did you find or purchase the K&N air filter. I'm having trouble finding it. Thanks!

 

+1 on the dry filter. I put an Amsoil dry filter in my JCW airbox.

Red Oil in airbox = MAF issues

I don't want to take the chance.

 

Hey there. I got mine through MossMini.com. Here's a link:

http://www.mossmini.com/Shop/ViewPro...eIndexID=86072

Look for part number 102-720

Thanks,
James

 

The Alta does flow better, but depending on where you live it may not be a good idea. Here in the dusty southwest, I found too much grit getting past the Alta foam filter. I went DOS (K&N) instead.

 

Too much grit gets thru all of the aftermarket filters. Rather keep grit out of my engine, will stay OEM. Read post #13 here:

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?p=5213801

 

helps the repair and parts business for MAF's at hundreds of dollars a copy, plus we can help the job market too for more $$ labor charges. Since it should a warranty denied claim too, the money can stay local.

Seriously, BTDT. Found the red oil downstream of the filter (actually upward gravity wise in the car involved), even on the original factory supplied oiling out of the box w/ no maintenance oiling by me. It's a performance subtract in my book when measured over tens of thousands of miles. Specifically, cost me 20% of my measured air flow as the MAF went downhill, which probably had a similar HP effect assuming it would have driven the car toward lean running. And that was on an NA motor; on a turbo that could be less pretty than just a bunch of HP down the drain. Replaced it and now focus on best OEM paper filters w/ more rather than fewer pleats when available.

 

Listen to this guy....this is the truth.

 

I just got the filter today. I ordered it from Amazon. Last I checked they still had some available....$41 dollars and free shipping!!!!

 

I have always used K&N filters and never had a problem. But I have never had a MCS..Now I am thinking I might have made a mistake with the K&N...Hope not!!!!!!

 

K&N with a hot wire MAF = inevitable driveability issues with check engine light and the need for a new MAF.

 

I tell my customers to never take oiling their filters after they clean them as a task that you can half-a$$. If you pay attention to the amount of oil that K&N recommends (1 oz), you don't end up with a CEL.

Folks that don't live in extremely dusty environments will only need to check the cleanliness of their K&N panel filter every 25,000 miles. If you live in relatively normal driving conditions, you have no need to clean this filter until ~=50,000 miles after installation. (These filters actually do their job better after they see some use and have an extremely long service interval.)

Don't be tempted to clean the filter if it doesn't need it. If you can still see the wire screen on the filter and have not noticed a drop in performance you can put it back in to the airbox. As soon as you can no longer see the wire screen on ANY portion of the filter, it's time to clean it.

If one does over oil the filter after cleaning and oil gets on the MAF, it does not mean that you have ruined your MAF sensor. Dealers toss MAF sensors into garbage cans like candy wrappers because it simply takes a tech less time to replace a MAF sensor than clean it.


If you find that you over-oiled your filter and get a MAF-related CEL code:

1) Remove your MAF sensor
2) Thoroughly spray down the MAF sensor element and grid with CRC 05110 Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner -- It's readily available at any auto parts store.
3) Reinstall your MAF sensor

Opinions (obviously) still vary on oiled filters & MAFs, but the R56 MAF has been fairly robust in our experience. DoS has never seen an R56 with a fried MAF sensor due to K&N filter oil. If someone over-oils, the CRC product mentioned above has worked like a charm and saved a costly replacement.

Anyhow, my $0.02. PM or email me if you have any other questions.

-Clint

 

Thanks Clint !! I trust your very thought out advice and recommendations.....I guess I can add K&N to my mods, if that is truly a MOD?

 

On an Audi A6, 4.2L V8 specifically, and filling out my prior post somewhat more. The MAF is located upward vertically from the filter in that car, unlike the Mini that is basically a straight horizontal shot. Distance to the MAF from the air box is not dissimilar, but the Audi MAF at 300HP is in a tube closer to a 3" diameter. And, first time I put one in an MAF car, and before I came to understand the MAF issue and that "it wouldn't happen to me" since I knew cars and how to maintain them. I had used them in 4 other non-MAF cars previously over many miles.

Meanwhile, I love how the posts going the other way always seem to go back to the inference the owner doesn't know how to oil them, so I can contradict that here categorically. On mine, putting aside I had used them off and on for 20 years on pre-MAF cars (back to Weber 32/36 DGAV carbs to replace Solexes) and that indeed I can even oil a filter carefully and have the time to let it absorb overnight before even reinstalling, I first found very slight streaking of the red K&N type filter oil at the electronic throttle plate 18-24" from the air filter, using a filter that was NEW out of the box and sealed in the clear wrapper, and that looked like any other. Yes, very fine and light oil deposit, but clearly the red color and with no other oil vapor or other port upstream of the throttle plate to tie that off too. The oil didn't just mysteriously get there, and my supposedly not-up-to-the-task oil bearing hand had never touched it for a recharge.

Meanwhile, over time the MAF crapped out. The K&N had come out by now. And indeed I tried to clean the MAF with both rubbing alcohol and electronics cleaner. Neither worked. How did I know it was crapping out? Well the auto tranny shifting was hiccupping, which can implicate the MAF, at least on an Audi where the ECU and the TCU are tightly coupled but distinct. You can easily get much better diagnostic tools for Audi/VW's and real time instrument the MAF, which allows you to see the measured air flow in grams/sec. The rule of thumb is g/sec = rated HP * .8, at least on a N.A. motor I was dealing with. Mine should have thus read approx 240 g/s on a factory stock 300HP engine at the peak horsepower point (as in up near redline on that motor). Nope, it measured +/- just over 200. No codes or anything like that. The cleaning made no meaningful difference--using actual logged measurements stored on a PC w/ VAG COM measured from idle to redline over 20-30 minute runs. Trust me, on that car I was very motivated to clean it since at the time MAF's could only be bought from the dealer for meaningful $$. The reason I have understood the cleaning fails BTW is that on a hot wire the crud basically gets baked onto the wire over time. Changed the MAF to the identical OEM unit as before and it read 240-250 g/s immediately on the first run up near the shift points, just as predicted it should. And yep guess what, the power level/responsiveness was definitely right back up to where it had been in the early days. Issue has never returned w/ quality Euro paper pleated filters.

Not a Mini, but that is actual personal experience, and with an instrumented MAF and in about as clean a set of conditions as I can imagine. Here, both red oil found unmistakably upstream from the filter and well past the MAF--visible because the throttle plate assembly is nice shiny metal on an Audi, and also had serially an MAF problem. But, have at it if you want. You'll never even know you have an issue most likely if it doesn't throw a CEL to make it even better. And as I mentioned earlier, run a Mini engine lean (which is what essentially logically happens where the MAF underreads actual air flow) and it could go from just a creeping performance subtract to a more serious risk w/ the issues the gen 2 S motors seem to be having. Since mine didn't throw codes (except when the tranny hiccuped), it could be the O2 sensors (twin upstream commonly on a V motor) were able to overcome the MAF shortcoming and drive the mixture back to the right stochiometric/lambda values (with the lag time for the combustion cycle and air flows) but that's not a great solution performance wise or for the long haul.

 

Once again.....Hot wires and oiled filters do not mix. They WILL eventually cause degredation and failure. I have never met anybody EVER who was able to clean a hot wire successfully. Once they are impacted by the oil...they are shot. You can just look in the garbage bin of your local BOSCH certified repair garage and see that they are very rarely cleaned. They are simply replaced at a great cost to the customer.

At the end of the day you will gain nothing but a headache from an oiled filter. They offer very, very little in terms of a performance benefit. Stick with the stock configuration.

 

Not knocking any other poster's opinion, but I agree with Clint. I have been using K&N filters for years on all types of vehicles. My 5 MINIs included. Unless you over oil the filter, you will not have an issue. On my r56, I have a DDMworks ram air intake with a k&n and with as much air that has been forced through the filter in the last 2 years, not a drop of oil has touched the MAF. IMO you cant beat them.

 

i find the filters are cheap enough and last so long that if i ever need to change them I just chuck them and buy a new one.

 

Will this K & N filter effect your warranty?