K&N air filter for 2020 Duramax Diesel- Yes or No

[Jason-Texas]

This is my first diesel truck so no experience. I have had it for about 6 months, bought used.

I went online to purchase a K&N air filter for my 2020 Duramax and saw a lot of reviews that stated the K&N will cause the engine to throw a air filter error code and that you must first disable the air filter life setting and this will prevent the error code. Secondly, I saw a bunch of others claiming the K&N is not as good as quality paper filters as it lets in too much particulate.

I have always used K&N on my gas truck with no problems.

What are other diesel owners doing? Thanks for any insight.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

When I bought a used 2001 Dodge Cummins it had a K&N reusable filter. I checked it and took it out to clean it and discovered that while it looked clean, the deep pleats were very badly clogged with gunk. I have used K&N filters on my bikes for years and am happy with them. But in all honesty I don't think they are suited for use with a turbo diesel due to the huge amount of air moved through the filter. IMO they require much more thorough cleaning, and deeper cleaning, than a normal K&N filter. JMO of course.

 

[Calbar]

This is my first diesel truck so no experience. I have had it for about 6 months, bought used.

I went online to purchase a K&N air filter for my 2020 Duramax and saw a lot of reviews that stated the K&N will cause the engine to throw a air filter error code and that you must first disable the air filter life setting and this will prevent the error code. Secondly, I saw a bunch of others claiming the K&N is not as good as quality paper filters as it lets in too much particulate.

I have always used K&N on my gas truck with no problems.

What are other diesel owners doing? Thanks for any insight.

I have just been using the stock factory filters. I have heard that the K&N doesn't filter as well and causes other issues with the fine particulate that passes through. Don't know if that is true or not but these trucks are too expensive for me to try this considering I am happy with the performance I get.

Rob

 

[Riverbug]

I ran K&N's in our mustangs for years without any problems. But they made no noticeable improvement either. I did have a couple of sensor issues after installing them. The dealer cleared the codes, couldn't find a problem so no changes were made. They went years between error codes, which the dealer assumed had to be related to the air filter but also couldn't see that it was causing any harm so codes were cleared and we moved on.

 

[Jason-Texas]

I have just been using the stock factory filters. I have heard that the K&N doesn't filter as well and causes other issues with the fine particulate that passes through. Don't know if that is true or not but these trucks are too expensive for me to try this considering I am happy with the performance I get.

Rob

Thanks. From what I read on the internet ( it’s all true, right) that it’s a specific issue for newer Duramax’s. I always thought K&N was the best.

I am getting ready to take my truck in for an oil change and was going to change out the engine & cabin filter first. The dealer wanted $150 last time, just for air filters.

 

[ajg617]

Not a current GM owner, but I was warned not to use K&N air filters in my 2001 Cummins by a well-respected local independent. They don't filter as well at the expense of increased air flow. In an engine you hope will last for 100's of thousands of miles filtration is important. It is also a key to proper emissions control operations as I found out below.

I will note that on my current 2020 RAM, there were two air filters PNs that Mopar said were interchangeable. They weren't and RAM had to publish a Tech Tip to their dealerships. RAM had the wrong air filter PN on the Mopar website for pre-2022 RAMs so the dealer put my VIN in on their site and installed a compatible but incorrect air filter. I experienced much more frequent DPF regenerations and higher DEF consumption. A number of folks on RAM forums had turbo codes thrown as well. Even Geno's was confused by the PNs until Ram clarified. So, even small differences in manufacturing and design can have an impact on performance between years with the ever increasing emissions requirements. That said, I have always used OEM air filters on Ford, GM, and Ram trucks I've owned and would personally avoid K&N on any diesel. Just my opinion.

 

[Jason-Texas]

Not a current GM owner, but I was warned not to use K&N air filters in my 2001 Cummins by a well-respected local independent. They don't filter as well at the expense of increased air flow. In an engine you hope will last for 100's of thousands of miles filtration is important. It is also a key to proper emissions control operations as I found out below.

I will note that on my current 2020 RAM, there were two air filters PNs that Mopar said were interchangeable. They weren't and RAM had to publish a Tech Tip to their dealerships. RAM had the wrong air filter PN on the Mopar website for pre-2022 RAMs so the dealer put my VIN in on their site and installed a compatible but incorrect air filter. I experienced much more frequent DPF regenerations and higher DEF consumption. A number of folks on RAM forums had turbo codes thrown as well. Even Geno's was confused by the PNs until Ram clarified. So, even small differences in manufacturing and design can have an impact on performance between years with the ever increasing emissions requirements. That said, I have always used OEM air filters on Ford, GM, and Ram trucks I've owned and would personally avoid K&N on any diesel. Just my opinion.

Thanks, just affirms that I need to stick with OEM filters.

 

[RV2600RB]

This is my first diesel truck so no experience. I have had it for about 6 months, bought used.

I went online to purchase a K&N air filter for my 2020 Duramax and saw a lot of reviews that stated the K&N will cause the engine to throw a air filter error code and that you must first disable the air filter life setting and this will prevent the error code. Secondly, I saw a bunch of others claiming the K&N is not as good as quality paper filters as it lets in too much particulate.

I have always used K&N on my gas truck with no problems.

What are other diesel owners doing? Thanks for any insight.

I’ve used K&N on a gas truck and found it didn’t give any advantage, just cost more. Always used oiled foam on my dirt bikes.
But to answer your question I use paper air filters on my diesel truck.

 

[RV2600RB]

Thanks. From what I read on the internet ( it’s all true, right) that it’s a specific issue for newer Duramax’s. I always thought K&N was the best.

I am getting ready to take my truck in for an oil change and was going to change out the engine & cabin filter first. The dealer wanted $150 last time, just for air filters.

Walmart is your friend. Look it up and install it yourself. Not difficult.
Rich

 

[poohbear]

I saw some test results several years back comparing the stock Delco against several other brands /type such as KN and the Delco was the winner.
I've used nothing but the Delco air filter on my Duramax's since 2003

 

[Jason-Texas]

Walmart is your friend. Look it up and install it yourself. Not difficult.
Rich

Yep, headed there this morning.

 

[Wileykid]

Other than the tests that show the stock filters provide better filtering, the truck can only use so much air. The stock filter is designed to allow all the air the truck can use, so what benefit does additional air provide when the engine will not use it.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Other than the tests that show the stock filters provide better filtering, the truck can only use so much air. The stock filter is designed to allow all the air the truck can use, so what benefit does additional air provide when the engine will not use it.

I believe the theory behind K&N usage is the K&N filters better when dirty but still flows more air than a stock filter, which restricts air flow as it gets dirty. Like I said, that's the theory.

 

[Conner58]

Stock air filter alway the little you may gain you will never tell the difference ��

 

[RLK436]

I tried the K&N filter on my 2007 Duramax when it was new and kept getting mass air flow sensor errors. K&N swears that their filter is not the cause, but I went back to disposable filters and have not had any more issues.

 

[JessJoe4168]

This is my first diesel truck so no experience. I have had it for about 6 months, bought used.

I went online to purchase a K&N air filter for my 2020 Duramax and saw a lot of reviews that stated the K&N will cause the engine to throw a air filter error code and that you must first disable the air filter life setting and this will prevent the error code. Secondly, I saw a bunch of others claiming the K&N is not as good as quality paper filters as it lets in too much particulate.

I have always used K&N on my gas truck with no problems.

What are other diesel owners doing? Thanks for any insight.

Suggestion - Use OEM air filters and do not clean an air filter. It will not get perfectly clean, and you might damage the pleats. Air filters need to be 99.9% efficient because a slight bit of dust causes damage - you may not see it immediately as the effect is cumulative.

 

[gfl123]

the term is "turbo dusting" , when enough dirt passes thru that ruins the turbo on your diesel. I too thought k/n was the top dog until i used one on my brand new atv few years back.. even used the added dust cover,, but maintenance time showed that dust was passing thru the filter leaving residue in the intake tube. not worth it.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

I removed the K&N from our 2020 DMAX because I didn't like the flimsy way it fit.
The Delco is robust, has stratified elements, I'm dancing with who brung me.

K&N used to be customer orientated with great service. No longer.

 

[Jason-Texas]

I removed the K&N from our 2020 DMAX because I didn't like the flimsy way it fit.
The Delco is robust, has stratified elements, I'm dancing with who brung me.

K&N used to be customer orientated with great service. No longer.

I just replaced with OEM and haven’t had any issues. No more K&N for me.

 

[WhittleBurner]

Cheap filters are just that. Cheap. They are not made with the same quality material and don't work as well. Tome it's not worth the damage that could occur from using them. These trucks are too expensive and important to cut corners with.