K&N garbage, need replacement recommendations Options

[vitamin914]

My 2.4 L with Weber 44 IDF carbs, came with no name air filters. Could not find a source for the weird sized ovals and decided to replace the entire assemblies. I found a kit from K&N made for the Weber 44s (K&N 56-1170). Didn't think much of the flimsy quality but better than nothing - or so I thought.

After I installed them I drove around very little, maybe 50 miles at most before the 914 went into winter storage. I noticed one of the tin caps had lost the screw - I hope like hell it fell out onto the road and not someplace where it can do damage.

I know I tightened them down to the point where I was afraid I would crush the filter or bend the tin cap. Checked the other side that still had the screw, it was not as tight as I had originally made it. It too had backed off. Took off the cap and pulled out the filter element on the carb where the screw went missing... WTF? it is warped? Looked closer and the damn thing is full of holes. Like some have said an old sock over the carbs would be better than a K&N filter. See the photos.

Not going to have the screws fall out again - I replaced the taper flathead screw with a screw from below (with red loctite) and jam nuts on top of the tin cover.

I have joined those who hate K&N - never again. So much so, that I want to get rid of them and replace them with something more reliable that actually filters air.

I need some help sourcing air filter assemblies for Weber 44 IDFs. Is there anything you would recommend, readily available, that is a better filter (paper element?) and looks nice?

[Superhawk996]

K&N not necessarily bad for what they are but expecting high flow and high filtration are at odds with each other.

The holes you’re seeing in the rubber surround are a defect and should be sent back for replacement.

With a single nut you would be better off using a Nylock nut than jam nuts. Nylock will be far better as resisting loosening due to vibration.

[vitamin914]

K&N not necessarily bad for what they are but expecting high flow and high filtration are at odds with each other.

The holes you’re seeing in the rubber surround are a defect and should be sent back for replacement.

With a single nut you would be better off using a Nylock nut than jam nuts. Nylock will be far better as resisting loosening due to vibration.

@Superhawk996

Yeah, I realized it was a defect. There are many comments about K&N not being very good (Captn Crusty was one that despised KN stuff). One way to increase both flow with better flirtation is to increase surface area to compensate for the higher restriction. I was curious what others have done. I will need to look into what CBPerformance has available. I would like to use a better filter element since one thread I read blamed clogged jets on dirt getting past K&Ns.

Nylocks are one time use and I didn't have any. The other reason for the jam nuts is the construction of the bridge where the screw goes in to hold down the top cap. To make it cheap it wasn't threaded, it just uses a threaded speed clip. I ran the screw up from the bottom but there isn't much more that a single thread to hold the locktite in place. I was concerned that tightening the nylock would break the locktite bond. The jam nut setup does not have that problem. The fix is only temporary. I want to get rid of the K&N housing all together.

Thank God I put Automotive Goop on that speed clip to keep it in place. When the screw fell out that clip could have fallen into the intake. The screw pins the speed clip from moving off sideways from the bridge hole, otherwise there is normally nothing except a bit of friction holding that speed clip in place. If it wasn't Goop'ed in place it could have fallen off and into the engine. Not a fail safe design.