Truck Accessories

[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by mhailey

OH, Bed extender. Good call. I work downtown, so I purchased the 5.5 foot bed to navigate the garage. However I spend a great deal of time in the mountains so a truck was a natural purchase for me. It would be nice to have a little more room in the bed of the truck to haul the proverbial crud.

Surprisingly my MPG has not really suffered as compared to my old 2001 Pathfinder. I was getting about 18 MPG with the pathfinder, and about 17 with this truck. I will have to wait until more miles are put on this truck to have a set determination on my average MPG though.

Regarding the K&N filters, do you guys realize a noticeable increase in power/MPG? If they are so good, why are they not installed as standard, or given as an option through the dealer? Like I said, my one experience wrecked my MAFS, and I have not looked into the filters since. Maybe they have gotten better since then. And it was not my fault or a pre-existing condition, as I never reached the point of requiring a "recharge/re-oil" of the filter, and the car ran great until 2 weeks after installation of the filter. The Nissan Tech said it was a known issue with the Nissan MAFS and K&N filters.

I will have to check out the Truxcedo.

Matt.... I have used K&N filters for 30+ years. They were a must on my SS Chevelle in the 1980's. The Pathfinders DO have issues with them, but that is more due to how the Mass Air Sensor is set-up, which allows easier catching of particles that can accumulate. I had a 2001 Pathfinder (Daughter has it now) for 10 years, with no issues, but I kept the sensor cleaned on a regular basis. The claim by Nissan is that the "oil" used to charged the filters accumulates on the MAFS and causes the sensor to build-up with gunk which damages it. The 2001 (and the 1995) Pathfinders I (and daughter) have just haven't suffered this problem. However, I am aware that the 2001's have multiple electronic issues that have a dozen possible causes, including bad MAFSs, with a lot of "part hanging" going on to try and fix the problems. Our 2001 is currently having performance issues, and the list of possibilities, including MAFS. But no consensus as to what of a dozen possible causes is correct. And ZERO help from the diagnosis, with no codes showing!!! Summary... Pathfinders, especially the 2001's had issues, so I wouldn't assume the K&N filter as a cause or a negative for your F150. Three F150s in our family (1997, 2005 and 2008), all with over 100,000 miles each on K&N filters with zero problems. Go for it.

The reason it's not offered stock? Cost. Paper filters are 25% of the cost of K&N filters. Given the cheap cost of the recharge system for K&N, and the ability to recharge 5-6 filters, overall, the cost of K&N is lower than paper filters. With naturally aspired engines, the increased airflow of K&N was a definite HP boost. I'm not sure how much additional HP they add on fuel injected engines. K&N says it is a plus, but is that just marketing? The cold air induction system is supposed to be a decent HP boost. But the cost just doesn't make sense to me.

[mhailey]

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

Matt.... I have used K&N filters for 30+ years. They were a must on my SS Chevelle in the 1980's. The Pathfinders DO have issues with them, but that is more due to how the Mass Air Sensor is set-up, which allows easier catching of particles that can accumulate. I had a 2001 Pathfinder (Daughter has it now) for 10 years, with no issues, but I kept the sensor cleaned on a regular basis. The claim by Nissan is that the "oil" used to charged the filters accumulates on the MAFS and causes the sensor to build-up with gunk which damages it. The 2001 (and the 1995) Pathfinders I (and daughter) have just haven't suffered this problem. However, I am aware that the 2001's have multiple electronic issues that have a dozen possible causes, including bad MAFSs, with a lot of "part hanging" going on to try and fix the problems. Our 2001 is currently having performance issues, and the list of possibilities, including MAFS. But no consensus as to what of a dozen possible causes is correct. And ZERO help from the diagnosis, with no codes showing!!! Summary... Pathfinders, especially the 2001's had issues, so I wouldn't assume the K&N filter as a cause or a negative for your F150. Three F150s in our family (1997, 2005 and 2008), all with over 100,000 miles each on K&N filters with zero problems. Go for it.

The reason it's not offered stock? Cost. Paper filters are 25% of the cost of K&N filters. Given the cheap cost of the recharge system for K&N, and the ability to recharge 5-6 filters, overall, the cost of K&N is lower than paper filters. With naturally aspired engines, the increased airflow of K&N was a definite HP boost. I'm not sure how much additional HP they add on fuel injected engines. K&N says it is a plus, but is that just marketing? The cold air induction system is supposed to be a decent HP boost. But the cost just doesn't make sense to me.

Great information sir!! Thank you for your reply.