New K&N Cone Filter Install, With Pictures

[Tooky]

I was looking for a particular cone filter for my TGP and someone told me to check the K&N website so I did.  Wow!  They have thousands of filters, for every size.  I just looked up the dimensions that were mentioned in the last K&N thread and changed them for what I wanted.  I wanted a pure round filter with an angle so it would clear the coolant cap but all the ones mentioned on this website were the "Universal Oval Straight Filters" section.  I wanted a round filter, not oval, and it needed to be short enough that it didnt hit the intercooler.

According to K&N's website, all the filters previously mentioned are Oval Straight Type, like this:

The type I wanted was "Round Straight Type" like this:

So here's what I'm guessing for these filters mentioned previously:
RU-1810 is straight out from turbo, not angled, and 7" long.
RU-1830 is angled 10* from turbo, and 7" long.
RU-1390 is angled 20* from turbo, and 7" long.

The filter I wanted to get was RU1760, which is 5" long and angled 20* and Round instead of Oval.  But Summit was out of stock so I went with the 6" long RU-1770.  Summit P/N: KNN-RU-1770, $30.69.  Well it worked out really good, but it's a little too long that it barely rests on the top of the intercooler.  No big deal, and I get an extra inch of filtration surface anyways.  Here's the photos!

Here's what you get for your $30.69:


Here it is, installed:


Here is a top-view photo with brightness intensified so you can see the clearance touching the top of the intercooler:


Finally, I also needed a Breather Vilter for the crankcase vent on the front valve cover.  TGP Forum members suggested K&N #62-1010 with black rubber endcap which is what I wanted.  It cost $21.39 from Summit with Summit P/N: KNN-62-1010.  Here's a photo:



And here it is installed on my car.  I got a little overzealous with the K&N red filter oil so it's more of a maroon color than the red, whoops  :roll:  :oops:



Honestly I think any of the K&N filters suggested will work just fine.  It really increased the fun factor of my TGP by 100%!  With the long stock airbox setup I was hard pressed to hear the turbo whatsoever.  With the cone filter it is enough to make a crowd of ricers turn their necks!  And it makes a really funny flutter noise when you let off the boost quickly.  My boost seems to spool easier and the boost also seems to go higher on top end (?).  It might all be in my head, I don't have any hard data to compare, but the fun factor makes it worth it alone.

[Chris A]

:D  :D  :D  I LOVE IT! Excellent writeup and photos to boot ! ABOSLUTELY GREAT! Nice feedback on something POSITIVE! WAY TO GO!  :D  :D  :D


Opps did i sound a little over excited? I AM! GREAT! WO HOOO!

Chris

[Black Pheonix]

cool, I was having a hard enough time making myself wait until i had driven my tgp for a-while before i got a filter and you do this to me... J/K

By the way i had heard that turbo's gasp for air at high speeds, not exactly sure why, so since it allows more air in period, at low speeds you have more than you can use but maybe at high speeds it can't get enough.     An expert would know.

[idbeast]

:D Nice job, one thing I noticed is you Xover pipe is bad... :shock: but
if you look closely at your STOCK crossover pipe, you will notice the shield
is more rusty and darker where it bulges over the flex
joint..........CRACKS!!!!  That is why the pipe shield does this changing
color and rusting there, it is because of the common cracks all OEM pipes
have.
Here is inf on the pipe...
$425 for the pipe, that is less than 1/3 GMs pipe that always fails.  Jeff M
Premium Pipe comes with 2 year warranty. Pipe also comes with spare
high-temp stainless steel turbo nuts and bolts and the "O-Ring" to replace
the leak prone one in the Distributor Gear housing, that will never be so
easy to get to as when the pipe is out.

$40 for GM o2 sensor, $65 retail but discounted for TGP owners.  The GM unit
is the only one tests have proven is proper for the TGP.  One is needed as
the cracked pipe has caused your original o2 to become fouled.

$100 pipe core charge, I must get back the old crossover pipe from your TGP,
reuse the box (that is what  it is for!!), simply lift up on the address
label pocket and flip over the paper to have Jeff M's address already typed
and ready to go to the shipper of your choice.  Cost to ship Jeff M pipe to
you is taken out of the core funds, then the remaining returned to you soon
as your pipe is returned to him, and that needs to happen soon after your
original pipes is off.

TOTAL $565

[TGPilot]

Sounds like a bargain...I am glad Waskie did his before I bought it though... 8)

[90TGP]

Looks like you have to remove the filter everytime you want to open the coolant cap. Cool non the less :)

[Jeff M]

Update 2-27-03.  The newer RU1390s have a shorter neck so trimming is not needed (already done?) to get these to clear better!  Jeff M

It is nice to see such time taken to reply, and with such successful effort made.  Hope you don’t mind if I add a little help in fitment as I noticed you mentioned a little intercooler contact.  In testing and using the RU1810 and 1390 before, I found both could benefit from a small snipping off of some of the length of the rubber neck/collar, the part of the air filter that clamps onto the turbo’s inlet, and it looks like the K&N you used has a nice long rubber neck to whack on, make a nice straight clean cut and you will not ever notice your work or find the clamping any less secure (meaning both the modified 1810 and 1390 worked and stayed put).

Anyways, thanks again for the great details, I am sure it will make a lot of those wanting to know the details breath easier now.

Jeff M

[Mike J.]

I installed the ru1390.  It's a good fit, but you need to angle it straight up toward the hood.  I angled mine sideways and when the engine torqued over under power it partially crushed it a little.  I am very happy with how quick the turbo spools up now.  It wouldn't hardly spin a tire b4 and now it sure can,  and this is over what I thought was a decent homemade cold air system with 3 triple stacked 4" paper filters inside a plastic round housing.
*Update*  My filter recently somehow got shredded on the rubber ends after a v-short time.  I had trimmed off some of the excess rubber b4 but I wouln't recommend doing this because I think this is what weakened the  rubber along with the heat the turbo creates.  I cannot even clamp it back on the turbo now.

[Jeorge]

:D Nice job, one thing I noticed is you Xover pipe is bad... :shock: but
if you look closely at your STOCK crossover pipe, you will notice the shield
is more rusty and darker where it bulges over the flex
joint..........CRACKS!!!!  That is why the pipe shield does this changing
color and rusting there, it is because of the common cracks all OEM pipes
have.

Jim, or Jeff,

Does that mean mine is still good because my sheild is still silverish in color? if so thats cool. but it means I''ll have to send it to Jeff next spring...

Or Jeff would it be better to wait untill there is a Crack or signs of a Crack??

[Jeff M]

Alright, quit talking pipe info in a "Sticky Post" on air filters    or course every single little word spoken in this entire forum will last until someone wipes it all out, or edits for months on end, I mean multiply how much talk has occured in the short time this forum has been up and just imagine it in a year or two from now!!, then consider when someone comes here to check for a previous answer on a topic regarding (insert anything you want here) he/she will look  :crazyeyes: and look for an overview/bottom line and give up quickly (just like the old board) and just ask us all over again, "I want to install a TGP setup in my......." Eeegads what fun that will be   :biggrin:

As for your pipe, I have gotten pipes as new as 3 months old (one at 6 months) that looked too nice to hack up, and had 3/4 inch cracks/leaks already strated, it does not take much to allow air to follow the vacuum/scavanged area behind an exhaust pulse  :scatter:

Jeff M

[90TGP]

Will the RX-3800 K&N filter fit onto the turbo? Here's the dimensions from the website.

Mounting flange inside diameter inch: 2 7/16
Mounting flange inside diameter mm-62
Filter base diameter inch:4 1/2
Filter base diameter mm:114
Filter top diameter inch:4
Filter top diameter mm:102
Filter length inch:6 1/8
Filter length mm:115
Flange length inch:3
Flange length mm:76
Angled: 20*

I compared it to the dimensions of the filter you used, the RU-1770

Mounting flange inside diameter inch: 2 7/16
Mounting flange inside diameter mm-62
Filter diameter inch:3 3/4
Filter diameter mm:95
Filter length inch:6
Filter length mm:152
Flange length inch:2
Flange length mm:51
Angled: 20*

[Drewskie]

Hey guys... Ok I'm still new to the whole TGP scene but wouldn't the K&N that fits into the stock airbox do the same thing as those big cones you guys are buying?

im just curious.

[turby]

I'm pretty sure they don't make a replacement for stock. I've tried finding one with no luck.

[eclipse5302]

Well, it will filter air.

But it won't reduce the huge restriction the sotck airbox/tubing makes.  You could run with no air filter in your stock box (not suggested), then put a K&N cone filter on, and be able to tell a difference.  Just the increase in noise says alot.  Best $40 you'll ever spend on these cars...

Jason

[Drewskie]

sounds cool... i know when i had my moms "grand prix le" they had a k&n replacement filter for stock but i can see there are sublte differances between the 2 boxes. is there a sensor on the stock air box like my old grand prix?