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KN FIPK vs. Pro-Cold vs UDP Filters

C

chevy04

Full Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2003
Messages
146
Location
Southwest Louisiana
I wanted to pass along the customer service information and modification gains on these three filters after trying to talk directly with all three.

First, I would not buy anything from I beleive it is UDP. The filter with the domed air cover and misaligned tube. Nobody answers their phones there, or do they call back. I have reviewed the sheets of data since I could not speak with this company via phone, e-mail. This is an immediate alarm to me, and if anything goes wrong, like not getting your package, or technical help, it appears to me that you are on your own.

The next company, K&N is very good in the communication department. Their technical department was very perfessional and will supply any documentation you request. If you ask for instructions, technical help, dyno results, the answers come quick and no long holds. I was told the filter talk about allowing dirt is a myth according to them, and that their filters perform as well or better than others.

Pro-Cold has great published site information, but I was unable to get any response to the different questions as far as performance gains, filtratiion, or installation answered in any manner. Communication just wasn't there. I had high hopes for Pro-Cold, as their product looked great in the performance department, but nobody would talk or commit to what vechicle makes what numbers, and nothing on late model vehicles other than it should work or fit, but no testing yet.

I came away today not being able to recommend other than K&N. They talk, and back up what they say. There customer service was very good. I think that is a good indication of how the company runs. The filter question, I know is an issue with several folks, and K&N, says they guarentee their filter for working, and asked me if I knew of another. They had me there, because I don't.

Good luck on your choice, the recommendation from the K&N guys is the FIPK for the AV. I don't know what I will do.

Steve
 
Well, chevyo4 or should I call you Steve. I am not sure if you were just trying to contact them to see what their claims for each product are vs. real data sheets. ??? I only contact customer service for a product because it is not performing as advertised.

If we keep things simple and ask what is the best intake design? Well a straight pipe that runs right into the throttle body and has no bends, the problem is that the air in the engine bay is hot, so cut a hole and put a hood scoop in, and a K&N cone right under it, this way we get cooler outside air. Well, I am not going to do that! There are other methods. Why cold air?, well cold air is denser than hot air, this means more O2, which means fuel burns better, which means more power. :cool: Since the MAFS will show that almost any CAI or cone filter gets more air volume than a stock air box, we need to see which system does a better job and has some sort of heat shield. The Pro Cold uses a reactive K&N cone filter, gets colder air from the fender, shields the hot air in the engine bay from the filter, and produces the most power. Made up your mind yet? :0:
 
While I aggree that UPD is hard to get in touch with, I run a UPD and the fit is air tight. Gains are significant, and I've pulled it from the throttle body several times since I installed it. The K&N filter is doing it's job. My throttle body is clean as a whistle as is the inside of the tube.
John
 
I run the K&N. I read a lot of information on this site. The conclusion I came up with is that they all are good. Different people will argue different things about each one. Just depends what they believe. Some like the K&N. other like the Volant, and then some prefer the Pro Cold. I choose the K&N based on three criteria.First because of name and reputation. Second I because of the positive comments I read on this site. Third another member here was selling his AV and made me a great deal on it. IMHO there are small differences in each one that make it better than the others. IN the wash at the end I didn't see those differences as being that big. Go with what you believe. Then choose what you think is a great deal for the price.
 
So this is a recommendation based on customer service?
 
ygmn,

I haven't made any decision yet. I did however want to talk to the people who could say, "yes, I must disconnect the battery to reset and recalerbrate the ECU". Those are the typeof questions I ask. I hate spending money on non-toll free numbers during business hours, only to get a answering machine, or a person with no answers, or someone to explain the advertised results on a 97 model vehicle, and show the results for a late model AV when the two have nothing in common but being a vehicle.

I guess I am making a decision on customer support. If they can't answer questions about their own products, or mislead me, then does that follow through down to the product? The $259.00 is a big ticket item that is suppose to help. Now I wonder from a couple of them anyway. I would think the manufacture advertisment should be answerable.

Steve
 
chevy04 said:
ygmn,

I haven't made any decision yet. I did however want to talk to the people who could say, "yes, I must disconnect the battery to reset and recalerbrate the ECU". Those are the typeof questions I ask. I hate spending money on non-toll free numbers during business hours, only to get a answering machine, or a person with no answers, or someone to explain the advertised results on a 97 model vehicle, and show the results for a late model AV when the two have nothing in common but being a vehicle.

I guess I am making a decision on customer support. If they can't answer questions about their own products, or mislead me, then does that follow through down to the product? The $259.00 is a big ticket item that is suppose to help. Now I wonder from a couple of them anyway. I would think the manufacture advertisment should be answerable.

Steve
Click to expand...

Thanks for clarification........

Good luck with the decision....

I will throw one more choice at ya....

HOME DEPOT....some have been making their own air intake kit by drilling hole in bottom of stock box and then hooking up a PVC 4" fitting in there and installing I think some tubing below....

It was very interesting and most say they liked it....and price was very good...like $20 at most if you have hole saw...

Again Good Luck
 
I wish them luck. I know any holes in the stock airbox that is factory is subject to a lean condition, and also disturb smooth acceleration. I guess it just depends on what someone finds and decides that fits their needs.

Best wishes,

Steve
 
Chevy 04

Try calling the ProCold number not the ProDyno on - the number is on their (procolds) new site and if they dont answer they call you back. I have had good luck getting answers could be the person who answered taht day? - they are only human but can answer more then calling Prodyno. ProCold is their new company which only deals with these intakes. the number is on there site www.procold.net

I got an email from them I posted in another chevy forum to some Q's I had asked this might help - also check out there FAQ page it says about the same thing.

I emailed the guys over at procold regarding some questions in this forum here is the response.

FYI ? we took off our higher horsepower dyno sheets because people are focusing in on the great gains our intakes are capable of and not the average or expected results. You ?could get? the same numbers very easily.

Our vehicle was stock, it was tested in the high 90?s and this vehicles performance ability as any, can vary from other vehicles.

We also picked a number ?28 HP? and yes we did use ?upto? in our advertising as it represents a possible gain under the right conditions and obviously depending on the vehicles modifications and also the possible variance in vehicles own performance ability as that varies.

Every stock automobile will test different if even just a bit and those automobiles will also show different results in different times of the year and testing conditions. Lets take Arizona for example in the winter our ProCold intake baseline tests on our in house dyno show closer runs to any runs with gains than if we were to do the same in the middle of June when it is in the 90?s out here. Those summer runs produced ?even more power? because our intakes are removed from the under hood area and the extreme conditions the summer heat provides.

We have found that high under hood temps make a huge difference with our intakes advantage over some others as our intakes/ air filters are not under the hood at all. Having said that our gains then also drop ?as other intake Mfr?s? in the winter as all things are then equalized a bit by the elements and the temps under the hood not being so severe. As it does get hot/ warm under the hood in the middle of winter months the heat is not magnified or increased as much by the summer elements. The under the hood temps are far higher on a sunny day in the 90?s than they are in the middle of the winter.

Its not that in the summer our intakes produce more then in winter months ? they don?t they just don?t let your engine loose as much as those intakes under the hood. As the heat rises intakes that are under the hood are subject to higher heat then our intakes and in turn give you less HP. So we are not giving you more HP in the summer or hot months of the year but we are saving you more HP. All intakes sold have a hard time making more power in the heat ours just maximize your opportunity to get the coldest air possible by not being under the hood and hence give you more power. We will call the winter months the ?great equalizer? for intakes as the climate and elements dictate such under the hood temps are not as drastic as they are in the hot sunny summer months under the hood thus making all gains more advantageous.

A suggestion for those being interested about any company?s claims to HP ?not just ours? is read other company disclaimers, fine print, label, website or in some cases you may have to call as they wont print it.
The fact is company?s use those terms like "upto" as a marketing tool and also a way of protecting themselves, nobody wants unhappy customers or to produce unreasonable expectations or false claims or litigation if it can be avoided.

Almost every car manufacture now selling new cars advertises (this car) ?starting as low as? or they show the lowest price and a disclaimer saying ?starting from? or ?starting at?

Another suggestion is to do runs of a baseline and modification dyno run in the winter under the cold conditions and the again in the summer under the severe heat using both your stock intake for a basline and any other after market intake for your modifacation run. This will give you a comparison to what modifications can achieve for you with varying elements or environments. Any car that sits in the sun in the summer will have a higher heat register under the hood which in turn yields higher intake air temps.

We ran our truck in June of this year to achieve those numbers and it was in the high 90?s ? the reality is that our intakes do better because they are not effected by the under the hood temps.
By design our intakes are not in a box or bordered off by a plastic wall and some foam to seal it under the hood in a separate area. All of these are subject to higher heat as they all still reside under the hood and in turn can lower the optimal/ potential performance.

Our intakes do not allow for any greater consumption of air volume other than that of which is physically possible by the vehicle it self.

We try to approach everything differently here, we do not intend to say every vehicle will make 28 RWHP as some tests have given 19HP and even 21HP, on the same model truck 2003 5.3 Chevy Silverado.

What we are willing to say is we feel based on our tests and customers tests that our intakes will give you ?UPTO? 28 RWHP even though we have seen more. The ?UPTO? is depending on testing conditions, the vehicles current modifications and the vehicles performance ability as it varies form vehicle to vehicle.

We build a great product and being out of the box and not under the hood we can provide you with better results.

As others in your forum who have our ProCold intakes to testify if thay are happy with their intakes or not?


ProCold.
 
PROCOLD,

The post is very much appreciated by me. I really would have liked to speak with someone the other day, and tried every way listed and I knew. I never heard from anyone in any manner. I am sure you build a good product, but the public does form opinions by how they are met. In my case I guess it wasn't my turn. If you ever want to email me, please pull my address from the forum and please do. I would look forward to a nice discussion.

Thanks,

Steve
 
Thanks for all the input! :)

My wife asked if I wanted to choose my own christmas gift in the $300 range and I have decided on the K&N FIPK! I can't wait to open it and intall it on Christmas day. I agree with TXAvalance that most of these perform relatively the same and I like the K & N name and reputation.

Thanks again,

Mike B :cool:
Tampa, FL
 
I'll throw my .02 in :)
I've had the K&N, AirAid, AEM, PRO COLD, and now the Volant (I've also done this w/exhaust sytems also :cautious: )and I did not see any "significant" differences between any of them.
Now I did not dyno them so my data is not calibrated or baselined (other than my butt dyno ;D ) The difference in all of them that was most noticeable was the amount of noise under hard acceleration, where the K&N I feel was the loudest.
 
chevy04 said:
PROCOLD,

The post is very much appreciated by me. I really would have liked to speak with someone the other day, and tried every way listed and I knew. I never heard from anyone in any manner. I am sure you build a good product, but the public does form opinions by how they are met. In my case I guess it wasn't my turn. If you ever want to email me, please pull my address from the forum and please do. I would look forward to a nice discussion.

Thanks,

Steve
Click to expand...

umm that post was not from procold... it was a member posting the response they got from procold....

Grey
 
Grey,

There is no way a person would know that. Pro-Cold could have an employee with that name signed on. The post was signed Pro-Cold, and not exclosed in a quote box or even stated that this was a response from Pro-Cold. I was trying to find the data from manufactures, and anytime they talk with people readily, I think that is great. In my search, K&N was the only company who was reachable that day on many attempts to contact. For me, if I can't get a hold of someone in business, then I know that support is going to be worse. Heck the sales line is always the one any company gets answered no matter what. Guess this is not true in the three companies here. Just tired of wasting money on advertised junk. I check companies out now before I give them my money. I have more time than money, they have more money than quality service as a whole. That is the appeareance of retail these days.

Steve.
 
tuck2 said:
...
I emailed the guys over at procold regarding some questions in this forum here is the response.
...
Click to expand...

PLease re-read the post in question....I think you missed the line I quoted above......

Tuck2 inserted the email response he received from Procold and does not work for procold.....I hope this helps alleviate any confusion....

 
selon,

Thank you for the reply. All I wanted to pass along was the difficulty required to try and even talk with the manufactures of air filters products, in specific the three mentioned. K&N was the only company that was receachable that day on several occasions. The other companies were not reachable via phone, voice mail, or email as advertised. I still have not heard back from any of them to his day. I have already purchased my air filter product given the results obtained that day and shared those results here. I know it is an individual decision and thats cool. It is the way it is suppose to be. I just think hearing about companies who talk **** in articles from where ever they can get them written and then do the opposite should be known, the decision is always up to the buyer.
 
chevy04 said:
Grey,

There is no way a person would know that. Pro-Cold could have an employee with that name signed on. The post was signed Pro-Cold, and not exclosed in a quote box or even stated that this was a response from Pro-Cold. I was trying to find the data from manufactures, and anytime they talk with people readily, I think that is great. In my search, K&N was the only company who was reachable that day on many attempts to contact. For me, if I can't get a hold of someone in business, then I know that support is going to be worse. Heck the sales line is always the one any company gets answered no matter what. Guess this is not true in the three companies here. Just tired of wasting money on advertised junk. I check companies out now before I give them my money. I have more time than money, they have more money than quality service as a whole. That is the appeareance of retail these days.

Steve.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that HOWEVER if you read that post it does say....

tuck2 said:
I got an email from them I posted in another chevy forum to some Q's I had asked this might help - also check out there FAQ page it says about the same thing.

I emailed the guys over at procold regarding some questions in this forum here is the response.
Click to expand...

And yes pro cold does sign on, under the name pro-cold..... HOWEVER reading the post as it stands... it was not pro cold... they cut and pasted an e-mail sent to them by pro-cold.... just so happens that tuck2 didn't sign the post.... now if I got an e-mail from them.... yeah pro cold would probably be at the bottom of the e-mail.....
 
chevy04 said:
selon,

Thank you for the reply. All I wanted to pass along was the difficulty required to try and even talk with the manufactures of air filters products, in specific the three mentioned. K&N was the only company that was receachable that day on several occasions. The other companies were not reachable via phone, voice mail, or email as advertised. I still have not heard back from any of them to his day. I have already purchased my air filter product given the results obtained that day and shared those results here. I know it is an individual decision and thats cool. It is the way it is suppose to be. I just think hearing about companies who talk **** in articles from where ever they can get them written and then do the opposite should be known, the decision is always up to the buyer.
Click to expand...

By the way... if you want to know about the filter that comes with the Pro Cold... Call K&N as that is the filter that it comes with....

Grey
 
Sorry Grey,

K&N does not respond to advertised goods that refer to their product in another manufactures product. I tried. There suggestion is talk with Pro-Cold. I tried, they didn't respond. Seems this has turned into something. All I did was let people know what happened that day from three manufactures, and now it appears I am made out to hate Pro-Cold. For the record, I neither hate Pro-Cold or any other manufacture. I made my choice as any other person would. I only passed along onformation that I thought someone who might be thinking of buying a filter system the results of a one days investigation into customer service and the results. If this bothers someone, what can I say. The truth is just that, the truth.

Happy Holiday's

Steve
 
If you are looking for a K&N FIPK I am looking to sell mine before I sell my Av. It has about 10,000 miles on it. In my opinion...no intake is worth what any company is asking for them new! The performance gain for the dollar is just not there. I did buy mine new but would never do it again. As for used...usually a little over half the new price...I would do that.

Take care,
Jeb
 
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