I recently purchased a K&N Intake kit for my 1998 S70 T5M (Part Number: 570547). Just figured I'd give it a quick review in case others are thinking of doing the same.

1. Product: The K&N system looked great out of the box. High quality products, detailed instructions, and all the accessories requires for a proper install.

2. Installation: Installation went pretty decent. Pretty much just need a brain, a few fingers, and a flat screw driver. The instructions provided great guidance the whole way through. Now for the only problem: The rubber cone the kit provided for connecting the new air filter to the stock air system was not optimized for this particular car. The fit was loose at best. Even with the clamp it was not likely that it would seal properly. A little improvisation and I used a large O-Ring i had laying around to create a better seal. After this it worked flawlessly.

3. Performance: After the 1st start up with the new filter on the car ran a bit jumpy for a few minutes. After a quick ride around the block it straightened up. My guess is the engine was adjusting to the increased air flow. I've been driving with it installed for a few days now and am loving it so far. Turbo lag has dropped approximately 500 rpms maybe a touch more. The car also seems to pull a bit harder and more smoothly at higher speeds. I can easily chirp 2nd now under heavy acceleration where as it wasnt very easy to do that before. Fuel mileage has also improved although as to how much i can not yet accurately say as I have not driven enough with it installed yet.

One thing i forgot to mention above is the sound change. The wonderful sounds coming from my car now please me greatly. When u let of it breaths out nicely in Darth Vader style. Also the turbo is more audible all around...

This about covers it for my review I think if anyone has questions just post in the comments or pm me. The 1st attached picture is the kit before installation and the second is after i got it installed.

 

Mark today's date, and save up for the new MAF sensor you're going to need (+/-) 10,000 miles from now.

 

It's nice you feel a difference, but from what loadgoldwing mentioned, is that oil from the filter can get onto the MAF sensor leads making your car run poor and eventually damaging the sensor.

A K&N filter is old technology before MAF sensors and the increased air flow helped the older cars. The MAF trims the fuel and other engine functions based on the air flow. So anymore or less air the computer makes the necessary adjustments.
What I also don't like about the cone K&N filters, is your now sucking in warm engine bay air vs cold air from the front of the car.

That being said, if you like the sounds and the seat in pants feel, then by all means continue to use it. I suspect as time goes on, the difference won't be felt after the car re-learns. This is just from my experience your mileage may vary.

 

Well with the kit came a cold air pipe which goes right from where the OE intake came from back to the filter designed to deliver cold air like original. We'll see how it works out i guess... So whats the difference between this and ipd's kit? That uses a K&N filter system as well...

 

Hey guys, new to this forum. I just bought a '98 Volvo S70 T5 5 speed. I also have a '98 Volvo S70 base model 5 speed. I bought the same K&N air filter and gonna have it installed Wednesday. Will this cause my check engine light to come on sucking in more air?

 

No...

 

so whats the best route to go if k&n will cause issues and ipd is the same setup? (i also have an s70 t5m)

 

There are mixed reviews about cold air intakes. Most professionals say it's a waste and other's say it helps just a little. Will it knock a 1/2 second off of your 1/4 mile time... not sure. Will it damage the MAF, probably. Most of the guys that do it right, usually put a box around it to slow down hot air travel and guard it from dirt.

 

look into GREEN air filter and AEM dri-flow

 

I wasn't expecting to get an amazing performance gain. Just want to increase air flow for future upgrades. Surely not all intakes will damage the maf. I was looking at snabb intakes and searched a few forums but couldn't get a straight answer to whether its a good investment. Ill have to check out aem. Thank you both for the help!

 

It's been posted on several sites that it is the excessive re-oiling of the filter that causes MAF failure. I'd drop K&N an email. Many of their sales are to MAF equipped cars.