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MG MGF Technical - KandN - Yabbadabbadooooo!

Thank God for KandN, best 95 quid I think I have ever spent!!
Now I know my old filter was caked with muck anyway but I have just spent the last 60 minutes fiddling, poking, unscrewing and screwing and then it was done the K and N 57i (part 57-0238) was fitted and it was time for a test drive.
All I can say to all those MGF owners (mine is a VVC, must stop calling it mine - I bought it for the missus) anyway for all those who dont have this kit fitted - WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR?????
The increase in power is immediately noticeable, particularly 3rd and 4th gears, but forget that - the noise - oh the noise!!!!!
It sounds SUPERB - no other word to describe it. Even my 13 year old daughter, for whom nothing is impressive - said wow.
hesitate no longer - go get one.
Matt A

...you liked it then? ;-)

I really must get around to getting one...

brakes & tyres to do first!

Chris
Chris George

Chris, I'm selling mine if you are interested....

Steve.
Steve Childs

My wife's reaction to hitting a mere 5000 rpm with a K&N newly fitted was 'bloody hell - it sounds like a racing car!'.

MG-R should just give everyone a K&N in a box to fit as soon as they get home.

Anyone got any ideas for good uses for the factory fit filter - Surrealist vase?
David Bainbridge

Steve, I would love to, but badly need new front tyres and the rear discs are on the way out...


Chris
Chris George

Chris, what do you need rear discs for anyway!?!?, the fronts will just have to work a bit harder!! ;) :p

Steve.
Steve Childs

I know, but I suspect the MOT bods would disagree with you! Anyway I'm changing to EBC grooved discs and greenstuff all round so that should improve the braking no end! (also thinking about getting braided hoses as I hear they make the pedal feel sharper).

Chris
Chris George

I have a bit of a dilemma regarding the K&N kit. I would get one tomorrow if I knew that it didn't affect the warranty. Can anyone tell me if it does?

Michael
Michael

Michael

>I have a bit of a dilemma regarding the K&N kit. I would get one tomorrow if I knew that it didn't affect the warranty. Can anyone tell me if it does?<

My dealer said yes. You can always whip them off when things go wrong.

Cheers

Mike

Michael Williams

Micheal,

I have K&N, MS Daytona exhaust, Cat-bypass (temporarily), lowering knuckles, blisteins, quad lights, KH splitter...need i continue.

anyway back to the point,

Just had my drive bearing, gearshaft and clutch all replaced under warranty.

I read my warranty very carefully, and no where did it say that the parts covered had to be Rover parts.

One point to note is that my warranty is an extended warranty from Cornhill Insurance, not Rover Warranty.

Just read terms and conditions very carefully.
paul weatherill

I asked my dealer (specifically the warrenty department) about fitting a K&N and she said that as long as the air filter was not directly attributable to any failure, it would not be a problem.

Chris
Chris George

<<she said>>

be careful, what they say and what they do aren't always the same.

get it in writing.

paul weatherill

Paul

>my warranty is an extended warranty from Cornhill Insurance<

In my case it was the three year Rover warranty. The dealer was Colliers of Brum, and they were pretty adamant.

Cheers

Mike
Michael Williams

Hello

Regarding the warranty, what problems can a 57i kit cause? Could the dealer actually blame the kit on anything?

Interested to know

James
James

I got my F imported from Germany 3 months ago. So I have 9 months Rover warranty and I got an additional 2 years extended warranty from the company who imported it (Motorpoint, Burnley and Derby).

Michael
Michael

<<In my case it was the three year Rover warranty>>

Mines is a P reg, so the Rover warranty (even extended) ran out in July, hence alternate cover now.

Before last week I would have said warranties aren't worth the paper they are written on.

However after my warranty claim, I saved my self an absolute fortune, as the final bill was pretty scary.

Its not worth invalidating a warranty for a K&N.

They are just noisy, and actively encourage you to speed.

(after being handed my first ever traffic offence this morning.)

PS.
what is the going rate for 51 mph in a 30 zone???

paul weatherill

>>>>what is the going rate for 51 mph in a 30 zone???

Full cavity search if you get the right WPC. :-)
David Bainbridge

If the offence occurred in Scotland MGF confiscated and community service cleaning cars at local BMW dealer every sunny weekend.
Why would the wpc want to look at his teeth,is that to find out if your old enough to drive.
Rob

20m.p.h. over a limit usually involves a court appearance. You're then at the mercy of the magistrates.
Andy

Check your insurance company as well.

My K&N is still in its box after Churchill threatened to cancel my insurance.

I am waiting until the renewal date so that I can look around.

brianh

Just ordered mine - hope its here for the weekend!
TONY

£60 fine and 3 points, SP30 fixed penalty.

Apparently they will send me out a letter offering me a fixed penalty, or it can go to court.
(as informed by very nice WPC at police station.)

So fixed penalty it is.
paul weatherill

Brian's thread tells you a lot about Churchill Insurance - imagine getting them to pay out after an accident! In this day and age the best route is to get the best and cheapest quote you can, check the small print, and change every year (if required). A Lloyd's insurer told me that !!
As for K&N's is there anything with the product that says this may invalidate warranties etc?
John

Paul,

That sounds alright. Maybe your speedo was optimistic. It will be interesting to see how your insurers view it.

I got 3 points but not for speeding. I declared it to my insurers, Two weren't interested cos it was the first offence and the other increased my premium.
Andy

Any mod you make to the car - write to the insurance co and keep a copy!
Generally if you write they will just file in your records unless its heavy mods

The k&N is a performance addition so warranty wise Rover could argue that the car failed due to the extra HP gain - It really depends on what fails ! ie you cant blame wheel bearing failure on an air filter however you could blame HG failure on the air filter as it increases BHP!
Very dependant on your dealer!

Also performance exhausts - even non standard tyres!
An insurance co could refuse your claim if you have tyres not specified for the MGF!
This has happened to me on my motorcycle!
tony

I agree with Tony except for the tyres issue.

Tyres are consumerable items and must be replaced when they get below a set point and they must be replaced with tyres that are within the specification for that vehicle and its wheels.

Neither Rover nor the insurers can reneg on their responsibilities if you have replaced any consumerable items with parts that are upto the specification of the manufactuere and this would include oil, coolant,filters (oil and air) plugs etc as well as tyres and brake pads.

Ted
Ted Newman

Ted,
Exhausts and air filters have lifespans too.

couldn't they be classed as "consumables"????

Andy,
It was the speed camera that clocked 51 mph, i was too busy braking to check the speedo.
It is my first offence, so I am hoping insurance company won't punish me to badly. (just renewed, so won't have to worry about it for a year!)



paul weatherill

>>Tyres are consumerable items and must be replaced when they get below a set point and they must be replaced with tyres that are within the specification for that vehicle and its wheels.<<

Yes - but what view does an insurance company take when the car manufacturer specifies the brand and type - eg Goodyear NCT3 ?
I did 'phone my insurance co when I switched to Bridgestones (I originally wanted to check that I could put 205s on the front) and the change didn't interest them - but another company may take a different view.

Steve
Steve

>> (just renewed, so won't have to worry about it for a year!) <<

I think you'll find in the small print you are supposed to tell them straight away, at least I think that's the case with mine.

Steve.
Steve Childs

OK, the K&N should not invalidate warranty, some dealers may tell you it does, if they do go to another dealer because Rover seem quite happy with the K&N. Actually the K&N improves things like running temperature so could actually be better for the car.

when insurance companies have a problem with an air filter, it normally means they would rather not insure you, so go to another insurance company. The K&N is designed for the F and is like any other replacement part.

Many F'ers have fitted the K&N and the dealers have no problem with it. Insurance companies are usually ok as long as they ar informed. Many insurance companies won't even charge you extra for the modification. The only stipulation from my insurance was that the K&N and SP exhaust were not themselves covered by the insurance.

>The k&N is a performance addition so warranty wise Rover could argue that the car failed due to the extra HP gain - It really depends on what fails ! ie you cant blame wheel bearing failure on an air filter however you could blame HG failure on the air filter as it increases BHP!

Blaming an HG failure on an air filter would be quite difficult. As such it is more an efficiency aid rather than a performance product. I have never heard of Rover refusing to foot the bill because a K&N air filter was fitted. As I said I have heard of dealers saying this but by experience I know this not to be true.
Tony Smith

Yes, Steve is correct. I told them straight away and they said OK no problem or Ok we'll charge you £20 more at renewal. No big deal really and you have peace of mind.

For the recoed I got 3 points for joining the motorway too early. I crossed the white line to join lane 1.
There was standing traffic on the motorway. I was doing 5mph and lane 1 was doing 5mph. A guy in his Fiesta slowed down to make a gap to let me in, nice chap.

Foolishly, I went for the gap. Mr plod took a dim view. He was of the opinion that if the guy in the fiesta had been a 40 ton artic doing 70mph I'd be dead.

I thought about pointing out that artic's aren't allowed to do 70 mph anymore and I wouldn't have moved across in such a case anyway but decided to be meek instead. Didn't work, I still got three points.

Oh well, that's life.
Andy

Mr Plod can be strange at times - I got pulled the other day for going the wrong side of a keep left sign (his words not mine) when I pointed out to him that the said sign was a 'pass either side' sign he accused me of taking the piss (again his words not mine) and said he was going to nick me, so I suggested that we go back to the sign and have a 'group' photograph taken. He decide to get back in his 'panda' and go away.

Ted
Ted Newman

My brush with the law ended up with 5 pts and a £400 fine plus costs for 99.63mph avg on a m-way. Oh and three bol$%^$%gs one from the the very nice patrol officer in an unmarked car as he showed me the vascar video and pointed out the max speed... the magistrate and finally the wife! It's loaded my insurance by 20+% if I remember correctly. Anyway - I'm much more careful now!
Anon!

ROFLMAO, what, you take the pee out of a copper Ted? Never!. :-)))
Gareth

Ted, hard to teach an old dog new tricks? :-)
Tony Smith


I fitted a K&N and a SP exhaust at the same time. I did not notice any real power increase just a lot of noise. I then fitted Cam's 280's and did notice a differnce.

I seem surprised when people say that they feel the power increase. I agree with the noise and you may think that the car is going faster. Most cars that are made out of mild steel you will not feel any difference unles you add about 20 bhp extra because the car is much heavier.

Tech Speed when they fitted the Lotus Eilse 111s head on the F (extra 10, 15 BHP) said that they could not tell the diference. But on the Eilse you would.


I surpose the point is that if you want real power increases then have the head worked on instead of bolton goodies. Problem it is expensive unless you do it yourselve.

The K&N does make a nice noise but may be a bit too loud for some.
Steve

I really do feel that the power develops more smoothly as you progress through the rev range. I dunno - something feels a lot smoother to me, anyway. I can't say I notice a huge difference at the high-rev-end, except for the wailing noise, of course.
David Bainbridge

>>Tech Speed when they fitted the Lotus Eilse 111s head on the F (extra 10, 15 BHP) said that they could not tell the diference. But on the Eilse you would. <<

the 111S head is the K-series VVC head Steve, so I'm not sure what you mean? It certainly is possible to feel the difference between the 1.8i and VVC- and noticeable in the lap times as I gather that the MGF Challenge racers are being offered upgrades for the 1.8is to make them competitive with the VVC powered cars! If you are refering to the difference in kerb weight between the two cars (MGF v Elise) which makes small differences in engine output more noticeable then I do get what you are saying!

As for the filters- I 'felt' the difference with the K&N panel- much better and cleaner throttle response. Only a 1-2 bhp gain in power. The 57i gives between 8 to 15 bhp (1.8i and VVC respectively). This should be palpable on the road, but it is absolutely CRITICAL that the cold air ducts are mounted and utilised correctly. Interestingly I had a chat with a German chap who wasn't in the least bit impressed with the K&N filter he'd fitted. In fact he reckoned that he was losing power. Not surprising as it turned out - as is the 'tradition' of avoiding problems with the TUV inspection - he had not removed the lower half of the standard air filter box assembly and the cold air ducts were nowhere near the filter. The moral of the story is that you WILL loose ALL the power benefits by not fitting the air intake pipes as K&N instruct...

K&N filters are THE 'must-have' cheap performance modification. And the 'flobadob' flower pot mod makes it even better! ;o))
Rob Bell

Fitted mine today - YESSSSSSSSSSSS !
tony

Thanks Matt for this thread. Ever since I was a schoolkid watching the Flintstones back in the 50s, I've wanted to know how to spell: Yabbadabbadooooo! ........... :o))

More seriously, I have replacement K&Ns fitted to both my EFi and Turbo MG Montegos ....... Yabbadabbadooooo!
John McFeely

P.S. Mine did not cost anywhere near that - came with the Turbo and the other I picked up for a few quid off a Rover enthusiast at MG M 2001. Yabbadabbadooooo!
John McFeely

K&N and most cone filter prices are a rip off. Think about it, one hundred notes for an air filter! Suggest some of you trudge round an autojumble and you may find real bargains. As long as you are mechanically minded and handy diy you can fit any decent cone filter, the larger the better. I have bought Pipercross, Green, and a beautiful Japanese dual cone filter over the last 6 months at autojumbles (all brand new). Most can be made to fit. All of them together cost me less than half the price K&N charge you for an induction kit. Let's face it you only need some trunking the correct diameter and large jubilee clips. The kits I bought already had these!
Mind you, us Monty owners know how to save money and get (real!) performance at the same time!
John

John, the price you speak of is not just the filter, the filter it's self is under 50 quid, the extra is for the induction kit to allow cold air to get to the filter. The money is not just for the cone but for 8BHP more (15BHP on a VVC) and for some it is a nice noise as well.

I agree they are a little expensive for what is two plastic induction pipes, filter, clips and the extension tubing over the filter. But the instructions do make it easy for someone without too much technical knowledge to fit it. The kit is actually around 85 quid including postage and VAT direct from Kinnor. So you saved 15 quid already.

The kit is however optimised for the VVC giving the correct air flow, so it is not always just down to the size of the filter. Many on this BBS have experimented with different length induction tubing to optimise the filter for an MPi and have found a big difference in the way the car performs.

For some of us it is not a problem to work it out for our selves but I would say the average MGF owner does not want to become a mechanic and never appears on this BBS.

John, most of your drivel just shows your ignorance about the technical aspects of cars in general. If you knew anything you would not constantly show your ignorance and stupidity. I really cannot believe you are really as stupid as you come over on this BBS.

I must admit that this was one of your more coherent posts and was actually related. I think maybe your points are often missed because of your adverse style of introducing ideas which some find offensive. It is possible to formulate posts in a more useful and friendly way.

If you want to get on to value for money questions look at exhausts, a decent exhaust system cost around 300 quid but only gives around 3BHP increase so on the face of it, it is a waste of money. The only real reason to change the exhaust in the short term is for cosmetic and for a sporty exhaust note.

If you are a long term owner you realise that the exhaust also comes with a ten year warranty so you can then start to see the advantages.

If you want to see rip offs look at what some MGR dealers are doing to their customers.

170 quid for tracking, no no no, you can't re-tension the hood, oh, your front wheels are rubbing on the liner, quick pump it up to 4X4 mode, 30 quid to pump up the hydragas and 100 quid (a little better than 170 quid) for the tracking, oh, your paying for the gas you know, the tracking gear is very sophiticated and not many people have the gear so it is very expensive and time consuming, NOT. Sorry starting to sound like a Monthy Python sketch here.

So John, either get involved in the subject sensibly or find some other way to occupy yourself.
Tony Smith

I have just fitted the K&N 57i kit and it is fantastic. The engine revs more freely and the sound is great - even the wife likes it. So long run "up north" planned for the weekend. I am very happy with spending 85 quid on this.

Even without any more HP the car is far more drivable and fun. For me, thats what owning an MG is all about. Having FUN.
Steve

hi all k&n fans,
Got this faq from http://www.knfilters.com/faq.htm

>9. Will I need to make adjustments to my vehicle after I install a K&N filter or intake kit?

On fuel injected vehicles the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) computer and emission control system will adjust for the increase in air. The OEM computer will adjust immediately if it is reset. Removing the battery cable from the battery for 15 minutes or more should reset it. On some carbureted models you may have to richen the mixture when switching from a paper filter to a K&N air filter or intake kit.

regards.
Jason

This thread was discussed between 31/10/2001 and 10/11/2001

MG MGF Technical index

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