Latest News

K&N Employee Leaps into Victory Lane at K&N Filters Winternationals

RIVERSIDE, CA (Feb. 29, 2004) -- Bob Harris Jr. of Trabuco Canyon, CA had his work cut out for him. Not only was he campaigning his beautiful orange 2000 Corvette racecar in one of the most competitive classes in all of NHRA drag racing - he was doing it at the NHRA season opener event sponsored by his employer, K&N Filters.

By day, Harris works in K&N's Research, Development and Engineering Department. During his free time Bob has been pursuing a passion for racing that spans 14 years.

With 143 entrants registered for the K&N Filters WinterNationals Super Gas Class, there were a lot of experienced racers to get through before Harris could lay claim to his third NHRA National event Wally Trophy (he has also won National events at the Arizona Nationals in 1991 and the Autolite Nationals in 1992 - both in his equally impressive 1955 Chevy). With a perfect 9.90 run in the first round Harris was off to a great start and beat Ted Seipel, 2002 National Champion, Todd Steward, Richard Okerman and Larry Bradshaw before meeting Johnny Matassa in the final round. Bob ran a 9.873 to Matassa's 9.860, winning on a breakout (in Super Gas competition the winner is the driver who runs as close to 9.90 without breaking out/running under 9.90).

Harris' racecar is a 2000 Chevrolet Corvette (featuring a genuine Corvette body), built by Gary Hansen at Hansen Racecars and receives support from Goodyear and of course, K&N Engineering. The engine is 498-inch big block built by K&N co-worker, John Reedy.

Harris is headed to Phoenix for the second race of the season and looks forward to maintaining the momentum he built in Pomona.

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K&N Makes Top 100 Most Influential list for Powersports Business Magazine

RIVERSIDE, CA, -- In looking back on their first 100 issues the editors of Powersports Business Magazine asked themselves, "Who were the most influential companies in the industry over the last six years?"

To find the answer they looked through their past issues, talked to consumer magazine editors, as well as friends in the business, and came up with a comprehensive list of companies and organizations that "had a significant impact on the powersports industry during the last six years".

Considerations included market share, product development, industry involvement, and innovation in the way a company does business.

Their research was extensive and in the end editors of Powersports Business Magazine named K&N Engineering to their 2004 top 100 Most Influential Powersports Companies. The list was created to recognize companies whose accomplishments were most notable in the powersports business during the magazine's first 100 issues (1998-2003).

A plaque announcing the honor was presented to Tom Cates, Powersports Manager for K&N Engineering and will be proudly displayed in the lobby of the K&N's world headquarters, in Riverside, California.

Of the companies listed, K&N Engineering was the only filter manufacturer. Nearly a fifth of the other companies included in the Powersports Business list are companies K&N works closely with. K&N would like to congratulate the distributors, partners and associations who were also recognized and who have helped K&N achieve this honor.

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Mike Ferderer Joins K&N Filters Racing Family

RIVERSIDE, CA (Feb. 3, 2004) - K&N Filters announced that the company has signed a three year agreement with veteran professional sportsman drag racer, Mike Ferderer to be the primary sponsor for the team.

Ferderer is one of the most recognized names in sportsman drag racing and boasts three World Championships, 11 Divisional Titles and has twice been voted as a Car Craft Magazine Driver of the Year. In 2003 NHRA Super Gas competition, Ferderer was second in the World and won the Division 7 Championship. For the '04 NHRA season, Mike will drive a 2003 Pontiac Grand-Am, built by Rick Jones/QuarterMax Racecars, again in the Super Gas class.

"I've used K&N products in everything I've driven. K&N Filters has been part of my racing program for years and I have made some great friends there," commented Ferderer. "K&N's Executive Vice President of Research and Development, Steve Williams is one of my close friends and in the past he's been one of my fiercest competitors (Williams placed fourth in NHRA Super Comp Points during the 2003 season, a division Mike has also raced in). Many racers dream of having the support of a company like K&N - a company that truly understands the sport and is an active participant. I'm looking forward to taking our relationship to the next level."

In addition to K&N, Mike Ferderer Racing is supported by A1 Transmission and converters, Hoosier Tires, VP Fuels, Crane Cams, Pontiac and Pennzoil. Pennzoil's continued sponsorship of Ferderer spans 18 years - the longest of any Pennzoil sponsorship.

When asked about Pennzoil's long-standing sponsorship, Ferderer notes, "Pennzoil has been a great company to work with and I'm glad to have their continued support. I'm honored to drive a racecar with the names and logos of the greatest companies in the business on it."

K&N President, Steve Rogers added, "Looking at Mike's record it's easy to see why he's such a popular driver. Sportsman racers make up the lion's share of the competitors running down the dragstrip each weekend. Having Mike on the K&N Filters roster builds on our long-standing support for every level of racing."

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History of K&N Engineering and the K&N High Flow Performance Air Filter

In 1964 Ken Johnson and Norm McDonald started a business for motorcycle enthusiasts. They rented and sold motorcycles and accessories to die-hard performance lovers. Soon the founders began answering various needs with high quality parts. One of those needs was for an air filter that could keep the fine dirt experienced in off-road racing from damaging the engines. This filter had to be washable and reusable and allow enough air to keep the motorcycles running at peak performance. The original K&N High Flow air filter was born and in 1969 K&N Engineering became known more for its performance air filters than for rental bikes and parts. It wasn't long before the filter technology was applied to automotive applications.

Thirty-five years later, Ken and Norm have moved on but K&N's commitment to providing top quality products that deliver as promised is stronger than ever. K&N boasts in excess of 55,000 applications, covering a vast majority of the vehicles on the road today. More than 600 employees research, develop and manufacture K&N products.

Headquartered where they started, in Riverside, California, K&N Engineering manufactures the majority of its products from raw materials on machines designed in-house. In addition to manufacturing, K&N has one of the most sophisticated Research and Development facilities in the performance aftermarket, complete with air filtration testing capabilities, engine and chassis dynos, air flow testing stations, mass air flow (MAF) meter testing and a myriad of other technologies to help K&N design and manufacture the best products possible.

K&N also has a manufacturing facility in the United Kingdom that covers Scandinavia, Russia, the Middle East and the European markets. K&N's distribution centers are located in Riverside, Warrington, and Venlo. To further internationalize, in 2000 a Sales and Marketing office was established in Eindhoven, the Netherlands and further expansion will continue into the future.

In its 35 years, K&N has continued to be a pioneer with numerous improvements to its products. In addition to their washable/reusable High Flow Air Filters, K&N offers four lines of High Flow Intake Kits that provide guaranteed horspower. K&N started a revolution with their Fuel Injection Performance Kits and AirCharger Kits, easy to install kits that replace the restrictive factory intake tract and allow a smooth flow of air from the company's famous washable and reusable air filter (all Fuel Injection Performance Kits are approved for use on Emission-controlled vehicles and 50 state legal). Today it's hard to find a performance vehicle without some form of intake system upgrade. When enthusiasts began asking for ways to improve the looks of their engine compartment and add performance, K&N answered with their Typhoon Intake Kits (69 Series) for sport compact cars and recently with their 77 Series High Flow Intakes for sport trucks - both offer high quality aluminum tubing (in polished or powdercoated finish) and premium hardware, along with a K&N air filter, for great performance and cool looks.

K&N Air Filters and Intake Kits are backed by the famous K&N Million Mile Limited Warranty™ -- K&N stands behind their products and more than 35 years in business shows that the company continues to satisfy its customers. K&N has garnered numerous awards from SEMA, including "Manufacturer of the Year in 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2000 making K&N the first company to receive this prestigious award four times.

Often imitated, K&N has yet to be duplicated and with a commitment to excellence, innovation and relentless drive to maintain their leadership position as manufacturers of the "World's Best Performance Air Filter," it's unlikely that any company will come close.

For additional information, please contact K&N Engineering, Inc., P.O. Box 1329, Riverside, CA 92502-1329, (800) 213-4182 for a dealer near you, (800) 858-3333 for technical service/questions, (951) 826-4001 Fax, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.knfilters.com.

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K&N's New FIPK® Intake Gives SVT Cobras 30 More Ponies

RIVERSIDE, CA - The 2003 and 2004 SVT Mustang Cobra are two of the most exciting American vehicles of all time. In box-stock form, its supercharged 4.6L DOHC V-8 pumps out 390 horsepower. Now '03 and '04 Cobra owners can break the 400-HP barrier with K&N Engineering's new Fuel Injection Performance Kit (FIPK® part # 57-2545). Testing on K&N's Dynojet 248 dynamometer revealed that this kit produced up to a 30 peak HP gain at the rear wheels! Cobras fitted with aftermarket exhausts experienced even greater improvements.

K&N developed this kit from scratch. Preliminary testing with pre-existing filters and intake tubes hinted at substantial gains and sent engineers back to the drawing board to eke out every possible horsepower. They developed a new conical FilterCharger® filter that's longer and has a different taper than the company's comparable applications. This new filter single-handedly accounts for 5-7 additional HP. Also, varying tract configurations didn't make appreciable power gains, so this K&N kit retains the OE intake tube. Resulting cost-savings are passed on to the customer. (Kit MSRP is $260.00.) The art and science of the K&N's Cobra FIPK® is in its special radius adapter that mates the filter to the OE mass-air sensor and allows for smooth airflow from the filter to the intake tract.

Installation is relatively straightforward. Major steps include removing the stock intake tube from the throttle body, adding the K&N radius adapter and heat shield to the mass-air sensor, clamping the air filter to the sensor assembly and mounting the FIPK® to the vehicle using the kit's bracketry. This system is covered by K&N's Million Mile Limited Warranty, and the FilterCharger® filter can be repeatedly cleaned and re-oiled with a K&N recharger kit.

For additional information, please contact K&N Engineering, Inc., P.O. Box 1329, Riverside, CA 92502-1329, (800) 213-4182 for a dealer near you, (800) 858-3333 for technical service/questions, (951) 826-4001 Fax, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.knfilters.com.

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