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Whatever you use your truck for, a K&N washable cabin air filter is a good investment

For a long time, these were not original equipment in even the most expensive cars, but as trucks become more technologically advanced, they are receiving amenities like cabin air filters. These filters are similar to the one protecting your engine, but these protect something even more important, you and your family. Think about all the places your truck takes you and think about all the dirt, dust, mold, mildew, pollen, spores, fungus, and germs that you could be breathing after all your adventures. Without proper cabin air filter maintenance, you could be exposing yourself and your family to unnecessary harmful contaminants.

Installing a K&N washable and reusable cabin air filter is easy to do and requires minimal tools

One company has taken it upon themselves to make the cabin of your truck cleaner and healthier. K&N Engineering has been making engine air filters for several decades and they took what they learned with those to revolutionize the cabin air filter industry. K&N’s cabin air filters consist of an advanced synthetic filtration media. This material is coated in a hypoallergenic and biodegradable formula that makes the filter electrostatically charged as the air passes through it. This electrostatic charge helps to grab onto particles as air passes through the filter.

There really isn't a comparison between the stock paper cabin air filters and K&N's cabin air filter

K&N air filters are made from several layers of cotton gauze soaked in a tacky oil

We are always looking for the next upgrade to do to our imports. Whether it is it a coilover kit, new blow-off valve, or a set of Takata seat belts. What if we told you there was an upgrade you could do that would increase airflow while still keeping your motor protected for less than any of those other upgrades? Drop-in air filters from companies like K&N Filters are designed to increase horsepower, while protecting your engine from harmful impurities.

Whether you drive an Integra, Supra, 240SX, or other sport compact, there is no doubt about the added airflow and the protection that an oiled cotton gauze air filter can offer. K&N air filters, for instance, are comprised of several layers of pleated cotton gauze media coated in a special sticky oil. Let's break it down.

Installing a K&N replacement air filter is extremely easy and usually takes less than 10 minutes

Factory air filters are made of thick folded paper. These are good at stopping dirt and dust from entering your engine, but that's about the only pro. In contrast, K&N air filters flow up to 50% more air due to the high flowing cotton filter media. More air means these filters are designed to increase horsepower, torque, and acceleration; three things that the small engines in popular imports can definitely use more of.

K&N offers air filters for thousands of applications. Check knfilters.com for a complete list

As the OEM paper air filter loads up with dirt, it loses airflow and eventually needs to be changed. K&N air filters use their oil to grab onto particulates, and hold them deep in their web of cotton fibers. The dirt and dust soaks up some of the oil and becomes a part of the filter media. And rather than being thrown out when it gets dirty, these filters are washable and reusable. So not only are K&N Filters good for your engine, they're also good for the environment.

If you're worried about the filter wearing out with all the washing, K&N replacement air filters come with a 10-year/Million Mile Limited Warranty. So this filter could be the last one you buy for your S2K, Civic, RX-7, Evo, or whatever your drive. Check out knfilters.com for a full list of replacement air filters, cold air intakes, and other products they make for your sport compact.

The K&N 33-3049 air filter is designed for 2014-17 Hyundai Xcent, Grand, and Grand i10 models

Three of the company’s major models include the Xcent, the Grand, and the i10.

Introduced in 2014, the Xcent is a front engine, front-wheel drive 4-door sedan defined as a city car. Two engines are available to power the car –- a 1.25-liter Kappa II 4-cylinder gasoline engine and a 1.1-liter U-Line 3-cylinder diesel engine.

The Hyundai Grand i10 was introduced in 2013. A 5-door hatchback, the car has a choice of four engines –- 1.0-liter Kappa II 3-cylinder, 1.0-liter Kappa II 3-cylinder LPG, 1.25-liter Kappa II 4-cylinder, and a 1.1-liter U-Line 3-cylinder diesel. There is also a choice of a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission.

K&N is now offering the 33-3049 washable and reusable replacement air filter for the 2014-2017 Hyundai Xcent, i10, and Grand i10.

The filter is designed to boost horsepower and acceleration and features a multilayered cotton gauze media that is treated with a special grade of oil that makes the cotton strands very sticky. The filter is designed to provide high airflow with little restriction.

Conventional paper air filters must be thick and/or the fibers must be tightly compressed and dense so that they can meet minimum filtration requirements. This means that the paper filters are more restrictive from the start. Moreover, as the paper filters capture more and more contaminants, they clog up restricting air pressure as the atmospheric air pressure outside the filter remains the same. The air pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the filter causes particles to get pulled through the paper medium forcing them through the filter and into the engine.

The K&N 33-3049 air filter is ultra-thin and designed to fit in the existing factory air box

The K&N air filter will last up to 50,000 miles before servicing is required (depending on driving conditions). And since the K&N filters are washable they can be used over and over again while conventional paper filters will have to be replaced and discarded after just 15,000 miles. If you drive your car 150,000 miles, you will have to dispose of 10 air filters.

That is not the case with K&N washable and reusable air filters. Moreover, K&N offers an air filter cleaning kit that is specially formulated to cleanse and rejuvenate the air filter so that it can be reused for the life of your car.

K&N is so sure of the quality of its air filters it backs them with a 10-Year/Million Mile Limited Warranty. The warranty promises that the air filter will last up to 10 years or 1,000,000 miles without the need for replacement.

Since the air filter is designed to fit into the existing factory air box, installation is quick and easy and can be achieved with common hand tools.

The K&N 33-3049 replacement air filter is designed for the following vehicles:

2017 HYUNDAI XCENT 1.2L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2017 HYUNDAI XCENT 1.0L L3 Fuel Injection - All Models
2017 HYUNDAI I10 1.2L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2017 HYUNDAI I10 1.0L L3 Fuel Injection - OEM 28113B9000
2017 HYUNDAI GRAND I10 1.2L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2017 HYUNDAI GRAND I10 1.0L L3 Fuel Injection - All Models
2016 HYUNDAI XCENT 1.2L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2016 HYUNDAI XCENT 1.0L L3 Fuel Injection - All Models
2016 HYUNDAI I10 1.2L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2016 HYUNDAI I10 1.0L L3 Fuel Injection - OEM 28113B9000
2016 HYUNDAI GRAND I10 1.2L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2016 HYUNDAI GRAND I10 1.0L L3 Fuel Injection - All Models
2015 HYUNDAI XCENT 1.2L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2015 HYUNDAI XCENT 1.0L L3 Fuel Injection - All Models
2015 HYUNDAI I10 1.2L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2015 HYUNDAI I10 1.0L L3 Fuel Injection - OEM 28113B9000
2015 HYUNDAI GRAND I10 1.2L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2015 HYUNDAI GRAND I10 1.0L L3 Fuel Injection - All Models
2014 HYUNDAI XCENT 1.2L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2014 HYUNDAI XCENT 1.0L L3 Fuel Injection - All Models
2014 HYUNDAI I10 1.2L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2014 HYUNDAI I10 1.0L L3 Fuel Injection - OEM 28113B9000
2014 HYUNDAI GRAND I10 1.2L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2014 HYUNDAI GRAND I10 1.0L L3 Fuel Injection - All Models

Cody and his father have been developing their Polaris RZR into an off-road contender

Cody, along with dad Doug, made the decision to break out and take on off-road racing. They’d continue their relationship with Polaris and race the RZR, but in doing so stepped into one of the most highly-subscribed and competitive classes in off-road racing.

For example: for the recent Baja 500, 26 side-by-sides were entered in the Pro UTV Forced Induction class, that’s more than 10 percent of all entries. And remarkably, the top finishing Pro UTV FI came in with a lower time than the winners in Class 1/2, Class 5, Class 7, Class 7SX, Class 11, and Class 12. And would have kicked the last place finisher in Trophy Trucks back one position. That’s competitive. Further, of the 26 only two UTVs didn’t finish, so you have to earn your wins and not simply drive around waiting for other competitors to crash out.

Cody, Doug, co-drivers James Hill and Kevin Sullivan, and team were in much better shape for this year’s Baja 500 that last’s. They rolled into Ensenada without the electrical problems that plagued them the previous year and were confident they could achieve a strong finish. Cody ran in fifth through most of the event, broke 40 miles from the finish, made the repair and drove in for a seventh-place finish.

We had a chance to grill Cody about the Baja 500 and whatever else is going on in his life. Here’s what he had to say:

To say that Cody was exited about entering the Baja 500 was a but of an understatement

Cody Rahders: The course is always rough but temps were cooler plus we were better organized and better prepared.

K&N: Did you feel better prepared? Was the team and the UTV better prepared?

CR: The car only went 160 miles at last year’s Baja 1000 before we folded an A-arm and DNF'd so it had relatively low miles on it which made prep easy and after 5 starts in Baja, my dad began to have an understanding of who and what we needed for spares and where they needed to be on course.

K&N: Last year "UTV Driver" wrote "that the desert's not been kind to you." You laughed when you read it, sort of agreeing. Are things better for you out there?

CR: Their "odds" chart is always funny but in my case it’s been accurate. The biggest thing that helped is slowing down, not a lot but just enough to help the car live and get it to the finish. We need to invest in some better parts in key areas that should allow me to pick up the pace.

K&N: The course ran more on the west side of the peninsula than last year, where it was run mainly on the east side. Did that have any impact on you or your UTV?

Cody and his two co-drivers James Hill and Kevin Sullivan enjoy the spoils of their Top 10 finish

K&N: The winner set a blistering pace. His time would have placed him second to last in Trophy Trucks. You came in about two hours later. Did you have trouble in the desert? In the pits? Or had you decided on a pace you thought would bring you home to a good finish?

CR: We don't have the budget (yet) to run at the leaders pace, simple as that. My plan was top 5, to run conservative the first 400 and maintain a top 10 pace then push the last 100 miles and demonstrate we can finish strong. I ran as high as I think it was 3rd or 4th coming into our second pit at race mile 160 but broke an axle coming through a wash and had to have it changed. I lost a few spots there, gained some back and by race mile 240 was in 5th through 440 then had the threaded end of the right outer CV joint break off which ruined a wheel bearing. By the time we got the car out and fixed I lost an hour and a few spots. I got a couple positions back but everyone was so spread out it was just get to the end and finished 7th.

K&N: On top of your racing you’re also a full-time college student. How's school going?

Perhaps Cody's mind wasn't completely on his college course work as he prepared for the 500

K&N: If that weren’t enough, you are working at Fox Shox, tuning UTV shocks. Are you still working at Fox?

CR: Yes. When I'm not in school I work in the engineering department at Fox. It’s awesome to be on the design side and can’t thank Fox enough for the opportunity.

K&N: Did you tune some shocks specifically to your liking?

CR: Yep, mine! Shocks are personal, it’s not a one size fits all. If someone doesn't know what they like we have base settings to get them started then take them testing to develop their skills and learn how the shock works in different conditions. Then we can tune it to their style of driving.

Congratulations on your finish at the Baja 500 and thank you for your time Cody. Good luck with the rest of the season.

Ryan Blaney celebrating his win at the Pocono 400

“Yeah, so we did a great job,” Blaney said. “Jeremy Bullins and everybody did a great job of positioning ourselves to start towards the front on tires. When the 18 stayed out, he looked to be the best car all day, and it's almost a curse when you're that good. Everyone just kind of does the opposite of what you do in that situation. We've been on the bad side of that before.”

Blaney only led once, the last 10 laps of the race, but led the most important lap of all, the last. Blaney finished with 40 points, 5 playoff points, and currently sits in 12th place with 360 points and 8 playoff points.

Blaney became the 19th different driver to win for the Wood Brothers Racing team and the first since Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 in 2011.

"I think it exceeds the dream a little bit," Blaney said. "I grew up watching my dad (Dave Blaney) race on this race track, and it’s so cool to get the Wood Brothers in Victory Lane, number one, and to do it here at a racetrack that is really close to Ohio – a home to me – is pretty awesome."

Ryan Blaney and Darrell "Bubba' Wallace Jr. before the Pocono 400

Kevin Harvick came in second place, just losing out on the win by .139 seconds. Harvick did not lead once during the race.

"The 21 (Blaney) could charge the corner a little bit harder than I could, and my best bet, the way I passed people all day was waiting for him to slip up off the bottom, and he never slipped up off the bottom,” said Harvick. “So I just didn't have enough laps to finish that last pass off, and Ryan did a good job of not slipping a wheel with the amount of laps that he had left and was able to hold on."

Erik Jones finished in third place, the Sunoco Rookie of the year. This was Jones’s career best finish, and led twice for 20 laps.

“It's kind of -- it's great to run there and it feels really good to get a top 5, but man, when you're that close and you're seeing them battle for the win and you're right there trying to pounce and make a move, it definitely makes you eager to go up there and try to get it,” Jones said. “Hopefully this is a sign of things to come, and hopefully we can keep running well and keep getting in contention for more.”

Ryan Blaney racing during the Pocono 400

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. made his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut Sunday and finished 26th with three pit road speeding penalties.

Martin Truex Jr. continues to lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings, with 584 points and 18 playoff points. Kyle Larson is in second place with 583 points and 8 playoff points. Kevin Harvick is in third place with 480 points and 3 playoff points.

The next race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be the Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 18th.