Insurers Quake When I Say "k&n"

[Tarby777]

Evening peeps,

Now here's an odd thing. Insurance renewal time isn't far off, so I thought I'd give confused.com a run out. Here's the lowdown on man and machine:

me: 39, sp50 last year (3pts), bump in 2002 (my fault) = £770, 5 yrs no-claims, living near Stockport.

her: 97ST.

The best quote I got back was £233, with a £250 excess. Roughly 40 insurers provided a quote. However, throw a "filter (non-standard)" into the mix - which is as specific as it would let me be about my K&N 57i - and only one insurer was prepared to quote: £525, with a £325 excess

Just for the heck of it, I ran a quote for a stock '97 GT-4 and got plenty of quotes with the lowest being £472.

So... ST + K&N = no-one wants no know me but they're queueing up to let me risk life and limb in a GT-4, which they'll insure for less. What on earth is going on?

TIA

Tarby

[chris202]

:o only one thing for it .... sell the ST and ask mr bank manager for a few bob and hey presto GT4

[mikeb]

Put the proper air box back on. If you really want a different air filter, get a panel filter for the standard airbox.

[armoredfist2002]

try elephant if you havn't already, you can add mod's doing their online quote

[Teenage_Kicks1980]

Hi,

i had the same kind of problem, if you hav'nt tried already go to Adrian Flux, they are a broker and when i had my induction kit they only charged me an extra 60 quid.

They actually understand that an induction kit does not actually do a great deal in terms of performance and don't over price the thing.

But to be honest, get yourself a K&N replacment panel filter, put you air box back on. the Celica's standard induction system is very efficant as standard (Rather like the Supra) and theres no need for the induction filter as they just end up sucking all the hot air up.

But at the end of the day, it's your baby and if you do want the Induction Filter, try adrian flux they saved me nearly 200quid over norwich union.

tony

[sotal]

I was reading the other day that if you can prove it doesn't affect performance by more than +/- 5% then it is classed as an aftermarket part and due to monopolisation laws etc they can't do anything about it. So it *should* be OK as I wouldn't have thought a K&N would give 6bhp gains on an ST.

[Leeky]

Confused.com are crap, best quote i got from them was £1600

£520 with Elephant

Why would you want a K&N anyway? Especially on an ST. If i was you i'd put a panel filter (Something decent like Blitz or TRD) in that way you dont need to declare it

[spursnut]

Sorry for hijacking your thread, but how good are the panel filters? Do they make a difference? I've just got the standard filer in my ST. Thanks

[mikeb]

Sorry for hijacking your thread, but how good are the panel filters? Do they make a difference? I've just got the standard filer in my ST. Thanks

You've already got the best filter then.

[frodo]

Panel filters are very good. Better than stock

[Chyownster]

which ones tend to be the better ones then? I have had and sold hundreds of KNs with customers happy with the results. What the othermakes like? any differnet?

[Leeky]

Induction kits in my opinion are a complete and utter waste of time.

Not only do you have to declare them to your insurance company (to be extra sure they dont wiggle out of any future claims) but they allow hot air from the engine bay to be sucked into the engine which is bad for it and reduces performance.

On most cars the standard airbox is more than capable, for example the standard air box on a supra twin turbo mk4 is ok up to 500bhp. So any supra running less than 500bhp using an induction kit is a waste of time.

Panel filters are the best way to go in my honest opinion. You dont need to declare them as they do not modify your car - they are simply a different brand on a standard shape part - just like a Halfords Oil Filter or any other non Toyota Part Etc

I have found the Blitz Panel Filters to be best filtration/airflow/power/cost wise. Im going to be getting Blitz Air/Oil filters for the Aristo when i get round to doing my first service on it.

[sotal]

yeah, but most people want an induction kit to make it sound nice!

We've got one on the Focus, and it does make it sound very sporty, when we went to buy the focus it sounded very sporty as standard and that was partly what made my wife choose it, then it went off to have 12 months MOT etc put on it and when we came back they had put a whole new exhaust on it as it was blowing!! - It had then lost it's sporty sound and the wife was a bit dissapointed so I stuck a K&N on it and then she was happy! :D I don't think it effects performance either way - I am fairly certain it doesn't improve it though!

[celsteve]

Yeah it's difficult to tell whether there are any real gains or not as when you put in your upgraded filter you tend to put your foot down a bit more : :) I put in a TRD panel filter and I found it made my engine roar a bit more and I THINK it improved my low down torgue but it could be my imagination??!! Being TRD I'd expect the filtration to be better than other brands which may jeopardise the filtration in favour of higher airflow. I think with panel filters/ induction the power increases are so minimal it is better to get something which is going to filter the air properly. The good thing with a filter like the TRD is that they are washable and will last for blooming miles.

[Teenage_Kicks1980]

yeah, but most people want an induction kit to make it sound nice!

I know what you mean, but it's either -

Induction Kit = Great Sound, Lowers Performance in Some cases, Lowers MPG

Panel Filter = Not much Sound (Note, remove "resinator box" if thats what it's called which will help with increasing the sound (Further note, the "resinator box" is the thing that shoots of the induction pipe before the air box)), and adds a little to performance, Dos'nt lose to much MPG

At the end of the day, unless you run a mega turbo or supercharger, or if the manufacturer of the car can't get the induction system right theres no need for a induction kit.

Plus, the 3S-GE engine makes one of the Sweetest Sounds you can hear while under pressure at high revs, why would you want to distort that with a induction kit????

anyway, i've had my two penith worth on this subject, i will just leave it at, it's your car, you have to drive it, it should be how you want it.

Tony

[sotal]

Does removing the resinator box make a standard car sound better??

ie, if I took the resinator off on the celica, and blocked up the hole - would it sound sportier??

[Tarby777]

yeah, but most people want an induction kit to make it sound nice!

Plus, the 3S-GE engine makes one of the Sweetest Sounds you can hear while under pressure at high revs, why would you want to distort that with a induction kit????

Sotal and I have 7A-FE engines, which don't make any noise at all because they're too busy drinking oil

I think I'm up for selling my K&N 57i for my ST. The kit cost £105 about nine months ago, since when it has done 10,000 miles. It's guaranteed for 1 million miles, so it's not pushing things too much to describe it as "as new". I'll accept £65 inc. p&p. Any takers?

Cheers,

Tarby

[Leeky]

Does removing the resinator box make a standard car sound better??

ie, if I took the resinator off on the celica, and blocked up the hole - would it sound sportier??

Yes, Toyota added the resonator box to the 3SGE after 1996 and it is just to make the car quieter.

Pull it out and fill the hole and your done

[GT4 BOOSTER]

lol i drilled 50 or so small holes in the bottom of my corsa 1.4 air box it sounds like like a v8 trans -am now , but with !Removed! performance. lol

[frodo]

I removed and blocked up the hole from the resonator on my 5th gen 3sge and it sounded like a hoover, even on tickover. !Removed! awful. The box soon went back on

[mikeb]

Does removing the resinator box make a standard car sound better??

ie, if I took the resinator off on the celica, and blocked up the hole - would it sound sportier??

Yes, Toyota added the resonator box to the 3SGE after 1996 and it is just to make the car quieter.

Pull it out and fill the hole and your done

eh? Mine has 2 resonator boxes (the big one in the inner wing, and a smaller one after the air filter), and it's a 91 gen 5.

Why anyone would want their car to sound louder is beyond me anyway.

[daktari]

Does removing the resinator box make a standard car sound better??

ie, if I took the resinator off on the celica, and blocked up the hole - would it sound sportier??

Yes, Toyota added the resonator box to the 3SGE after 1996 and it is just to make the car quieter.

Pull it out and fill the hole and your done

eh? Mine has 2 resonator boxes (the big one in the inner wing, and a smaller one after the air filter), and it's a 91 gen 5.

Why anyone would want their car to sound louder is beyond me anyway.

Mike. Think of it as a humanitarian aid to help deaf people who might be wanting to cross the road while your still three miles away. ... And before anyone flames me. My GT4 is as quiet as a mouse.... Till you hit 4K.

[chris202]

Does removing the resinator box make a standard car sound better??

ie, if I took the resinator off on the celica, and blocked up the hole - would it sound sportier??

Yes, Toyota added the resonator box to the 3SGE after 1996 and it is just to make the car quieter.

Pull it out and fill the hole and your done

eh? Mine has 2 resonator boxes (the big one in the inner wing, and a smaller one after the air filter), and it's a 91 gen 5.

Why anyone would want their car to sound louder is beyond me anyway.

Different strokes for different folks i guess I like my induction kit and i like the sound it makes and maybe i imagined it but i felt a differnce lower in the revs after fitting it

[adamgt]

lol i drilled 50 or so small holes in the bottom of my corsa 1.4 air box it sounds like like a v8 trans -am now , but with !Removed! performance. lol

:lol2: i cant believe you modified your corsa!

Have you got the burberry cap to go with it

[Tarby777]

Hi all,

Renewal time is looming now, so I'm getting some quotes. I tried all the companies that people suggested, and a few others, and the one that came out cheapest - by £100 - was Swiftcover.com. DirectLine wanted £100 on top of Swiftcover's quote, and most of the others wanted another £100 or so on top of that.

So on the face of it, Swiftcover seems to be by far the best option for me. Has anyone used them / heard any horror stories about them?

TIA

Tarby

PS: All of these quotes are based on me taking the 57i out and going back to the standard airbox, which I shall do...