fipk or not?

[boilerhog]

Hi people. I just bought a 04 cruiser touring edition with a turbo. I love the car so far but am confused about getting better gas mileage. I plan on replacing the stock air filter with a k&n filter and after doing some research I found the filter i need for $50 but the fipk from k&n runs close to $350. My question is which is the best way to go? Is it critical to replace the stock air tube with a smoother k&n replacement one or can i get the same results with just a k&n air filer? Thanks for your time.

[CREWZIN]

Welcome to the forum,

Here's a couple older threads to read:

Air intake question for turbo

intake`s

[bobs turbo pt]

welcome to the board!!

[quicksilverdon]

If mileage is why you'd get the FIPK, I don't think you'll live long enough to make up the purchase price.
You ought to be able to find a better price than $350. I bought mine from a forum member and paid way less.
The FIPK is better for performance, the cost issue can only be answered by you. It does make the intake louder - you can hear the engine "breathe".
I have 55,000+ miles on my turbo "lite", and overall, I'm getting nearly exactly 25 MPG.
I put the FIPK on very early in miles, so I can't say what it contributes, but clearly it doesn't hurt.

[Mean Green]

Sorry, a FIPK is really a hot air sucking intake which will give you a whopping 2-3 hp gain and cost you upwards of a 19 lb/ft loss of torque. Performance killer is more like it. But, if you don't care about performance, they sure do look pretty and full race. A K&N drop in filter in the stock airbox is better and a lot cheaper.