After doing some research I bought me a new K&N air filter for my '07 GXP. I had some hesitation in buying the K&N but based on my past experience with their product I took the plunge.
So this evening up comes the hood and taking care to not break the nipple on the air filter housing; I removed the top. Wow!!! what a filter. The factory unit other than not being reusable has the K&N unit beat hands down on appearance.

The factory filter media from mine is NOT PAPER but rather a thick yellowish pleated fiber type material.

I get the impression that the factory filter media will flow huge quantities of air with low restriction and have a long service life to boot.
The media is supported by a rigid plastic frame that has a reinforcement down the middle and rubber gaskets around its perimeter.
I will do some 0-60 testing with my Dashhawk for a comparison. (5.6 sec 0-60 consistently with the stock setup...automatic tranny)
If the K&N shows no improvement it will become an expensive spare and I will be looking for another factory filter as described.
Has any one else seen this type factory filter? Or is this a fluke... The reason that I ask is that there is no part number or manufacturer identification on the factory part.
Thanks in advance for any comments or information on this.

Rickey.

let us know, i am thinking of purchasing one also

The big difference is the factory filter is a throw away and the K&N lasts almost forever as long as you take care of it. I am sure you will see a slight performance difference with the K&N also.

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JON

2007 MEAN GXP
5 Speed Manual
Premium Package
Sport Metallic Pedals
AC Monsoon 6 Disc Changer
XM Premium Headliner
Chrome Wheels

http://jwhitjw.spaces.live.com/

Air filters are one of those parts that are low cost for the manufacturer to make well. With that said Im sure the stock box flows just as well as the K&N without the use of oil that gets all over the place.

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Victoria
2007 GXP Manual.

I have found the K&N much better (over 20K). The only oil that gets anywhere is when an owner/user misuses the the filter. First mod I did and will be when Iwhen get a new one. OBTW Wicked is

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Cheers
GMH
Mysterious GXP
May you always be topless with a full tank
NASSOA Founding Member #95
Team Solstice!! Folding@home Team

Correct, leave it out on your picnic table in the sun for about an hour a side before installing, then when cleaning, remember a little oil goes a long way. Had mine for 4 months now, no problems or messes. The element I replaced was a standard AC Delco so I suspect that the one the engineer found above had been replaced already. Theres my

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2006 Envious base car loaded w/manual trans, limited slip, black/charcoal interior, custom Solo "Storm" single outlet exhaust with 4" tip. Vector tune, Dashhawk, K&N flat panel air filter, Dunlop Direzza Z1 tires, black GM splashguards, 2" machined aluminum stubby antenna and 1/4" tinted Windjammer wind restrictor.

OK I got two good runs in today with the K&N air filter installed. One was 5.47 and the other 5.48 seconds 0-60.
Same fuel, slightly lower fuel level, same stretch of road and direction, all traction controls on as before.
The wild card is the weather, the barometer read 29.60ish for today. The barometer was close to 30.00 IIRC on the earlier runs.
Now if I understand correctly the engines computer attempts to standardize the engines performance in spite of reasonable external variables.
What will now be very interesting for me is to see if the slight gain is repeatable after a few days, and if the computer tunes it out.

Please keep in mind that none of this is scientific...too many uncontrolled variables.
So my testing really proves nothing in the absolute sense, but it sure is fun!

In regard to the oiling issue: I performed a white paper towel test on the clean side of the filter box and at the air pipe exit. No oil or anything else for that matter was found clinging to these surfaces. I will repeat this test at regular intervals to see how it goes.
This is a new factory oiled K&N filter installed just as it came from the plastic bag.
Overall I am satisfied that the K&N is performing satisfactorily for me. I will leave it installed for now but monitor its performance closely for awhile.

Thanks for the input.

Rickey.