Review on 🚗 K&N Cold Air Intake Kit: Boost Horsepower for 2010-2013 KIA (Forte, Forte Koup, Forte5) by Marley Woods

I purchased and installed this product in January. It is installed on the 2011 Kia Forte LX. Here are my observations: 1. Power: At low rpm and light throttle, the power difference is almost imperceptible. I didn't feel any difference until over 3000 rpm and then only negligible. Full-throttle performance in the 4000-5000 rpm range is really impressive. At the 4000 km mark, the car almost seems to "jump forward". Unfortunately, I'm not going full throttle. The six-speed automatic transmission is designed to keep the car in the low rev range during normal driving. So the performance gain is only good if you ride with a heavy foot. For an old fart like me, the performance gain is negligible (except when I have to pull out of traffic and shoot).2. Gas mileage: I basically bought this in hopes I could increase the gas mileage by an mpg (or maybe a little more). That didn't happen. To be honest, K&N is not promoting this product as improving fuel economy. I made a guess based on the increased airflow and was wrong. The good news is that installing this system hasn't reduced fuel consumption either. Sound: Awesome.4: Installation: The instructions are quite simple but complete. If you study the pictures carefully, it's easy to guess. A backyard mechanic should have no problem installing it. Just a couple of complaints. First, the screw that attaches the L-bracket to the frame has the wrong thread size. I had to rework the original bolt to hold the shackle. The original screw is hardly enough. Second, the rubber pad on the heat shield is not good. I ended up having to score the inside of the molding at some of the tightest corners to get it to fit and stay in place. The configuration provides a strong mount. This setup offers a large L-shaped plate to mount the CPU in roughly the same place. The processor is isolated from vibrations with rubber mounts, but the plate is not strong enough to completely immobilize the processor. I'm afraid that the processor will be subjected to more vibration and possibly shorten its lifespan. I cannot guarantee that KIA will honor any processor warranties on this installation. That might not be a problem, but I still think this configuration would be better with a stronger plate design. Overall I like this intake kit. It's probably not the best choice for me, but it's a must-have if you're disappointed with the Forte's factory performance.