I tried to replace the air filter this morning but the current filter is on there VERY tight. Is there a secret to wiggling it off without ripping the hoses off with it ?

A little dishwashing soap ?

 

Not quite sure what you're doing but it needs no lubricant to pull off.
Take lid off airbox.
Pull up on little ring at small end of filter to release it from the airbox.
Grab end of filter while holding the black rubber intake tube and begin to wiggle the end of the filter back and forth and sideways as you pull it straight out of the tube. Install new one in reverse.

 

When I installed a K&N filter I used some filter sealing grease (K&N, same thing as DOW vacuum sealing grease) to ensure a good seal. I have since gone back to the stock air filter, but still use the sealing grease. Although the sealing grease may be unecessary, one benefit is that the filter is much easier to get in and out.

 

Moving to UTH

 

make sure you lift the filter UP before you try to wiggle it off - its held in position in the airbox by a small post inserted into a hole.

You shouldn't need any lubricant - be patient and be careful.

 

Since we haven't heard from him again, I'm thinking that this is what he has now realized.

 

I have a K&N filter intalled with about 5000 miles on it......im just wondering why
you swithced back to stock.......any specific reasons.

 

My original attraction to the K&N was how long it would last. I have decided that $25 about every year for a new air filter is not a big deal. Also...

• I think the stock filter is a better filter of dirt based on what I heard from a friend regarding an independent test showing what flows through various kinds of air filters including K&N. IMO if you have a race car where air flow is that important for performance then you're more likely going to be rebuilding your engine any way. I would prefer to have better protection from dirt and have the engine last longer or not take any chances. I certainly can't notice any performance difference. By the way, this is one of the dust capitals of the country!
• I had usually put on too much oil and I was concerned about getting that into the intake and gumming something up. On cars with MAF sensors this is a problem, but S2Ks have a MAP sensor and I don't think it will cause a problem.

If you guys tell me I'm all wrong that's okay, IMO the stock filter is a really good filter.

By the way, my intake whistle moved down in RPM from where it occurred with the K&N filter. This is probably evidence of difference air flow.

 

Until only this past year (or less), the OEM filter in Canada was grossly overpriced (like the oil filter), so I was not compelled to replace it with one. Then, suddenly, Honda Canada announced a huge reduction in price for their oil and air filters for the S2000 (an indication of how much we were getting screwed before).
I've always been a big fan of K&N and have put one on all of my cars within the first year of ownership purely for the performance aspect. Of course, oiling these things requires a bit of technique (which I won't go into here) to get it right. Because K&N didn't make a filter for the S2000 when my car was in need of a filter replacement, I got the only other available drop-in filter designed for this car at the time - J.R. The J.R. is very similar to K&N. I've been quite happy with it and my engine oil analysis shows no ill effects from using this type of air filter. With proper oil change intervals, any dirt that does get in, is carried away by the oil. That's part of what the oil is there for.
Yes, the OEM filter is very good and if I didn't have a JR today, I'd probably be buying a new OEM one each year to save on the hassle of cleaning and oiling.
ps. I have a Vortech S/C but I have adapted the J.R. to work with it.