my new custom CAI and MAF

Jordo!

I doubt there's much you can do about the pressure drop in the MAF tube itself (although the "smooth tubes" may mitigate it somewhat); the MAF sensor itself is the restriction.

Also, K&N's definitely show less pressure drop than paper filters (by about 1 -2% at most, mind you) -- they also show consistent gains over the OEM paper.

As to dirt loading/ passing -- higher flow generally means less dirt kept out.

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