oil filter brands

[brokenot]

There isn't an oil filter comparison site out there that has anything useful to share as far as I'm concerned.

No testing is done.

Is appearance the way we determine the effectiveness of anything else?

Engine manufacturers set specifications filters must meet. Testing, (via consistent methods by trained individuals), is done to ensure those standards are met. None of the oil filter comparison sites test anything.

In addition to NOT testing anything, many of the oil filter comparison sites include disclaimers such as, "I'll begin by saying I have no background in this field..."

It's kind of funny really. If the SAE themselves authored a site where individual filters' passing test scores and such were listed, I'll betcha the other "oil filter comparison" sites would still get more hits and be linked to more often.

 

[Transit]

Interesting site for those interested:

Oil Filters Revealed - MiniMopar Resources

As for me, Ill stick with Mobil 1 and Bosh filters.

 

[daman1]

There isn't an oil filter comparison site out there that has anything useful to share as far as I'm concerned.

No testing is done.

That YOU know of....plenty out there search.


you your self can determine the best filter for you, get the filter efficiency(Beta numbers)from the filter manufacturer and understanding that you can tell what filter does a better job at filtration,Flow and By Pass.

there's some pretty poor performing filters out there i tell ya.

As for me, Ill stick with Mobil 1 and Bosh filters.

Good filters yes,,but there's more then them two avalible.

 

[John White]

Well we know the good ones now. Some one jump in and name the ones we should stay away from.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Well we know the good ones now. Some one jump in and name the ones we should stay away from.

Sure there are some better ones but even the most common filter, the Fram, meets or exceeds the OEM's specs. Yes, the are not top of the line but they are ok for normal use.

I do about 75 to 100 oil changes per year. I have been doing that many for the past 10 year or so and prior to that it was about 25 per year for the previous 25 years. I am sure over 1/2 were with Fram filters, probably 1/4 with Quaker State Filters, and the rest with other brands from STP, Napa, Wix, Pennzoil, ect. I have never had a single engine failure or oil filter failure. I am sure some have but in the nearly 1000 oil changes I have done not a single failure.

Chris

 

[bp fick]

Because Chris (Diamondpilot) services engines for a living and has performed service on more engines than most folks will in 10 lifetimes, his attestation has some credibility. The oil filter isn't a computer with sophisticated electronics, it isn't a complex machine with 1000's of potential parts to fail. It is a simple device. Good to remember.

 

[daman1]

Because Chris (Diamondpilot) services engines for a living and has performed service on more engines than most folks will in 10 lifetimes, his attestation has some credibility. The oil filter isn't a computer with sophisticated electronics, it isn't a complex machine with 1000's of potential parts to fail. It is a simple device. Good to remember.

Are you so sure???

as i stated above there are very important differences,some are better at what they do then others,some have better components then others that make them a more robust filter capable of long OCI,would you want a filter on your pricey engine that "works" or one that performs above just "works"?

Oh and i do as many or more then the above poster and i open and inspect every single one of them,oil,fuel,and,hydrolic filters,, it's my job along with doing UOA's (oil samples) on every piece of equipment we operate.


google is your freind.....

 

[bp fick]

Are you so sure???

as i stated above there are very important differences,some are better at what they do then others,some have better components then others that make them a more robust filter capable of long OCI,would you want a filter on your pricey engine that "works" or one that performs above just "works"?

daman1, I am biased toward a couple of "brands". I admit it. I see no point in not buying Purolator/Baldwin/Hastings. They aren't more expensive. I do not buy, nor use, any of the brands Diamondpilot mentioned. What I do believe is his statement that he has experienced no failures.

 

[Soundguy]

keeping my aging fleet of tractors running, I'm usually buying whatever oil or filters are on sale ( save for my bigger diesels that are getting some oem stuff ).. I've used fram, stp, supertech, motorcraft, ac, wix, napa, carquest ( overlaps I know ).. have also never had an oil filter or lube related failure. closest thing I ever had was a NEW HOLLAND oil filter came to me with the oring not attached to the filter base...

soundguy

 

[daman1]

daman1, I am biased toward a couple of "brands". I admit it. I see no point in not buying Purolator/Baldwin/Wix. They aren't more expensive. I do not buy, nor use, any of the brands Diamondpilot mentioned. What I do believe is his statement that he has experienced no failures.

Under stood,, and failures are uncommon BUT...i have seen them yes with ecores,and some others(tore media,failed bypass), my point was a performance aspect not mechanical failure.

with out an inspection one would never know they had a failure,sooo with out that one could easily say "I've never had a oil filter failure" when in all aspects they very well could have.

 

[bp fick]

Under stood,, and failures are uncommon BUT...i have seen them yes with ecores,and some others(tore media,failed bypass), my point was a performance aspect not mechanical failure.

Understood. The average consumer has precious little, commonly known data or impartial evaluations of the comparisons. The sites most people point to merely evaluate by observation and description of internal components. Those sites are not horribly convincing and oft times woefully out of date.

 

[brokenot]

That YOU know of....plenty out there search.

Plenty of what? Filter comparison websites that actually do testing instead of "cut 'em open and look" evaluations?

Don't think so. Post a link to one. Look at the titles of these guys' sites, they're very careful about the wording they use. "Oil filter study", or "oil filter comparison". Why don't they refer to them as oil filter tests? Because testing is conspicuously absent. And testing matters. It is the only way to see if a spec is met.

Here's a link to an SAE reference materials page. You will not find any do-it-yourselfer sites on the internet that do all of this. Not even close. You may find one or two that have hooked up an oil pump to a bucket of oil and measured a couple of very simple things, but that's it.

SAE Oil Filter Test Procedure - SAE BOOKSTORE

 

[daman1]

Plenty of what? Filter comparison websites that actually do testing instead of "cut 'em open and look" evaluations?

Don't think so. Post a link to one

See you just said "don't think so" and yet you posted a link ,all this info is on the web just takes some effort on ones part to find it and understand it.


Bottom line.......find your Beta numbers,,,flow characteristics,,,and BP settings and that's all the info you need to determine a quality filter that would work in your application.

oh and yes one can determine the filters quality by merely inspecting it IF you know what your looking for,,,it's all part of the package,is the can of thin steel,does it have thin media,is the glue used of good quality and plenty of it,is the BP of good design and at dome end or threaded end,,any one with little knowledge will be able to tell.


google or call the filter manufacture great information is there.

 

[brokenot]

See you just said "don't think so" and yet you posted a link

I posted a link to an SAE reference materials page....:confused2:

oh and yes one can determine the filters quality by merely inspecting it IF you know what your looking for

And these oil filter comparison website authors "know what they're looking for"....based upon what?

Why do they include disclaimers such as admitting they have no experience in this field, if they have experience and know what to look for?

And even giving them the (considerable) benefit of the doubt, why would anything they say trump actual testing that some other agency is already doing ?

google or call the filter manufacture great information is there.

There's as much or more mis-information circulated and <cough> "discovered" <cough> via Googling than there is relevant and useful information. Choose ANY combination of search keywords you like on this subject....and those same sites THAT DON'T ACTUALLY TEST ANYTHING will pop up. And to make matters worse, they'll pop up at the top of the list.

We humans are a strange lot sometimes. Critical thinking is often easily displaced by the overwhelming desire to be in on some "big secret". Just as is the case with any other sort of gossip, the accuracy of the information isn't the most important thing. The fact that we passed it along serves as a marker of sorts to anyone listening or reading it that we were in on whatever the *big secret* is. It makes us feel included, and there's not really much down-side at all. If it turns out to be hogwash, well.....we were just repeating what we *heard* from someone else.

 

[daman1]

I posted a link to an SAE reference materials page....:confused2:



And these oil filter comparison website authors "know what they're looking for"....based upon what?

Why do they include disclaimers such as admitting they have no experience in this field, if they have experience and know what to look for?

And even giving them the (considerable) benefit of the doubt, why would anything they say trump actual testing that some other agency is already doing ?



There's as much or more mis-information circulated and <cough> "discovered" <cough> via Googling than there is relevant and useful information. Choose ANY combination of search keywords you like on this subject....and those same sites THAT DON'T ACTUALLY TEST ANYTHING will pop up. And to make matters worse, they'll pop up at the top of the list.

We humans are a strange lot sometimes. Critical thinking is often easily displaced by the overwhelming desire to be in on some "big secret". Just as is the case with any other sort of gossip, the accuracy of the information isn't the most important thing. The fact that we passed it along serves as a marker of sorts to anyone listening or reading it that we were in on whatever the *big secret* is. It makes us feel included, and there's not really much down-side at all. If it turns out to be hogwash, well.....we were just repeating what we *heard* from someone else.

obviously you have your personal agenda and thats fine, the info IS there to be found and understood IF...one takes the time to learn instead of asking your type of questions you post above,from examination and with time it'll be understood. I don't know how to say it any clearer been doing it for a looong time,,it's my job.


good info has been posted above,last post

 

[brokenot]

obviously you have your personal agenda and thats fine

My personal agenda is this and only this:

DO NOT under any circumstances take anything posted by anyone on these kind of sites at face value. If they're including disclaimers about their experience level/lack of expertise/lack of real testing/whatever, then anything you take away from that site should only be given an appropriate level of consideration.

Here's an example of what I mean by an appropriate level of consideration: I "know enough" about accounting to balance my checkbook. If I chose to purchase some bandwidth and author a site entitled "The Principles of Accounting", I would hope anyone reading it would realize immediately after seeing my disclaimer(s), that I "knew enough" about the subject to balance a checkbook....and that's about it.

 

[Diamondpilot]

oh and yes one can determine the filters quality by merely inspecting it IF you know what your looking for,,,it's all part of the package,is the can of thin steel,does it have thin media,is the glue used of good quality and plenty of it,is the BP of good design and at dome end or threaded end,,any one with little knowledge will be able to tell.

I do just as you say and inspect each and every filter I get. I just picked up about 120 filters I ordered just last week. They come in cases of 12 and I opened up each and every one. I rejected two filters before leaving with my order. I also ordered about 10 air filters and rejected one of them.

I like filters with a bung type welded in thread section. I look closely at the anti drain back valve, the o-ring gasket, and look down in them to check and make sure reasonable care was take to get the media in strait and uniform.

I will admit I do not cut many filters open anymore. Maybe 1 out of 25. The only ones I do cut open all the time are the ones that come off both engines of my airplane for both the fuel and oil systems.

Chris

 

[mcd176]

WIX filters from Fleetfilter.com for everything I own, Im not saying that they are the best but it is just easy for me to get online a few times a year and stock up on my filters.

Mike

 

[Soundguy]

only ones I cut open anymore are when I bring a new (old) tractor home. half of those I don't even have to cut as they are cartridge style

soundguy

I will admit I do not cut many filters open anymore. Maybe 1 out of 25. The only ones I do cut open all the time are the ones that come off both engines of my airplane for both the fuel and oil systems.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

only ones I cut open anymore are when I bring a new (old) tractor home. half of those I don't even have to cut as they are cartridge style

soundguy

As you know being a Ford Powerstroke owner they use a cartridge style now. I prefer then to the spin on type. You see them on many BMW, Mazda, Saturn, Ford, and other makes. I think this is the way things will go because its much easier to dispose of versus a metal can filter.

I am sure they are cheaper to build also. No need to cut them open because you can see everything that is going on like you said.

Chris