Oil Filter Review [Merged 9-7] study comparison test tests testing

[Mistaspakles]

Anyone have an opinion on oil filters? I hear that there are lousy ones out there. Anyone have any hard facts on them?

 

[99gst_racer]

Interesting study.... I was really hoping there was going to be a filter that the author recommended above all; one that outperformed the rest a great deal.
And then I get to the bottom and read this: "The question you won't find an answer to is this: "Which filter is the best?" There is no right answer to that one. "

I'm surprised about what was said in that e-mail from the Fram engineer.....

 

[socal_eazye]

Hey guys today I picked up a oil filter from my local Chrysler dealer since my mitsu dealer is freakin far. The filter it a mopar filter, is there any difference between this filter and the mitsu one. Its for a talon, but what I'm worried about is if there is a lack of the valve in the filter. Thanks.

 

[wt71gas]

that filter should work just fine

 

[snox135]

Look into the small holes in the filter. If there is rubber under the small holes then it has the valve.

 

[Defiant]

And if it doesn't it won't matter. MOPAR doesn't make filters, and you'll probably never track down whoever did make the batch yours is out of.
The only word about filters I'll believe is that WIX are the best. Whether they're worth going to NAPA to buy is another question. Most of your oil bypasses the filter most of the time. But don't tell anyone, or the world will end.

 

[ilikespeeding]

I found this while lookin on another auto forum. I did a search and didnt find anything so, I decided it was worth a post.

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html

Hopefully this will help someone.

 

[Defiant]

It's an okay study, for what it is. But it never mentions that oil filters don't do half the job we hope they will.

 

[tsi1991awd]

Are Greddy Oil filters any good? Right now I'm using Mobil1, and they are alright. Wondering if the Greddy offers anything better.

"GReddy Oil Filters use "double pleats" folding technology on the inner filter to provide a maximum filtration surface for contaminant removal. And the Sports Oil Filter adds an internal magnet filtration system to trap rust and microscopic metal particles; further protecting vital components. Ideal for GReddy GR Oil, Oil Coolers, and Oil Filter Relocation kits."

 

[chico904]

Probably nothing better than the higher price asociated with the name. I always run the Purolator Pure One filters. They are cheaper than the Mobil 1 filters and are proven to work well.

 

[Boost92awd]

Just go get a K&N oil filter from autozone and call it a day.

 

[tsi1991awd]

Probably nothing better than the higher price asociated with the name. I always run the Purolator Pure One filters. They are cheaper than the Mobil 1 filters and are proven to work well.

Less than $5? Might have to give that a try...

Just go get a K&N oil filter from autozone and call it a day.

Used K&N's on all of my cars except this one. They don't carry them regularly so I asked if they could order them and they said no. This was at Schucks. Never seen Autozone carry K&N oil filters.

 

[kanderson]

Just go get a K&N oil filter from autozone and call it a day.

Agree. Plus that hex head on the top of the filter is amazing...

 

[JaxTalonTSi]

My order of prefrence would be

Mitsubishi MZ690116 (Mitsubishi filters made by Denso)
Purolator PUREOne
Mobil 1

I usualy just stock up on OEM ones, but I'll use the other two if I don't have any OEM ones on hand.

 

[Defiant]

"GReddy Oil Filters use "double pleats" folding technology on the inner filter to provide a maximum filtration surface for contaminant removal. And the Sports Oil Filter adds an internal magnet filtration system to trap rust and microscopic metal particles; further protecting vital components. Ideal for GReddy GR Oil, Oil Coolers, and Oil Filter Relocation kits."

Once your motor needs to have "rust and microscopic metal particles" "trapped", it's already scrap and no kind of magical filter will do shit-all for it.

Oil filters were rare on engines before 1960. Air-cooled Volkswagens survived forty years of production without them.

I'm still waiting for anyone with first-hand proof of a Fram filter having any issue to show me. I've had this challenge out for thirty years. The only filter failure I've ever seen was a Motorcraft that had been split by a jammed bypass valve on a cold start.

If you can find out who builds GReddy filters, let us know. Likely as not, it's Fram. They make tenfold the amount of any other manufacturer, and give them different paint jobs.

 

[chico904]

I should clarify why I do not suggest using FRAM filters. Basically, for the same price one can get a better filter. They have a low filter element surface area compared to almost all other oil filters, as well as they use cardboard endcaps that are glued on. Now FRAM has stated that they use this due to being able to use a stronger type of adhesive on cardboard than on metal, but I personally would prefer to have metal instead of cardboard. Their bypass valves are made of plastic which have the possibility of leaking due to manufacturing defects in the molding process. Their anti-drainback valve is made of rubber which once again has the possibilty of leaking. Their "Double Guard" filter houses Teflon particles which in itself is a bad idea in engines. Think back to the Slick 50 craze. I take back my previous statement of saying "they are horrible" and change it to "there are better filters out there for the money." To me the design is subpar to other filters in terms of flowrate as well as filtering abilities, and to me that is enough to pick another filter. To end this long post I believe that the FRAM oil filter does work, especially when many member on here change their oil at 3,000 miles or even less, but I believe for the same amount of money one can get a better filter.

 

[SpawnedX]

No because they are horrible. STAY AWAY



[PROVE IT.]

I saw this and Defiant wanted proof of why Fram is horrible. I simply tell you to cut a Fram in half and then cut a WIX in half.

You will notice that the safety bypass on the WIX is an actual spring mechanism that will return perfectly every time after the filament had to be bypassed in cold weather to let oil travel to the motor faster. Inside the FRAM you will see a metal plate type thing that is SUPPOSED to flex back into place, but by simply examining it...it looks like once the bypass is opened, it is going to stay forever. Meaning unfiltered oil circulating the system over and over again.

 

[SlickPyro]

At work we use valvoline oil filters which are made by champion labs. Champ also makes ac delco, bosch, k&n, mobil, and stp filters. I got all this info from this site that did research on filters: Oil Filters Revealed - MiniMopar Resources

Right now there is a stp filter on my laser because it needed changed really bad when i bought it last may. And thats fine with me. All of the champion labs filters have an anti-drain back valve in them.

 

[Defiant]

I saw this and Defiant wanted proof of why Fram is horrible. I simply tell you to cut a Fram in half and then cut a WIX in half.

Pics?

You will notice that the safety bypass on the WIX is an actual spring mechanism that will return perfectly every time

Unless its complication leads to its failure.

after the filament had to be bypassed in cold weather to let oil travel to the motor faster.

Cold oil is diverted away from the filter to keep the filter shell from bursting.

Inside the FRAM you will see a metal plate type thing that is SUPPOSED to flex back into place,

Search "Belleville spring".

but by simply examining it...it looks like

"Looks like" doesn't always mean "works like".

once the bypass is opened, it is going to stay forever.

You think.

Meaning unfiltered oil circulating the system over and over again.

Which is what circulates every time you start a cold engine and the bypass opens, or when the pressure is otherwise high enough to open it.
And what do you think you have in your oil that is going to need to be filtered-out in the first place? Once an engine has to have shrapnel filtered out, the engine's already gone.

 

[turbotemper]

I didnt get an O ring w/my mitsu filter,wtf... Are you talking about the o ring for the drain plug(gasket?). All i got in the box was the filter and nothing else???

The mitsu filters are $5.75 or more p/n mz 690116
The gasket/o ring is an extra $1.55 on top of the filter. p/n md 050317

Fram is a good filter IMO i have never had a problem with any of my cars whether it was the gst, 3 stangs, camaro, chevy truck or the saturn. I look and buy the Tough gaurd w/ the 99% multi pass efficiency. The others are 96%.
I also change my oil regularly as in less then 3k or right at 3k miles. The standard life of a filter.
I have used mobile1, fram & mitsu filters on my 95 GST since ive owned it(late 97). I put 95k miles on it w/ no issues from these filters & i live where it gets to be 110 degrees in the summer and 30 degrees in the winter.
I wouldnt use stp but thats my opinion.

 

[rich3389]

Just wanted to let everyone know that Advance autoparts stopped selling Purolater brand oil filters!
I guess Im gonna have to spend the extra money on mobil1 or K&n ones now because they replaced Purolater with Fram!

 

[chico904]

Just wanted to let everyone know that Advance autoparts stopped selling Purolater brand oil filters!
I guess Im gonna have to spend the extra money on mobil1 or K&n ones now because they replaced Purolater with Fram!

What the? They still have a ton at my local one. My local advanced has a sweet deal right now of any 5 quarts of Mobil 1 oil including synthetic, plus Mobil 1 filter only $25.

 

[rich3389]

Apparently only the advance auto in my town has stopped selling them.
I went to another one and they still have them and I asked if they were going to discontinue them any time soon, and they said no. So I guess its just the one in my town.

 

[under50k226]

I used to run a fram on my Prelude, so when i fist got the DSM i ran a fram, then i read on here not to, so I don't. To my eternal surprise i did notice a difference between the fram and castrol syntec and the mobile 1 filter and mobile 1 oil, the mobile one combo reduced the amount of lifter tick I hear, significantly.

 

[Defiant]

Fram filters are fine. Half the people out there who think they have some reason to hate them are running them with a different paint job.

Keep in mind this "study" is nearly ten years old, and little of it still applies.

 

[vanilla gorilla]

Yeah, Advance still sells Purolator....more than any other brand by far. Anyways. I use Purolator Pure 1's on my civic, because it has the highest filtering efficiency of any other filter that Advance sells, plus it is competitively priced. I use Mobil 1 on the eclipse since I buy it on sale with Mobil 1 oil. K&N IMO, is more of a high-flow race oriented filter, so it has one of the lowest filtering efficiencys among the different brand filters.