customblackbird

iTrader: (15)

which is the best oil filter?

on another thread it was started and i would like to get more information on it. brands such as Fram (regular, extra guard, tough guard), purolator, STP, bosch, mobile1, K&N, Wix etc

looking for overall best filtration, least restriction to oil flow as well as best overall design.

Ive always used fram extra guards but i have an STP one on my 383 now and it will be taken off shortly bc i just had the engine apart and i wanted a cheap throw away filter to catch debris and then just chuck it after a 500mile oil change.

I have Fram extra guard, STP, Mobile 1, K&N right now. as i use each one i will tear it off and cut it open and post the results. anyone have any other information about filters etc?

customblackbird

iTrader: (15)

last pic, this one is a mobile 1.

the best/highly rated seem to be the K&N, purolator, mobile 1.

Ron U.S.M.C.

I have a Bosch Premium oil filter in the car now. Part # 3510 from Kragen Auto Parts. Its the taller version . You cant beat the price at about $6.00. Here's a link to Bosch showing the inside of the filter and the type of "exclusive Filtech media technology" they use.
http://www.boschautoparts.com/FILTER...ilFilters.aspx

customblackbird

iTrader: (15)

the bosch one i had at autozone was the short style... if anything i like the short style one better bc my full tube headers dnt give me too much room. im sure it would fit but id have to figure a way to snake it up there.

any difference between the smaller and taller versons? just more filter surface area?

FireDemonSiC

My last oil change I used 5 Quarts of amsoil 10w30 and an amsoil filter. From what their site states, the filter looks promising. Of course, no way in hell you can tell any difference by just driving the car. But I figure a $100 oil change once a year is good peace of mind.

UnderCover89TBI

iTrader: (25)

i prefer the k&n filters. royal purple have filters out now too but havnt seen prices on them watch them being built on horsepower tv..looks good construction wise.

stroker_SS

I like purolator classics but the purolator pure one may be worth the extra money.

Truthfully, oil filter choice isn't quite as important as some may make it out to be.

Just stay away from frams!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX0xrqvlsNI

DAREDEVIL 1

I think the best oil filters are WIX Filters , no matter on what u use it !

customblackbird

iTrader: (15)

what im looking for is some hard evidence about wat filters perform the best. i will stay away from fram after seeing that video.

how much of a pressure drop is there between filters. how much HP is lost depending on what filter is used. you would have thought that CHP or car craft or a car TV show would have done a comparison.

maybe even at what pressure do the bypass valves work in the filters causing UNFILTERED oil to recirculate into the engine again.

arent wix filters produced by the same company as frams are now? Frams are made by honeywell now... and thats when they became poop. a few years ago WIX was pretty good but they arent anymore.

for ppl who think that oil filters arent important, i believe it is, oil is the life blood of an engine. and to prevent premature wear/proper engine function i would rather use a good filter. Id rather spend 13$ on a filter over the engines lifetime then have to replace the crank/cam/main& cam bearings bc the filters didnt filter out all the debris outa the oil.

DAREDEVIL 1

Wix are still Wix ,,,i don't know who says they are no good anymore.....i use them in my raceboat and on my truck as well as in the camaro and never had a failure or bad experience.
The engine in my boat runs at 7000+ RPM for about 40+ min each race in ruff conditions !

I say Wix is the one, had fram,K&N and others and always had press problems with those.

I heard the amsoil are pretty good as well.

webeeZ28

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for adding that Stroker. That's poor quality when you can see through the filter

Primetime91

iTrader: (15)

I prefer K&N filters, just because the nut on the bottom makes taking them off infinitely easier. No more having to hammer a screwdriver through the case to get the old one off because the oil filter wrench you own is a POS (Ghetto I know haha, but it's not like you're gonna re-use the old filter or anything)

bigtom68

wix wix wix. from all of my racin buddys and muscle car guys always say wix. napa oil filters are wix filters so you can use them also

MTCAMARO

iTrader: (1)

I'm currently using Napa #1060 on my fresh 355.I avoid Fram like the plague!The only time i've ruined a motor i was running Fram filters.I changed my oil religiously and the bearings were trashed anyway.No anti drainback valve

58mark

iTrader: (3)

very interesting thread... I'll avoid fram from now on, and see what other options are out there at my local shops

58mark

iTrader: (3)

I found this page to be very helpful, listing all the different brands that one company markets their filter under

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilters/index.html

Grounded.4.Life

Fram, Never again.

Brisk

iTrader: (25)

I didn't see anyone mention "fleetguard" yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_mQc...eature=related

amsoil seems like a good filter as well, good media inside;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAmfw...eature=related

second choices would be followed by a Wix or K&N;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BQha...eature=related

nice thing about the K&N is the welded nut on the bottom making it very easy to remove.

customblackbird

iTrader: (15)

how long did it take for the engine bearings to go bad?

i guess ill have to get a WIX and run it and tear it apart as well now.

has anyone found pressure drop/flow rates yet?

danziger

K&N and Purolator Pure One for the high-performance vehicles. For the rest of our fleet, AC Delco and Super-Tech (Wal-Mart brand and surprisingly good). Used to use Fram a long time ago, but realized they were crap.

paulo57509

FWIW, the E-Core design is getting a little attention on this forum:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...1806202&page=1

No one should get alarmed over 1 report of media failure. Determining root cause of the media failure is impossible for this one case.

I'm a user of E-Core ST and AC filters too. Based on future reports, I may or may not be taking E-Core designed filters off my "buy" list.

In the meantime, I'll not be installing E-Core filters.

84z .....

wow i never thought i'd see that, well i guess i wont be buy one of these EVER again

Brisk

iTrader: (25)

anyone ever use, or even heard of, "fleetguard" or "cummings filtration" oil filters?

wilkink

^I've heard of fleetguard, but not of cummings. After reading this post, I will never go back with the fram. In fact, after I Seafoam my car within the next couple weeks here, I will replace the extra guard filter I have on there now and actually spend the money for a quality unit. Any advise on what oil and filter to use? I have been using Quaker HorsePower Synthetic 5w30. Car is basically stock other than some new exhaust and a few other basic mods. I dont want to jack the thread, but any advise would be great. I've heard Mobile 1 is the greatest stuff on earth, but its so damn expensive.

Brisk

iTrader: (25)

IMO Royal Purple is the greatest stuff on earth.. but it is pricey.

86NiteRider

iTrader: (10)

I use K & N oil and air filters. Never ever use Fram for anything. Quaker State oil synthetic only for my cars.

HotRodLarry

Take this how ever want but it's something I noticed when I changed the oil in my '96 Tahoe and my '83 Z28 the other day.

Previous owner of the Tahoe changed the oil last fall. He used Valvoline and a Fram filter. I changed it and replaced the filter with a Bosch and put Castrol GTX in the truck. When I took off the filter, very little oil came out.

The last time the oil was changed in my Camaro was 2 years ago and it was also about 10,000 over due for an oil change. I did keep an eye on the oil level even though the car didn't get driven much. I use Castrol GTX and a K+N oil filter on the car. When I took off the old K+N filter, about 1/3 of a quart of oil came out of the filter.

Every time I take a Fram filter off a vehicle, not very much oil comes out of it. But when I take say, an STP or AC Delco, or Bosch, more oil comes out of those when it drains than the Fram.

madbomber824

iTrader: (2)

I like Wix or Baldwin. The Napa Gold filters are made by Wix just with the Napa name on it.

Al Hasse

Anyone ever hear of Frantz? A remote mounted filter that uses a toilet paper element. My father used to sell them back in the 70's.

http://www.frantzoil.com/TOILETPAPER.html

americanmuscle3

iTrader: (1)

ACDelco all i use on every gm i own

93_SilveradoTPI

iTrader: (5)

I reciently switched my truck from K&N to Purolator. Pressure seems to stay up better in the Purolator compaired to the K&N. I'm sold on Purolator.

paulo57509

Fram oil filters are fine, IF you stay away from the ExtraGuard line.

Fram ToughGuard and XtendedGuard lines are constructed much like other quality brand filters.

Personally, I would also avoid Fram High Mileage filters that have "oil conditioners" in it. I don't need the extra additives.

Gregzz4

Where's your head at?

Why do you say WIX are so good?
Are you kidding?

I've seen videos of WIX filters being built and the are some of the worst with their missed pleats and so on

I hope you were kidding

Gregzz4

There's a Fram # that will cross from the filter I use
It's a Purolator L35132 and it's rated @ 80psi and has 10 microns of filtration
I have used it for years
I stopped using the Fram ONLY because my local supplier doesn't carry it
BTW, it's a Deep filter, so check your clearance

58mark

iTrader: (3)

AC delco used to be good, but they are made with the carbaord caps like Fram now

ncmail

I was raised using WIX filters thats what my family swears by

IROCThe5.7L

I've been running a AC Delco 1218 in my camaro for a long time. I have no complaints.

My winter car has been in my family since it was brand new. It always got fram oil filters and 24 years later she still runs like a champ.

I do agree some filters are better than others. But I think what's more important is doing oil changes on time.

stroker_SS

Wrong, it uses felt endcaps.

But it's not the fact that fram uses fiber end caps, or the fact that there is a defective one every once in a while. It's the fact that there overpriced for what they are and typically lacking in the actual amount of filter media. A fram for my car had 34 pleats, as compared to 56 pleats on the e core supertech filter.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

whatever they are made of, they are exactly the same as STP filters, which are rated even worse than fram, if that's even possible

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilters/index.html

Rayzor32

iTrader: (1)

All of their filters use cardboard endcaps, including the racing ones. They also use cheaper filter media. I used to use them but I no longer do, If I get them in an oil change special ill take it back and get something else. Ive been using valvoline filters lately with no problems because I can get them for free. I usually use ac/delco filters, purolator or wix. Napa and carquest are wix.

As far as the best filter out their i'd have to say royal purple I saw them make them on 'how its made' and they look like the best one out their. K&n is just a mobil one with a nut on the end of it. They are too expensive if you ask me, bosch is almost the same and half the price. I would choose from ac/delco, wix, or purolator (pure one is best). Best bang for the buck. I stay away from STP filters, I had one fail on me, I wouldnt have any oil pressure on start up. I wont use fram or stp anymore.

Also I use the 1 quart size for extra oil and filtering capacity (ac part pf1218)

Rayzor32

iTrader: (1)

Wow, where did you hear this from? I wouldnt say I am not surprised because I saw ac delco plugs that were made in japan! I will have to cut one open myself to make sure.

Dyno Don

iTrader: (7)

The truth is, it really doesn't matter because our cars have a 15% filtration system.

If it was full flow, the pressure would blow the filter off the car.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

look at that link I posted twice in this thread. It says AC delco is now made just like the STP, which are fram clones

Rayzor32

iTrader: (1)

Wow that is horrible, were these genuine ac delco's from the dealer or the ones at autozone?

ncmail

I have head of Amsoil filters being really good also

mikespeed

OK, How about this then,...

Napa Gold 1794 (or any over sized filter for that matter) Vs. 1060 or 1069


Same nominal micron rating: 21

I could be wrong, and someone please corect me if I am, but it seems to me a bigger filter would be able to do a better job.

I'm running a napa gold 1060 right now, but I have run the 1794 in the past. It fit ok. It's longer, but its not lower than the oil pan. I guess it would hang too low if you have an oil cooler. But since I dont have an oil cooler it couldn't hurt to run a bigger filter,... right?

DAREDEVIL 1

CORRECT, and the NAPA filters are WIX !!!!!!!!!!!!!

GTA50

I have to agree. When I tore the engine apart on my '89 Firebird, there was virtually no pressure ridge in the cylinders - that was Fram filters and regular oil changes. Oh, I forgot to mention -approx. 450,000 km!!

tekkitan

iTrader: (1)

I'd rethink AC Delco filters. They switched manufacturers and now use cardboard endcaps like Fram.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR-PfBXi33M

tekkitan

iTrader: (1)

No, they are cardboard. See the video I posted above this reply. They switched manufacturers.