oil filter

[dripper]

what is the best oil filter on the market today.

Topic

[Gary]

[quote=”dripper” post=116720]what is the best oil filter on the market today.[/quote] This is a highly opinionated question, most people will have an opinion on this one and there will be no clear cut winner. Personally I think NAPA Gold filters do the best job. FRAM just ain’t what it used to be. K&N in my opinion is a waste of money as is Royal Purple. I have tryed all these brands and I would have to say the difference is negligible between NAPA Gold, K&N and Royal Purple. Just don’t go with a FRAM…they have been junk since they were bought out.

[none]

I agree with Chevyman that you’re asking a loaded question. Everywhere I’ve ever worked, I get generic name A, B, C, or whatever for an oil filter and I can’t tell you anything specific except to say they lasted their three to five thousand miles and the oil came out dirty and used up every time. My first seven years in auto repair was in fleet and all those generic filters did just fine in helping fleet vehicles run up hundreds of thousands of miles. Now in service repair, I get generic oil filter brand D and I still see customers cars come back piling miles on without any blue smoke out the tail pipe. The one thing I would encourage you to look for in a filter is a good anti drain back valve. I have, on rare occasion, found a car here or there with a cold start up knock that got resolved with a filter that had that better anti drain back valve.

[Erin]

Another option is go with the brand name filter of the vehicle or it’s line of parts.
One thing I tend to look for when comparing filters is the size of the holes. You notice Fram has tiny ones compared to about anything else. I usually try to get the ones with larger holes.

Using a Fram filter isn’t gonna destroy the engine right away but is not a good choice for long-term. Using a better one at each oil change will gain you that “extra 10%” so to speak in the long run.

I do not know how to see or know if a drain-back valve is quality, perhaps no-common-sense could expand on that?

[Glenn]

+1 on No_Common_Sense’s answer… While I’m sure not all filters are created equal, if the oil is changed at the recommended intervals, you will be fine. I’m approaching 300k on a couple vehicles. I’ve used Wal-Mart’s offerings of Fram, STP and Purolator over the years.

[none]

Cold start knock. It’s usually a timing chain slap on engines with hydraulic tensioners is where I run into these complaints. The knock is really brief and goes away by the time oil pressure is up. The Crown Vic with the 4.6 is a good example. The timing chain guides are a pattern failure item in their own right. A lot of owners swear by using the motorcraft oil filter to prevent or reduce that slack on the tensioner and get rid of that cold start knock.

[Bill]

For the money I would say that Wix is as good as anything else. Be sure to use their premium line however.
Napa gold and CarQuest filters are made by Wix as well as many OEM filters..

[Lorrin Barth]

I remember viewing a youtube video where this tech is examining oil filters trying to decide which filter is best so that he can buy and use them on customer cars. I applaud him for that. The funny part is that he has these three oil filters, all same brand and same part number, and when he cuts them open each is different inside.

[Gary]

[quote=”no_common_sense” post=116757]Cold start knock. It’s usually a timing chain slap on engines with hydraulic tensioners is where I run into these complaints. The knock is really brief and goes away by the time oil pressure is up. The Crown Vic with the 4.6 is a good example. The timing chain guides are a pattern failure item in their own right. A lot of owners swear by using the motorcraft oil filter to prevent or reduce that slack on the tensioner and get rid of that cold start knock.[/quote] How do a motorcraft compare to a NAPA Gold? I can’t say I’ve used a motorcraft filter.

[none]

I couldn’t personally give you an answer as I’ve never used either that I can remember. At my old taxi garage, we did use Napa filters. I wouldn’t know if there was anything special about them though. They were bulk filters and barely had Napa’s name with the part number on them. When I did see a motorcraft filter, it was on the retired police interceptors that we were converting to taxis.

[Joe]

I always buy my oil filter from the dealer. You can never go wrong with original equipment.

[Author]

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