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best oil filter?

What do you think is the best oil filter?

  • Total voters
    108
Fram makes three different lines of filters. The standard orange frams are the el-cheapos... then they have "tuff guard" and one other more spendy one. I remember in one of those on-line filter test pages that the tuff guard fram actually scored rather well. Interestingly, the $pendy fram line scored lower in the same study. Anyway, I've used TGs in my trucks for the last 5 years or so without any problems.

j
 
supertech, from walmart, made by champion labs(whcih makes many of the other filters too)...was better then average in terms of flow, surface area, filtering as i remember reading AND at the low low walmart price.

i forgot to get one last time i changed my oil and am using an acdelco one right now though.

btw go lookup a fram 1991 k5 blazer filter...it will give you the wrong one(the one listed for '90 is right)...it give a much smaller(width and length) filter for 91...ive been down that road before i was informed how frams were the orange cans of death. only the tough guard is any good and its too expensive for how bad/good it is.
 
thfonz98 said:
supertech, from walmart, made by champion labs(whcih makes many of the other filters too)...was better then average in terms of flow, surface area, filtering as i remember reading AND at the low low walmart price.

i forgot to get one last time i changed my oil and am using an acdelco one right now though.

btw go lookup a fram 1991 k5 blazer filter...it will give you the wrong one(the one listed for '90 is right)...it give a much smaller(width and length) filter for 91...ive been down that road before i was informed how frams were the orange cans of death. only the tough guard is any good and its too expensive for how bad/good it is.
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A long time ago, I remember reading that the Supertech was a good filter also but now I see this:

What Not To Use: Bosch, STP, and Wal-Mart Supertech
While both the STP and the Bosch filters were at one point good filters, they are now manufactured off shore of sub-standard parts. The filter assemblies tended not to have even pleats and generally less media than other comparable filters. There was also a complete lack of a well functioning by-pass valve. With most filters there is an obvious and discrete by-pass valve, but with these filters the can spring and the by-pass valve are the same. The real issue is that in order for the filter to properly by-pass the entire filter assembly would have to move down during use. That is actually not possible with filter assembly properly seating into the anti-drain back valve. This means that the by-pass will effectively never work. In the center of the of picture below you see the filter assembly (top) and the can spring/by-pass valve (bottom). (The can spring / by-pass valve would flip over and into the filter assembly.)
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and they changed the number from PF30 to PF1218 or something on the 305 one??--why,after 30+ years,they had to change the number,makes no sense to me
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The PF35 used on small block chevys and many other engines changed to PF1218 because they added an anti drain back valve. No big deal, use the PF1218 and your old leaky lifters won't make so much noise when you start your engine.
 
I use wix if they are available. I have used probally just about all of the major brands. Have had luberfiner and baldwin fail in some heavy industrial apps. Plus wix is available at napas in there gold line.
 
Since the delcos switched to imported status I've had a couple leak at the seam. There is a difference between the older made in USA and the newer mexican ones. I have been running Fleetgaurds on my Diesels lately, they offer a really good synthetic media for around $14 a filter for my CTD while a purolator is a $10 unit.
 
aldrichg9 said:
Been using K & N
I like the hex nut on the bottom.
I've not cut one apart yet but so far
I just figured - good air filters = good oil filters.
maybe pretty stupid on my part but it hasn't bit me yet:thinking:
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Lets see here, the air filters allow more air flow at the toss up of allowing more dust through. So based on that you would want more oil flow with less filtering over a reduced flow rate with clean oil :confused:

I don't know what filter is best but I can tell you that Supertech and Fram Toughguard have very thin wall filters. My headers rub through them in less than 3000 miles in my burban. Napa gold last atleast a full oil change :D One of these days I will get the relocater mounted. :laugh:
 
RE: Wally world filters. I used to use them all the time. They were a very good filter. They used to be made by Champ Filters. But about a year ago they changed. They look like a POS Fram copy.Not as good quality. They went to Smaller shorter filter can size for SBC too. Anti drain back valves dont work( Like POS Fram). Dont know who makes them now but I quit using them. Too bad :mad: They were a great filter for 2 bucks.
Now I use WIX(Carquest) or Purolator which ever I can get on sale. Wish I could find someone who sells Power Flow filters. They are a good filter made by Purolater and sell for cheap.
Dont like Fram at all. I have had them come apart inside on me. The anti drain back valves are junk if they have one at all.
 
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One problem...

I've been told the "anti-drainback" valve is only needed for engines that have the oil filter located in a horizontal plane,like on a straight six..in applications like the V8 chevy,where the filter stands upright in a vertical position,it is impossible for the oil to "drain back" out of the filter..but the lifter galley can still drain back into the pan,and the next cold start you'll hear those lifters ticking away until oil pressure again reaches them anyway..

The "anti-drainback" valves DO help a lot on the other motors with the filter mounted on its side though..many 300 Fords had a bad lifter or bearing "rattle" when starting cold after sitting overnight..our local Ford dealership bought AC-Delco and Wix filters from our store by the case,and those were all they would use on the 300 sixes!..they had a few arguments with purists who were pissed that a genuine "Motorcraft" filter wasn't used,and said "If that A-C filter ruins my motor,your giving me a new one free!"...I'm not sure if Motorcraft changed theirs to have that valve now or not.. :confused: :crazy:
 
I run Napa Gold filters in everything. If you are reading this thread, you probably already know that Napa Golds are made by Wix. Our filter rep went with me to a local car show in Eaton, CO not to long ago and took his filter display that shows a bunch of different filters' inards and I can tell you one thing, I learned A LOT. I was surprised to see that FRAM actually used CARDBOARD for its end-caps. Additionally they used the inferior "leaf-spring" for the bypass spring.

I know that all good filter that I would ever use have neither. Wix, Purolator, ACDelco, Baldwin to name a few are some of the filters that use metal end caps and coil spring bypass valves...



So in the end, I would stick with a Wix, ACDelco or Purolator....


Chris
 
I've been told the "anti-drainback" valve is only needed for engines that have the oil filter located in a horizontal plane
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I agree, I don't think the anti drain back valve does much when the filter is mountred vertically. I could be wrong, but the valve certainly doesn't hurt anything. I run the PF1218 (with valve) in place of the PF35 (no valve) all the time with no issues. The PF35 is getting hard to find. I run the PF1218 because that's what I usually find on the shelf.
 
We'll probably never know because automotive oil filter manufacturers never put the micron and beta ratings info on the filter.

There are two ways to rate filters: Micron ratings and Beta ratings.

Micron ratings are based on the hole size of the media; they are not based on the actual filter performance.

Beta ratings are based on the actual filter performance.
 
I have an engine oil cooler on my K5. Gotta have good anti drainback valve with an oil cooler. Specially when it is located at the top of the radiator higher than the engine. Dont like dry starts.
 
I run mobil 1 filter in the winter- and champion lab filters (autozone) in the summer. I put in the mobil 1 filter in with a fresh oil change in the diesel last week, should last me til Feb.

I forgot to say, I do have a dozen of the old champion labs ones I bought from autozone when it was a buck each jobber price. :)

I also bought from walmart every single delvac 15w40 bottle when they mislabled it for 3.22 each. :) (gallon) Too bad they only had 7! :mad:
 
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