Favorite oil filter brand and why?

Posting about spark plugs got me thinking to ask this question: What is your favorite oli filter brand and why?
I have always liked Hastings filters because they do a great job and have a heavy duty outter case which won't smash when you try to take them off!

Fram...readilly available, never had a problem with oil and engine in the 40 years I've been using them. Ok, flame suit on.

I too like Fram. I've heard a lot of bashing over the years on Fram. But 3 of my 4 vehicles are over the 200,000 mile mark and get serviced every 4,000 miles, The oil always looks almost as good coming out as when I put it in. I can buy a Fram filter anytime day or night at the local Wally World, pick it out myself without being an "inconvenience" to a counter person at the auto parts store, and get the filter 2 to 3 bucks cheaper. Filters for the Deeres come from the area Deere dealer who is always happy to see me walk in with my check book.

here we go again. in a truck fleet of 88 i had oil and filters tested for a year..fram was the worst filter,hastings was the best filter...

How can somebody "look" at a filter and oil then know which is better? It takes a test laboratory to find the facts.
Look up the flow specs, percent efficiency and micron particle size.
A filter built of sturdier components with more sq ft of filter area to reduce flow restriction. And finer pore filter material to catch small particles of dirt has to be better.

Manufactures can build a filter that will catch "all the dirt" but.......If the filter material is too restrictive from not having enough area.
The bypass valve opens and dirty oil just circulates back to the engine unfiltered.

Fram, but I usually buy the upgraded ones.

I'm sure they are ALL good. I have used WalMart filters and oil for years and several vehicles have gone almost 200,000 miles before I got rid of them, All were still running good and used about a quart in 3000 miles. None blew up. I am sure we will see similar testimonies here of all oil and filters on how good they are. I am also sure we will hear some bad on them all. How do you explain that? Mistreated in other ways? Or s@#t happens?

Purolator. Cheaper and better than Fram and Fleet Farm has them on hand. What they don't have for my tractors in Purolator I get at local AGCO dealer.

At the moment, I like Motorcraft for full flow Ford applications and AC Delco for full flow VW applications. Both have good anti drain back valves that hold oil in the engines so I don't get lifter rattle on starts. Fram USED to have a good valve, but plastic against cardboard leaks in less time than an oil change interval.

Gerald J.

Wix/Napa Gold. Purely as coincidence, I have 2 friends that own auto parts stores. One is a NAPA outlet. Other is a Bumper to Bumper. NAPA Gold filters ARE Wix. I get either/or at a good discount. Both seem to be spledid filters based on occasional lab tests of my used oil and consumer report testing.

I use Pennzoil lube products for much the same reason. Good success over the years, combined with an exceptional price I get from the Bumper to Bumper Auto parts dealer.

Why mess with success AND low prices?

i dont think it makes too much difference as long as you keep it changed you wouldnt believe the people that just keep adding and dont change yes eventually the oil gets changed but what abut the filter?

I`ve noticed on some tractors the oil filter screws on threads down (sealed end up ) wouldn`t this just keep letting the dirt and oil drain back down. I often wondered about that ???

I use Fram on my Dodge because with them it rattles less or not at all compared to when I tried the Wix and AC Delco.

My John Deere's usually get JD filters except my 2 cyl then I use Wix/Napa.

I used Wix for as much as I could back when I worked at the Navistar dealer as we were a direct distrubitor and got a REALLY good price.

With out running an expensive comprehensive SAE type test program, you really can't tell which was is "the best".(How do you define "the best" to begin with?)
Generally speaking, all filters meet the OEM minimum requirements so the most important thing to do is change your oil at the specified intervals and change the filter every time you change the oil.
It's not like the people who make filters set up special runs of cheap filters that do not meet the minimum OEM requirements. Based on my experience of things made in "the land of almost right", where quality control appears to be rudimentary to non-existent, I would shy away from any filter made in China.

What always gives me a chuckle is when some guy decides to cut apart filters to determine which is best then makes a decision based upon the "pretty spring inside" or the "heavier can thickness." Honestly, are people that naive? Let's think about what is really critical to quality folks:

1. Media performance
2. No internal leakage

That's it. That is what matters to your engine. Everything else is purely marketing to get clueless people to buy their filters based on looks.

After working as a liquid filtration development engineer at the second largest filtration company in the world, the two best filters are Fleetguard with Stratapore and Fram. We ran the ISO multipass tests on the whole field and those are the best. Needless to say, all my engines have fram on them.
Description of multipass test

The threaded pipe is the line carrying just-filtered oil from the filter back to the engine. The dirty oil from the engine goes to the outside of the filter. Whatever is captured by the filter is on the outside of the filter.

Can someone explain why a AC PF 52 from a discount store is not exactly the same as one purchased at a GM dealer.

Counterfeit oil filters, air filters, lube oil, bolts, fasteners, chains etc are a real and growing problem.
Somebody in bushwhack nowhere runs off a batch of cheap below spec product. And packages the below spec and/or rejected parts as the real item.
Counterfeit product tends to appear more at discount, jobber and generic parts shops. Dealers are usually safest.
To get a filter than I know is good. It isn't going to break me or anybody else to spend a dollar or two more and be certain.
Saving a couple of dollars on something worth thousands and costs thousands a year in other expenses to maintain per year anyways. Who is going to see $2.00 ?

Google for the oil filter tests. Many of the cheaper filters fail tests miserably. We use to buy lots of Baldwin filters but their filter for a Chevy V8 cut down the oil pressure too much so went to using Wix, Fram or AC. Always used John Deere filters as they are competive on filter prices and if you buy them during sales even way less than most auto supplies.

I used to always use Fram oil filters and Phillips 66 oil. I had a bad experience with Fram filters leaking and I switched to Motorcraft filters for my fords. Now I use Wix filters and Penzoil in my gas engines and Shell Rotella in my diesels.

I have never seen a Beta rating on an inexpensive automotive oil filter. do see this rating on more expensive hydraulic filters. Where can I find this info on automotive filters?

Thats the what the anti-drainback valve is for on a filter.

Wix filters, and Rotella Lubricants on everything i own.

Never have at the first problem with filters. I did have problems with several different fram and hastings filters. Course that was back in 95 i believe.

Napa Gold/Wix filters and (now) Mobile Delvac 15w40 in everything plus a quart of Lucas. Was using Exxon XD3 but they discontinued it.

As to the why, afforadable and available and they appear to be good quality. I'm not too caught up in filters, as long as they meet the OEM specs. I learned a long time ago it was a lot more important how often you changed a filter and oil than what kind it was to start with as long as it met the specs. As to the oil, its whatever my fuel distributer is a dealer for. He restocks me when he delivers fuel. I've rebuilt a lot of engines over the years and every single one of them that failed prematurely was either because of 1. lack of regular oil changes, 2. lack of oil, 3. over fueling from a juiced injector pump. 1 and 3 were on tractors I bought. 2 (lack of oil) unfortuantely has been on me or someone working for me. Blown oil cooler line, blown oil cooler, and leaking oil tube to the head.

Over the years I"ve used a lot of different filters. Never had a "known" problem with any of them. That being said, I"m now using NAPA gold(I know the NAPA store owner and get really good deals on all NAPA stuff) and what I"ve read about them, they seem to test really well compared to most other readily available filters.

I have used Frahm filters for 40 years I think.

I have moved up to the toughguard ones lately though.

I have never had an internal engine problem.

My wife worked for Baldwins years ago. They made alot of Fram & Hyster filters there...same filter only went down a different line and paint and labels were different. I think today that they make over half a dozen different brands? I'll have to double check. Balwin Filter is now owned by ClarCor.

Good description of filter rating systems.........

I have a question for you. As an engineer, did you ever conduct tests personaly OR see tests conducted using a variety of oil filters from different manuafacturers on identical engines operating in identical conditions(load, speed, duration, etc.)where those engines were disassembled after certain period of service, and all components were inspected for wear and the results recorded??? This wouldn't neccessarily have to apply to engines. It could be transmissions, gear boxes, hyd. system components, etc.............

Mopar filters on my Chrysler products and Case-IH filters on the Ih's. Used to use Fleetguard when I worked for a Fleetguard dealer. I still think they make the Case-IH filters.I don't think you can go wrong with what the OEM recommends.

I liked reading this. A lot of things to think about.

Roland (AL)

http://people.msoe.edu/~yoderw/oilfilterstudy/oilfilterstudy.html
Oil Filter Study

See, that's what I'm talkin about!

If you read the tests posted above, Fram are one of the worst! I use NAPA gold filters now for oil and hydraulics. Can't find Hastings anymore!

To conduct a complete engine life test is a very expensive venture. What is used instead is the multipass test. Basically the filters are hooked up to a test stand and 6606 aviation hydraulic fluid is ran through them. 6606 is the standard test fluid. Then, basically a "puff" of test dust is added to the flow of a known particle distribution. A particle counter down stream analyzes the distribution of particles that gets through the filter. The filter is then subject to a series of these cycles (hence multipass). There is a single pass test, but it isn't quite as realistic. You'd be surprised how accurate the test is. If the threads on the tap plate of the filter are not formed right, you will see that leakage in the results.

So, the short answer is that standard tests have been created to normalize data collected from one filter to the next.

Fram is the only one that puts the multipass efficiency on their filter packaging. Most other filters couldn't be competitively sold if they listed their efficiencies.

Any of them works for me. Mainly I get Fram, AC Delco, Wix.

Used to use Fram until I saw they are made in Ireland. I'll use any american made oil filter.

Thanks for the reply,

Either you misunderstood my question OR I didn't word it properly.

I'm aware of the type of test you're referring to as I've taken several basic courses on how to interpret oil sample reports that are obtained from an analysis lab. I've got a fair understanding of what Beta ratings and ISO oil cleanliness ratings are.

I understand, that as an engineer, you performed labratory tests that determined the efficiency of a given filter BUT what I actually wanted to know was whether you'd done any testing to confirm the results of using filters from different manufacturers on actual components such as engines, transmissions, gear-boxes, hyd. systems, etc., regardless whether it is expensive or not............

Only a fool would deny that internal wear would be the same between components using good quality oil and filters VS components using poor quality oil and filters BUT a wise man will ask how much difference is there and PROVE IT! For example, he will want know if using filter brand A will get one of his trucks to 40,000 hrs. before an overhaul compared to using brand B which will only get him to 20,000 hrs...............Having that answer and proof, he'll then be more likely to part with the extra dollars to buy the brand A filter instead of the cheaper priced, brand B..............

Do you see where I'm coming from?

I spent 35+ years dealing with oil and filters. Most of the premium grade filters are of good quality. I like NAPA Gold as a quality filter, they are easy for me to get. You just have to make sure the gasket doesnt stick to the block when you replace it. I have put on thousands of Bowes brand. Only had trouble with seam leaks on two filters. I cant get them now.

Ah, 10-4. You want to know what that extra efficiency translates into in terms of engine life. I'll try to not write a book.

So, for starters, statistically, we cannot make any statement unless there is a minimum of 30 samples. Even then, the results would be sketchy. So, to compare two filters would require 60+ engines. That type of development would require literally millions upon millions in development dollars to complete. And at the end of the testing what could you conclude? You could conclude that X filter using Y oil on Z engine is better than B filter using Y oil in Z engine. You can't really make any additional statements that could apply to a more broad population.

The real root of the answer is that there are four areas that relate to how well an engine is protected by a filter:

1. What particle size distribution is created by the engine?
2. How efficient is the filter at filter different sizes of particles?
3. How is the life of different engine subsystems affected by different particle sizes?
4. How well does the engine oil deal with contamination?

It just isn't practice to try and make a generalization such as increasing the MPE (multipass efficiency) from 60% to 90% results in an X% increase in engine life. Historically, if you are filtering at 60% or above, you providing adequate filtration for most applications. Now, since more filtration certainly won't hurt and Fram filters are economical, there is no reason to not run Fram's or to get the best filter possible.

As you can see in filter technology today, the big thing isn't filter efficiency, it's filter life. Creating an efficient filter isn't rocket science, but extending drain intervals is a big challenge. In the automotive world, it just comes down to cost which is why some of the "neat" looking filters don't filter very well (good media costs money). As you can see by comments on this board, making the filter "look" good inside sells more than actual performance. Fram takes a different approach. They use low cost filter construction, but put in better media and use that as their selling point plus making their filters readily available to consumers.

Here is something interesting for you to ponder. When an OEM (like GM) came to us to produce filters for a car that was discontinued for 5+ years, they demanded a lower price and allowed us to substitute cheaper filter media that didn't perform as well. This typically saved about $0.05/filter. But to them, it was worth it.

Wix or NAPA Gold. Mobil 1 or Castrol Syntec. Change fiters at 5,000, oil at 10,000. Oil is cleaner after 10,000 than dinosaur juice with a FRAM at 3,000.

Charles