Synthetic, extended performance oil filters

[The Red]

Does any retail shop in the Lower Mainland sell oil filters designed to work with synthetic oil? I struck out at NAPA and Lordco. Canadian Tire carries them but has nothing that fits my '93 Nissan pathfinder.

I may have to mail-order from Newfoundland or the USA. Mighty oil filters have been suggested as a quality substitute for Mobil 1 extended performance filters. Any experience or opinions?

[DTE]

I just changed my 2001 pathy oil, full synthetic, picked up a synthetic filter at CT. Fram, not the best I know, but I don't think it could be THAT bad.

We've got different engines, but they had a lot of sizes there. Might have just been sold out at the CT that you went to.

I believe I saw the Fram ones at Lordco today, as well.

[HMFI]

Didn't know there where specific filters for synthetic oils. From what I remember, your supposed to use either the synth. oil or the Fram Synth. filter, not both at the same time.

[DTE]

Didn't know there where specific filters for synthetic oils. From what I remember, your supposed to use either the synth. oil or the Fram Synth. filter, not both at the same time.

I thought the Fram synthetic filters were FOR use with synthetic oils. But now with a little more research I see that it's made with synthetic media...

Are Frams really that bad? I think next time I will not go with that brand, but when I was picking up supplies for the last oil change that or Motomaster was the only brands in stock. I just don't want to worry about it over the next 10k until the next oil change...

[The Red]

DTE: I'm not sure that all the FRAM filters are "bad". But they have one of the worst reputations as a group. Apparently, only a handful of companies make oil filters. FRAM likely makes a number of filters that are marketed under different brand names.

The standard paper filters do not last as long as the synthetic oil potentially lasts.

You are going 10,000km with an ordinary FRAM filter? That is not advisable from what I have read.

[The Red]

Elsewhere, I received one opinion that the Mighty oil filters are just ordinary cheap paper filters.

The Mobil 1 extended performance filter available via Nfld would cost C$14 before taxes and shipping but needs to be special ordered.

Lordco carries a special C$15 K&N filter made with a synthetic medium. (Elsewhere it seems that K&N filters have a lousy reputation.....)

Folks have recommended Wix filters but so far I cannot find them.

EDIT: NAPA auto parts carries a NAPA Gold filter manufactured by Wix. $7.85 pretax.

[DTE]

You are going 10,000km with an ordinary FRAM filter? That is not advisable from what I have read.

No, it's the synthetic blend media Fram filter. Says 11,000km life on it. I assume it's not an ordinary paper filter, if it's made with a synthetic media.

[The Red]

Appreciate the clarification.

BTW, I'll be probably be buying 4 litres of Mobil 1 10W30 oil today and will look _AGAIN_ for a synthetic oil filter that will fit on the '93 pathie but I don't expect to find it.

EDIT: Bought the NAPA Gold filter (Wix) filter.

EDIT: Seems to be lots of folks out there who do not believe the promised performance of the newer synth oil filters. Cynicism, scepticism, or a cranky resistance to change? I dunno.

[Matt16]

Folks have recommended Wix filters but so far I cannot find them.


North Shore Auto Parts carries Wix filters.

[The Red]

Thanks Matt16.

Can anybody point to or link to a review article on contemporary oil filters. From what I read on the web and from what I gather talking to various mechanics, there are so many contradicting views out there, it is hard for a lay person to figure out which end is up.

[DTE]

Thanks Matt16.

Can anybody point to or link to a review article on contemporary oil filters. From what I read on the web and from what I gather talking to various mechanics, there are so many contradicting views out there, it is hard for a lay person to figure out which end is up.

Maybe there's nothing crystal clear because there really is no difference...just a few defective filters once in a while that gets half the people up in arms and the other half who have been using the same filter but have never seen one fail are still loyal to them. Could it be like comparing coffee filters? they all do the job, right?

[The Red]

DTE, I have wondered the same. :metoo

A simple mathematical model arrives at a similar conclusion.

Assume: 3 filter brands; each brand has the same rate of defective filters, e.g., 1/100,000, but brand 1 has multiples more market share than brand 2 and 3.

If filter quality is measured by the number of angry, pissed-off customers, brand 1 with the greatest market share runs the risk of getting a bad reputation in some quarters. QED

--------------------------

But I'm not entirely convinced by this argument and suspect that coffee filters and oil filters are not really comparable.


:anyone:

[frank]

Alder auto sells wix.
Assume you've seen this page?
http://people.msoe.edu/~yoderw/oilfilterstudy/oilfilters.html

[The Red]

frank:

No I had not. Thank you! It is a tad dated (1999/2000) but still useful. Hopefully, some technical improvements have been made to oil filters like everything else in the intervening years.

I may special order the Mobil 1 filters (from Newfoundland). Even if they are more expensive, they could extend periods between oil changes and save valuable time.

Sometimes I wonder if the auto repair biz here in British Columbia is a technical backwater.....

[frank]

Another option might be to change the filter in between oil changes, if you want to do extended oil changes.
I myself don't use synthetic oil. I realize it's better stuff, but I wouldn't be comfortable doing extended oil changes, so it would be costly and kind of pointless for me.
My thinking is that I want to get the combustion by-products out of my oil at regular frequent intervals.
I don't have much faith in "super" synthetic media filters. My reasoning (which may be flawed) is that if the filter takes out a large portion of smaller particles it will become restricted earlier and begin bypassing, which renders it useless. (Note, this is just my theory, it may be wrong. I know of no tests that confirm or deny this, I'd be interested in seeing some.)
I use wix filters on my jeep 4.2, and I use dino diesel 15W 40 in summer and 10W 40 in winter. I change at 5000km, pretty religiously, give or take a few hundred km. I haven't had the bottom end open, but the top end is pretty clean. The engine has 378 000 km on it. I DON"T recommend everyone use diesel engine oil in their gas engine, but the 4.2 runs in an rpm range similar to many diesels.
In comparison I bought a cherokee with the 4.0 recently. Less than 2/3 the kms on it, I don't know it's entire history, but I have a great stack of reciepts from the last 5 years or so, pretty rigours oil changes, mostly whatever 10W 30 Great Canadian uses. The inside of that engine is filthy. Great big deposits on the rockers, noisy valve train, and so on.
Fram filters, I used to use them years ago. I had one disintegrate on me, the filter element collapsed and pretty much blocked the oil flow. Oil pressure spiked, lifters started hammering, I shut down right away and avoided engine damage. I may have gotten the one in a million bad one, I don't know. I quit using them. Once bitten...

[Orcus79]

You don't need to run any special filters with synthetic oil first off. Most of those fancy filters being advertised by fram and such are just that fancy toys for the consumer to spend money on.

Like every thing else you get what you pay for and use what you know. I use wix filters where I can, other wise its a another quality name. A good idea of what you are looking at can be shown in the companies air filters. Look at the consistancy of the pleating between a WIX and a Fram.

Wix can be found pretty well any where. Out here in the flatlands of Saskatchewan I get them at Autoparts Plus. You most reputable performance and aftermarket shops may have them as well.

[Jacqson]

Does any retail shop in the Lower Mainland sell oil filters designed to work with synthetic oil? I struck out at NAPA and Lordco. Canadian Tire carries them but has nothing that fits my '93 Nissan pathfinder.

I may have to mail-order from Newfoundland or the USA. Mighty oil filters have been suggested as a quality substitute for Mobil 1 extended performance filters. Any experience or opinions?

The only filters I know of that advertise they can be used past the 5k oil change mark is the Amsoil Ea filters. They claim you can use them for up to 25,000 miles or 1 year, whichever comes first under NORMAL service conditions and 15,000 miles under severe service as long as you use their synthetic oil. Personnally, I'd say that's a bit of a stretch and think you'd have to be an idiot to change your oil and filter at that type of interval. Most good filters(Wix, Baldwin, Pure 1) will filter beyond the 5k mark if you use synthetic oil, but you will never hear from a filter manufacturer that you can do this. I use Wix and Pure 1 filters depending on what's available at the time and have no complaints. I change my oil at about 6000km.

[The Red]

This is what the manufacturers of Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 extended performance oil and filters say:

If I go longer between oil change intervals, do I need to change my oil filter more frequently? Or do I need a special filter?

Continue to change your oil filter when you change your engine oil. Special filters, or more frequent oil filter changes are not required.

However, Mobil 1 Extended Performance Oil Filters provide outstanding performance during longer oil change intervals. Mobil 1 Extended Performance Oil Filters are designed to offer excellent efficiency (remove more engine oil impurities) and high capacity (60 percent greater capacity than conventional oil filters), which make them ideal candidates for longer oil change intervals. (Updated March 2006)

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_Extended_Performance_FAQs.aspx#FAQs6

[Bushy_Beard]

My question is off topic a little bit but is there any thing special you need to do when swapping from standard wight oils over to synthetic oils?

:cwm30:

[Jacqson]

My question is off topic a little bit but is there any thing special you need to do when swapping from standard wight oils over to synthetic oils?

:cwm30:

Nope, just swap over to the same viscosity in Synthetic that you were using in regular petroleum oil.

[The Red]

My question is off topic a little bit but is there any thing special you need to do when swapping from standard wight oils over to synthetic oils?

:cwm30:
Yes, the choice of synthetic may depend on the age and state of wear of your motor.

But otherwise no.

[Jr]

Another option might be to change the filter in between oil changes, if you want to do extended oil changes.
I myself don't use synthetic oil. I realize it's better stuff, but I wouldn't be comfortable doing extended oil changes, so it would be costly and kind of pointless for me.
My thinking is that I want to get the combustion by-products out of my oil at regular frequent intervals.
I don't have much faith in "super" synthetic media filters. My reasoning (which may be flawed) is that if the filter takes out a large portion of smaller particles it will become restricted earlier and begin bypassing, which renders it useless. (Note, this is just my theory, it may be wrong. I know of no tests that confirm or deny this, I'd be interested in seeing some.)
I use wix filters on my jeep 4.2, and I use dino diesel 15W 40 in summer and 10W 40 in winter. I change at 5000km, pretty religiously, give or take a few hundred km. I haven't had the bottom end open, but the top end is pretty clean. The engine has 378 000 km on it. I DON"T recommend everyone use diesel engine oil in their gas engine, but the 4.2 runs in an rpm range similar to many diesels.
In comparison I bought a cherokee with the 4.0 recently. Less than 2/3 the kms on it, I don't know it's entire history, but I have a great stack of reciepts from the last 5 years or so, pretty rigours oil changes, mostly whatever 10W 30 Great Canadian uses. The inside of that engine is filthy. Great big deposits on the rockers, noisy valve train, and so on.
Fram filters, I used to use them years ago. I had one disintegrate on me, the filter element collapsed and pretty much blocked the oil flow. Oil pressure spiked, lifters started hammering, I shut down right away and avoided engine damage. I may have gotten the one in a million bad one, I don't know. I quit using them. Once bitten...


the reason your engine is so clean is cause there is far more detergents added to diesel to deal with the soot. and just cause your engine runs in the same rpm range as a diesel does not necessarily mean it should use that oil. oil designed for gas and diesel have different additives to deal with different needs.
hope this helps

Steve