Originally Posted By: RDC
I am definitely going to check out different filters, as I've read that Honda's latest OEM filter, which I'm currently using, is a low quality Fram in a blue can.
There is an enture forum here on BITOG devoted to oil filters. This being BITOG, there are some strong disagreements there, but there are some points of consensus, two in particular: (1) silicone seals (the "rubber" ring where the filter mates to the engine) are better than nitrile seals; nitrile seals usually are black, and silicone seals usually are red; and (2) above a certain quality level, there is not a whole lot of difference, in terms of engine longevity, associated with the oil filter.
There is more debate over the question of where within the filter the bypass valve should be located, with a determined minority saying that it should be at the thread end of the filter, and an apathetic majority saying that it makes no difference whether it is at the threaded end or (the alternative) at the dome end. If that is a matter that concerns you, then the safer course if to find a filter with the bypass at the threaded end.
The "American" filter maker Purolator actually is jointly owned by two German companies, Bosch and Mann-Hummel, and everybody agrees that the top-line filters from Purolator, such as the PureOne and the Bosch D+, are top-notch -- but Donaldson filters enjoy a loyal following, too, and Fram, whose low-end filter suffers the sobriquet OCOD, makes a top-line filter, Fram Ultra, that even Fram-haters grudgingly acknowledge to be a good one.
There is a separate forum for air filters, where Jim Allen holds forth with his (well-documented) theory that air filters are more important to oil cleanliness and wear than oil filters are, and that changing air filters too often is a contributor to dirty engines.
