Been using the B1402 baldwin on my Acuras for ages. However now with miles piling up (250k) and some serious maintenance coming up, i want engine to last as long as possible. I figured the baldwin filters were good since theyre made in usa and seem to get really good reviews, but trying to learn more about micron ratings etc, seeing the baldwin is rated at 23 nominal and 45 absolute, isnt that pretty poor? Or barely decent? Im looking at other alternatives but some are hard to find the micron ratings and efficiency. Any suggestions on a better filter? Looking at premiumguard, Mobil 1,the non-xp wix, k and n, amsoil. Or are some of these overkill? I change oil usually around 5k
Baldwin alternatives for my Acura. Poor micron rating?
- Thread starter RH43
- Start date
Which engine?
No reason to question now, after 250k miles. Just stay with what you are doing oil change wise. There are lots of other maintenance items that need attention with an old car, not changing your filter.
Any Fram 7317 would be a good choice, as that is what Honda uses for OE 
3.5
So, J-Series.
Biggest thing you have to worry about is sludging and ring deposits if they have VCM.
Filter isn't going to make a huge difference long term. Spend the money on the oil changes and trying to keep VCM from ruining the motor. If they don't have VCM, then just keep doing what you're doing and fix the leaks that are probably popping up by now.
That's on the "not very efficient" end of the oil filter efficiency spectrum. Absolute is 98.7% efficiency ... call it 99%. Nominal is 50% efficient.
Yes, compared to the filters available out there that are playing the micron rating race, the micron rating is high. Keep in mind however Baldwin never entered the micron rating race, they build high quality USA made filters to match the OEM filter specifications on micron ratings and flow rates. Baldwin has the ability to make the tighter micron, specification filters, and they do all day long if that is what the OEM calls for. There is no fancy packaging, or advertising, they don't need it. They are owned by "Parker", a USA company, distributed and sold all over the world. I use them, I like them and you should stick with them, in my opinion. I mean really, you have 250,000 miles on your Acura, used Baldwin filters for years, and now Baldwin is a problem? Amsoil sells bypass oil filters that filter down to 2 microns that can be installed if that interests you. I will put a couple links here for Parker and Baldwin, if you are interested. You can contact Amsoil if you want to spend the bucks on the bypass oil filter they sell. That is my advice.
https://www.parker.com
https://www.baldwinfilters.com/us/en.html
I should have mentioned mines an 07. No vcm
Adjust the valves, stay on top of any leaks, and keep the oil changed every 5-7.5K, it'll run forever.
Pick a decent filter and don't spend a ton of time over-thinking it.
Pick a decent filter and don't spend a ton of time over-thinking it.
Baldwin B1402 matches the Honda OEM specifications on purpose, with a heavier duty build than the Fram, or Honda OEM filter counterpart. If @RH43 wants to go get a fancy filter after 250,000 miles of using the Baldwin, that is ok. I guess the B1402 has failed! LOL! It is not like using the lower micron rating filters will hurt anything but will cost more money.
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+1
Hard to argue with .. and it's likely cheaper than the Baldwin too.
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I went through this evolution of oil filter thinking too. It seems Honda's handle "rock catcher" filters and last a long time as noted in this thread. My current favorite are the pentius extended life. More media than most, great efficiency, and (usually) solid construction. Obviously l got all this info from many wonderful BITGO'ers.
Standing on the shoulders of giants or something like that.
Standing on the shoulders of giants or something like that.
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Baldwin's filter construction is top notch, but the efficiency of their media is nothing special.
There is nothing wrong with that. The Car Quest Premium is a well-built filter and is part of the micron rating race made in Viet Nam, really nothing wrong with that either. My point is Baldwin makes a really well-built filter similar to a Sherman tank matching the Honda OEM specs on purpose. If the @RH43 buys from his local Baldwin parts house, and the OEM micron rating satisfies him, once per year Baldwin has a month-long sale. He could buy that Baldwin B1402 filter built stronger than most on the market for around $5.00 a piece plus tax. All I am saying is Baldwin makes a strong filter built heavier duty than most if OEM micron ratings are sufficient for the customer. I mean the guy has run the Baldwins for 250,000 miles, it isn't like the B1402 hasn't done its job, and they are made in USA-by-USA employees, sold all over the world.
They just match the OEM specifications on micron and flow rate, usually construction wise heavier duty than the OEM filter they are replacing.
If you buy the Baldwin filter, say at Amazon.com, you are absolutely right, if you look up your local jobber on the Baldwin website and buy the Baldwin filter there, the Baldwin is lower priced.
That would be a good deal. But if he's after higher efficiency and good quality construction for under $10 with discount code, then the Carquest Premium is the ticket. He'll have to decide what's most important and go from there. He might not have any AAP stores nearby. Other PGI variants may also be an option.
JHZR2
Staff member
IIRC the OE Honda oil filters aren’t great in terms of percentages and efficiency either. It may just match the actual requirement.
