Best filter out there?

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Very unhappy with all this Purolator tears, what's the consensus on the best substitute?
 
It really depends on the car, and the OCI you are planning to do.. I feel like wix, or any wix made filters are good. Also the Fram lineup depending on your needs. And also OEM Filters especially when you are talking about Kia or Hyundai.
 
The one filter that never seems to have a problem is Wix/Napa Gold. They are a good value too of you buy them from Fleet Filter or Rockauto. I usually buy half a dozen at a time to save shipping costs.
 
Purolator Classic = Hastings
Purolator PureONE = Wix/Napa Gold

Those are my preferred replacements/alternatives that are comparable in price/performance. There are other premium filters out there that work great, but I didn't mention them since they usually cost twice as much.
 
Originally Posted By: actionstan
It really depends on the car, and the OCI you are planning to do.


This.

Usually, the OE has done a decent job, and is a good starting point.

Some OEM brands are a natural choice on certain makes, like Manns or Mahles on a Volvo or VAG, or a Hengst or Mann on some MBs. There a Wix is a distant second choice. But I wouldn't use any of those German brands on a Chevy truck, where a Wix excels. Motorcrafts seem to generally do a fine job on Fords. I've yet to encounter a bad example of any of these filter makes, and none would harm any vehicle.

I guess if forced to make a universal choice for vehicles unknown, I'd lean towards Wix, who puts a solid effort into all their products.

But frankly, unless an element suffers a catastrophic failure causing a pressure blockage, or you are looking for meaningful wear differences over hundreds of thousands of miles, the differences among the better filter makers is not that dramatic. Certainly not worth losing sleep over.
 
Discussed to death in other threads, but its worth reiterating that you're really asking a two-part question.

Do you want the BEST filter, or do you want the best filter you could get at the same price points as Purolator?


If you want the same price point, Wix is a good all-around go-to brand. I've personally had quite a few of them that drained back rather excessively overnight, but most people don't have that complaint. Mobil 1 (Champion made) is OK also, but overpriced at some outlets for what it is.

Best BEST not considering price, IMO is Royal Purple (or any other full synthetic made by Champion such as Amsoil EAO), followed super closely by Fram Ultra. The only knocks against the Ultra are a thinner shell and baseplate, and the plastic bypass valve button. But its closer in price to a PureOne than to the other synthetics.
 
The royal purple and Amsoil have a nice construction of the metal parts but still only one layer of media compared to the Ultras two layers.

I have yet to see a Fram Ultra spin on have any issues with the can not lasting for any FCI. The Ultra already has a much stronger paint on the can than the EG or TG.

The royal purple and Amsoil are certainly over engineered in that respect in which the can would outlast the media loading capacity. Maybe that's desirable if you're racing.
 
Originally Posted By: SwedishRider
Wix oil filters for non-extended drain OCIs.

Amsoil Ea oil filters for extended drain intervals.


I assume extended drain is well past the owner's manual drain interval which for my 1999 Voyager 2.4L is 7500. I just ran 7800 miles on a Wix on that vehicle (changed it an hour ago). Haven't cut open the filter though.
 
Thanks...

It's an '89 Alfa Spider, 20w/50GTX. driven summers only, OCI every year due to low miles. Looking for best filtration.

I'm unsure the diff btwn Wix and Fram Ultra?
 
Originally Posted By: Noey
I'm unsure the diff btwn Wix and Fram Ultra?


WIX good ... Ultra better.
grin.gif
 
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Originally Posted By: SwedishRider
Wix oil filters for non-extended drain OCIs.

Amsoil Ea oil filters for extended drain intervals.


I assume extended drain is well past the owner's manual drain interval which for my 1999 Voyager 2.4L is 7500. I just ran 7800 miles on a Wix on that vehicle (changed it an hour ago). Haven't cut open the filter though.


Yes, extended drain is past the 7500 miles your manual recommends. A Wix should easily handle 7500 miles without a problem.
 
The Ultra is 99%+ efficient at 20 microns The Wix is 95%@20 microns, so the Ultra is superior in efficiency and also capacity with two layers of synthetic media compared to the Wix single layer of cellulose media.

If you want the highest filtration I don't think anyones published efficiency is better than the Ultra.
 
If you go by how well it filters, and how much dirt it can hold, then Fram Ultra wins. If you only care about construction and want a silicon adbv, Fram Ultra is about equal with some others. The Ultra's media appears to be tougher though too.
 
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