best oil and oil filters for my cars/truck

[rkelley18]

well i've been using fram HM oil filters and pennzoil HM oil in all my cars and trucks but for some reason i got online and started looking at oil filters and it seems that my oil filter is not ranked as high as i thought..

i have a 2000 cavalier 4cylinder with 65k miles and get it changed at walmart since its basic oil and basic filter

i have a 1997 f150 4.2v6 with 200k and run fram HM filter and pennzoil HM oil (work truck)
i have a 2002 dodge ram 5.9L with 130k and run same as f150 fram hm and pennzoil hm

i just got a 2001 astro work cargo van v6 4.3L with 97k and just put on a Fram HM filter and pennzoil HM oil as well..

so am i making the right choices or should i change?

i was thinking about switchin to wix or the new fram ULTRA filter... im not racing so i dont know if i really need a wix or not... i do occasionally race my dodge ram if im feeling froggy lol

 

[WiskyBadger]

I would ditch the Fram HM oil filters for Purolator Classics. I dont want that high mileage goop in my engine. The Pennzoil HM oil is a good choice. Stick with that.

 

[gregk24]

why do you use high mileage oil and filters??? the only one with truly high mileage is the F150...does it burn or leak oil? thats the only reason i would use high mileage. A regular filter would be fine, no need for a HM filter.

 

[MrQuackers]

Fram HM works fine. Just don't pay full price for it.

 

[MBS500]

I would say take care of your wallet and get which ever is on sale, they will perform very similar. Don't need to stick to a specific brand. Same for the filters. Look for close out nextgen Valvoline oils including Maxlife- great oil, but lots of people don't get it, so it looses sales.

 

[rkelley18]

well i guess i go by the labels lol... on the high milage oils it says to use at 75000 miles or above... so all my vehicles except the cavilier falls in that range so thats why i use all HM stuff... but if i dont need to i wont...

none of my vehicles have an oil leak or really use oil... the f150 is my main work truck atm and i put 600+ miles a week on it about 150+ miles a day give or take..

i was really interested in getting the new fram ultra filters and maybe just changing my oil every 5000 miles but re-using the fram ultra filter since it says it lasts up to 15,000 miles...

dont know what kind of oil to get or if i should just stay with what i got.. but i was thinking of going pure synthetic or synthetic blend or regular oil... but since i have over 75000 miles on motor figured it would be better to go with the HM oils.. correct me if im wrong or suggest

 

[147_Grain]

Welcome to the Forum!

No need to complicate or overthink things. For your 12 to 17 year old vehicles that have mostly benefited from synthetic, it wouldn't hurt to use regular conventional oil (i.e. Mobil 5000 - $12.00 for a 5-quart jug at Walmart) and a $3.27 Purolator Oil Filter.

Other option is to stay the course with synthetic, but use a 0W-30 or 5W-30 instead of 10W-30. High Mileage oils may not be necessary IF you've been on-top of maintenance. I wouldn't pay $10 for a Fram Ultra and use it for several OCI's. Just a simple $3.27 Purolator Classic each LOF change is fine.

 

[rkelley18]

i was reading that the fram ULTRA filters 99 percent of dirt.. which would be better than the el cheapo filters that only filter about 90% or a little more.. not sure about the purolator classic but i definately am ok with spending $4 more to have alot better protection over 4 months of use.. i'll just eat one less cheeseburger to pay for the better filter lol... no but really

so far no one really has said anything about the fram ultra or the wix filters?

i've actually NEVER put synthetic in any of my vehicles so prolly wont go that route... i'm really torn between putting in HM oil, synthetic blend or regular oil

but since you mentioned weight of oil as well... i live in indiana and im really not sure about what weight of oil to put in my vehicles.. i'm looking for best gas milage not really speed of vehicle

 

[MrQuackers]

Purolator Classic is already 97.5% efficient and only $3.27 in my area. Can't go wrong.

 

[901Memphis]

I like the idea of fram high mileage filters but I haven't seen what's in the goo or if it will actually work as intended for the interval instead of coming out too fast. Makes me wonder why there isn't a concentrate bottle of calcium, phosphorus and boron for topping off add packs.

That being said purolator classics are fine for your intended interval. The fram ultra would be grossly underutilized on a 5k oci but it's not the worst idea I've heard to use it for two intervals at 10k.

 

[JANDSZIRKLE]

i favor motorcraft for fords or purolators.

valvolone maxlife in green bottles aka nextgen version in both our daily drivers at the moment, no complaints.

follow the oil weight in owners manual and try too find what works best for you.

so long as your stick too major players brand wise, most oils should do fine with your OCI.

 

[901Memphis]

Yeah i'm sticking to the motorcraft fl400s for my Taurus as it gives me the least noise on startup. I don't think you can do wrong with the Motorcraft filters.

 

[askani79705]

Nothing wrong with the Pennzoil, As others have said Purolator for the filters.

 

[rkelley18]

can anyone inform me on the fram ultra filters about using the filter for maybe 2x 7k oil changes? like change the oil at 7k but not the filter.. and then at the next 7k change the filter since the ultra is rated for 15k?

 

[surfstar]

Originally Posted By: rkelley18
can anyone inform me on the fram ultra filters about using the filter for maybe 2x 7k oil changes? like change the oil at 7k but not the filter.. and then at the next 7k change the filter since the ultra is rated for 15k?


Great way to go. Especially if you have a filter that is hard to get to or drips oil down your arm.

Myself and many others on BITOG will run filters for two OCIs, sometimes on 'lower' end filter too! The Fram Ultra will have no issue going that distance.

 

[rkelley18]

yes my gf's cavailiers oil filter is very hard to get to.. you have to remove it blind and install it blind from the top of motor... and then when it comes off it drips oil all over the exhaust pipe... horrible design, bad chevy engineering there...

does that filter only last 15k with synthetic? or does it last just as long with conventional oil too?

how many times can you reuse a WIX oil filter? or does a WIX have to be changed every so many miles?

 

[rkelley18]

??

 

[901Memphis]

You can use the ultra with conventional or synthetic. The wix isn't rated or made for two intervals but if your engine is already clean it should hold up for two changes.

Wix filters are very good and if any filter has a chance at running non advertised extended drains it's a wix. If you can up size your filter you will increase your contamination holding capacity which gives you an easier time with extended drains, plus you get a higher total oil capacity. Some filters have the same thread size, psi relief setting and gasket size but will be longer to hold more. I am a fan of upsizing filters as long as you don't lose efficiency which happens with some of the largest filters.

If you want to be sure try using the wix two changes and cut it open and inspect it for too much contamination or media deformity which would indicate your filter was running too long. Without cutting it open your just peeing in the dark.

 

[901Memphis]

For instance your cavalier probably recommend an AC Delco PF47 filter, just like my Buick, but if there is enough room you can use a PF52 which has more filter media and holds more oil.

Now if your filter hangs lower to the ground that may not be an option but if its got plenty of room with enough tolerance for engine movement during load then by all means use the PF52 or Wix equivilant which would be a Wix 51036.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2488581

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1724415

 

[killswitch83]

Originally Posted By: rkelley18
i was reading that the fram ULTRA filters 99 percent of dirt.. which would be better than the el cheapo filters that only filter about 90% or a little more.. not sure about the purolator classic but i definately am ok with spending $4 more to have alot better protection over 4 months of use.. i'll just eat one less cheeseburger to pay for the better filter lol... no but really

so far no one really has said anything about the fram ultra or the wix filters?

i've actually NEVER put synthetic in any of my vehicles so prolly wont go that route... i'm really torn between putting in HM oil, synthetic blend or regular oil

but since you mentioned weight of oil as well... i live in indiana and im really not sure about what weight of oil to put in my vehicles.. i'm looking for best gas milage not really speed of vehicle


Interesting you posted this, as I have a '99 Ram 1500 with the same engine, but with almost 221K on the odo....I use QSUD 10w30 and I stick with a Mopar filter (MO-090 if memory serves correctly, which can be had at Wal-Mart), but a decent Purolator will be just fine too. No problems thus far, and the QSUD actually quieted the engine a bit. Just wanted to throw that out there if you were reticent to use synthetics due to previous use of dino oil, mileage, etc.....