Bypass Filtration Article

[SteveSRT8]

Nope, it has not.

With fleet vans running excellent at half a million miles, no noise, consumption, smoke, etc., I would have to say that there may be a point at which extra filtration is not cost effective.

Our engines now easily outlast the vehicle they are installed in. No bypass filtration (we ran them for DECADES), no pre-lubers. Just quality oil changed via the OLM.

Also, just because you pronounce your S2000 engine as perfect does not mean it has not experienced wear. Odds are if I disassembled it and mic'd the pieces I could find some deviation from factory spec. I guarantee you that coated bore has some wear!

There was a time when a bypass provided some measurable benefits. I suspect the ROI is no longer in the same place. But they are great fun to play with...

 

[4IsWEm]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Nope, it has not.

With fleet vans running excellent at half a million miles, no noise, consumption, smoke, etc., I would have to say that there may be a point at which extra filtration is not cost effective.

Our engines now easily outlast the vehicle they are installed in. No bypass filtration (we ran them for DECADES), no pre-lubers. Just quality oil changed via the OLM.

Also, just because you pronounce your S2000 engine as perfect does not mean it has not experienced wear. Odds are if I disassembled it and mic'd the pieces I could find some deviation from factory spec. I guarantee you that coated bore has some wear!

There was a time when a bypass provided some measurable benefits. I suspect the ROI is no longer in the same place. But they are great fun to play with...


The S2000 isn't mine.

I see what you say, but I still have to wonder how things here in Greece differ from what you describe. In this place, an engine that lasts for more than 200k miles can afford one bragging rights!!!

The 500k miles that you talk about are nowhere to be seen, not to mention that we pay dearly for our "european high quality" oil that appears to be doing exactly nothing.

Of course, I am not implying that the difference can be attributed to bp.

Also, the ROI of bp is obviously higher in the EU than the US, just because of the price of acceptable quality oil.

 

[4IsWEm]

BTW, photos of my oil drain pan coming in the weekend. I might even weigh it, just to see what came out of those engines.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: alexeft
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Nope, it has not.

With fleet vans running excellent at half a million miles, no noise, consumption, smoke, etc., I would have to say that there may be a point at which extra filtration is not cost effective.

Our engines now easily outlast the vehicle they are installed in. No bypass filtration (we ran them for DECADES), no pre-lubers. Just quality oil changed via the OLM.

Also, just because you pronounce your S2000 engine as perfect does not mean it has not experienced wear. Odds are if I disassembled it and mic'd the pieces I could find some deviation from factory spec. I guarantee you that coated bore has some wear!

There was a time when a bypass provided some measurable benefits. I suspect the ROI is no longer in the same place. But they are great fun to play with...


The S2000 isn't mine.

I see what you say, but I still have to wonder how things here in Greece differ from what you describe. In this place, an engine that lasts for more than 200k miles can afford one bragging rights!!!

The 500k miles that you talk about are nowhere to be seen, not to mention that we pay dearly for our "european high quality" oil that appears to be doing exactly nothing.

Of course, I am not implying that the difference can be attributed to bp.

Also, the ROI of bp is obviously higher in the EU than the US, just because of the price of acceptable quality oil.


No worries. As someone who has a history of nursing badly driven fleet vehicles for an income stream, I have raised and killed many a work truck. Probably more than my fair share of cars, too.

Back in the 80's I became an Amsoil dealer and really bought into the BP filtration idea. We ran the oil for up to a year via oil analysis with changes of filters and some replenishment. We had extremely long engine life that actually helped our bottom line.

I ran them on fleet trucks all the way till around 2003 or so when I was told they simply were no longer necessary. Since this came from a very experienced GM team leader I took it to heart and began using the OLM. This resulted in the outrageous 2004 engine I am using as my example. It has always been changed exactly as the OLM directed since its purchase.

It may just run forever...

 

[dnewton3]

I think part of the issue is that 25 years ago and longer, the two predominante premium tools in the lube industry had excellent performance, and held a distinct advantage over the lesser cost alternatives. Synthetic fluids and bypass filtration clearly could show some performance pluses.

However, today's equipment (and I'm including trannys, gear-boxes, engines, tractors, gen-sets, etc) is made MUCH better than decades ago. Conventional fluids are WAY more capable than they were many years ago. Normal filter systems are MUCH more effective than they were previously. Hence - equipment made in the last two decades seem to be able to last nearly forever with just "normal" maintenance.

I find that it is the containing vessel (car body, etc) that seems to fail first, despite my efforts to the contrary. In my mind, that is where the next generation of effort needs to be placed by the OEMs when it comes to vehicles of any nature. Frankly, my Villager (240k) and Galant(200k) are going to rust away long before they stop running.

So when folks speak of bypass filtration and synthetic fluids, they often don't realize that the entire operational nature of equipment is so advanced today that about the ONLY way to glean any "benefit" from these tools is to greatly extend your OCI; that is the only manner in which they will usurp the lesser cost alternatives.

Have you noticed that the cost of syntehtics really isn't that much more than dinos today? There was a time when premium syns were 3-4x more money. Now, syns are only about 2x more; some even less than that. (Of course, the base stock selection has a great deal to do with this). Is that because syns are getting cheaper, or is it because dinos are nearly as capable as syns, and therefore the cost delta is dwindling ... ??? I doubt, unless you purchase some no-name off-brand junk lube, that you can even get a lowly low base group oil any longer. Most all the major market players are very clean II or higher blends.


As the OEMs and aftermarket demand ever greater capability from even "normal" products, the "benefit" delta is shrinking. Add in the cleaner operating equipment, better manufacturing methods, advanced engineering concepts, etc and you have stuff that will outlast you!

 

[4IsWEm]

Fortunately (or unfortunately), rust is not a problem here. We get salt on the roads for only a very few days in the winter, and, usually, a very good rain comes after that, so, no salt really remains on the body for any significant length of time.

Engine problems, crashes etc are the prevalent reasons that kill cars.

Re engine problems, I must admit that many many people are careless about maintenance, and/or ride their cars very hard, and/or fall victims to bad mechanics that don't really do the required maintenance, and/or there are other reasons.