EFFICIENCY: Royal Purple / Amsoil vs. Fram Ultra / Titanium

Ignatius

Ignatius

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Upon doing a little research on the websites of Royal Purple and Amsoil I noticed that Amsoil has published a 99% @ 20 micron efficiency rating while Royal Purple has published 99% @ 25 microns, 98.7% @ 20 microns, and 80% @ 10 microns. As these two brands have been acknowledged as having similar, if not identical, internal filters in the past I do wonder if Amsoil has had the filter media in their specific brand filter improved or perhaps it has always been that way for both brand filters but a newer form of testing has shown improved results? As far as Fram goes the Ultra/Titanium internal filter is officially rated as 99% @ 20 microns and it has been suggested here on BITOG that the efficiency may be as good as 98.7% @ 16 microns and 80% @ 5 microns but those are unofficially published numbers. So as far as efficiency goes it appears that Royal Purple / Amsoil have produced an oil filter that is at least as good as a Fram Ultra/Titanium and as far as officially published efficiency ratings it may even be better.
 
"Royal Purple / Amsoil have produced an oil filter" Fram makes their own filters , Amsoil or Royal Purple outsources their own filters. What are we trying to gain or it the comparing just an exercise?
 
Originally Posted by gfh77665
Thats right. You can get a super high efficiency filter, but at some point it begins to impede flow. Filters are a balancing act between flow, holding capacity, and efficiency.
^^^^Yep! I'm reminded of my HVAC guy who says that lots of his repairs are due to customers buying the best furnace air filters. It's all fluid and if you filter it too much you can do damage. An oil filter made out of solid steel filtering media with no holes would stop everything and score really high.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by csandste
Originally Posted by gfh77665
Thats right. You can get a super high efficiency filter, but at some point it begins to impede flow. Filters are a balancing act between flow, holding capacity, and efficiency.
^^^^Yep! I'm reminded of my HVAC guy who says that lots of his repairs are due to customers buying the best furnace air filters. It's all fluid and if you filter it too much you can do damage. An oil filter made out of solid steel filtering media with no holes would stop everything and score really high.
Furnace filters are not the same as a passenger car oil filter. Which oil filters are you talking about that have such a high efficiency rating that the flow is impeded to the point of being detrimental? I'll try and avoid buying them if I know which ones they are.
 
Originally Posted by Ignatius
So as far as efficiency goes it appears that Royal Purple / Amsoil have produced an oil filter that is at least as good as a Fram Ultra/Titanium and as far as officially published efficiency ratings it may even be better.
How can Royal Purple efficiency be at least as good as the Ultra/Titanium when the RP efficiency is lower at 99% @ 25u? It's helpful to have other efficiencies at the lower micron sized too, because it shows that not all efficiency curves vs particle size curves are the same shape. One filter at 99% @ 20u may be more efficient at 10 and 5 microns than the other that's also 99% @ 20u.
 
Originally Posted by gfh77665
Thats right. You can get a super high efficiency filter, but at some point it begins to impede flow. Filters are a balancing act between flow, holding capacity, and efficiency.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that high efficiency oil filters automatically means more flow restriction and the reduction of oil flow to the motor. But even if a filter was a little more flow restrictive, with a PD oil pump that is only true if the oil pump hits pressure relief which is hardly ever unless you really try to make it. The oiling system in an engine is not like the plumbing system in your house.
 
Originally Posted by kschachn
Originally Posted by csandste
Originally Posted by gfh77665
Thats right. You can get a super high efficiency filter, but at some point it begins to impede flow. Filters are a balancing act between flow, holding capacity, and efficiency.
^^^^Yep! I'm reminded of my HVAC guy who says that lots of his repairs are due to customers buying the best furnace air filters. It's all fluid and if you filter it too much you can do damage. An oil filter made out of solid steel filtering media with no holes would stop everything and score really high.
Furnace filters are not the same as a passenger car oil filter.
+1 ... furnace fan system is not a positive displacement air pump.
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Originally Posted by Ignatius
So as far as efficiency goes it appears that Royal Purple / Amsoil have produced an oil filter that is at least as good as a Fram Ultra/Titanium and as far as officially published efficiency ratings it may even be better.
How can Royal Purple efficiency be at least as good as the Ultra/Titanium when the RP efficiency is lower at 99% @ 25u? It's helpful to have other efficiencies at the lower micron sized too, because it shows that not all efficiency curves vs particle size curves are the same shape. One filter at 99% @ 20u may be more efficient at 10 and 5 microns than the other that's also 99% @ 20u.
I wondered out loud if the Royal Purple filter has been improved since it came out 10+ years ago and achieved the 99% @ 25 micron rating in light of the fact that since then Amsoil has published results of 99% @ 20 microns and both utilize the same (or at least very similar) filter media. Perhaps something has changed, be it the media or testing parameters? I liken it to the recent discussion on the Fram Force filter media performing slightly better than the Fram Tough Guard. Aside from what has been shared here on BITOG I have seen other online content about upgraded RP oil filters that has peaked my interest.
Furthermore I do find it interesting that Royal Purple has been open about their beta ratios all the way down to 5 microns while Fram will not publish any rating below 20 microns.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
Use a high quality air filter, Make sure the hoses, sealing surfaces and PCV system is tight and oil filter efficiency becomes less of a concern. The best oil filter is a good air filter.
thumbsup
 
Originally Posted by Ignatius
Furthermore I do find it interesting that Royal Purple has been open about their beta ratios all the way down to 5 microns while Fram will not publish any rating below 20 microns.
The decision to publish more data does not make one option better than another. Its simply not industry standard to publish a bunch of beta ratios.
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
One of the biggest misconceptions is that high efficiency oil filters automatically means more flow restriction and the reduction of oil flow to the motor. But even if a filter was a little more flow restrictive, with a PD oil pump that is only true if the oil pump hits pressure relief which is hardly ever unless you really try to make it. The oiling system in an engine is not like the plumbing system in your house.
I did not imply it was like house plumbing. I know oil has pressure. A super high efficiency filter COULD impede the flow somewhat, especially at cold start up, and especially near the end of its cycle when partially loaded. Its noteworthy that the first 30 seconds of operation after a cold start up is when a lot of everyday wear occours, so you want max oil flow ASAP at that point. I like a balanced approach that considers efficiency, flow, and holding capacity. I don't want any filter that targets the extream of any one of those three.
 
Originally Posted by gfh77665
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
One of the biggest misconceptions is that high efficiency oil filters automatically means more flow restriction and the reduction of oil flow to the motor. But even if a filter was a little more flow restrictive, with a PD oil pump that is only true if the oil pump hits pressure relief which is hardly ever unless you really try to make it. The oiling system in an engine is not like the plumbing system in your house.
I did not imply it was like house plumbing. I know oil has pressure. A super high efficiency filter COULD impede the flow somewhat, especially at cold start up, and especially near the end of its cycle when partially loaded. Its noteworthy that the first 30 seconds of operation after a cold start up is when a lot of everyday wear occours, so you want max oil flow ASAP at that point. I like a balanced approach that considers efficiency, flow, and holding capacity. I don't want any filter that targets the extream of any one of those three.
Re: Part in red ^^^ ... that's what a positive displacement oil pump ensures, and there is plenty of flow at cold start-up because the PD pump is designed to give adequate flow vs RPM. What's going to help prevent cold start-up wear is a good functioning ADBV so the oiling galleries stay full of oil, which ensures nearly instant oil supply to the engine parts when the engine first fires up. PS - the plumbing system in your house also has "pressure" ... but it's not a positive displacement fluid system, so there are differences in operation when a filter's flow restriction changes in the system.
 
Originally Posted by Ignatius
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Originally Posted by Ignatius
So as far as efficiency goes it appears that Royal Purple / Amsoil have produced an oil filter that is at least as good as a Fram Ultra/Titanium and as far as officially published efficiency ratings it may even be better.
How can Royal Purple efficiency be at least as good as the Ultra/Titanium when the RP efficiency is lower at 99% @ 25u? It's helpful to have other efficiencies at the lower micron sized too, because it shows that not all efficiency curves vs particle size curves are the same shape. One filter at 99% @ 20u may be more efficient at 10 and 5 microns than the other that's also 99% @ 20u.
I wondered out loud if the Royal Purple filter has been improved since it came out 10+ years ago and achieved the 99% @ 25 micron rating in light of the fact that since then Amsoil has published results of 99% @ 20 microns and both utilize the same (or at least very similar) filter media. Perhaps something has changed, be it the media or testing parameters? I liken it to the recent discussion on the Fram Force filter media performing slightly better than the Fram Tough Guard. Aside from what has been shared here on BITOG I have seen other online content about upgraded RP oil filters that has peaked my interest.
Furthermore I do find it interesting that Royal Purple has been open about their beta ratios all the way down to 5 microns while Fram will not publish any rating below 20 microns.
One of these is probably a fake / knockoff.
 
Originally Posted by gfh77665
I did not imply it was like house plumbing. I know oil has pressure. A super high efficiency filter COULD impede the flow somewhat, especially at cold start up, and especially near the end of its cycle when partially loaded. Its noteworthy that the first 30 seconds of operation after a cold start up is when a lot of everyday wear occours, so you want max oil flow ASAP at that point. I like a balanced approach that considers efficiency, flow, and holding capacity. I don't want any filter that targets the extream of any one of those three.
I don't understand how flow is ever impeded, if the filter is too restrictive doesn't the bypass open? You can't "hold back" oil, can you? Even if the oil filter was completely plugged wouldn't you still have the same amount of oil flowing through the engine via the bypass? And what are these filters that are so efficient but also so restrictive that they are harmful? I want to know so I don't buy them.
 
Originally Posted by spk2000
Originally Posted by Ignatius
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Originally Posted by Ignatius
So as far as efficiency goes it appears that Royal Purple / Amsoil have produced an oil filter that is at least as good as a Fram Ultra/Titanium and as far as officially published efficiency ratings it may even be better.
How can Royal Purple efficiency be at least as good as the Ultra/Titanium when the RP efficiency is lower at 99% @ 25u? It's helpful to have other efficiencies at the lower micron sized too, because it shows that not all efficiency curves vs particle size curves are the same shape. One filter at 99% @ 20u may be more efficient at 10 and 5 microns than the other that's also 99% @ 20u.
I wondered out loud if the Royal Purple filter has been improved since it came out 10+ years ago and achieved the 99% @ 25 micron rating in light of the fact that since then Amsoil has published results of 99% @ 20 microns and both utilize the same (or at least very similar) filter media. Perhaps something has changed, be it the media or testing parameters? I liken it to the recent discussion on the Fram Force filter media performing slightly better than the Fram Tough Guard. Aside from what has been shared here on BITOG I have seen other online content about upgraded RP oil filters that has peaked my interest.
Furthermore I do find it interesting that Royal Purple has been open about their beta ratios all the way down to 5 microns while Fram will not publish any rating below 20 microns.
One of these is probably a fake / knockoff.
Striking similarities between this and the Mobil 1 oil filter in this recent thread: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...110a-filters-different-sizes#Post5471321
 
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