Filter Manufacturers meeting USCAR-36 specifications

[Alien]

I polled some of the main oil filter manufacturers on whether their products meet the USCAR-36 specification required by many American manufacturer's user manuals. Here are their responses:

• Mann+Hummel (owner of Purolator and WIX brands): “Yes, Purolator is Uscar-36 certified. I can’t think of any major filter companies that are not.”
• First Brand’s (Fram’s) response: “Our filters align to the performance criteria for SAE / USCAR-36”.
• Royal Purple: “Our Royal Purple Extended Life Oil filters align with the USCAR-36 specification.”
• AMSOIL: “Our filters satisfy USCAR-36”.

 

[ZeeOSix]

USCAR-36 isn't too hard to meet. This Motorcraft video gives some info on USCAR-36.

 

[dnewton3]

USCAR-36 is a good standard for many construction parameters and pass/fail criteria, but it's efficiency standard (95% > 30um) is mundane to say the least. Meeting this standard is a good minimum, but it's not a stretch for most decent products. Many filters out there can easily surpass the USCAR-36 criteria.

 

[Sayjac]

USCAR 36, in my estimation is a minimum standard. Also, my understanding, participation is completely voluntary. FoMoCo happens to be one that touts the standard.

Even with the USCAR minimal standard given for efficiency, what's known about Asian vehicle OEM (Honda Toyota) oil filter efficiency, they don't participate.

 

[Alien]

USCAR 36, in my estimation is a minimum standard. Also, my understanding, participation is completely voluntary. FoMoCo happens to be one that touts the standard.

Even with the USCAR minimal standard given for efficiency, what's known about Asian vehicle OEM (Honda Toyota) oil filter efficiency, they don't participate.

A couple of the filter manufactures in the poll made it clear that USCAR-36 applies only to filters designed for US-made vehicles. So they are not claiming compliance for filters made for Asian or European vehicles, since the specification does not apply to them.

 

[kschachn]

As an SAE standard, anyone could adopt the standard if they wished to do so. It "applies" to anyone that adopts the standard, just the same as SAE labeling and grade designations for oil.

But considering it is both a performance and a dimensional standard it doesn't apply to cartridge filters which many European vehicles have. It appears to be much more of a "will it fit" type of specification rather than something primarily based on performance.

 

[Shel_B]

I polled some of the main oil filter manufacturers on whether their products meet the USCAR-36 specification required by many American manufacturer's user manuals. Here are their responses:

• Mann+Hummel (owner of Purolator and WIX brands): “Yes, Purolator is Uscar-36 certified. I can’t think of any major filter companies that are not.”
• First Brand’s (Fram’s) response: “Our filters align to the performance criteria for SAE / USCAR-36”.
• Royal Purple: “Our Royal Purple Extended Life Oil filters align with the USCAR-36 specification.”
• AMSOIL: “Our filters satisfy USCAR-36”.

Thanks for the post. I was unaware of USCAR-36.

 

[Shel_B]

USCAR-36 isn't too hard to meet. This Motorcraft video gives some info on USCAR-36.

Thanks for posting the video. It's easy to see that USCAR-36 is a minimum standard, but it's a baseline quality that we should look for.

 

[ZeeOSix]

But considering it is both a performance and a dimensional standard it doesn't apply to cartridge filters which many European vehicles have. It appears to be much more of a "will it fit" type of specification rather than something primarily based on performance.

There are a lot of minimum performance specs in USCAR-36 ... see Section 5 of the Table of Contents.

USCAR36-1: DIMENSIONAL AND PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATION FOR AFTER-MARKET GASOLINE ENGINE OIL FILTERS - SAE International

This specification defines the dimensional and performance requirements for aftermarket spin-on oil filters intended for use on gasoline engines. Filters meeting this specification may also be suitable for use on some diesel applications.Filters meeting these dimensional limits are intended to meet

www.sae.org

 

[kschachn]

Yeah I saw that, it just seemed to be more of an interchange standard to me. Those performance requirements are fine for what they are. I guess considering we don’t see much for manufacturer performance standards it’s more than typical.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Yeah I saw that, it just seemed to be more of an interchange standard to me. Those performance requirements are fine for what they are. I guess considering we don’t see much for manufacturer performance standards it’s more than typical.

Since Section 3 is one page, and Section 5 covers 15 different performance specs, I'd say it's focus heavily on performance criteria.

 

[kschachn]

Well okay if you say so