Filters Improving With Use

[Fair enough]

I keep mouth shut but a number of the cut open oil filters shown here are marveled at, but to me they look clogged. I know looks aren’t everything but the close ups show covered with gunk to me. Then there was that post showing a Fram TG where the end caps bent up, likely due to the oil flow was going through the bypass valve. The filter was clogged for sure and looked it. Get an oil can cutter to look inside since each engine can be different. For me I want a pretty new looking oil filter.

 

[ChrisD46]

The engineered efficiency of the filter does not really mean that your filter improves as it clogs up, and certainly does not indicate that as a filter gets clogged, it does so in a linear or predictable fashion.

If this is a thought experiment, okay. If there is some thought to saving money on filters, or even some perverse idea that older filters are going to make a car last longer, I would suggest that you can’t fight city hall and that everyone will be happier with fresh air and oil filters, of good quality, changed at or better than mfr recommendations.

How about adding shorter OCI’s to reduce engine wear along with with not using an oil filter for too many re-uses .

 

[TomYoung]

How about adding shorter OCI’s to reduce engine wear along with with not using an oil filter for too many re-uses .

Plenty of ways to skin a cat, but for me, an oil change includes a new filter. Totally down with shortening OCIs, which is never the wrong answer.

 

[garageman402]

If you're referring to the GM filter study from 1988 as listed in the SAE registry (881825), I'd caution you to interpret that as anything except an anecdotal exercise of how incredulous HALTs (highly accelerated life test) can be. Do NOT place any faith in what you hear or read of that test without first purchasing the actual study, then read it fully, understanding the implications of how it was performed and the conclusions it came to. Simply put, the results of that test will never be seen duplicated in real life because the conditions of the test were so absurdly non-normal that it was just moronic.

Interesting, I had never heard that study could be flawed. I knew it had been around for years, but it's been 37, wow! All this worry about 5 micron particles causing the most damage is not warranted? No full flow filter will filter a substantial amount of 5 micron particles, so increased OCI (more changes) are the only realistic remedy. I consider bypass filtration systems unrealistic for average consumer, based on cost & space limitation.

Have there been subsequent tests on this subject? I would presume after 37 years, & possible discrediting of it, there would be follow-ups.

 

[ChrisD46]

If I can get 30K miles out of an air filter in a low dust environment then I consider I got my monies worth . Same with a Fram Ultra / Endurance oil filter if I got 2 OCI’s totaling 8K to 10K miles out of it .

 

[ZeeOSix]

No full flow filter will filter a substantial amount of 5 micron particles, so increased OCI (more changes) are the only realistic remedy. I consider bypass filtration systems unrealistic for average consumer, based on cost & space limitation.

The OG Ultra was around 80% @ 5u per Motorking who worked for Fram, and also Ascent's ISO 4548-12 test data indicates that the claim is accurate.