Flow versus filtration - where's the balance?

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: LubricatusObsess
I think you guys have convinced me to go back to Fram from WIX. I'm going to use Ultra - not for the capacity, but for the filtration efficiency.

One of those SAE studies said the most damaging wear particles were
Now, how much longer and how much performance retention is gained by a high efficiency filter? To my knowledge, no one has done a study. But - for only a few dollars more per oil change for a Fram Ultra, my question is, why not use the best?


<20um or <25um? What I read indicated 25um was the critical point and that is where Wix is 99%.

 

[CrawfishTails]

Originally Posted By: geeman789
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: geeman789
And maybe WIX feels that good flow and ADEQUATE filtration are a better combination...

Considering that Wix whitewashed the data for their normal filters, I'm not sure I believe the numbers on the XP, either.

Yes, the numbers... just waiting for the 100 % efficient claim to come out... ! Just small print the particle size... like 100 microns or something...

Gotta wonder how "truthful..." most automotive advertising really is... not very would be my guess...


The 20 micron point in 4548-12 is now looking bad, not enough telling difference. Wix and Fram is 95% there, Fram TG/Ultra is 99%, so to me its actually more revealing to state the 5 micron point, where Fram Ultra gets a 80% due to its double layer synthetic media.

 

[LubricatusObsess]

Originally Posted By: EyesofThunder
100% efficient at 25400 microns.....Guaranteed all rocks larger than 1 inch are prevented from passing the oil filter!

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: geeman789
Gotta wonder how "truthful..." most automotive advertising really is... not very would be my guess...

I certainly "prefer" better filtration, but I'm not going to chase it all over the landscape. You know how it is in this neck of the woods. You get Fram, Wix, and OEM, and if one ventures to the industrial and agricultural areas, you can find Baldwin and/or Hastings. I want a decently constructed filter that isn't going to cost me an arm or a leg and that I can preferably get immediately, without having it shipped across the country or continent.

To me, Fram orange can gets sunk because of cost. Coversely, the Fram XG is priced more attractively, in that they're all priced the same, so what is an expensive model number under another brand is reasonable under an XG. For example, a $5 Wix for my truck would be about $13 as an XG. A $10 or $11 Wix versus a $13 XG for the G37 isn't as jarring.

Purolator gets sunk because of availability. Wix XP gets sunk because of cost, too. So, they can print all the numbers they want. I cannot buy a 99.9% efficient Pureone or Bosch Premium except by ordering them now, and I'm not paying $30 for a Wix XP with nominally dismal numbers.

 

[dnewton3]

As usual, Garak puts this into a well-reasoned perspective.


First, look at brand availability; there's no sense in craving a filter you cannot get within reasonable efforts. But in any market, there are typically a few decent choices; perhaps several.

Then, one needs to assure themselves that the level of filtration will provide a good level of protection. That is NOT to say it needs to be the "uber-super-duper-best" filter; just a good one. Using something that is OEM prescribed will be good enough to make vehicles last, if all goes well, hundreds of thousands of miles. As long as you select a filter that will sustain your maintenance program (OFCI), you'll be OK. If you mismatch the filter efficiency or capacity, it's your own fault, because the OEM and aftermarket already do this work for you; just use one that is in the catalog for your application.

Finally, you consider cost. You need to look at performance/dollar. Get a good ROI. Even if you spend a bit more on your filter, then you darn well better get more service life from it to offset the cost.


The "best" choice is one that considers all three criteria; availability, performance, and ROI.

 

[Garak]

As an aside, Dave, finding the silver Fram up here is extraordinarily difficult. None of the normal big three retailers up here selling Fram (i.e. CT, Walmart, and Partsource) carry them, at least in this city. So, the Fram fans are stuck with an overpriced orange can, or spending extra dollars on the XG, which may or may not provide them with the value, and that's assuming there's an XG for their application or that it's even in stock.

I miss the days of the under $3 AC Delcos at Canadian Walmart, I must say!

 

[geeman789]

Weird... Walmart here (Alberta north...) stocks Fram "silvers...". at $ 9.99...

And Napa Auto has Napa Platinums at $ 15.99... Golds are $ 9.99 to 11.99...

I grabbed a few Fram Ultras last time they were on sale for $ 9.99...

Wix XP at $ 30.00 ... nice. You mean a 2 pack, right...?

 

[Garak]

Well, that's ok. Fram silvers at $9.99 is sensible. I haven't checked my main Wix supplier for Wix XP or Napa for Napa Platinums (I really have no need for the product; a Wix or Napa Gold does just fine). I do have another Fram supplier that can get me the silvers. It's just strange that our Walmarts and the like don't have them.

Nope, the Wix XP at $30 was for one. It wasn't my main supplier, though. Maybe it was for two; after all, when I heard $30 for an oil filter for a friend's Honda, I fell down and cracked my skull.