What I find disheartening is how frequently filter makers are being bought/sold, and the subsequent changes they are making to their filter line-ups.
As soon as one of us cuts open a filter and makes a thread, that info is only good until the next person does a disection, and then "new" info usurps the former. It's darn hard to keep up with what filter has what feature with what media nowdays. Fram upgraded the EG with a silicone ADBV, but then reports are that perhaps that's been dialed back again. The XG has been changed. The Boss has changed. The Wix XP has changed. The Amsoil is too good at what it does, but only in engines that apparently generate too much particulate.
Generally, there's always been a good; better; best format for oil filters. But now it seems they're blending features and construction characteristics so that it falls out this way:
- not so good, but not as bad as junk from across the ocean
- good, but only just
- more than good, but not quite better
- sort of better, with a hint of best, but with cheapened media in a trade for ADBV
- defininetly better, but costs almost as much as the best, and really just has a prettier box
- certainly best, but not as "best" as "best" used to be, because they cheapened the construction to pinch pennies so they can pay execs more bonus money
It's hard to know what you're getting at the retailer because the changes are coming so fast.
I wish they all would just pick a product level and stick with it.