Looking for the most experienced oil filter expert (or moderator) to answer one question.

[SubieRubyRoo]

“Best” is a filter that is changed at a reasonable interval. Not 12k miles….for any oil or filter. That’s how you can absolutely ensure your engine has clean safe oil.

There’s plenty of clean-running engines, robust oils and high-efficiency, high holding capacity filters that can easily exceed 12k miles without risk or excessive wear of the engine.

Just one example, I had a FE10575 that was in service for nearly 23,600 miles. I had UOAs done at ~7500 & ~22k filter-use miles that showed low insolubles and wear rates below the average for the engine family. The 7500 mile sample was at the end of a 15k OCI where I changed the filter mid-OCI, and the 22k sample was an in-service sample taken at 14.4k on the oil which was then run to 16.2k total, when both the oil and filter were changed.

I don’t recommend blindly jumping from 3-5k OCIs up to 15-20k, but there is little-to-no risk when using the method @wwillson has thoroughly documented, which enabled him to go ~34k on a single OCI (with a couple filters & top-up oil).

Statistically speaking, over the life of the engine & vehicle, there will likely be no reduction in service life by using long-drain oils & high-capacity filters to their maximum safe life verified by UOAs vs using these oils & filters but blindly changing them at set mileages (like 3k, 5k, 10k). A UOA’s true purpose is to tell you when the oil isn’t serviceable, or when your filter has been loaded enough it’s allowing insolubles to circulate at concerning levels. @dnewton3 has repeatedly posted data gained from large fleet UOAs that prove without a doubt that even using conventional oils and filters which prove there are very minimal risks to extended UOAs on many engine families. In some cases the conventionals were shown to go well over 10k before the oil was condemned or began to cause increased wear metal accumulation.

Therefore, the only real effects of fixed, short mileage, “blind” OCIs result in increased oil & filter waste, increased costs, and increased service downtime. None of those are “wins” IMO vs no statistically significant increase in engine service life. TL;DR: You’re going to sell or wreck the vehicle long before engines fail on modern oils and filters, whether you change the oil at 5k or when the UOA says it’s wise to drain the oil. The longer way saves you time and money once you’ve established the safe maximum for an oil/filter combo

 

[BHopkins]

Me:
“Boss is widely available and still made. I got one from Amazon and it had a fresh date code.
Boss is a filter I would use if it had an old date, like 5 years. Full synthetic media.”

It isn’t that hard to follow.

I can't recall for sure, was the Purolator Tearolator issues over with 5 years ago?

It is interesting how good filters become bad, and what is thought of as bad filters can become very good, and then later become bad again. Are there any oil filters out there that have a consistent track record of being good, without episodes of shipping poor quality?

 

[SC Maintenance]

They are still fine.

I deal with many fleet shops, they mostly run Wix, Baldwin and CAT. Talking thousands of trucks and pieces of equipment.

I have had several wix with unopened Louvers. I used only wix for 15 years? Since m+H cost cutting - hard pass.

Just because all the cool kids use it means nothing. If they were running in bypass 90% of the time would anyone know?

 

[Bkdc]

Flow is just as important as filtration. With people here all recommending 5K OCI for most oils, any reasonable filter will suffice unless you drive through dust storms every day.

 

[BornSlippy]

I can't recall for sure, was the Purolator Tearolator issues over with 5 years ago?

It is interesting how good filters become bad, and what is thought of as bad filters can become very good, and then later become bad again. Are there any oil filters out there that have a consistent track record of being good, without episodes of shipping poor quality?

It's hard to keep up.

Baldwin are usually good construction, but their efficiency isn't great.

Fleetguards are pretty good, for the most part. Some are outsourced. If you are lucky enough to have one of their Stratopore filters for your application, they are very good in quality and efficiency. They can be pricey.

Premium Guards, and all their sub-brands seem to be very well made and good efficiency. That seems to be the darling of BITOG lately.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Flow is just as important as filtration.

A few PSI difference in flow dP across the filter doesn't really matter on an engine. The oiling system is typically around 15 times more flow restrictive than a typical oil filter.

 

[jetman]

How about a Fleetguard?

https://www.fleetguard.com/s/productDetails?propertyVal=LF3487&propertyField=home&language=en_US

I ordered one
You only live once and you can't take it with you

 

[PontiacHO]

There’s plenty of clean-running engines, robust oils and high-efficiency, high holding capacity filters that can easily exceed 12k miles without risk or excessive wear of the engine.

Just one example, I had a FE10575 that was in service for nearly 23,600 miles. I had UOAs done at ~7500 & ~22k filter-use miles that showed low insolubles and wear rates below the average for the engine family. The 7500 mile sample was at the end of a 15k OCI where I changed the filter mid-OCI, and the 22k sample was an in-service sample taken at 14.4k on the oil which was then run to 16.2k total, when both the oil and filter were changed.

I don’t recommend blindly jumping from 3-5k OCIs up to 15-20k, but there is little-to-no risk when using the method @wwillson has thoroughly documented, which enabled him to go ~34k on a single OCI (with a couple filters & top-up oil).

Statistically speaking, over the life of the engine & vehicle, there will likely be no reduction in service life by using long-drain oils & high-capacity filters to their maximum safe life verified by UOAs vs using these oils & filters but blindly changing them at set mileages (like 3k, 5k, 10k). A UOA’s true purpose is to tell you when the oil isn’t serviceable, or when your filter has been loaded enough it’s allowing insolubles to circulate at concerning levels. @dnewton3 has repeatedly posted data gained from large fleet UOAs that prove without a doubt that even using conventional oils and filters which prove there are very minimal risks to extended UOAs on many engine families. In some cases the conventionals were shown to go well over 10k before the oil was condemned or began to cause increased wear metal accumulation.

Therefore, the only real effects of fixed, short mileage, “blind” OCIs result in increased oil & filter waste, increased costs, and increased service downtime. None of those are “wins” IMO vs no statistically significant increase in engine service life. TL;DR: You’re going to sell or wreck the vehicle long before engines fail on modern oils and filters, whether you change the oil at 5k or when the UOA says it’s wise to drain the oil. The longer way saves you time and money once you’ve established the safe maximum for an oil/filter combo

My perspective-experience is from 1100+ first responder fleet. All were on rough service intervals. Street stuff…anything goes. Except for my personal vehicles…7k with a filter every change.

 

[Fair enough]

I can't recall for sure, was the Purolator Tearolator issues over with 5 years ago?

It is interesting how good filters become bad, and what is thought of as bad filters can become very good, and then later become bad again. Are there any oil filters out there that have a consistent track record of being good, without episodes of shipping poor quality?

The response to the op was about finding new Boss filters, as the post asked if they were still made. Yes they are still made.
My opinion is that synthetic media would last 5 years, easily. So his older Boss Advance filters should be ok. My post had nothing to do with being for or against a brand of oil filter. Not about tearing, not about louvers. The Boss isn’t the one that tears though, that was the other models.

 

[Shannonwilkerson]

Currently switching everything in my small fleet from faram ultra to Carquest premium and microgard select. Only one I’m not swapping over is my 7.3 idi because I have a ton of old pro/gauge filters for it.

 

[chorty]

It really is a shame what happened to Wix. I used them for well over 20 years. M+H downgrade/cost cutting. My feelings got hurt

they've saved my ass for 25 years, equipment and frustration. At one point I had more heavy equipment then vehicles so i just gave up shopping everywhere any anywhere, and stopped being the Fram/mobile/STP/whatever whatever and just ended up getting everything through a local Wix dealer.

Time to see where the merge goes now as far as :quality". A Struggling and evil word in todays competitive market.

 

[kschachn]

they've saved my ass for 25 years, equipment and frustration. At one point I had more heavy equipment then vehicles so i just gave up shopping everywhere any anywhere, and stopped being the Fram/mobile/STP/whatever whatever and just ended up getting everything through a local Wix dealer.

Time to see where the merge goes now as far as :quality". A Struggling and evil word in today’s competitive market.

Any filter you would have bought would have given you the same saving your… rear end feeling. There is nothing special about the Wix, and certainly nothing special about the notion of getting it from an “authorized dealer”.

 

[Astro14]

"What's important to you in an oil filter besides that?"

I edited my original post for clarity.

Appreciate all the general comments but trying to keep this thread short so it doesn't end up like all the others ie: 37 different opinions
with no final answer.

Hoping someone will post up the "best" filter(s) based on the criteria list above (please read post #1) with supporting data why.

Two thoughts:

1. Best requires a better definition of application and desired qualities - for example, the best filter for my Mercedes is, well, a Mercedes filter.

2. Moderators, while some of us have specific technical expertise, and have been active members of the forum for a long time, aren’t moderators because of technical expertise. We moderate behavior, not content, so your thread title is asking a group that may, or may not, be able to answer a technical question. As individuals, some of us have a great deal of expertise on particular topics, but, as a group, on a particular topic, we may not be best able to answer.

 

[chorty]

Any filter you would have bought would have given you the same saving your… rear end feeling. There is nothing special about the Wix, and certainly nothing special about the notion of getting it from an “authorized dealer”.

I couldn't find specific applications unless I bought wix. No one else offered a filter to fit my equipment.

That's my point.

 

[kschachn]

I couldn't find specific applications unless I bought wix. No one else offered a filter to fit my equipment.

That's my point.

Oh I see. I thought it was because “There's a reason autozone, advanced, Walmart, etc etc don't sell wix. It’s because they only sell garbage”. It is because they don’t carry a size you needed.

 

[Sumboodie]

they've saved my ass for 25 years, equipment and frustration. At one point I had more heavy equipment then vehicles so i just gave up shopping everywhere any anywhere, and stopped being the Fram/mobile/STP/whatever whatever and just ended up getting everything through a local Wix dealer.

Time to see where the merge goes now as far as :quality". A Struggling and evil word in todays competitive market.

Same. Readily available.

Not fussing over some bountique fancy pants filter outfit when they only make filters for maybe 5% of my stuff and have to special order it.

A decent filter in my possession is better than one I can't get and the equipment is down, costing me $$.

 

[chorty]

Oh I see. I thought it was because “There's a reason autozone, advanced, Walmart, etc etc don't sell wix. It’s because they only sell garbage”. It is because they don’t carry a size you needed.

For the most part they do sell garbage.

But it was pointless buying half my filters at several different places, Garbage or not.

So wix it is.

Although they discontinued the 551159/51159.

And that's a very important filter for my fleet. And seems no alternatives available.

 

[Bob69]

So maybe a better question might have been to LIST oil filters by performance

I did make a list of criteria I was looking for but IMHO the answer appears to be, from my hours of reading before
asking the question and the current responses, is that there is no answer as everyone has their own opinion, own experience, own preference, own data, etc, etc, etc.

IMHO at least part of the reason for (no one including me) not being able to clearly say which are the best filters is because
much of that data is not released by the manufacturers, on purpose, to confuse buyers ie: they sell their filters based on marketing slogans, nicely designed boxes, etc, etc.

As mentioned in my original post I've been using the Purolator BOSS since it came out, specifically the PBL30001 but that filter
part number appears to be disappearing from the shelves which is why I was looking for a new filter to go to. I do regular engine oil analysis (EOAs) and have gotten good results with that specific BOSS filter.

FWIW I recall talking to a real tech at Purolator years ago (hard to get to those guys these days) and that tech told me that the Boss filtered 99% at 30 microns and the Purolator ONE filtered 99% down to 20 microns.

But all of that IIRC was before Mann Hummel bought Purolator, so IDK what the filter efficiency is now but I kinda doubt it's as high as 46 microns.

 

[ZeeOSix]

But all of that IIRC was before Mann Hummel bought Purolator, so IDK what the filter efficiency is now but I kinda doubt it's as high as 46 microns.

M+H says their spec sheets are accurate, and that's why the Boss efficiency has been updated to 99% >46u on the Purolator website to match the spec sheet on the PBL30001. I've seen many Boss spec sheets, and all are shown as 99% >46u. Ascent's ISO test showed the BOSS PBL22500 was 97% @30u, but that was about 4 years ago.

 

[Glenda W.]

On 1/8/25 I had a lengthy conversation with Angela at Purolator. The spec sheets are 100% correct and automatically updated when production changes occur. This was the last spec sheet I requested before the lockdown.