I decided to make a post about a stash of filters that I have for my Mazda 3 to do a comparison. I have used a variety of filters on the car. Some are clearly made better than others. Some get twisted (which probably isn't really a problem). My go to filter has always been the Wix 57203. It have considered it the best bang for the buck (currently $4.42 on RockAuto). I recently decided to purchase 10 Champ P960 filters from RockAuto with another order I made since they were closing them out at $1.39 per filter. I ended up getting half USA made Champs, and half Korean. Here is a pic of my current inventory: 
Notice the two different Fram and Champ filters. The Fram and Champ near the center are identical filters, both made in the USA. The Fram and Champ on the far right are very similar builds, but the Fram is built in the USA, where the Champ is made in Korea.
The Fram Ultra and Wix XP both look very durable. Both have mesh backing (Fram is metallic, and Wix is plastic). i will plan on running them for two oil changes (I do 6M oil changes), so they will be run for a full year.
Next some close ups of the standard Wix, and identical Fram/Champ. The plastic end caps on the Fram/Champ are very similar to end caps I have seen on Motorcraft/Purolator filers for these cars, and also very similar to a Mobil 1 filter I used in the past. The Motorcraft/Purolator filter used felt on the end as a seal instead of the rubber shown on these filters. The nice even tight pleats, and rubber seal, have always made the Wix my preferred filter.
Next are some close ups of the other Fram and Champ:
Both seem like nice filters. I have seen a previously run Fram filter of these design twist when removed though. One thing I noticed with the Champ, is that the pleats are so tight that it may restrict the flow since the pleats are jammed together on the inside of the filter. Here is a closer look (no light visible through filter):
Now, compare that to the Wix (which has more pleats, but tighter folds). See the light?:
I will happily use any of these filters. For $1.39/filter, the Champs were a steal.
Notice the two different Fram and Champ filters. The Fram and Champ near the center are identical filters, both made in the USA. The Fram and Champ on the far right are very similar builds, but the Fram is built in the USA, where the Champ is made in Korea.
The Fram Ultra and Wix XP both look very durable. Both have mesh backing (Fram is metallic, and Wix is plastic). i will plan on running them for two oil changes (I do 6M oil changes), so they will be run for a full year.
Next some close ups of the standard Wix, and identical Fram/Champ. The plastic end caps on the Fram/Champ are very similar to end caps I have seen on Motorcraft/Purolator filers for these cars, and also very similar to a Mobil 1 filter I used in the past. The Motorcraft/Purolator filter used felt on the end as a seal instead of the rubber shown on these filters. The nice even tight pleats, and rubber seal, have always made the Wix my preferred filter.
Next are some close ups of the other Fram and Champ:
Both seem like nice filters. I have seen a previously run Fram filter of these design twist when removed though. One thing I noticed with the Champ, is that the pleats are so tight that it may restrict the flow since the pleats are jammed together on the inside of the filter. Here is a closer look (no light visible through filter):
Now, compare that to the Wix (which has more pleats, but tighter folds). See the light?:
I will happily use any of these filters. For $1.39/filter, the Champs were a steal.
