I'm about due for an oil change on my motorhome. It's a 2024 Class C on a Ford E450 Super Duty chassis running the 7.3l "Godzilla" engine. I changed the oil and filter as soon as I bought it with around 1600 miles on it. I changed oil and filter again at 6000 miles with Valvoline Advanced and a Fram Synthetic Endurance filter. I plan on doing a 5000 mile interval for oil/filter changes as the vehicle does sit for a couple months at a time. I thought I was doing the right thing by using the Fram Synthetic Endurance because of the filtering capability, but after reading all the issues with the ripples on the leaf spring plate I'm rethinking everything. I read a number of posts about the Microgard Select filter being a quality filter - I have an O'Reilly's a couple miles away so they're easy to get - but I've also used Mobil 1 filters in the past on my other vehicles and had good luck with them. I've also used Wix XP but have heard nothing good about them recently so they're out. I've read on here about another company building the M1 filters and it sounds like they've improved over the previous manufacturer. To complicate matters when I go on M1's website to search for the correct filter for the E450/7.3 they don't list one. I can cross reference from the Fram and Motorcraft numbers and it comes back as the M1-210A for the cross, but I wasn't sure if there's some reason why Mobil won't list this filter for the E450/7.3. Anyway, I'm leaning towards the Microgard Select as it sounds good on paper and from what I've read here people are very happy with it...right now. I'm looking for a good filter for what amounts to heavy duty use - the motorhome is 32' long and I tow a Jeep Wrangler behind it - but I wasn't sure if the Microgard Select would work for the heavier use conditions. Looking for some guidance from any of you towing or with a motorhome for filter choices. Thanks
Microgard Extended or M1 Extended Performance
- Thread starter SkipCam
- Start date
BrendanC
$100 site donor 2024
even cheaper is the carquest premium (same filter, different paint job).
Thread 'Carquest Premium 85372 C&P'
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/carquest-premium-85372-c-p.397632/
Thread 'Carquest Premium 85372 C&P'
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/carquest-premium-85372-c-p.397632/
Fram FF2 or PH2 as a safe alternative to Asian filters.
Just don't run a Japanese filter on a Godzilla !
Just don't run a Japanese filter on a Godzilla !
BrendanC
$100 site donor 2024
nothing wrong with the “asian” filters. more issues on domestic filters currently.
NO kidding.
I just don't want to buy foreign stuff we should be able to make. I hope the domestic MFGs are watching this site and the multitude of YT videos. But I bet they just don't care on a $2-$3 (at cost) commodity Item.
The basic Fram have been O.K. have they not? And I shout to the clouds - why are most filter not cartridge loaders by now?
It's a solid choice, and price isn't bad comparatively these days. Many here have gone to this filter, or the Carquest Premium, or other PGI variants.
Tokyo might get destroyed !
Stopped by Walmart today and picked up my oil. While I was there I took a look at the Fram Endurance filters they had, in particular the FE2 which fits the Ford 7.3. I see what everyone is talking about with the slits punched into the center core. I then stopped at OReilly’s and took a look at the Microgard for my engine. Pleasantly surprised to see they took the extra effort of adding a plastic seal to keep dirt and debris out until you ready to install. I also took a close look at the center core, no thin punched slits, rather, it had a lot of nice good sized round openings. The filter seemed to feel a bit heavier too. Anyway, with my $10 OReilly Rewards coupon I got the Microgard filter for $1.99. Installing tomorrow. Thanks for all the info and advice.
It also uses a big steel coil spring to hold the guts tight and the bypass valve is built into the end cap. So that means no leaf spring to end cap seal that could be ruffled to cause dirty oil to leak past the media. Another bonus on design configuration.
These help with filtration. 
Ya never know what’s in store
“Life’s like a box of chocolates, ya never know what you’re gonna get”
Holes or E-Core for me.Ya never know what’s in store
“Life’s like a box of chocolates, ya never know what you’re gonna get”
View attachment 292965
But he didn't do an actual dP vs flow analysis. If he did, he would have seen the difference was hair splitting and makes no difference to a PD oil pump - the engine will get the same oil flow in both cases. And lots of people don't really understand PD oil pumps or how an oiling system in an engine actually works. Too may people judge filter aspect like the size and number of holes by just "looks", and have no idea how to actually analyze what it does to fluid flow.Ya never know what’s in store
“Life’s like a box of chocolates, ya never know what you’re gonna get”
Ya never know what’s in store
“Life’s like a box of chocolates, ya never know what you’re gonna get”
View attachment 292965
What filter is that? Appears to be missing a few holes compared to these below.
Looks like an old Motorcraft by date code. Still plenty of holes in that example.
Here's how it should be analyzed. This is for a Fram center tube, the ones that look like it has a bunch of small holes. Most people would look at a center tube like that and think "it's way too flow restrictive". Fluid flow analysis says otherwise. Even with pretty thick oil (500 cSt) there is only about 0.20 PSI at 10 GPM. Fluid flow is very deceiving to most people, and it must be analyzed to see what's really going to happen.
It had 77 holes that were each 0.125 inch diameter, for a total area of 0.945 sq-in. The area of the holes was 10.7% of the total surface area of the center tube. And there is no question if it's going to flow, because you can't "choke down" holes to a mere slit like with louvers.
It had 77 holes that were each 0.125 inch diameter, for a total area of 0.945 sq-in. The area of the holes was 10.7% of the total surface area of the center tube. And there is no question if it's going to flow, because you can't "choke down" holes to a mere slit like with louvers.
That "AI robot" doesn't understand that the media in an oil filter is the biggest contributor to the dP - not the base plate and not the center tube - unless it has pretty choked down louvers. Nor does it understand that the bypass valve is there to ensure adequate oil flow to the engine if the oil is super thick or the filter is clogged and the dP gets above the bypass valve setting. Millions of oil filters are going into bypass in very cold climates at start-up. A typical oil filter is 15 times more flow restrictive than a typical engine oiling system.
