Originally Posted By: dnewton3
There is no such thing as a "motorcycle" oil filter or a "car" oil filter; they just aren't that "specific".
To answer the OP's question directly: there is no difference between car and motorcycle fitlers. Oil filters are oil filters, period. There are different brands and grades and types of construction. But there is no designation for M/C vs. a car.
Filters are designed around specific parameters that the engine manufacturer dictates for a desired result in filtration efficiency, flow, pressure differential, construction demands and size requirements.
"Motorcycle" filters often seem "special" because they are viewed as a replacment part to a luxury item. After all, no one NEEDS a motorcycle, but several of us (including me) have one. It's the perception of the market that we're willing to pay more for a high-end product to protect our baby, but the reality is that spec's are spec's, and as long as a filter meets those specs, then it's available for any given application. If there is anything special about a motorcycle oil filter at a motorcycle shop, it's the price, in that they can often successfully charge their customers more money for a filter that you can get a Napa or AAP for a lot less.
Let me give you a very good example. Go to
http://www.wixfilters.com and search for their 51348 filter, and look at the "all applications" link. You'll see that it goes on everything from lawn mowers with air-cooled Koehler engines, to small diesel engines, to Harley-Davidson motorcycles, to Chrysler inline four and V-6 gas engines, to Toyota V-6 and V-8 engines up to 4.7L.
Another example is Wix 51365. It fits all kinds of motorcycles, both air and liquid cooled. But it also fits Infiniti car engines, John Deere tractors with both gas and diesel engines, Komatsu excavators with diesel engines, and a large smattering of Mitsubishi, Mazda, Nissan and Subaru applications.
How about your CBR600F4 oil filter? Wix specifically states to use #51358, which fits a huge list of Honda and Kawasaki applications. It's used on Kia cars and Polaris ATV's. It also is used on a large list of Komatsu construction equipment, and many Kubota products, with both gasoline and diesel engines. Your CBR probably has a redline of greater than 10,000 rpm, and yet this same filter is also used on a diesel engine that runs only 2500 rpm. In fact, the specs for this filter are pretty mundane. Typical flow and pressure ranges. In fact, it's BETA ratio is less than stellar; 2/20 at 13/52? Not exactly a super-fine filter by any definition. And yet this little filter is on hundreds of thousands of engines around the world. And all those engines run for the equivilant of millions of miles.
Interestingly, if you cross reference the Purolator L14610 into Wix, you don't get the 51358 that is suggested for your application by Wix. The x-ref for the L14610 is 51356, which fits (again) a huge list of equipment, including marine engines! It just goes to show you that filter makers take the criteria (specs) of an OEM filter, and then apply one or more suggestions for that application. It shows that interpretations are sometimes different. Different is not wrong! It's just not the same. That's an important concept to understand. Further, since engine OEMs don't typically make their own filters, they just find a filter that meets their particular needs in a catalog (such as from Wix, Purolator, Champion, etc), and then spec that into the BOM (bill of materials) for the engine production plans.
Start to get the point? Filters are not typically designed "only" for a motorcycle. Companies such as Wix and Purolator look for applications that they can meet with a broad product line and then recomend one or more of their offerings to meet a particular flow, construction, filtration and size packaging requirement.
I disagree. Just because they will fit your MC doesn't mean they have the correct filtration level and bypass pressure. You can toast a Harley engine with a filter that is too restrictive because they are a dry sump engine design with a low presure high volume oil system. Ask anyone with an EVO motor that has put a 5 micron filter on one only to starve the valvetrain of oil. As for the TC88/96 series those engines use the same type of high volume low pressure oiling (gerotor pump) system but cool the pistons with internal oil jets. Not enough filtration (5 micron multi-pass spec) and you can clogg those jets and develop overheating. The Wix filter that firs the Harley TC engine has a 19 micron rating with paper media. The HD filter has a 5 micron rating with synthetic media. You save $5 with the wix but open yourself to serious potential problems. Also, if your oil filter doesn't go into bypass and allow the proper volume of oil when necessary you are going to generate huge wear on engine internals. Very critical on the EVO carbed engines as the idle rpm is usually lower than the EFI TC88/96 that has the idle set electronically at 950+ to keep pushing oil.