Not many Supertech filters at Walmart

[Donald]

I went into my local Walmart for a Supertech filter and the shelf space for all of the Supertech filters seems to be pretty small and the selection was low. They did have the one I needed. The shelf space for Fram seemed to be larger than I remember. Has anyone noticed this at other Walmarts? (Kingston NY).

 

[Racerjk]

I haven't paid any attention,but if that's true I'm going to stock up! I bought two the last time I bought, and my Dad gave ne a filter also. It's been awhile since I had to buy one,so I don't know about our local Wally-World.

 

[JTK]

It's always been that way in the Buffalo area Wallys. A single, low mounted shelf, maybe 4-6ft in width houses all the ST oil filters. The few times a year I go there, I'll grab a few if they fit any of my oil change applications.

Joel

 

[MrCritical]

You'll never see a F!*M oil filter on my vehicle, or lawn mower.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: MrCritical
You'll never see a F!*M oil filter on my vehicle, or lawn mower.


I am not saying they are the best oil filters, but at $2.92 they are probably the best value.

 

[chief]

We have a new Wal Mart Supercenter that only about 6 months old. It only has a few ST filter. They have a train load of Frams. They also have a lean selection of oil and ATF.

 

[MrCritical]

I know of 2 instances personally where Fram filters split and destroyed $30k racing engines. The word is out in the racing industry, I don't know of anyone who will take a chance with them.

 

[glennc]

I bought a Fram recently for the first time in years because I wanted a throw-away filter for a solvent flush. It was very annoying to use. It threaded on poorly (cheaply cut threads or imperfect match?), then it would not accept the filter wrench that works with every other filter I've bought for the car: different flats. Since I couldn't tighten it enough it leaked, and then when I went to remove it with a strap wrench it was still tight enough that its shell collapsed immediately under the strap's pressure.

I'm sure Fram makes some decent filters these days but I have a heavy bias against using them due to the atrocious product standards they maintained for years (compounded by utterly hypocritical advertising) and are apparently still maintaining on their standard grade.

 

[CharBaby]

I've noticed too that the Wal*Mart stores in my ares are carying the SuperTech oil filters less and less and FRAM more and more! I've also noticed that Wal*Mart is getting rid of many products that aren't selling well,(I assume!). I find that many of the products that I have always loved and used such as personal care products, toiletries, medications, car care, home and garden etc. are no longer on the shelves. I've used these products because they worked well and were a great bargin. And it seems that all of the products that I just happened to like and use are now gone. They must not sell well or their profit is not high enough. I have also noticed that some of the products that I used from Wal*Mart, I can find elsewhere although not a the Wal*Mart price and other products just aren't being manufactured any longer because I can't fine them anywhere and I use to seem some of these products just about everywhere. Sad Day!...Sad Day!

 

[Donald]

Its also interesting to note that the box for the Supertech says something like "traps 2X as much dirt as the leading filter". The leading filter I assume is a Fram, which is a few feet away on the shelf.

 

[TexasHonda]

I doubt there is any danger of Walmart discontinuing. The Supertech filters have never had a lot shelf space, but I would agree they have reduced that lately.

Walmart is doing what a good marketer should. They have divided shelf space based on sales and perhaps shelf fees (seller pays Walmart for shelf space). Fram advertises heavily, offers discount programs, and many people think they are a quality product. As long as there are buyers, I think you'll see the Supertech brand on Walmart shelves.

regards

 

[Donald]

So what other filter to use for AutoRx clean & rinse phases? Even if Walmart carries Supertech, they do not carry many part numbers, thus a good chance they will not have the one you need. Since a Fram is out of the question, the next on my list might be a NAPA or Bosch or a Purolator.

 

[TurboJim]

If you are near an AutoZone the STP line is equal to or maybe one step above the Super Tech filters. The ones I would use normally range in price from $3.29 to $4.19.

 

[ThirdeYe]

There's also the ProLine filters that you can get at Pep Boys for under $3, if I remember right. They're just a Purolator Premium Plus with a different name on it. Also, depending on your application Napa also sells the Proselect filters for $3-4 (more for some filters though). And if you can find them, the Advance Auto grip filters are good too, but I hear they're not carrying them anymore. And like Turbo said, there's the STP filters too. I used one on my old Altima before, they seemed like good, well-built filters to me. There's also Valvoline filters that you could get for cheap, but I don't know of any retailers that sell them.

 

[paulo57509]

Originally Posted By: TurboJim
If you are near an AutoZone the STP line is equal to or maybe one step above the Super Tech filters.....


I would disagree with this statement, at least for my application ('87 Acura Legend). When I opened the STP box and looked at the filter within, I laughed out loud. It looked 10x worse than any filter I had ever seen, and this includes Fram. I bought the STP for photo comparison purposes.

L to R: STP, NAPA, Fram

Might be a different story with spin-on filters, but based on the photos above, I avoid STP.

I have no problems with installing ST filters in all my vehicles. I'd use an ST in the Legend if they made one for it. As it is, I use Fram.

Oh yeah, I did eventually install the STP filter when my stash of Frams went to zero.

 

[Racerjk]

I almost died when I saw a Fram racing filter on my cousin's dirt modified! I have no idea why they're using one because they never have in the past.

 

[Mr Nice]

I think Walmart is trying to get rid of the slower selling Supertech oil filters as I seen a few on clearance.

For the same price of a Supertech, I just buy an oversized Proline/Purolator oil filter.

 

[MGregoir]

Wal-Mart does not charge shelf fees. Instead, they want to stock the most popular products (the ones they can move the most of) and buy in a big enough volume that they can exert pricing pressure on the operations selling to them to get a better deal.

Say you make a great new motor oil, you pitch it to Wal-Mart and you are advertising like crazy. If the demand is there and Wal-Mart feels like they could make money selling it, they will buy your product. However, you have to deliver on time all the time, you have to meet their logistics standards, if you do not change your product be expected to reduce your wholesale cost on it 5% annually, and they may make other requests.

For example, if you sell to everyone else in gallon jugs and the retail price is $16.99, Wal-Mart may want you to produce the same product in five quart jugs and they feel that if they buy enough volume, you can sell them the five quart jugs for the same price everyone else buys gallons, and they will sell those five quart jugs for the same $16.99 everyone else is selling gallons for.

They didn't get big by being stupid. As evil as Wal-Mart is accused of being, if you hold up your end of the deal the cheques are always on time and they will hold up their end of the deal.

 

[another Todd]

A year or two ago my local Walmart remodeled it's interior. At that time they really messed up the automotive section. Oil selections were cut about in half, used to have two aisles of oil, now, less than 1 full aisle and prices increased at that time, ST filter selections were slashed to about 10 different filters now. Fram filter space did increase somewhat, but their filter selection is still low. Additives are now 4 or 5 aisles away from oil, Automotive battery stock cut in half, although they still seem to have the same numbers, just less of them. We definintly lost selection in all auto catagories.

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
I think Walmart is trying to get rid of the slower selling Supertech oil filters as I seen a few on clearance.

For the same price of a Supertech, I just buy an oversized Proline/Purolator oil filter.
The Supertech filters seem really nice for the $$$, way nicer than the orange Fram.