Oil filter for the common man

[Nola_mike]

Thanks for all the help. Tough part about this site is that all the "cut open my filter" posts are tough to sort through and compare. Looks like the fram is still a solid choice. Online at WM $8.40 for the XG2 and $5.94 for the TG2. $8.40 and every other change seems like a great deal. Would that be better than using an UG at every change? Or am I overthinking something that 99% of the population doesn't give a first thought about?

 

[goodtimes]

An extra $2.45 is worth it for the Ultra, even if changed every time IMO. It doesn't seem like such a fortune. It's not like a daily coffee at Starbucks, doesn't add up to much. Most people today use an oil change shop and drive without any knowledge what the shop used. Most people don't want to know, and don't care. Most people here are DIYers.

 

[AuthorEditor]

Quote:
Most people today use an oil change shop and drive without any knowledge what the shop used. Most people don't want to know, and don't care.

And, it probably doesn't matter for "most people." An independent shop I go to regularly seems to purchase whatever he can get cheap in filters--totally unrecognizable brand names and changing all the time. I too purchase better quality filters, though I have this nagging suspicion I am wasting my money. I have never seen any scientific evidence that one filter is better than another in real-world use. Didn't Bob run an engine forever with no oil filter? The old air-cooled VWs ran with no oil filters. I have run 4-stroke outboards for thousands of hours sporting no oil filter to speak of (a little window screen thingy that gets cleaned once in awhile) and no air filter at all. Oil comes out looking about as good as from my car running quality filters. Outboards get run at full throttle a lot too.