I now have a small collection of oil filters that fit my truck so I thought I would do a quick comparison. These filters are for my 2011 Silverado 4.8l V8 but they also fit many newer GM engines as well. It doesn’t seem to be a very popular filter yet but is gaining as new the newer GM engines hit the market. I feel these are 3 pretty common choices in filters so hopefully other BITOGers might get something out of this, otherwise I guess it is just a waist of my time… LOL
Anyways, on to the filters. You should be able to see what these are from the pics but if you can’t, from left to right the AC Delco PF-48 ($3.69 at wal-mart), the Purolator classic 12222 (3.99 at advance auto) and the Napa gold 7060 ($5.99 at Napa but also available as the WIX 57060).
First up, we look at the inlet holes, ADBV and bypass valve set up on the filters. The Delco has 6 large inlet holes, a pretty rough textured nitrile ADBV and a very cheap looking bypass valve set up. The bypass valve spring hold downs appear to be nothing but pieces of very thin sheet metal bent around the top of the spring and spot welded on the bottom of the can to hold them in place. Very flimsy and weak looking for sure, the spring even looks cocked off center.
The Purolator classic has 8 medium sized oval shaped holes, a pretty nice looking nitrile ADBV and a decent looking bypass set up. The bypass spring hold down on this one looks like one big piece of sheet metal wrapped over the spring and spot welded to the bottom of the can. Better than the Delco but again, the spring looks cocked off center.
The Napa gold has 8 medium round holes, a very nice silicone (note the orange color) ADBV and a nice bypass valve set up. The bypass spring hold down on this one looks like a much thicker, machine shaped piece that fits the spring tightly all the way around and is holding it nice and straight. It even has a pretty big hole in the top of it, I’m guess to help with oil flow.
Next we take a look at the center tubes and flow holes inside the filters. The Delco has many small holes that are pretty close together and a straight walled tube that looks pretty thin.
The Purolator has fewer medium holes that are kind of unevenly spaced. The center tube looks thick and strong and is of the “spiral” design.
The Napa gold has many large inlet holes that are evenly spaced in a nice pattern. The center tube looks thick and strong and is of the ”spiral” design but seems to be a tighter spiral than the Purolator.
So here are my overall impressions of these filters after this little comparison. The AC Delco filter had the cheapest looking components and construction. I really did not like the bypass valve spring hold downs and the thin looking center tube. All that being said, still not a bad filter and it should be smart to keep one of these on hand while my truck is still under warranty.
The Purolator was very impressive considering it only cost me 30 cents more than the AC Delco. I don’t have any complaints about this one other than maybe the inlet holes on the center tube. I don’t really understand why they just wouldn’t punch a few more holes and make them evenly spaced. If this filter media is as dense at some say it is, I could see why some people call these filters “restrictive”. I’m not really sure I would call it “restrictive” but larger inlet holes on the top of the filter and inside the center tube wouldn’t hurt. Anyways, A very good filter, especially for the low price.
The Napa gold appears to beat the other 2 filters in all areas. I really liked the center tube design and bypass valve set up. It looks like the filter would flow the oil very well and be very strong to hold up to hard driving conditions. I did my first oil change on my truck using this filter and I am glad I did. I am trying not to be biased here but I think the extra 2 dollars I paid for this filter are well worth it.
So there it is, my first attempt at doing a helpful comparison without cutting the filters. I would really like to get a Pureone and add it to this. Maybe I will cut these open after my OCI and see if I can’t draw more conclusions. I hope some of you find this helpful and I welcome your comments. Just take it easy on me, I am still a BITOG newby. Take care!
Anyways, on to the filters. You should be able to see what these are from the pics but if you can’t, from left to right the AC Delco PF-48 ($3.69 at wal-mart), the Purolator classic 12222 (3.99 at advance auto) and the Napa gold 7060 ($5.99 at Napa but also available as the WIX 57060).
First up, we look at the inlet holes, ADBV and bypass valve set up on the filters. The Delco has 6 large inlet holes, a pretty rough textured nitrile ADBV and a very cheap looking bypass valve set up. The bypass valve spring hold downs appear to be nothing but pieces of very thin sheet metal bent around the top of the spring and spot welded on the bottom of the can to hold them in place. Very flimsy and weak looking for sure, the spring even looks cocked off center.
The Purolator classic has 8 medium sized oval shaped holes, a pretty nice looking nitrile ADBV and a decent looking bypass set up. The bypass spring hold down on this one looks like one big piece of sheet metal wrapped over the spring and spot welded to the bottom of the can. Better than the Delco but again, the spring looks cocked off center.
The Napa gold has 8 medium round holes, a very nice silicone (note the orange color) ADBV and a nice bypass valve set up. The bypass spring hold down on this one looks like a much thicker, machine shaped piece that fits the spring tightly all the way around and is holding it nice and straight. It even has a pretty big hole in the top of it, I’m guess to help with oil flow.
Next we take a look at the center tubes and flow holes inside the filters. The Delco has many small holes that are pretty close together and a straight walled tube that looks pretty thin.
The Purolator has fewer medium holes that are kind of unevenly spaced. The center tube looks thick and strong and is of the “spiral” design.
The Napa gold has many large inlet holes that are evenly spaced in a nice pattern. The center tube looks thick and strong and is of the ”spiral” design but seems to be a tighter spiral than the Purolator.
So here are my overall impressions of these filters after this little comparison. The AC Delco filter had the cheapest looking components and construction. I really did not like the bypass valve spring hold downs and the thin looking center tube. All that being said, still not a bad filter and it should be smart to keep one of these on hand while my truck is still under warranty.
The Purolator was very impressive considering it only cost me 30 cents more than the AC Delco. I don’t have any complaints about this one other than maybe the inlet holes on the center tube. I don’t really understand why they just wouldn’t punch a few more holes and make them evenly spaced. If this filter media is as dense at some say it is, I could see why some people call these filters “restrictive”. I’m not really sure I would call it “restrictive” but larger inlet holes on the top of the filter and inside the center tube wouldn’t hurt. Anyways, A very good filter, especially for the low price.
The Napa gold appears to beat the other 2 filters in all areas. I really liked the center tube design and bypass valve set up. It looks like the filter would flow the oil very well and be very strong to hold up to hard driving conditions. I did my first oil change on my truck using this filter and I am glad I did. I am trying not to be biased here but I think the extra 2 dollars I paid for this filter are well worth it.
So there it is, my first attempt at doing a helpful comparison without cutting the filters. I would really like to get a Pureone and add it to this. Maybe I will cut these open after my OCI and see if I can’t draw more conclusions. I hope some of you find this helpful and I welcome your comments. Just take it easy on me, I am still a BITOG newby. Take care!
