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They appear to be very well constructed, indeed. But, I have a question. My application calls for AC Delco PF44, but these are no longer made, and are replaced by the PF46, so when I looked at a PF 46, Bosch, Fram (which I wasn't going to buy, but just using it for comparison...)Mobil 1, STP, and whatever the AutoZone Brand is; the BOSCH, FRAM, and I think, the Mobil 1 were all the same length as the AC, but STP and AutoZone were about 1/4-inch short. I went with the Bosch for whatever reason. At WalMart the other day, I checked the ST against the Fram, and the ST also came up 1/4-inch short. Why is there this differece? Could it be that the smaller ones are based on the PF44? I bought this car used, and am yet to change oil and filter myself (it's already been done twice in about 12 months by service center), so I'm anxious to finally start doing this stuff myself again. So are other filters for this application (Wix, NAPA, Puro, etc) shorter than the AC? Does it matter?
 
The ones that are 0.25 inch short are probably the E-core filters. Look inside if you see a black cage rather than a steel tube then they are the ecore.

I personally like the ecores. It allows for a lot more oil flow, less waste, and according to the manufacturer they are stronger. But lots will disagree with me.
 
thanks dommiel74! i'll take note of this and the next time i'm looking at filters, I'll be sure to do this.

i did look inside the hole previously, don't remember what they looked like, and even if i did, i still wouldn't know what I was looking at, but now, I do know what to look for.

Hey, we all have our opinions on things, that's just a part of life. The only why I'll know which filter works best for me and to my liking within my budget is to try the ones I can find that fit my application.
 
Just a comment on the NAPA store. I've also noticed at my local NAPA that if you just ask for a filter, you get the Gold line filter. Probably their policy to make some extra money.
 
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Just a comment on the NAPA store. I've also noticed at my local NAPA that if you just ask for a filter, you get the Gold line filter. Probably their policy to make some extra money.




How would you suggest they do it, by starting to rattle off the names of the filter models and prices?

Honestly, I don't see why they even carry the middle-grade "NASCAR" filter. Seems like a worthless point to me. I see two types of customer, one that is price conscious (ProSelect), or one that isn't (Gold).
 
There are four types of NAPA Gold purchasers

1) willing to pay more purchaser (area stores)
2) desires quality purchaser
3) extended OCI purchaser
4) desire quiet start-up purchaser

I joined the Must Have Silicon ADBV Club. I keep my vehicles from birth to old age death. If I were a leasee or sold my vehicles prematurely, I would run the cheaper oils and filters.
 
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There are four types of NAPA Gold purchasers

1) willing to pay more purchaser (area stores)
2) desires quality purchaser
3) extended OCI purchaser
4) desire quiet start-up purchaser

I joined the Must Have Silicon ADBV Club. I keep my vehicles from birth to old age death. If I were a leasee or sold my vehicles prematurely, I would run the cheaper oils and filters.




OK... so my example was possibly a bit over simplfied. However, a reasonable person wouldn't equate an extended OCI filter with the $2.69 ProSelect. Of course, they'd opt for the Gold unit.

"Desires Quality Purchaser". After cutting open the ProSelect, I still would consider it to be a "quality" unit. It has a lot more quality to it than units that cost more.

$2.69 for a Wix built filter that has the NAPA name on it is a tough act to follow.
 
You can call the Champion Labs tech line and they will if press give you the pecking order for filters that they make for others like the STP. All these Champion filters are made to different specs. I called because I was looking for a cross reference for an odd application and we picked the STP based on advice from the tech line.
 
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...but STP and AutoZone were about 1/4-inch short. I went with the Bosch for whatever reason. At WalMart the other day, I checked the ST against the Fram, and the ST also came up 1/4-inch short. Why is there this differece?




My Frontier can use the Purolator 14612 or the taller 14610. I noticed when looking at STP filters that they didn't offer 2 equivalent filters, just one that is sort of in between. A limited selection of part numbers could be the reason why that filter is shorter.
 
The_Champ isn't a Champion Labs rep.
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If you have a "mainstream" vehicle, normally in stock, though might be behind the counter. Everything else is available within a day. When I buy, I always buy 3 each as I have some unusual vehicles, and do not wish to wait. Lately, I have fallen in love with fleetfilters.com who sell Wix/Napa Golds at Walmart prices, and I still buy in quantity, this time to save on shipping.
cheers!

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Sort of off-topic, but do you know if all (or most) Napa locations carry the ProSelects? Last time I went there and simply asked for 2 oil filters, they gave me the gold without asking what I wanted (which was okay) but for my mom's car, I think I'd rather use those than the SuperTech's as well (any excuse not to go to Wal-Mart is a good one!)


 
Yeah, they ended up having them since it's a common car (2003 Malibu), they also had a ProSelect air filter for her car which I also bought, but it looked kind of dirty for some reason, even though it was just manufactured in August. It had a splotch of some kind of black crud on one side of the paper. Weird.
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Oh well, the price was right. Got the air filter for $8.99 and the oil filter for $2.69
smile.gif
 
mrsilv04---one question to revive this thread. Have you ever cut open any Motorcraft filters, like the FL400S available at Wallyworld for $3.28? How do you think that would compare to the Napa ProSelect you cut open in terms of quality? If equivalent quality, I guess I could get the ProSelect if it was less than the price of the MC.

Thanks,
 
In terms of quality they should be almost identical since they are both made by high quality companies, Wix and Purolator respectively. I like the MC filters because you can get them cheap with the correct bypass valve and silicone adbv for your car for plenty cheap almost everywhere.
 
I have used the STP filters from back in the Richard Petty days, and I have never had a problem with their product. In my opinion STP makes a good product at a good price.
 
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