quote:
Originally posted by Kernel Potter:
The Walmart Super TECH filters do indeed say 99% multi-pass efficiency on the box. My guess is if someone calls Champion labs and asks what's different between their ~$12 filters(Mobil1), ~$6 filters(Bosche) or $2 filters at Walmart, the people calling are going to want a good explanation to justify those costs.
At the same time, when someone shopping at the store grabs a filter to look at off the shelf, that manufacturer wants the filter to go out with the customer and not back on the shelf.
So... like typical marketing Bullcrap, what's the truth with Champion filters ??? This sort of crap really gets to me and is one of the great things the internet with its info and great people on the message boards has really been a true asset.
There's a lot of consideration given to market segment preferences involved in product design and marketing. According to Champion the M1 is technically their very best made filter having a thick shell, more synthetic media (synthetic has better filtering & less flow resistance) that delivers a high efficiency filtering rating for smaller particles, down to 10 microns. It was designed for and marketed to those who want/seek the very best - whether it be for an objective need (special applications or longer and/or more strenuous use), or for those having slightly more subjective preferences whose maxim is to buy/use the top-of-the-line. On the other hand, Champion-made Super Tech & STP filters claim high efficiency too (and have a paper/synthetic blend media), but their boxes don't specify at what particulate size. In this case, according to their tech support reps, they are efficient at 20+ microns. Is that a bad filtering level? I've heard that many OEM filters use primarily paper media (little or no synthetic) and are rated at 20+ microns. (Champion rep said many standard OEM filters don't kick in until 22 microns. Marketing hype or fact?) So, the differences between the M1 and ST/STP (and other manufactured brands) are relative, as is price at $10.00+ vs. $2-3.00. Gotta ask yourself, how often do I change my oil and filter, how hard do I regularly drive my car, etc.?? Oh, BTW, the Champion-made Bosch is positioned between the M1 & ST/STP in cost and filtering specification. Most other Champion made branded filters are supposedly equivalent to the ST/STPs.
Do you or I
need a filter capable of 10, 15, or 20+ micron level filtration, canister construction that withstands greater than the 200 psi burst standard, neoprene vs. silicone anti-drainback valves, name brand labeling, yadda-yadda-yadda?
The purchase decision comes down to individual cost/value ratio perceptions, and *need* --with varying degrees of objectivity interspersed. Some folks express concern about some filter brands having too thin of a shell, even though certified to meet the 200 psi standard. How frequently have you heard of any brand filter bursting or falling apart in a daily driver application? (And in those rare instances, might there be causative factors vs. filter defect?) But hey, for some folks that point is important & therefore it is a legitimate purchase factor.
It's intriguing to have read on this informative board that the oil filter nuances that some of us obsess over are not a big deal in most instances; Theoretically differences between spin on filters might not make a real-world difference for a reasonably maintained engine's longevity.
And now my closing, yet applicable, cliche:
One person's junk is another's treasure.
[ September 14, 2002, 01:44 AM: Message edited by: KCDoug ]
