I recently send a list of questions to Travis Winberg, of Baldwin's Service Engineering group. His answers are interesting----
1) Many folks I know feel that their OE oil filter is too small.
a) Why are filters so small these days?
b) I know that you'll always answer, "follow the car maker's recommendations," but are these filter really big enough for better than merely adequate protection?
c) Is it proper to substitute an oil filter by just matching the gasket & thread size, bypass setting, antidrainback valve presence, and physical ability to fit in order to get a larger filter?
I understand your concerns regarding the size of some filters. It is sad to say, but the cost of materials and manufacturing is the reason some filters are so small. however, there are some applications that require a small filter.
Oil filters should not be compared solely by thread size and valving. The media of the filter is a very important characteristic that affects the performance of the filter.
2) What do you need to know from an engine maker to design a filter for an engine?
Engine manufactures generally do not provide much assistance to after-market filter manufacturers to build replacement filters. Therefore, we develop our products by thoroughly analyzing the OEM product and designing our filter to meet or exceed the performance of the OEM filter. The product are often further evaluated through field testing before they are released.
3) Why do some filter makers (Baldwin and others) have so many filters in their line for the usual engines, and other filter makers fit those same engines with so few filter models?
Baldwin's guarantee is to meet the performance requirements of the OEM. Therefore, we do not substitute a filter with an 8 psi by-pass valve for an application using a 20 psi by-pass valve. That is why Baldwin may have several filters compared to a company that makes those compromises.
4) a) Is an oil filter often in bypass during normal or high speed engine operation? Or is the flow through the filter media sufficient for full filtration in all cases except very cold oil?
b) Do you have any figures on the percentage of time the oil is not bypassing in normal car and truck operation?
5) What degree of filtration is actually beneficial? 20 micron? 15? 10? 1 micron bypass? (I'm thinking of absolute 98.5% filtration.)
In a full-flow lube system 20-35 micron absolute is efficient filtration. Using a filter that has a high efficiency at much lower micron ratings will compromise the capacity of the filter and make it more susceptible to going into by-pass. By-pass lube filtration is effective in the range of 5-12 micron absolute. SAE multipass test procedures cannot test to an absolute micron rating of 2 or lower.
6) a) Is additional filtration beneficial for an automatic transmission?
b) 20 micron? 6 micron? 1 micron bypass?
Additional filtration is beneficial for the transmission even at the 20 micron level.
7) What should the consumer look for in a quality air filter?
b) What are the signs of a poor quality air filter to avoid?
A good quality air filter will have evenly spaced pleats an plenty of media surface area. The gaskets and media should be inspected for uniformity.
8) Is my assumption correct...Baldwin aims at the industrial & fleet market and Hastings aims at the consumer/auto repair shop/quality auto parts store market?
Baldwin does have more market share in the heavy-duty and industrial while Hastings has more in the automotive.
My thanks to Mr. Winberg. If we were face to face, I'd ask a more questions and get elaboration on some answers, but I appreciate everything he sent to me.
Ken
1) Many folks I know feel that their OE oil filter is too small.
a) Why are filters so small these days?
b) I know that you'll always answer, "follow the car maker's recommendations," but are these filter really big enough for better than merely adequate protection?
c) Is it proper to substitute an oil filter by just matching the gasket & thread size, bypass setting, antidrainback valve presence, and physical ability to fit in order to get a larger filter?
I understand your concerns regarding the size of some filters. It is sad to say, but the cost of materials and manufacturing is the reason some filters are so small. however, there are some applications that require a small filter.
Oil filters should not be compared solely by thread size and valving. The media of the filter is a very important characteristic that affects the performance of the filter.
2) What do you need to know from an engine maker to design a filter for an engine?
Engine manufactures generally do not provide much assistance to after-market filter manufacturers to build replacement filters. Therefore, we develop our products by thoroughly analyzing the OEM product and designing our filter to meet or exceed the performance of the OEM filter. The product are often further evaluated through field testing before they are released.
3) Why do some filter makers (Baldwin and others) have so many filters in their line for the usual engines, and other filter makers fit those same engines with so few filter models?
Baldwin's guarantee is to meet the performance requirements of the OEM. Therefore, we do not substitute a filter with an 8 psi by-pass valve for an application using a 20 psi by-pass valve. That is why Baldwin may have several filters compared to a company that makes those compromises.
4) a) Is an oil filter often in bypass during normal or high speed engine operation? Or is the flow through the filter media sufficient for full filtration in all cases except very cold oil?
b) Do you have any figures on the percentage of time the oil is not bypassing in normal car and truck operation?
5) What degree of filtration is actually beneficial? 20 micron? 15? 10? 1 micron bypass? (I'm thinking of absolute 98.5% filtration.)
In a full-flow lube system 20-35 micron absolute is efficient filtration. Using a filter that has a high efficiency at much lower micron ratings will compromise the capacity of the filter and make it more susceptible to going into by-pass. By-pass lube filtration is effective in the range of 5-12 micron absolute. SAE multipass test procedures cannot test to an absolute micron rating of 2 or lower.
6) a) Is additional filtration beneficial for an automatic transmission?
b) 20 micron? 6 micron? 1 micron bypass?
Additional filtration is beneficial for the transmission even at the 20 micron level.
7) What should the consumer look for in a quality air filter?
b) What are the signs of a poor quality air filter to avoid?
A good quality air filter will have evenly spaced pleats an plenty of media surface area. The gaskets and media should be inspected for uniformity.
8) Is my assumption correct...Baldwin aims at the industrial & fleet market and Hastings aims at the consumer/auto repair shop/quality auto parts store market?
Baldwin does have more market share in the heavy-duty and industrial while Hastings has more in the automotive.
My thanks to Mr. Winberg. If we were face to face, I'd ask a more questions and get elaboration on some answers, but I appreciate everything he sent to me.
Ken