Phone Call With Wix and Learned Some Things...

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I just got off the phone with Wix trying to get some information. The person on the call was nice but overall, I'm severely disappointed in what information they were willing to share. They won't share anything that isn't on the website. Having said that, here are some things I learned about Wix in general:

- Wix buys OEM filters, tests them, then specifies their filter for that application that meets or exceeds every measurable feature of the OEM filter, including filtration efficiency. If that requires making a new filter design, they do that (Skyactiv filter 57002).

- They only get specs from an auto manufacturer if they are the OEM filter maker.

- They have made some OEM filters in the past.

- Wix does purchase filters, even under the Wix name. If there is a filter with a patent, they will purchase it from that manufacturer and put the Wix labeling on it. There is no way to tell which filters these are from looking at the packaging.

- They only provide beta ratios and/or nominal micron ratings for filters they manufacture but will not provide it for all filters they manufacture and would not tell my why.

- Napa Gold, Wix, Carquest Premium are all exact replicas of each other (we already knew this).

- The lower line of products (Napa Silver, Carquest Red, Oreilly's microguard, etc.) have no published data of filtration levels and they will not share such information. Filtration might be as good as Wix labeled products and might not be. No clue.


All I learned really was that you are guaranteed to at least get OEM performance from a Wix and nothing more. Their marketing dept. needs to get with engineering badly.
 
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In Europe WIX is represented by a company called WIX-Filtron. They manufactorer filters under the Filtron name. They do make OEM filters for several car manufacturers according to there website. They have there factory en Poland.
 
Mid grade WIX Performance series only for me at 6 month / 6,500 miles . For a high end synthetic filter - I would use another supplier's oil filter .
 
I'm not impressed with WIX's technical information on their products.
 
Very often we see beta ratios of 2/20=6/20 on regular Wix & napaGold filters, which translates to 50%@6 microns & 95%@20, which indicates they use the same filter paper/glass blend in Wix and NAPA Gold. Are there some exceptions? Probably.
 
Originally Posted By: ElastoHydro
Very often we see beta ratios of 2/20=6/20 on regular Wix & napaGold filters, which translates to 50%@6 microns & 95%@20, which indicates they use the same filter paper/glass blend in Wix and NAPA Gold. Are there some exceptions? Probably.


Wix filters vary. Some have glass enhanced cellulose. Some have paper. Some have wire backed synthetic. Some dont even list the element media. I don't see how it is safe to assume anything. Plus, you never know which ones aren't even made by Wix.

All Napa golds and Wix filters are exactly the same.
 
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Originally Posted By: badtlc
Originally Posted By: ElastoHydro
Very often we see beta ratios of 2/20=6/20 on regular Wix & napaGold filters, which translates to 50%@6 microns & 95%@20, which indicates they use the same filter paper/glass blend in Wix and NAPA Gold. Are there some exceptions? Probably.


Wix filters vary. Some have glass enhanced cellulose. Some have paper. Some have wire backed synthetic.


The only WIX that is wire backed synthetic is the "XP", which has an advertised efficiency (by WIX) as 50% @ 20 microns.
 
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
Originally Posted By: badtlc
Originally Posted By: ElastoHydro
Very often we see beta ratios of 2/20=6/20 on regular Wix & napaGold filters, which translates to 50%@6 microns & 95%@20, which indicates they use the same filter paper/glass blend in Wix and NAPA Gold. Are there some exceptions? Probably.


Wix filters vary. Some have glass enhanced cellulose. Some have paper. Some have wire backed synthetic.


The only WIX that is wire backed synthetic is the "XP", which as an advertised efficiency (by WIX) as 50% @ 20 microns.


It seems odd the expensive XP line has lower ratings than the basic Wix.
 
Originally Posted By: badtlc
It seems odd the expensive XP line has lower ratings than the basic Wix.


Call WIX Tech Line and you'll get the supposed "explanation".
 
The most you can hope for with the Wix XP is for a "cake" of dirt to develop on the surface, increasing filter efficiency, after a few thousand miles anyway.
 
Efficiency through debris "caking" ... great technology.
eek.gif
 
Yes, all filters become more efficient as debris collects. But why not just start out with a filter that's more efficiency right out of the box?
 
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
Efficiency through debris "caking" ... great technology.
eek.gif



That is the technology for most filters. No filter has their final efficiency rating out of the box. It takes several passes before filters reach their efficiency ratings because they need the buildup.
 
Originally Posted By: badtlc
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
Efficiency through debris "caking" ... great technology.
eek.gif



That is the technology for most filters. No filter has their final efficiency rating out of the box. It takes several passes before filters reach their efficiency ratings because they need the buildup.


So if that's true, the the WIX XP advertised efficiency of "50% @ 20 microns" IS after some use, or at the end of life ... however the test spec defines it. That makes its out of the box efficiency even worse.

What I'm saying is I'd rather use a filter rated at 99% @ 20 microns instead of one rated at 50% @ 20 microns.
 
The XP is for long duration OCI,so I would imagine they are afraid that at 6K/7K miles the filter might bypass if the media was too "efficient" early on...???
 
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
The XP is for long duration OCI,so I would imagine they are afraid that at 6K/7K miles the filter might bypass if the media was too "efficient" early on...???


I would agree since Honda started going with less efficient filters.
 
Hello, I don't mean to rain on the parade, but....

Wouldn't all the "half-baked", noncommittal muttering from oil filter companies tend to push you toward rejection of the idea of lengthening OCI's?

EXTREME ILLUSTRATION: Since cheapness and poorer filtration are the likely results of unverifiable production QC; don't more frequent oil changes make sense right out of the box?

You can't get data to argue against it. Kira
 
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