oil filters

I use Wix 51335. At 2.48 inches tall, I can use exhaust manifolds without a 90* adapter.

I use Wix, Fram, Purolator, AC Delco, Bosch, Mobile 1, etc. I've also been using full synthetic oil in everything I own (gas and diesel), for 40 years, now, with oil changes at 5000 miles, almost religiously.

Never had an engine failure, ever. Never any valve train, or reciprocating mass issues, either. Rebuilds on diesels at 2.2 to 2.6 million miles showed little if any scoring on sleeve walls, and "normal" wear on bearings and journals. First time Rebuilds on 318's 400's, 426 Hemi's and slant sixes at 200,000 miles plus showed no abnormal wear.

These results and a lot more lead me to believe that most name brand oil filters will do their job as advertised IF you do your oil changes as or sooner than the recommended intervals.

Most fossil oils recommend oil changes every 3000 miles or 3 months which ever comes first.

Most Synthetics recommend changes every 7500 to 10,000 miles. Personally, I use Mobil !, exclusively, and change the oil at 5000 miles, and have done so since 1974, and have never lost an engine even at the exceeding high mileage we put on them.

Many people have had good results using fossil oil, too. For street engines, the maintenance has far more to do with reliability than the brand of filter you use.
If you're using a budget filter, shorten the service interval. A better filter will will allow you to lengthen the interval.

What ever oil and filter you use, read and follow the directions. They really work.

I have always changed my filter halfway between my oil changes so I dont worry much. If my oil change interval say, with my subaru is 6000 miles with synthetic oil, I change the filter and top off with fresh oil at 3-4000 miles. A wix filter is 4 bucks so its cheap insurance to replace a partially clogged filter. I have always done this with all my vehicles. Even the claims of the boutique oil makers claiming 5 figure intervals, imagine a filter at 12000 miles. Can you say "bypass valve"?

After reading several articles on filters I'm not a fan of Fram either but to answer the question posed by Rani I believe only the filter media itself makes a difference on how much "grit" it catches. But taller filters have the advantage of not just holding more oil but more capacity to hold more grit. If it's an old engine that burns oil that can be an advantage.

I haven't seen proof of this but I'd also think a taller filter would most likely have less restrictive flow because it has more outlet holes (not the holes on the bottom of the plate, the holes down inside the inner tube. The amount and size of the holes can vary by filter brand too.

fishy68 said:

After reading several articles on filters I'm not a fan of Fram either but to answer the question posed by Rani I believe only the filter media itself makes a difference on how much "grit" it catches. But taller filters have the advantage of not just holding more oil but more capacity to hold more grit. If it's an old engine that burns oil that can be an advantage.

I haven't seen proof of this but I'd also think a taller filter would most likely have less restrictive flow because it has more outlet holes (not the holes on the bottom of the plate, the holes down inside the inner tube. The amount and size of the holes can vary by filter brand too.

Click to expand...

I read something about that some years ago, and you're right, there are some flow capacity differences between oil filter brands. But, there are also two things that don't change no matter what filter you use, the size of the engines oil intake, and the capacity of the oil pump.

I'm not sure, but I doubt that there is a filter on the market that can't handle the oil pump and flow capacities of the engines they are designated for. At least when they are fresh.

I have been using Fram for years then switched to Napa Golds... But for the last 2 years been using Royal Purple filters with Royal Purple oils...

68er said:

I have been using Fram for years

Click to expand...

same here , forever and ever. in fact , I have been using fram on EVERY mopar I have ever owned. I have never had a failure of any kind.
But

I did buy my first WIX filter and put it in on my fresh 440. I wont be using fram again after seeing that hilarious fram target shooting

I run a Hasting filter on my 340's, and a low profile Filter (for some kind of Ford, currently an STP filter crossed over to the number I needed) on my D50. That Ford filter on my D50 is so small, it's half the diameter of a regular SBM Oil Filter (just big enough to seal to the plate on the Block), I believe it was for a Furd Straight 6 of some kind?

The reason for the Small Filter on the D50, is clearance, the filter actually sits inside the frame on my truck with the Small Block Conversion (and the engine is tilted to the right to help the filter sit inside the frame). No room for a 90* Adapter or any filter listed for a SBM.


Fram? I wouldn't run a Fram filter, even if it was the last filter on earth. I've seen more than a few of them explode (had one explode on a freshly rebuilt 2.6L that used to be in my D50, within 5 seconds of starting the engine), and the ones that didn't explode, fell apart inside.

IMHO. fram does know how to make a good oil filter. BUT they DONT for the mass market.

Raced on Frams for many, many years with PH8A both on-the-block and remote mounted. Never had an issue, but these were all small displacement engines (inlcudes the 2.6L Starion which has a stronger oil pump that the truck 2.6L on a D50). The only Frams I have had issues with are on my wife's Taurus X V6; it's a tiny filter and I managed to krinkle the housing turning it on with a filter wrench twice; each time the housing leaked at the krinkle; too light weight a housing for sure. But no issues ever with 3 diesels (6.2L, 7.3L, and 5.9L) and 4 race cars running Frams, plus loads of street cars.

I also have run AC, Purolators, WIX, Hastings, and NAPA with no issues. The only serious failure was a cheapo filter when I was young and poor.....lost the seal ring under cold oil pressure.....total engine rebuild after that.

Thanks to toolmanmike for the video...first time I have looked at the insides in a comparison mode. The only Fram item that bothered me was the incomplete media joining on the ends..... that is not good! I am also going to check out my sons Fram on his recent top end rebuild on a 4.7L.