Which Is The Best Oil Filter

All-time Oil Filters: Engine Protections

There are some things best enjoyed without filters – Instagram photos, discussions well-nigh pay with your dominate, and those Camel cigarettes from the '80s. What definitely does require a filter is the oiling organisation on your motorcar's engine. We've gathered a few of them hither.

As a programming note, know that for purposes of making a vaguely apples-to-apples comparing in this mail, we selected a mutual vehicle nosotros figured would be roughly representative of the awful cars efficient daily drivers pressed into service by the readers and authors of this site. In this example, we've specified a x-twelvemonth-erstwhile Honda Civic.

You lot'll be glad (and unsurprised) to learn nosotros've all had our name on the title of some terrible rotbox at some indicate during our driving careers. Nosotros bet y'all accept, too.

Editor'southward Selection: Genuine Honda Oil (Honeywell) Filter
FRAM Extra Guard Rider Car Spin-On Oil Filter
PurolatorONE Avant-garde Engine Protection Spin On Oil Filter
Royal Purple Oil Filter
Mobil 1 Extended Performance Oil Filter
Ecogard Synthetic+ Oil Filter
Pennzoil Regular Spin-on Oil Filter
Champion Spin-On Oil Filter

one. Editor's Choice: Genuine Honda Oil (Honeywell) Filter

Ages ago, Honda used to have a tagline when advertizement their service departments that said "Don't open your hood to strangers". With all the unmentionable double entendres that the phrase implies, there's no way that line would wing in today'due south society. But it however makes a good betoken: the visitor that congenital your motorcar probably knows a matter or ii about the parts it requires.

Selecting a gen-u-wine OEM part goes a long fashion fifty-fifty when your car is well out of warranty. After all, wouldn't you expect more than kindly upon a used car y'all were inspecting if it featured all-Honda replacement parts compared to one that was mended and serviced cheaply? Some reviewers are disquisitional of this product and openly question if information technology is an bodily Honda particular but the vast bulk seem happy, leading to a 4.viii out of 5-star rating.

Pros /Actual detail from Honda, excellent reviews

Cons /Be sure to check those part numbers

Bottom Line /Don't open your hood to strangers

Going from 18-carat OEM manufactures to the male monarch of aftermarket filters, nosotros detect this Fram filter to exist priced in the basement and found on the shelf of just most every major retailer in the nation. Priced less than iv bucks, it's well-nigh a guarantee than many people shell out more cash than that for their morning coffee on the way to work.

There are plenty of uncomplimentary anecdotes about Fram filters only your author has had good luck with them for at least the last xx years. That pavement-similar gripping surface on its posterior works as advertised, providing a identify on which to grasp the thing and torque it off. The rest of it is slathered in vivid orange paint, which tin can exist good or bad depending on your opinion.

Pros /Cheaper than the dirt it filters from your engine oil

Cons /Easily spotted by nosy used motorcar shoppers

Bottom Line /Hard to beat out this price

3. PurolatorONE Advanced Engine Protection Spin On Oil Filter

Several dissimilar filters from Purolator presented themselves when we specified a 10-year-old Honda Civic and its 1.8L engine. However, this Purolator One filter falls somewhere between their bargain filter and more than expensive offerings.

In a fit of scientific statement, Purolator says this filter has a silicone anti-drain-back valve that lasts longer than traditional nitrile to protect against dry starts and oil leaks. They too say their metal end caps agree up better in the long term. Whether you think this is a dig at Fram or not is up to yous.

Pros /Allegedly good for 10k miles, actual selling points in the advertising copy

Cons /Gasket complaints

Bottom Line /FYI - the new top-of-line Purolator is called BOSS

4. Royal Purple Oil Filter

When the brand Royal Purple showed up on the scene it was, at least in my circumvolve of gearhead buddies, worth the actress cash. By almost accounts, that seems to remain true today even if we've all grown up – notice I didn't say matured – and now driving SUVs. The filter linked here, of course, fits our sample Honda Civic.

Like any good marketer of motor oil, Royal Purple has expanded into a line of ancillary items including oil filters. Slathered in their trademark purple color, these filters plainly avowal a 15k-mile lifespan when used with full synthetic motor oil. For the scientists in the room, this thing claims to accomplish a 99% filtration efficiency at 25 microns or larger when combined with synthetic oil.

Pros /Brand snobbery, long service intervals

Cons /Higher-than-average price tag

Bottom Line /Relive yer yute (or simply relish a good filter)

5. Mobil 1 Extended Operation Oil Filter

There was a fourth dimension when your writer would base his purchasing decisions with a disquisitional eye at which racing team they sponsored. If they were on the flanks of a driver I didn't like, in that location was picayune gamble they'd snag me as a customer. Put it this way: I exclusively drank Coke for this very reason.

If you're in that camp, nosotros hope you lot like either Stewart-Haas Racing or Aston Martin Blood-red Bull Racing. Porsche Supercup series too, by the style. As for the filter, it's difficult to get a more recognized oil make than Mobil 1, though the company does seem to offer unlike levels of filters. This is the mid-grade model.

Pros /This crowd knows what they're doing

Cons /Amazon'due south compatibility tool may be off

Lesser Line /Tough to get wrong here

6. Ecogard Synthetic+ Oil Filter

Marketed as an enviro-friendly product (hey, it'due south in a green box and has 'eco' in its name), this filter is said to be designed to maintain performance for the longer oil change intervals on vehicle engines using synthetic oil.

According to the ad copy, it volition provide long-lasting engine protection with 2x the filtration chapters compared to conventional oil filters. Without going into details, they say it'south been 'proven' to drive up to 10k miles between oil changes. Similar others on this listing, they promote their solid metal end caps.

Pros /The veneer of econess, decent price

Cons /EcoWho?

Bottom Line /Best for use with constructed oils

vii. Pennzoil Regular Spin-on Oil Filter

If there was a prize for the most traditional and plainest-looking oil filter, Pennzoil would win easily down. Not that oil filters need to be sexy, of course, save for the ones being affixed to the majority of rigs showing upward at a place like Barrett-Jackson (and Bring-a-Trailer soon, nosotros think). This filter simply flies the make's colors, bears its name, and is stamped with a unit of measurement number. That's information technology.

Pennzoil says their filter is amidst the highest efficiency units on the market with efficiencies of 97 percent or higher when scrubbing particle sizes above 20 microns. They too merits a larger filtering expanse and advanced media to provide boosted capacity. Perhaps nosotros should run one of these things through the official TTAC band saw and observe out.

Pros /Just the facts ma'am

Cons /Not as inexpensive as information technology used to be

Bottom Line /Canvas with the Pirates of Pennzoil

8. Champion Spin-On Oil Filter

In the past, your author has associated Champion with electrical items like spark plugs and rotor caps, not oil filters. However, they seem to have croaky the nut with this 1, claiming it ideal for OE recommended change intervals upwards to 12,000 miles when paired with constructed oil.

Champion says their filter is made with high-strength filter media, helping it weather harsh driving atmospheric condition and longer change intervals. Marketing hyperbole aside, ratings from existent-world customers – while few in number – are stellar.

Pros /Long life, plays well with synthetics

Cons /Terrifying lack of reviews

Bottom Line /It's another filter

FAQs

What oil filter brand is best?

Every brand is unique in its own mode and oil filters from each vendor have their pros and cons. With that in mind, it's up to you as to which manufacturer you prefer when information technology is about an oil filter, and what level of efficiency does that detail piece of equipment offers.

Nevertheless, some most reliable oil filter brands are:

Bosch
Purolator
Mobil 1
Motorcraft
Amsoil

Also notation that while buying, yous must always bank check if the oil filter is compatible with your vehicle, and what other alternatives exercise you accept.

Are K and N oil filters skilful?

Honestly, many users claim that they heard only bad things virtually K&N oil filters. Nevertheless, a few points that are a plus include:

They tin can be used with both traditional and synthetic oils
They are washable and therefore can be reused
They are expert for off-route and racing cars

Every bit for cons, some noteworthy factors are:

Filtering power is average
They can last simply up to eleven.2K kilometers to 16K kilometers
The efficiency level is around 85 percent at 20 microns

With the above merits and demerits, you lot need to be quite calculative and see which boxes the 1000&Due north oil filters bank check before you lot invest your money in them.

Are WIX oil filters adept quality?

When compared, WIX oil filters are better than K&Due north. Some factors where WIX filters win the race include:

Extremely good filtering power
Tin can last for upward to 24,000+ kilometers
Efficiency level is as high equally 95 percent at 20 microns
Designed to exist used in regular cars which makes these oil filters useful for the majority of people

Equally for the downside, the points include:

They are non-washable and must be replaced
Can be used just with the synthetic oil
Not recommended for off-road or racing cars

Keeping the above pros and cons in mind, WIX oil filters could exist considered of good quality.

Are Fram oil filters bad?

Despite all the negative reviews that many people have shared on several portals, there are a few consumers who say good nearly Fram oil filters.

A couple of factors that make these oil filters worth it include:

They employ resin-based end-caps that are considered to be better than those made of a metal
They are tested with ISO 4548-12 standard which is an industry-grade figure for testing purposes
Fram Tough Baby-sit or above serial filters offering up to 99 percent efficiency at twenty microns which, at the time of this writing, is but advertised past Bosch and only a few more vendors

With those figures and facts, you tin can count on Fram oil filters equally they are not as bad every bit they take been portrayed earlier the masses.

What oil filters have the highest efficiency of filtration?

Although every brand claims that they are the best, those that have received a decent number of positive reviews on Amazon are listed below:

Mobil 1 M1-110/M1-110A (Buy here!)

This oil filter claims to take around 99.six percent filtering efficiency.

FRAM Ultra Constructed (Buy here!)

This oil filter offers more than 99 percent filtration efficiency.

Bosh 3323 Premium FILTECH (Buy here!)

The oil filter is capable of offer up to 99 percent filtering efficiency.

Note: The products the above links redirect to are only for references and brand comparison. You can cheque the efficiency percent and pick your preferred oil filter type from any of the brands according to your vehicle.

From time to time, TTAC will highlight automotive products we think may be of involvement to our community. Plus, posts like this help to go along the lights on around here. Learn more most how this works.

(Editor'southward note: This mail is meant to both help you be an informed shopper for automotive products but too to pay for our '~~90s sedan shopping habits~~ operating expenses. Some of you lot don't find these posts fun, but they help pay for Junkyard Finds, Rare Rides, Piston Slaps, and whatsoever else. Cheers for reading.)

[Main photo credit: Paman Aheri / Shutterstock.com. Product images provided by the manufacturer.]