Rick's Free Auto Repair Advice

Best Oil filter: Which oil filter is best for your engine

Who makes the best oil filter?

There’s no such thing as a single best oil filter brand. All the major oil filter manufacturers make excellent oil filters. The top brands are Wix, Fram, Bosch, Purolator, Mann, ACDelco, Motorcraft, Denso, Mahle, Champion Labs, and Valeo. They all make oil filters to be sold at retail, and they also make filters for the carmakers. Most of the store brands and private label brands are made by the companies shown here.

Don’t judge an oil filter by its advertised dirt-holding capacity

Filter media efficiency ratings can be misleading if you don’t understand the terms. Some filter companies advertise their filters by listing their dirt-holding capacity. However, unless they publish the filter’s nominal rating as well as its efficiency, the dirt holding number is meaningless.

A filter that lists a NOMINAL rating must also have an EFFICIENCY rating. For example, a filter lists a 30-micron nominal rating with a 20% efficiency. That means it filters out 20% of particles that are 30-microns or larger. In other words, it’s not a very efficient filter because it allows 80% of 30-micron particles to pass through.

However, a filter with a 30-micron ABSOLUTE rating will filter out 100% of all particles 30-microns and larger.

Filter construction is irrelevant

Lots of time is wasted on oil filter teardown studies that really don’t prove anything about the filter’s ability to remove harmful particles. Here are some examples of bogus filter characteristics

The pleat count is irrelevant
Unless you know the nominal and efficiency rating of This image shows the pleats in an oil filterthe media, the pleat count or total square inches of media doesn’t tell you how good the filter is. A filter with fewer pleats or smaller size, but a higher nominal and efficiency rating can easily out-filter another filter with more pleats and more filter media.

End cap material is irrelevant
People make a HUGE deal about end cap material. It’s a red herring. All end caps, whether they’re made of metal or resin-impregnated cardboard, are just glued to the pleats. Oil doesn’t pass through metal end caps and it doesn’t pass through resin-impregnated cardboard end caps. In fact, many cartridge filters for Toyota don’t even have end caps anymore, and many of the large aftermarket suppliers that do use end caps have switched away from metal to more “glueable” materials like plastic. So end cap material is irrelevant.

What does count is the glue seals the pleats to the end cap to prevent oil bypass.  The type of glue used and how well it bonds to the end cap is far more important than the end cap material. Bottom line: there’s no scientific study that proves that metal end caps are more effective at preventing bypass than other types of materials.

The Anti-drainback valve material IS important
Economy filters use a neoprene anti-drainback valve. Neoprene works fine for a while. But as it ages and heats, neoprene becomes stiff and cracks. At that point, it allows the oil to drain out of the filter if the filter is mounted sideways or vertically. A silicone anti-drainback valve, on the other hand, remains pliable its entire life. A silicone anti-drainback valve costs most, so it’s a sign of a higher quality oil filter. Silicone valves are grey, blue, or orange.

The differences between economy, OEM, and premium oil filters

The filtration media is the most important difference between the filters

• Most economy filters are made with cellulose that’s only about 80% efficient.

• A multi-layered premium filter is made with cellulose and synthetic glass fibers that’s 99% efficient. That extra filtration traps more harmful particles and sludge.

• Filtration efficiency beats out total surface area. It’s true that the filter media must have enough surface area to keep filtering for the full life of your oil change. However, most people think that a larger-size filter or a filter that’s packed with more pleats means it’s a better filter; that’s not always true!

• Some filters made with synthetic filter media can last far longer than a conventional filter twice the size.

• Economy filters, (like the one shown below and to the right) have a plastic core cut-away view of an oil filter core support made of plastictube that only partially supports the filter media.

• The premium quality filter below has a metal mesh core support to reinforce every pleat.

image of synthetic glass oil filter media

 

 

 

 

 

 

• The economy filter shown below skipped the traditional metal spring-loaded bypass valve and relied instead on a combination anti-drain-back/bypass valve. The rubber valve can collapse during high-pressure cycles. That allows the oil to drain down the center tube as well.

This image shows a cutaway view of economy and premium oil filters

• Economy filters use a Nitrile (black rubber) valve that can harden and crack after 3,000 miles. Premium filters use a silicone anti-drainback valve that can last the entire length of an extended oil change (7-10,000 miles).

 

How to buy the best oil filter

If you’re running conventional oil, have under 100,000 miles on the odometer, drive under the car maker’s severe conditions (as defined in the owner’s manual), and change your oil according to the manufacturer’s recommended intervals (usually 3,000 miles), you can probably get by with an inexpensive filter. It’ll most likely be made with cellulose filter media. It’ll most likely have a nitrile (versus silicone) anti-drainback valve.

But those are fine because you’ll be changing your oil every 3,000 miles. If you don’t change your oil and filter according to the manufacturer’s schedule, you darn well better install a better filter.

If you meet all of the above conditions but have a higher-mileage vehicle, move up to a better filter. As engines wear, they produce more blowby, which increases your chances of sludge. A higher-quality filter will do a better job of capturing sludge particles.

If you’re running synthetic oil, buy the best oil filter that’s made with synthetic filter media or a combination of synthetic and cellulose.

Oil filter brands

The majority of all retail, wholesale and OEM automotive oil filters are made by just four companies: Bosch, Mann+Hummel, FRAM, and Champion Labs,

Purolator Oil Filters
Purolator is owned by Mann+Hummel, headquartered in Ludwigsburg, Germany

Bosch Oil Filers
Bosch is owned by Robert Bosch GmbH, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Bosch purchases many of its filtration raw materials from Mann+Hummel.

Fram Oil Filters
As of March 1, 2019, Fram is owned the Trico Group which is now renamed as First Brands LLC

Trico brands are: Trico Wiper Blades, Anco Wiper Blades, Airtex Fuel Pumps, Carter Fuel System Components. Fram Oil and Air Filters, Strongarm Gas Lifts, Autolite Spark Plugs, ASC Cooling System Parts and ASC Water Pumps.

Wix Oil Filters
Wix is owned by Mann+Hummel headquartered in Ludwigsburg, Germany.

Champion Laboratories, Inc.
First Brands LLC owns Champ Labs, a Manufacturer of oil filters under private label for auto parts stores and OEMs and under its proprietary brand LuberFiner. UCI also owns Airtex, a manufacturer of fuel pumps.

©, 2015 Rick Muscoplat

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Posted on by Rick Muscoplat



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