Oil Filters, whose is best, and Why?

fleetwoodsimca

I had similar problems some years ago with Fram filters. I find that Kmart house brand Penske and Castrol filters (made by Wix) and Walmart Supertech filters give me everything I want in a quality filter, and at good prices.

alternator

now carry only Fram air and oil filters. Same thing with Wal-Mart!

opera_house_wk

didn't even have a check valve. My 89 Jeep leaks down no matter what brand of filter you put on. I attribute this to leaking past the threads, not the check valve. Some time, I will try slipping on some O-rings that contact with the base of the filter. Drain back takes less than 30 minutes. It does make it neater for for changing the filter. If you are upside down, the only way to go is a remote filter.

fleetwoodsimca

If you are finding Walmart to be giving up house brand filters, it is getting a little scary out there. Those Supertechs are likely the best bang for the buck on the market. I would hope that Walmart is not planning such a move all over the country. Can you shed any light on this?

wain

posted:
My 89 Jeep leaks down no matter what brand of filter you put on. I attribute this to leaking past the threads, not the check valve. Some time, I will try slipping on

many millions of 4 cyl Toyota camrys have upside down filters and never a problem with leak down, so there may be more to it than just the filter.

fleetwoodsimca

I am noting that both Kmart and Walmart may be moving away from house brand oil filters. Will Autozone be next? I prefer mass merchandisers selling the good stuff at reasonable prices, and have no interest in paying double and triple at dealership counters. Where is this happening headed?

edwardn1

if we all tell at least some of the stuff we know about fram and how good the walmart supertech is for the money, a lot more would avoid fram and buy supertech. face it, if you knew even half of what you know good about supertech and bad about the fram, then none of us would buy the fram. so spread the word so we don't loose the chance to get a great filter at a bargain price with great regional availability.
has anyone else seen walmart drop the supertech in their area? here in the phoenix area we still have a good selection. is it time to stock up?

mike1qaz

are still on the shelves in So. Louisiana

fleetwoodsimca

I lived in Slidell for five years, and love the deep South! Don't remember where I was buying my filters, though...
We've got a goodly supply of Walmart filters around the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. I hope it stays that way. Our Kmarts are running low on Castrol and Penske (both WIX made), and I noted a sign in one that said something about "closeout" on all but Fram. Real bad news for this [non-permissible content removed] boy.

mike1qaz

We may have been neighbors. I've lived in Slidell for 23 years.

Even though I was born and bred in the New Orleans area, I love the Colorado Rockies. I started going there as a kid with the family and later perfected my intermediate skiing status there. LOL

Though I tend to use the oem filters for my car, I use the supertech on my sons. I too hope the Walmart and Kmart store brands don't go away.

bburton1

are being closed out in my local store-looks like Fram/Allied Signal has done a job on them.

csandste

when I get the $11.94 Wallyworld oil change. Usually I'm pretty insistant at the service counter, loudly calling Frams "crap". If more people did that, maybe the word would spread.

fleetwoodsimca

I hear tell that Fram may now be the property of Honeywell, and no longer Allied Signal. I can't attest to anything, except that Honeywell is a very top drawer company. I have read in these threads that some canister dissecters are finding an absence of the dreaded cardboard end caps, and perhaps other improvements. If all or most of this is true, it may be that Fram will regain a quality position. In my case, I will continue to buy any filter brand that meets my needs in the areas of quality, reliability, availability, and cost. Walmart almost has it all in their Supertech brand. Penske and Castrol are as good or better, but cost more.

edwardn1

in the north Phoenix KMart. They did have 3 Penske air filters left and they were on clearance. Sure hope Walmart keeps the Supertechs. If not, sure hope Fleetwood is correct about fram quality getting better.
At one time, fram made an excellent filter. Consumer Reports way back in IIRC Feb 87 did a report on both filters and motor oil. It may be hard to swallow for those following this thread, but the frams were far and away the best. So I guess there is light at the end of the tunnel.

runpanther

Here in North Jersey, Walmart stock is primarily FRAM and seems to be squeezing out Super Tech. I'm not too happy about this. Now, when I see they have my filters on the shelf I stock up.

Let's write Walmart at "www.walmart.com" (click on customer service) and let them know we want choice (ie - not FRAM). If enough of us write maybe we can make a influence.

wain

south carolina fram is also squeezing out super tech.
Its really a marketing problem for S/T.
If wal mart drops them where would you buy them?

malachy72

of other champion filters such as stp. Not as cheap as s/t. I see plenty of s/t in wally's. May be shortages in certain stores.

fleetwoodsimca

I'll do it!
I hope a bunch of other Motorheads will do likewise. It can't hurt to let Walmart know that we want them to continue the availability of Supertech oil filters.

fleetwoodsimca

After far more searching than I thought I had bargained for, I came upon the URL that purports to be the address to write to--

Here is what I said:
Walmart currenty offers an absolutely excellent line of automotive engine oil filters under the brand name, Supertech. I want to encourage you to continue this house brand, so that we customers can benefit from the quality of the product and the very attractive pricing. I am writing this note in response to information that leads me to believe that you may be curtailing this line in some stores around the country. I would ecourage you to instead bolster the popularity of this product with advertising to advise potential buyers just how good the product truly is.

I can't post the URL due to "word length restrictions."

fwatson

If you get the message about the long url, just do a spellcheck. Now accept it as is and post. Problem solved.

An article in the newspaper says K-Mart will close almost 600 stores, so the Penske filter thing may be moot anyway.

americanflag

to take excellent care of it. I am considering doing oil changes every 2000 miles or 3 months. I drive the car somewhat hard and have a short commute to work each day, about 3 miles each way. I was planning on just going to Tiresplus and using Kendall oil (regular, not synthetic) and their normal oil filter. Are there any special considerations I should look for in an oil filter?

fleetwoodsimca

Many thanks for the tip on posting URLs. And apparently, Kmart will continue on with fewer stores and a new business plan, so to speak. I hope they make it. What a shame for ME and many others that the WIX manufactured filters will soon disappear.

bigorange30

If you really want to take the best care of your 'stang, use synthetic oil. It will reduce the amount of wear to the engine parts and increase your gas mileage as a bonus. You will also save money. Your not protecting your car more by change the oil more often than necessary. Its like falling off of a cliff, as long as you don't get to the edge of the cliff, your not in danger. Changing your oil every 2K miles is just a waste of time and money. The Jiffylubes of the world have done a good job of convincing us that 3000 miles is the limit. It varies by engine and oil type, but the limit is rarely that low. Analysis should be use if you really want to know the limit. I am using a 7K change interval with Mobil1 sythetic. I increased my mpg from 14 to 15.5 on my QX4 when I changed to it.

armtdm

By only driving 3 miles one way on start up this engine will never burn off the moisture etc. As such, he may be correct in changing the oil at 3000 miles or 3 months in the winter months. Go longer in the summer but the short trips are killers on the oil.

americanflag

Biorange and armtdm thanks, I have thought about synthetic and would be willing to go that way if that would make a significant difference. But I have the impression that because of the expense of synthetic many don't change the oil as much. Should I change synthetic at 3000 mile intervals?

bluedevils

american_flag, in your situation I'd go with frequent (3k miles or less) changes with conventional oil instead of longer (5k or more) intervals with synthetic. Sure, you could use synthetic and change every 3k miles, but that would probably be overkill and would definitely be expensive!

fleetwoodsimca

In your situation I'd use a major brand of petroleum based oil, and change it every 3K; and put a very good filter on at the same time. I'd go for most anything made by Wix or Champion. The easiest solution to identity problems on filters is to buy Champion filters from Autozone under the STP brand name, or from Walmart under the Supertech brand name. Unfortunately, you may find that Kmart is about out of Castrol and Penske filters, which are made by Wix.

glideslopes

What is the opinion on the PureOne Filter?

TIA,
Mark.

bluedevils

Consensus is it's an excellent filter and great value at $5-6 each. Only drawback seems to be that some knowledgeable folks are worried that PureOnes restrict oil flow too much and that can be risky in certain applications.

bburton1

at Menard's for 1.79 each with a factory rebate of 1.79 for a max of 2 filters per family. Was in local paper-maybe a national promo. Maybe lay in enough filters for the 50 quarts of oil I have in the garage.

bburton1

happen to have a Fram, AC Delco, SuperTech and Quaker State filter on hand. Fram has lots of smaller holer and no spring mechanism in the center. The AC Delco and Supertech are identical including same machine marks and a Y on the threaded part but the AC Delco has a pressure relief spring and the Supertech does not. The is different-has a different type of two piece metal assembly for the threaded attachment and has a pressure relief spring that is attached differently from the AC Delco. So looks like the Supertech is a modified maybe cheapened AC Delco, Fram is Fram and the QS is different yet.

mike1qaz

that shows the bypass pressure setting of an STP3950 or supertech ST3950. This is the oversized Champion filter that I use occasionally when I can't get the Honda(filtech) oem filter.

The filter called out for the 4cyl accord is the STP2808/ST2808.

Just wondering if the pressure settings are the same, as the larger filter has more capacity and is my preferred after-market replacement.

jinsong_liu

After reading this board. I bought two SuperTech filters for my 1999 Nissan Altima. But the SuperTech filter are much more smaller then the Nissan OEM filter I am using. Is it going to be a problem?

Jinsong

fleetwoodsimca

My two Nissan 3.2L V6 engines call for a filter that is small in the Supertech brand, so I bought up over a dozen Castrol and Penske filters from Kmart, which are the bigger type. Also, Autozone has Bosch filters made by Champion that are the larger size.

csandste

"So looks like the Supertech is a modified maybe cheapened AC Delco,"

This reinforces my belief that AC Delco only manufactures GM type filters and that the line for non-GM cars comes from Champion Labs or other manufacturers. This jibes with reports from about six months ago that Wal-Mart and K-Mart AC Delco filters were two different lines. Of course K-Mart now has cut back to Fram only so that's an outdated observation.

bburton1

in Kmart is sad and also have noticed how small a space Wall Mart has for their SuperTech filters. Obviously they make more money on Fram.

tntitan

If I remember correctly you also have a 2000 Accord SE. Even if you don't it also calls for the SuperTech 2808 size oil filter. I would like to try the oversize one that you are referring to if the specs on it are the same. Please let me know what you find out.

Will a larger filter fit in there? Not a lot of extra room to work with. Have you tried one yet? Any problems getting the oversized filter installed?

Sorry for all of the questions but I am going to change to Schaeffers oil and if I am going with extended drain intervals I would really be interested in a larger filter. I like the Supertechs and think they are hard to beat for $1.97.

mike1qaz

Tntitan, yes, I have used the larger filter and there is no problem installing and removing it on the Accord I-4.

I'm just trying to find out if the bypass pressure valve setting is comparable to the setting for the normal filter before I stock up my garage.

I lurk on Bob's board also and have followed the oil analysis threads. It seems that at 4K miles people are getting good results with the chevron 10w30. And Mobil 1 SS is posting very good results also. I've depleted my Tri-synth stock, so my next change is my first one for the SS.

I'm curious, who did you order your Schaeffers from and what quantity/price was available from him.

BTW, my car is an '01 LX and it does have the same 4cyl as yours.

tntitan

Here was the deal I got and I did not shop around so I don't know if you can do better or not. I only got pricing for the Supreme 7000 5W-30 (but I am pretty sure the Supreme 7000 10W-30 is the same). If you want it wholesale you order from Bob at schaeffersoil@yahoo.com. Wholesale minimum order is $250 but it does include shipping. Wholesale is $31.89 per case of 12 which means 8 cases for $255.12 or $2.6575 per quart. However, since the oil additives(per the rep) may begin to break down after about 2 years, I decided I would have to pay the retail price of $39.87 per case plus shipping of $12.75 per case which works out to $4.385 per quart. I am going to try 2 cases and start with 7,500 intervals and see if I can get 10,000 intervals.

The retail guy was David Solomon and he is shipping from Roxboro, NC. You can contact him at dsolomon@schaefferoil.com.

I have a 2000 and 2002 Honda and plan to keep both for 8-10 years. I am experimenting to find out what seems to work best with these engines and then plan to try to make them last as long and troublefree as possible.

I will be heading to WallyWorld to get some of the extended length ST filters. I have about 8 of the short ones but need to verify that the long one will also fit on the 2002 CRV-EX. Why does Honda make these filters so inacessible?

mike1qaz

I think I'll continue using M1 SS but will be interested in your results with the Schaeffers.

BTW, I still haven't found out if the bypass pressure of the oversized st3950 is correct for our application.

fleetwoodsimca

Maybe you could contact Champion through their web site and get the facts on that application.

http://www.champlabs.com

I Googlized for that address for you.

tntitan

keep me posted on your search results. I will post my Schaeffers results but my best estimate is that I will not receive results from testing on this oil until at least next August if I go 7,500 miles since I will not be using it before March.

edwardn1

.....seems to be more for promoting the idea to stores to let champ make their house filters. Maybe I missed it but did not get any useful info on it. BTW, KMart in N Glendale AZ had only ONE penske oil filter in stock, burried behind a bunch of frams. They had no castrol filters at all. Shame, as the wix filters sold under the penske and castrol brand name may have been the best of the lot. Wix is made by Dana corp. Tell a friend about Supertech so others will buy them and walmart will keep selling them.

adc100

The SuperTech filters are too small. You can use the Mobil1 M1-110 or the K&N HP-1010, I think that the Fram is 7317-not sure.

The PureOne's shell is way too thin for my tasts. only about .009". Mobil 1 and K&N are twice as thick. Thats just a personal preference with me though.

fleetwoodsimca

And good sense says that thin metal and less strength go together! I have been told that Fram had a problem with bursting filters on some motorcycle applications. I agree, that seeking out heavy walled filters makes sense.

csandste

In my particular car (Elantra), Champion labs calls for a 2808 filter which is larger than Fram's 6607. I think both companies make both sizes of filter and (at least in the case of SuperTech) number them identically.

Question-- since the larger filter fits, why would Fram recommend a smaller filter? Please no comments stating that Fram makes crappy filters-- we already know that. The only thing I can think of is that there are some Hyundai applications where only the shorty will fit, and Fram considers it easier to call for the little one to simplify their application charts.

newcar31

"In my particular car (Elantra), Champion labs calls for a 2808 filter which is larger than Fram's 6607"

That's weird. A Champion 2808 is a Fram 3593A, not a 6607. So, if you can use a Champion 2808, you should be able to use a Fram 3593A since they are the same filter. 6607s are considerably smaller. I tell ya, too many years at Jiffy Lube during high school and college.

bburton1

Ever hear of the guy who had his oil changed at Jiffy Lube-then supposedly went to the BMW dealer and the service guy calls him in to see something-instead of the drain plug there was a wine cork shoved in the cross threaded drain plug hole.

I doubt the story cause drain plug holes are bigger than the last bizillion wine corks I have pulled.

just curious

ruking1

#1698

Was he letting the oil "breathe" to allow the proper amount of oxygen?

fleetwoodsimca

We filtration fanatics seem to be decidedly favoring the bigger-is-better phenomenon. I have solved that problem for my pair of Nissan 3.3 liter V6s, but only temporarily. When I run out of my current stock of Penske and Castrol 7317s, I'll be back in the fire again. At 3000 miles per filter, that point is 39,000 combined miles down the road. Let me remind everyone that Champion produces the Bosch line that is sold at Autozone as an upscale priced filter, and in the case of my Nissan engines, they have the larger size case, but at double the closeout price I paid for the Kmart Wix filters. My bottom line seems to be that the product is out there, but the low prices are going away.