Oil Filter Comparison

[carl hinkson]

Have used the NAPA/Wix non R filters for years with no bypass, Have seen the difference between using a filter with a 61 Micron and using a filter with 21 micron rating.

[Signman]

Did some research on oil filters a few years ago.

Micron rating on filter paper is an "average" opening size meaning there are larger and smaller openings.

Higher quality = tighter range of size of openings.

Screen filters offer a tighter range in opening size particularly those of medical grade stainless steel plus can actually flow more oil with less restriction.

There's a few HP there.

[Mike Pearson]

I have been using the System 1 filter for years with good results. I lost one engine due to an AC Delco filter collapsing. No more passenger car filters for me.

[Joe Schweigert]

I’ve been using the System One filters for quite some time and have it on all of our engines. Just makes no sense to use a stock filter on a Race Engine. I like the idea of being able to take it apart and inspect the filter element clean it and put it back in

[Ed Wright]

Joe, an engineer at the Sunoco refinery lab a few miles from my shop, tested filters & posted the results he got on a local board. Wix flowed more, and stopped caught more crap than the others. He was a customer of mine. I gave him one of my System1 filters. I used them, instead of cutting & throwing away the AC filters I had been using. I only used one Fram. Stopped that after cutting the first Fram apart. I was not comfortable with what it looked like.

Anyway, the spare System1 I sent with him did not flow as much as the Wix filters. I did not feel like I needed a flow restriction in my engine's oil system. I was running a dirt track Sprint Car every Fri & Sat nights then. Cheaper than throwing away two cut up Wix filters a week. I was disappointed in the test results. Never hurt any bearings with the System1. May have flowed enough.

[Joe Schweigert]

Ed do you remember the difference in flow? I also did not like the idea of cutting them apart and the mess I wonder if upping the pressure overcomes the restriction at some point and the effect that has on volume on volume I have never had any issue I always appreciate your comments Ed

[CMcAllister]

Regardless the brand or type, I've always used the largest filter that I could get for an application. I also see guys using remote mounts with the large filters. Seems sensible to me that a filter with more media surface area will flow more oil over a set period of time at a specific pressure and be less of a restriction in the system.

[Ed Wright]

Sorry, Joe. Too many years ago. Don't remember any numbers. I still have one of them. Have thought about putting it back on. I have a lower volume pump (my 410" Sprint car engine was a dry dump) and always use thinner oil now. May just go back to it.
I also put a 1/8" Allen pipe plug in the bypass valve in the factory oil filter mount. Everything always goes through the filter.