Oil and Filter recommendations

[jlee]

I'm not sure what's in my truck...Mobil 1 oil & unknown filter (paid someone..it was cold outside ). This summer, I'll likely go with dino oil and a non-Fram filter.

I use Mobil 1 synthetic and Toyota filters in my MR2.

 

[dirtboy]

Originally posted by: bobdole369
I use K&N filters and would have sued the service center and the tech personally for destroying my equipment. Usually that gets your K&N back with an apology and the cost of service.

Sure you would have. Thanks for the laugh tho.

 

[Beau]

K&N can suck my nuts. Put one in and the oil on the material ruined my MAF sensor. $500 part.

Anyway, use the OEM filters... get it from your dealer: This is why: http://www.pictars.com/users/Beau/fram.jpg

Oil: Mobile 1, RP, Redline (if you like to waste money to feel neat).

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Beau
K&N can suck my nuts. Put one in and the oil on the material ruined my MAF sensor. $500 part.

Anyway, use the OEM filters... get it from your dealer: This is why: http://www.pictars.com/users/Beau/fram.jpg

Oil: Mobile 1, RP, Redline (if you like to waste money to feel neat).

I thought it's fairly common knowledge that aftermarket Oiled Air Filters could damage your MAF. Doesn't matter if it's K&N or another company. If I was staying stock I would use OEM filters anyways.

 

[npoe1]

That Fram thing sure is bad. I?ve never seen one of their products.

 

[Greenman]

Take your K&N filter and hold it up to a light, see all those holes? That's where the dirt goes through. K&N allows more air through because it doesn't filter as well, and that extra air isn't going to do you any good at all until you're at WOT. Everyone uses K&N because everyone uses K&N, there is no other compelling reason to use one, unless of course your goal is to allow more dirt into your engine, then K&N is the way to go.

To the OP. The service techs did you a favor when they tossed your K&N, now do yourself a favor and toss the one you own now and go buy the cheapest paper filter made. It's about 5 times better than K&N.

 

[Bignate603]

For filters I tend to go with Napa Gold. They're made by Wix (filter company with a good reputation), are affordable, and you can find them anywhere.

Also, I agree. Ditch the K&N. It's a minivan, you want reliability, not horsepower.

 

[helpme]

I bought a bunch of purolator ones for both my TSX and SRT-4 when they were on sale at Amazon.

TSX gets whatever dino oil is on sale when I need it (currently have a couple cases of cheveron supreme when it was on sale at Costco). SRT-4 uses mobil 1.

 

[Howard]

I use cheap dino oil and a good Wix-built filter.

 

[Hail The Brain Slug]

This is an in depth disassembly and analysis of several oil filter brands.

Oil filters to avoid as reccomended by the analysis:

Fram Extra Guard - Years ago Fram was a quality filter manufacturer. Now their standard filter (the radioactive-orange cans) is one of the worst out there. It features cardboard end caps for the filter element that are glued in place. The rubber anti-drainback valve seals against the cardboard and frequently leaks, causing dirty oil to drain back into the pan. The bypass valves are plastic and are sometimes not molded correctly, which allows them to leak all the time. The stamped-metal threaded end is weakly constructed and it has smaller and fewer oil inlet holes, which may restrict flow. I had one of these filters fail in my previous car. The filter element collapsed and bits of filter and glue were circuilating through my system. The oil passge to the head became blocked and the head got so hot from oil starvation that it actually melted the vacuum lines connected to it as well as the wires near it

Fram Double Guard - Another bad filter idea brought to you by your friends at Fram. The filter itself is a slightly improved design over the Fram Extra Guard, but still uses the same filter element. It has a silicone anti-drainback valve, a quality pressure releif valve, and enough inlet holes for good flow. The big problem is that they are trying to cash in on the Slick 50 craze. They impregnate the filter element with bits of Teflon like that found in Slick 50. As with Slick 50, Teflon is a solid and does not belong in an engine. It cannot get into the parts of the engine that oil can and therefore does nothing. Also, as the filter gets dirty, it ends up filtering the Teflon right out. Dupont (the manufacturer of Teflon) does not recommend Teflon for use in internal combustion engines. Please do not waste your money on this filter.

Penzoil - This filter is a Fram! It is the exact same design as the Fram Extra Guard filter and it is junk. On the up side, it costs $1 less than the Fram version.

Quaker State - This is another Fram Extra Guard that I have seen at K-mart. It used to be a Purolator, but Quaker State is now owned/controlled by Penzoil...

 

[Beau]

Originally posted by: zerocool84

Originally posted by: Beau
K&N can suck my nuts. Put one in and the oil on the material ruined my MAF sensor. $500 part.

Anyway, use the OEM filters... get it from your dealer: This is why: http://www.pictars.com/users/Beau/fram.jpg

Oil: Mobile 1, RP, Redline (if you like to waste money to feel neat).

I thought it's fairly common knowledge that aftermarket Oiled Air Filters could damage your MAF. Doesn't matter if it's K&N or another company. If I was staying stock I would use OEM filters anyways.

I hadn't heard that it could when I put it in. No warning on the box or anything... Now I know

But yeah, only OEM for me now.

 

[bobdole369]

our torque converter does not lock up until the tranny fluid is warm. When it does, your RPM will drop.

This..... As stated in my disclaimer - slippage from the TC.

When in 3rd gear with a ratio of 1.3:1 and a final gear of 4.28 - your RPM's will always = 2400 at a vehicle speed of 48 mph. These are just some numbers I made up. My point was simple - you can't change your RPM without changing your gears - slippage excepted.

One day it can't be 2500rpm=50mph, but the next 2300rpm=50mph.

I thought it's fairly common knowledge that aftermarket Oiled Air Filters could damage your MAF. Doesn't matter if it's K&N or another company. If I was staying stock I would use OEM filters anyways.

It didn't on my 89 Firebird, or my wifes camaro. Both have a very vulnerable heated MAF. Shit I stuck a cone style directly to the other end of my MAF when I did the intake. I think its a wives tale, or maybe one dude had a problem. I wouldn't worry about it too much. My car doesn't have a MAF anymore so no biggie.

I think the cardboard parts in the FRAM oil filters are a wives tale too. Never saw a cardboard end cap when I took it apart. It was a plastic bit on the end of the filter element.

Beau if you paid $500 for a MAF - I got something else to sell you.

 

[bobdole369]

Take your K&N filter and hold it up to a light, see all those holes? That's where the dirt goes through. K&N allows more air through because it doesn't filter as well, and that extra air isn't going to do you any good at all until you're at WOT. Everyone uses K&N because everyone uses K&N, there is no other compelling reason to use one, unless of course your goal is to allow more dirt into your engine, then K&N is the way to go.

I don't agree with the first part - as I don't have a ton of holes on my K&N - its oiled - so there is really not a lot of places for any dust to get through. It gets hung up in the filter material.

I agree with the next sentence and the first part of the last. The biggest compelling reason to use one (and why I have one installed) - is to avoid changing the filter and paying $2.99 to some parts store every couple months.

 

[Gillbot]

Originally posted by: bobdole369

Take your K&N filter and hold it up to a light, see all those holes? That's where the dirt goes through. K&N allows more air through because it doesn't filter as well, and that extra air isn't going to do you any good at all until you're at WOT. Everyone uses K&N because everyone uses K&N, there is no other compelling reason to use one, unless of course your goal is to allow more dirt into your engine, then K&N is the way to go.

I don't agree with the first part - as I don't have a ton of holes on my K&N - its oiled - so there is really not a lot of places for any dust to get through. It gets hung up in the filter material.

I agree with the next sentence and the first part of the last. The biggest compelling reason to use one (and why I have one installed) - is to avoid changing the filter and paying $2.99 to some parts store every couple months.

I'd rather pay the $2.99 to the parts store every few months for a better paper filter than possibly replacing a couple hundred dollar MAF or possibly an entire engine due to excess wear. But if that $50 K&N is a better deal for you have at it.

 

[bobdole369]

Hey thanks for schooling me AT TG. This thread caused me to start looking and I'm going back to paper. Wow.... just wow....

 

[Greenman]

Originally posted by: bobdole369

Take your K&N filter and hold it up to a light, see all those holes? That's where the dirt goes through. K&N allows more air through because it doesn't filter as well, and that extra air isn't going to do you any good at all until you're at WOT. Everyone uses K&N because everyone uses K&N, there is no other compelling reason to use one, unless of course your goal is to allow more dirt into your engine, then K&N is the way to go.

I don't agree with the first part - as I don't have a ton of holes on my K&N - its oiled - so there is really not a lot of places for any dust to get through. It gets hung up in the filter material.

I agree with the next sentence and the first part of the last. The biggest compelling reason to use one (and why I have one installed) - is to avoid changing the filter and paying $2.99 to some parts store every couple months.

Check around a bit, K&N filters allow more dirt to pass through than paper. It's been demonstrated several times. Is the added dirt enough to harm your engine? I don't know the answer to that, but I do know I won't risk any added dirt in the engine of my V-Rod for the possibility of one more horsepower at 9k rpm's.
The cost issue is nothing, even after ten years it only amounts to lunch money. I'll find somewhere else to save some nickles.

 

[shortylickens]

I used an expensive K&N filter and fancy synthetic oil for a long time in my pickup. Didnt seem to be anything special.
Recently changed back to cheap filters and oil. Car is running fine. I suspect I will keep using the cheap stuff and just replace it more frequently. Probably at the 5000 mile mark instead of 10,000.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: shortylickens
I used an expensive K&N filter and fancy synthetic oil for a long time in my pickup. Didnt seem to be anything special.
Recently changed back to cheap filters and oil. Car is running fine. I suspect I will keep using the cheap stuff and just replace it more frequently. Probably at the 5000 mile mark instead of 10,000.

The only advantage for most cars/trucks for Syn oil is longer drains intervials. Now if you have a turbo, car that has sludge issues, tow a lot of weight, etc... then a Syn would work better.

I use Syn in my CTS, Corvette, SiLs A4, etc... but my truck and my other inlaws corollas get what ever name brand oil is on sale (5w30). The Syn is run for 8000miles/1 year and the regular is 5000miles/6 months.

Just don't use Fram and that is all.