Excellent STi oil filter comparison
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I buy my filters from Subaru. Even though Purolator may manufacture filters for Subaru, that doesn't necessarily mean that the Purolator you buy off the store shelf is exactly the same as a factory Subaru (or STI) oil filter. Purolator has the right to make cost cutting changes to their filters sold under their own name as long as they still meet a minimum specification.
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Let me put my two cents in too...I really doubt his "scientific" experiment was accurate by any means because he was judging the filters based only on visuals. But from what I hear the materials used on Mobil 1 or OEM are very good. Cotton versus synthetic materials seem to be the real reasons of better versus average made filters. For me I'm gonna stick with Mobil 1 filters and stick with changing every 3k miles. You can use your standard Subaru OEM filters if your using conventional engine oil. I would prefer if your using synthetic oil, then use the synthetic branded filters as well.
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Here's some more fuel for the oil filter fire!!
I cut open a new style OEM filter & a Denso filter.
In all of the following pictures, the OEM filter is on the left/top, Denso filter on the right/bottom.
I cut open a new style OEM filter & a Denso filter.
In all of the following pictures, the OEM filter is on the left/top, Denso filter on the right/bottom.
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I know it's not exactly related to the oil filter comparison at the top of this thread, but I think the data and analysis in this Toyota Tacoma/Toyota Tundra oil filter comparison might be interesting to Subaru owners anyways. There are lots of photos, some hard data, and some interesting info on general oil filter design.
Oil Filter Comparison - Tundra OEM Filter vs Fram vs Wix
Tacoma Oil Filter Comparison - Tacoma OEM Filter vs Fram vs Wix
I realize it was created by a Toyota dealer, but it seems like they tried to be unbiased.
Anyways, I liked it.
Oil Filter Comparison - Tundra OEM Filter vs Fram vs Wix
Tacoma Oil Filter Comparison - Tacoma OEM Filter vs Fram vs Wix
I realize it was created by a Toyota dealer, but it seems like they tried to be unbiased.
Anyways, I liked it.
If in doubt, FLAT OUT
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This is sort of a generic statement. Probably half or more of all of the filters out there, including all OEM AND FRAM are made by one or two companies, so saying Fram is crap isn't saying much. As far as I know, the OEM filters are not made by Fram.
Here's the other part of the situation: has anyone actually had an OEM filter fail or cause an issue? I've been using only OEM filters on all of my cars for YEARS without a single issue. I've also used WIX frequently when I didn't have OEMs, also without issue. If you are changing your oil at proper intervals (for a daily driver), the OEM filter is likely perfectly fine. Something other than a daily driver probably will want to use a more stout filter. If you can see in the Toyota article, their OEM actually showed better than all the aftermarket ones in terms of filtration surface area, and more or less seemed to say that the performance of most of the filters was more similar than not.
Here's the other part of the situation: has anyone actually had an OEM filter fail or cause an issue? I've been using only OEM filters on all of my cars for YEARS without a single issue. I've also used WIX frequently when I didn't have OEMs, also without issue. If you are changing your oil at proper intervals (for a daily driver), the OEM filter is likely perfectly fine. Something other than a daily driver probably will want to use a more stout filter. If you can see in the Toyota article, their OEM actually showed better than all the aftermarket ones in terms of filtration surface area, and more or less seemed to say that the performance of most of the filters was more similar than not.
Last edited by 04GG; Dec 8, 2011 at 11:34 AM.
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