Does It Matter If You Change Oil Filter Brands

Bigger and smaller oil filters Many are frequently perplexed as to why some modern cars and trucks are equipped with such tiny oil filters. A reader voices his business organisation and asks if he can use a bigger oil filter.

A reader asks: "My machine uses a very small oil filter. Are there whatsoever reasons as to why I tin't use a longer filter? Are there are whatever disadvantages?"

Respond: This is a very mutual question and ane nosotros ask ourselves from fourth dimension to time. One looks at the tiny "teacup" oil filters on many of today'due south V-half dozen and even V-8 engines and wonders what the engine designers were thinking.

We posed this question to a few of the big-name oil filter makers and the general consensus is that today's engines run far cleaner than the engines of yesteryear and that capacity is non a concern. Unless there is a malfunction, very piffling clay gets into these engines, and so the OEM-sized oil filters actually offering a considerable corporeality of over-capacity.

And then if many consumers are concerned about the puny oil filters on their vehicles, why doesn't the aftermarket provide larger filters (even if information technology's just for optics)? There are three reasons as to why the aftermarket is not providing "larger than OEM" oil filters.

1. The commencement are space concerns. Many oil filters are cramped into tight spots that are difficult to access as it is.

2. The second is clearance. Longer oil filters can be vulnerable to damage from rocks and road debris. If the aftermarket oil filter is most the same size equally the factory unit of measurement, the filter producer is non opening themselves up to damage claims as they might if they offered longer oil filters that are susceptible to this type of mishap.

three. The tertiary reason why the aftermarket is not providing longer oil filters is that they as well don't consider the filter sizes offered by the car-makers to exist also small or curt on chapters. They see information technology every bit an non-effect.

Reasons Why You Shouldn't Use a Longer Oil Filter

Many people have used larger oil filters with no problem, simply there are some downsides to consider:

one. Relief/past-pass pressure level settings

When searching for a larger oil filter, many will consider filter characteristics similar thread size, filter bore and gasket diameter. If all of those match up on a longer filter, they call back they can simply use the longer filter and have now got 1 over on the man. Non and so fast…

A major factor in an oil filter's compatibility is the by-pass force per unit area valve setting. An oil filter'due south past-laissez passer pressure level valve is an internal mechanism that opens up if the oil pressure becomes too loftier. This force per unit area-relief valve opens either during common cold starts when the oil is thick or in the effect that the filter is plugged with droppings. When this valve is open, unfiltered oil is allowed to by-laissez passer the filter rather than channel information technology through the filter media. This prevents the oil filter from malfunctioning due to excess oil force per unit area and as well maintains the flow of oil to the engine.

When researching for this post, we searched out a few forum threads to go a feel for types of oil filters that posters were using to replace the recommended units. Often times they were posting specific part numbers, then we could exercise a search to see if their dimensions and by-laissez passer valve settings were correct. Nigh were in the ballpark, but one postal service was non. A Subaru possessor was using a filter that was 1.2" longer than the filter recommended for his engine. The rub was that the recommended filter had a featherbed valve pressure setting of 23 PSI, while the longer filter had a setting of only viii to 11 PSI. In other words, while this affiche was looking for more oil filter chapters, his longer oil filter (with a low by-pass setting) could potentially be in by-pass way on a regular basis.

This is an farthermost case, merely it illustrates how choosing a larger oil filter goes across the consideration of only dimensions.

two. Warranty Risks

Near every oil filter sold is warranted by the manufacturer. If you have an engine failure caused by an oil filter defect, your repair costs will be covered past the filter company. If you opt to use an oil filter function number that is not recommended for your application, you accept given the filter company an out and they will not cover you in the outcome of a claim. A larger oil filter might give you the "warm and fuzzies", just more than likely, the actress capacity is completely redundant anyway. Consider if the extra oil filter capacity is worth the take chances of operating without warranty coverage (should the unthinkable happen).

When You Should Consider a Larger Chapters Oil Filter

Situations where a larger oil filter should be considered is in engines that have been extensively modified for racing or very high functioning. When high volume oil pumps take been installed, a specialized racing oil filter should also exist used. These types of oil filters allow for much higher volumes of engine oil circulation. This blazon of racing oil filter does non employ to normal passenger car/light truck applications.

How to Proceeds Capacity with Your Regular-Sized Oil Filter

A style to gain oil filter capacity with an OEM-sized oil filter is to utilise a model equipped with a synthetic media. Constructed oil filter media materials are able to concord more contaminants, while still allowing for exceptional flow at the end of the oil change interval. Conventional cellulose (paper) oil filters merely hold contaminants on superlative of the media. Recollect about how coffee grounds are held on the inside of a coffee maker filter. When the cellulose media is covered, the filter's flow is restricted. These loftier-tech synthetic filter materials have very tiny openings that actually hold contaminants in the media itself as well as on the outside of the media. This added dimension of feasible filtering area means that synthetic oil filters tin offer double the contaminant belongings chapters over regular oil filters.

How to Gain A Lot More Oil Filter Chapters

If y'all want to gain more than oil chapters, filtering capacity and achieve finer particle removal, consider adding an oil by-laissez passer filter organisation. Regular full-flow oil filters remove particles in the fifteen to 25 micron range. By-pass oil filters are capable of removing contaminants in the 1 to 2 micron range. By-pass filter systems employ a much denser filter media and draws the oil through at a very slow rate for exceptionally thorough filtration. These systems work in conjunction with a full-flow oil filter. This type of arrangement is able to extend oil life quite dramatically. The major drawback of this type of oil filter system is that they many mod cars simply practise not accept infinite to accommodate these units. For that reason they tend to exist more popular on trucks.