Choosing the BEST OIL FILTER...FRAM vs WIX vs K&N vs Others

Summary

In this video, the host conducts a high-end oil filter comparison, dissecting five premium brands to explore their materials and construction. With a focus on synthetic versus cellulose media, silicone versus rubber anti-drain back valves, and stamped steel versus coil springs, the analysis provides in-depth insights. Filters are tested for efficiency, micron ratings, and cost, offering viewers a comprehensive guide to choosing the best oil filter for their vehicle.

Takeaways

• 🔧 The video is a follow-up to a previous oil filter comparison, focusing on high-end oil filters.
• 🏁 The initial test compared five popular oil filter brands, ranging from $3 to $15, dissecting them to understand their differences.
• 📊 Viewers requested more in-depth information, such as material composition, synthetic vs. cellulose blend, and construction details like spring and can thickness.
• 🚗 All filters tested are for a 1997 Nissan Maxima, ensuring consistency across the comparison.
• ⚙️ Efficiency ratings for all filters are 99%, with micron ratings between 20 and 25, indicating high performance in filtering motor oil.
• 🔩 The base plate of the filters varies in the number of inlet holes, with the Fram having the most at ten.
• 🌡️ All filters feature silicone anti-drain back valves, which are superior to rubber in extreme temperatures.
• 🔄 Bypass springs are either stamped steel or coil spring, with Wix and K&N using the latter, indicating a higher quality construction.
• 💰 The Fram Pro synthetic filter is the most economical at $8, offering good value for money.
• 🏎️ The K&N filter is designed for high-flow rates with heavier oils, using a special impregnated cellulose material, and includes a safety wire fitting for racing applications.

Q & A

What was the main purpose of the video?

The main purpose of the video was to conduct a high-end oil filter shootout, comparing various brands and models of oil filters, focusing on their construction, materials, and features to help viewers understand the differences and make informed choices.

What was the audience's response to the first oil filter video?

The audience enjoyed the information provided in the first video, but about 20% of them requested more specific details, such as the materials used, the type of media, and the construction of the filters.

What are the similarities among all five oil filters tested?

All five filters have a 99% efficiency rating and are rated between 20 to 25 microns for filtering motor oil. They also have metal spines and end caps, and are designed for the same vehicle, a 1997 Nissan Maxima.

What is the difference between silicone and rubber anti-drain back valves?

Silicone anti-drain back valves are superior to rubber ones because they perform better in both very cold and very hot temperatures, ensuring oil is retained in the filter for a quick start after the engine is turned off.

What are the two types of bypass springs mentioned in the video?

The two types of bypass springs mentioned are stamped steel and coil spring. The Wix and K&N filters use coil springs, while the Fram, Royal Purple, and AMSOIL filters use stamped metal.

Why did K&N choose to use cellulose instead of synthetic material in their filter?

K&N uses a special impregnated cellulose material because it performs well at high flow rates, which is beneficial for racing applications where heavier oils are often used.

What is the recommended replacement interval for the Wick's XP oil filter?

The Wick's XP oil filter recommends following the vehicle manufacturer's recommended interval for oil changes, especially considering extreme conditions such as long idle speeds, towing, or cold weather.

What is the significance of the inlet holes on the base plate of the oil filters?

The number of inlet holes on the base plate affects the flow rate of oil into the filter. The Wix filter has the most with ten inlet holes, which could potentially allow for better oil flow.

How does the Fram Pro synthetic filter compare to the Fram Extra Guard in terms of construction?

The Fram Pro synthetic filter has superior construction compared to the Fram Extra Guard, with metal end caps and a metal center tube, whereas the Extra Guard has a cardboard end cap.

What are the two filters that look identical according to the video?

The Royal Purple and the AMSOIL filters appear to be identical in design and construction, with only the color and branding being different.

Outlines

00:00

🔧 Overview of the High-End Oil Filter Shootout

In this video, the presenter extends a previous oil filter comparison by focusing on high-end options. The initial video featured basic comparisons between filters priced from $3 to $15, highlighting differences in material, construction, and performance. However, viewers requested more detailed information, such as filter materials (synthetic vs. cellulose), spring types, and other specifics. Responding to these requests, this video takes a deeper dive into the technicalities of various high-end filters for a 1997 Nissan Maxima.

05:02

🔍 Detailed Analysis of Filter Parts and Ratings

The presenter emphasizes that all five filters are made for the same vehicle (1997 Nissan Maxima) and share a 99% efficiency rating with 20-25 micron filtration capabilities. The analysis begins with the base plates, noting differences in inlet holes, followed by the gasket material, which is high-quality across all filters. The focus then shifts to anti-drain-back valves, where silicone is preferred over rubber for better performance in extreme temperatures. Coil springs and stamped steel springs are compared in terms of bypass valves, with metal spines and synthetic media being common features in most filters.

10:02

🛠️ Fram Pro Synthetic Filter Overview

The presenter begins the individual filter analysis with the Fram Pro Synthetic filter, which is made in the USA and rated for 15,000 miles. At $8, it is the most affordable of the group but offers notable improvements over the cheaper Fram Extra Guard. While the pleating on the filter isn't perfect, the metal end caps and center tube provide superior construction compared to the cardboard parts found in lower-end filters. The presenter recommends spending an extra $3 for the better build quality of this filter, especially given its critical role in engine longevity.

🔧 Wix XP Oil Filter Review

The Wix XP filter, priced at $10, is highly regarded for its superior pleating and construction. The filter features metal end caps, a metal center tube, and a silicone anti-drain-back valve, along with a coil spring for the bypass valve. These high-quality materials make it ideal for vehicles operating in extreme conditions like long idling or cold weather. Wix XP filters are recommended to follow the manufacturer's suggested replacement intervals, and the presenter considers this filter excellent value for money.

🏎️ K&N Oil Filter and Racing Benefits

The K&N oil filter stands out with two key features: a one-inch nut fitting for easy installation/removal and a safety wire fitting, commonly used in motorcycle racing to prevent accidents. K&N's use of impregnated cellulose material allows it to handle thicker oils often used in racing, ensuring high flow rates. The filter construction includes metal end caps and a metal center tube, making it durable and reliable for performance vehicles.

🏁 Comparison of Royal Purple and Amsoil Filters

The Royal Purple and Amsoil filters are nearly identical in construction, with both made in the USA and rated for 15,000 miles. The presenter notes slight differences in the glue application, with Amsoil appearing messier. Despite their high price ($19 for Amsoil), the two filters perform similarly, prompting the presenter to suggest opting for Royal Purple if choosing between the two. The video concludes by recommending Wix for overall quality and value, K&N for racing purposes, and Fram for budget-conscious buyers.

Keywords

💡Oil Filter

An oil filter is a device that removes contaminants from engine oil, helping to prolong the life of the oil and the engine. In the video, the host dissects various high-end oil filters to compare their construction, materials, and efficiency, which is central to the theme of the video as it aims to educate viewers on the differences between various oil filters.

💡Synthetic vs. Cellulose

Synthetic and cellulose refer to the types of materials used in oil filters. Synthetic materials are man-made and often offer superior performance and longevity. Cellulose is a natural material derived from plant fibers. In the video, the host discusses how K&N uses cellulose for its oil filters, which is beneficial for high flow rates in racing conditions, illustrating the importance of material choice in filter performance.

💡Efficiency Rating

The efficiency rating of an oil filter indicates how well it can filter out contaminants from the engine oil. The video mentions that all filters tested have a 99% efficiency rating, which is a key performance metric for oil filters. This rating is crucial for understanding how effectively each filter can protect the engine.

💡Micron Rating

The micron rating of an oil filter refers to the size of the smallest particles it can filter out. The video states that the filters tested have micron ratings between 20 and 25, which indicates a high level of filtration. This micron rating is important for viewers to understand the fineness of filtration provided by the oil filters.

💡Anti-Drain Back Valve

An anti-drain back valve is a component of an oil filter that prevents oil from draining back into the oil pan when the engine is turned off. The video explains that silicone valves are superior to rubber ones due to their performance in extreme temperatures. This feature is highlighted as a key differentiator among the filters tested.

💡Bypass Spring

A bypass spring in an oil filter is designed to ensure a consistent flow of oil even when the filter is clogged. The video discusses two types of bypass springs: stamped steel and coil spring. The coil spring, used by Wix and K&N, is noted as a higher-quality feature, which is relevant to the video's theme of comparing high-end oil filters.

💡Metal Spine

A metal spine in an oil filter provides structural support and durability. The video mentions that all filters tested have metal spines, which is a desirable feature as it contrasts with cheaper filters that might use cardboard or plastic. This detail is important for viewers to understand the build quality of high-end oil filters.

💡Pleats

Pleats in an oil filter refer to the folded sections of the filter media that increase the surface area for filtering. The video script mentions that the number of pleats will be counted and their square inches measured in a follow-up video, indicating the relevance of pleat design to the filter's performance.

💡Fram Pro Synthetic

Fram Pro Synthetic is one of the oil filters analyzed in the video. It is noted for its affordability and its construction, which includes metal end caps and a metal center tube. The discussion of this filter provides an example of a cost-effective option among the high-end filters tested.

💡Wix XP

Wix XP is another oil filter featured in the video, highlighted for its high-quality construction, including a coil spring and silicone anti-drain back valve. The host recommends this filter for vehicles operating in extreme conditions, showcasing it as a premium option among those tested.

Highlights

The video is an extension of a previous one comparing five popular oil filter brands.

Filters range from $3 to $15 and the video explores the differences in materials and performance.

The video aims to provide basic information for laymen about oil filters.

Viewers requested more specific information about filter materials and construction.

All filters tested are for a 1997 Nissan Maxima to ensure consistency.

All filters have a 99% efficiency rating and micron ratings between 20 and 25.

The base plate of the filters is metal with varying numbers of inlet holes.

Silicone anti-drain back valves are superior to rubber and are present in all tested filters.

Wicks and K&N use a coil spring, while others use stamped metal for the bypass valve.

All filters have metal spines and end caps, which is a premium feature over cheaper filters.

K&N is the only filter that uses cellulose instead of synthetic material.

Fram Pro Synthetic is the cheapest at $8 and has good spacing but a large gap at the rear.

Wix XP has excellent pleat spacing and is recommended for extreme conditions.

K&N has a one-inch fitting for quick installation and a safety wire fitting.

Royal Purple and AMSOIL filters look identical, with only color and gluing quality differing.

For value, the Fram filter offers many features for its $8 price.

Wix is considered the best construction among the filters tested.

Detailed individual videos for each filter will be released to provide more in-depth analysis.

Transcripts

so today we're doing a high-end oil

filter shootout this is really an

extension from our first film in which

we took five very popular oil filter

brands ranging from three to fifteen

dollars and essentially we cut open the

filters and we went over if your

unconventional versus synthetic how many

miles you can get out of them

we showed the aesthetic differences

between them and that sort of thing it

was always meant to be a very basic

almost for the layman person kind of

video just so you can sort of learn why

is one filter three bucks and then one

fifteen dollars and a large majority of

you did enjoy that information however

roughly twenty percent which is quite

large either wanted different brands or

you wanted more information in other

words what's the material used on the

media is a synthetic versus cellulose or

blend what's the antiderivative is a

silicon versus rubber what's the bypass

spring is it stamped steel versus coil

spring what's the thickness of the can

you guys really ask for a lot of very

very specific information that the

layman would not really go into but

that's what we're doing today we're

going to be cuddling open these high end

oil filters we're going to compare them

all I'll also jot down what the cost was

again I had to purchase all of these

online because my local auto parts store

doesn't have any of these so I'm just

going to start right off the bat by

cutting open these filters laid on a

table we'll go over the material we'll

do some measurements and let's see what

we come back with

now before we begin looking at each

filter on its own let me just quickly

state that all the filters here are made

for the exact same vehicle so in other

words we're not mixing and matching

filters they're all made for a 1997

Nissan Maxima so let's just get that

right out of the way if you are

wondering that secondly is there are a

lot of similarities among all five

filters number one is the efficiency

rating which happens to be 99% among all

five so they all do a very good job of

filtering the motor oil and grabbing as

many contaminants as possible if you're

curious about the micron rating the

lowest micron rated I was able to find

was the am soil at 20 but they're all

between 20 and 25 microns so they're

very very good at filtering the motor

oil so let's start by looking at the

bottom row here move our way up and then

we'll start looking at each filter on

its own now this happens to be the base

plate on the bottom row here of course

it's metal among all five the difference

that you really find is regarding the

number of inlet holes and the frame has

the most they happen to have ten inlet

holes the wicks has eight then the K&N

the royal purple and the am soil happen

to have six Inlet holes the gasket

material is perfectly fine high-quality

among all five of course whenever you

change your motor oil just put a dab of

clean motor oil on the gasket that seals

the the connection really so you don't

have any leakage plus the next time you

do an oil change it makes the filter a

little bit easier to remove now moving

up to the next row we have the anti

drain back valves and they happen to be

silicone among all five your cheaper

filters will have rubber the reason why

you want silicone is because it does a

much better job in very cold and very

hot temperatures so it's a superior

material compared to rubber the whole

point behind this is when you turn off

your vehicle this little valve allows

oil to be saved in the filter so the

next time you start your vehicle you

will not have a cold or a dry start it

keeps the oil in the filter so it's

ready to be circulated in the motor so

it's a nice little feature to have but

again it just depends on the material on

the filter now moving to the next row

these happen to be

the bypass Springs so you either have

stamped steel or you have a coil spring

now as you can see the wicks and the kN

use a coil spring which is in my opinion

is a very nice feature it's a little bit

more money to manufacture but the fact

that they go coil spring I think that's

pretty cool the frame the royal purple

and the am soil happen to use stamped

metal now moving up to the next row here

of course we have the filter material

itself

now the every filter here happens to

have a metal spine so everything here is

metal it's not cardboard it's not

plastic it's metal among all five now

regarding the number of pleats I will

count that off-camera I think what we're

going to do here is talk them talk about

the main points and then I'll do an

individual video on each filter

regarding the number of pleats I'll even

cut it open to see if it's wired backed

which I believe all five are wire back

but we'll also measure the square inches

of the material there isn't why I don't

want to do that right now in this video

is because this video will be 45 minutes

long if I do that so most of you out

there have one filter you're really like

or maybe two and I'll go into that kind

of detail on its own but we'll still go

over the base or the really major

features right now so they will have

metal spines metal end caps among all

five which is a nice feature as opposed

to cardboard which some of the cheaper

filters will have and again the material

is synthetic for almost all five the one

exception is K&N they happen to use

cellulose and I'll explain why when we

talk about the k9y they've gone with the

cellulose as opposed to synthetic just

to give you an idea mobile one uses

synthetic as well mobile one will also

use silicon anti drain back valve so at

least it gives you a comparison in that

sense and then we have the cans up here

and I'll measure each can once we get

talking about each filter so at least

this gives you a pretty good idea what's

going on the thing that's really

interesting to my eye is that the royal

purple and the am soil look exactly the

same even the diameter on the drain back

valve here is exactly the same I mean

the to me there's just no difference

between the two of them I could be wrong

but they look to be

exactly the same these filters so let's

start by looking at each filter on its

own and hopefully you this helps you

guys out there the next time you look

and change your motor oil maybe one

you'll like one over the other so let's

start with the frame let's start with

the Fram Pro synthetic filter it's made

in the USA rated at 15,000 miles which

is a very good number it's essentially

the economy filter here of the group

eight dollars which is the cheapest one

for this specific vehicle some downsides

or disadvantages is the the pleading

here is it's not it for the most part

its evenly spaced until you get to the

rear and you see that there's a big gap

and the other filter is you won't find

that the spacing is a little bit better

among the other filters but at least it

does have metal end caps the center tube

is metal as well if you compare this

with the Fram extra guard this is a much

better filter for three dollars more we

did cut open the extra guard in the

previous video and the end cap for

cardboard so this is this construction

is far superior to the extra guard for

three dollars more I would have no

hesitation spending $3.00 more on this

filter because it is your engine and

obviously you need that thing to run

forever I mean that's the way I see

these vehicles so spend therefore 3

bucks if you do want to run with the

Fram so let's move on to the next one

which is the wicks XP that way the wicks

XP oil filter a lot of you wanted to see

this in our last oil filter video or you

highly recommended it and you can

clearly see why the spacing on the

pleating here is very very good it's

certainly better than the Fram Pro

synthetic of course you have metal end

caps your Center tube is metal fairly

confident once we cut open the filter

and we do a measurement the square

inches will be higher than the Fram very

good high-quality material again

silicone anti drain back valve you have

a coils coil spring for the bypass valve

so just a very very good oil filter

regarding on how often you have to

change it which recommends they go by

your vehicle's manufacturer recommended

interval they are really excellent if

your vehicle is running in extreme

conditions such as long idle speeds if

you're towing if you're doing lower gear

times if you're operating in very very

cold weather wicks is your oil filter

and at ten dollars I tell you it's a

very very good filter for the money now

let's move over to the next one which

happens to be K&N so now we're looking

at the K&N oil filter and two of my

favorite features is that they use a

one-inch fitting on the end so it's very

fast to install and remove the filter

but secondly they have a fitting here

for a safety wire now for example a

motorcycle racing you attach a safety

wire to your oil filter just in case if

you have a blowout the filter won't fly

on the track and maybe injure another

right or another writer so it's a really

nice feature to have with the cane and

secondly look at the spacing of the

pleats compare that to the wicks may

grab the wicks here it almost seems like

this is the spacing is better I'm

curious to see what the square inches is

when we cut open this filter but um

really nice to note that now one thing

if you remember early in the film I

stated how this is the one filter that

does not use synthetic they use

cellulose and the whole point behind

that is because in racing a lot of times

they use a heavier oil and because they

use a heavier oil obviously you're

racing and they need high flow rates and

cellulose for K&N it's a special

material that they use they call it I

believe impregnated cellulose and for

the heavier oils it does a very good job

at filtering at a high flow rate and

that's why they've gone with that so

pretty cool filter in terms of those two

features the reason why they go with

cellulose of course metal backed ends or

end caps metal inside here in the tube

as opposed to plastic so we'll follow up

with a separate video just seeing what

what the square inches are but pretty

cool with the K&N so let's wrap it up

with the royal purple and the am soil

I'm going to look at those two combined

just because they look identical to me

then wrapping up with royal purple and

am soil they look to be absolutely

identical to me they're both made in the

USA they are both rated up to 15,000

miles if you look at the the cartridge

here for am soil

it's a little messy on the gluing you

know for $19 which is a lot of money for

an oil filter I would think that that

would be a little bit better maybe it

was just a defect for this one filter I

don't know the royal purple is a little

bit better regarding the gluing and you

have a little little bit of a overspray

there but regarding everything else I

mean the diameter on the anti drain back

valve it's they're exactly the same

they're just different colors so it's

printer interesting to note for two

dollars more it's essentially the same

filter you might as well go with the

royal purple if you really like these

two out of all the filters here

I like the wax I mean the construction

is very very good but it's ten dollars

was the second least expensive of the

group and if I was racing certainly the

KNN is a very very good filter and for

value the frame for eight bucks you

certainly get a lot of a lot of features

for the eight dollar cost so hopefully

this gives you a better idea what you

can expect on these high-end oil filters

again if you do love one of these

filters individually we will have a

separate video for each filter shortly

in which we will count the pleats will

measure the square inches will also

check the diameter so we're going to

more detail in a sense again I'm not

going to do that now just because this

this video will just be extremely long

and I just don't want to do that so I

hope you guys have enjoyed this and

we'll see you next time