Oil Filter.....Really?????

6MT · 10-12-2012, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 81DAWG

I went to the auto parts store today to pick up a couple of oil filters, one for my F150 FX4 and the other for my 2013 Z's first oil change after reaching the break in threshold.

I looked up the number for the Z's filter in the reference book and then found it on the shelf. My first thought was...WTF! Are you kidding? I could not believe the filter for the Z was so small. The Z is the 15th vehicle I have owned and the Z filter is half the size of the smallest filter any of the other vehicles has used. Just to make sure I was looking at the right filter, I looked up a couple of other brands in the reference guide and they were all small. The filter on my 16 HP single cylinder Briggs engine on my riding mower is larger than the filter for the Z!

A larger filter has to filter out more dirt than such a tiny one. Have to wonder why the Z engine was engineered to use such a small filter.

Welcome to today's modern filters. It's not like penis size, these days. Size does not matter. It's what's inside that counts.

81DAWG · 10-12-2012, 03:13 PM

It seems that if two filters are different sizes and the internal parts of the filter were the same, the larger of the two would filter better.

The two filters I bought were both Mobil 1 filters. The one for my truck with a 5.4L V-8 was at least 2x if not 3x as big as the one for the Z. I'm not going to stress over it, I was just surprised at how small the Z filter is.

SouthArk370Z · 10-13-2012, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 81DAWG

It seems that if two filters are different sizes and the internal parts of the filter were the same, the larger of the two would filter better.

Depends on how you define "better."

Everything else being equal, a larger filter will filter more oil before clogging up, but it will not filter the oil any better until that point. If you change your oil and filter at recommended intervals, clogging a smaller, factory spec filter shouldn't be an issue.

If you like to extend change intervals, a larger filter might help. Just make sure the filtration level and bypass pressure are the same. And you may need to add a little extra oil to the crankcase.

nismosis · 10-18-2012, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthArk370Z

Depends on how you define "better."

Everything else being equal, a larger filter will filter more oil before clogging up, but it will not filter the oil any better until that point. If you change your oil and filter at recommended intervals, clogging a smaller, factory spec filter shouldn't be an issue.

If you like to extend change intervals, a larger filter might help. Just make sure the filtration level and bypass pressure are the same. And you may need to add a little extra oil to the crankcase.

Finally, someone else with an engineering degree? Pressure is the answer. The lube system of your engine is designed to specific pressure drop values. A ton of engineering goes into the flow characteristics of the rifles, feed hole diameters, filter head, and filter. It's called fluid dynamics. Use the filter specified for good reason and stop guessing.

SouthArk370Z · 10-22-2012, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nismosis

Finally, someone else with an engineering degree? Pressure is the answer. The lube system of your engine is designed to specific pressure drop values. A ton of engineering goes into the flow characteristics of the rifles, feed hole diameters, filter head, and filter. It's called fluid dynamics. Use the filter specified for good reason and stop guessing.

Nope, no degree, but plenty of on-job experience with pressurized lubrication systems, DeltaP vs. flow, C-sub-v, &c, &c, &c - all sorts of stuff pertaining to lubrication and process control.

Yes, as I said in my first paragraph, the best way is (usually) the way the engineers designed it. My recommendation was to use an OEM-spec filter.

As for the paragraph about longer filters: Not so much a guess as an assessment of remarks on this forum and others about running longer filters on VQ engines - no problems reported so far (other than the fact that there's not enough room for a much longer filter). Nor do I remember reading/hearing anything about a longer filter causing problems in any automotive engine in the last 40 years or so (other than mechanical, such as rubbing). But my memory ain't what it used to be.

PaulZ370 · 10-12-2012, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6MT

Welcome to today's modern filters. It's not like penis size, these days. Size does not matter. It's what's inside that counts.

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10-12-2012, 03:13 PM	#2 (permalink)
81DAWG Base Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Covington, GA Posts: 25 Drives: '13 Mid-Blue 370Z Rep Power: 17	It seems that if two filters are different sizes and the internal parts of the filter were the same, the larger of the two would filter better. The two filters I bought were both Mobil 1 filters. The one for my truck with a 5.4L V-8 was at least 2x if not 3x as big as the one for the Z. I'm not going to stress over it, I was just surprised at how small the Z filter is.