How do I properly look up alternative oil filters sizes?

[Big O Dave]

As some are aware, I have the "magic book," the Wix 2005 master catalog. I have had a few guys ask me to look for larger filters for their vehicles, and in doing so, I have gone to the section of the catalog where all oil filters are listed in groups according to thread sizes. Wix has organized each section so that the filters for any given thread size are listed in ascending order according to the physical length of the filter (shortest come first, longest come last). [No phallic jokes, please!

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What I have done was highlight all filters that have the same thread size and gasket size, excluding those with gasket sizes that differ from the OEM size. I would find the biggest filter with the same gasket size and present that one as the biggest that would fit. I always mention if the bypass PSID is different from the OEM spec.

Is there some other way I should be doing this? How do I know if differing gasket sizes will work without seeing the vehicle in question?

Comments and suggestions, please.

 

[daemonite]

kind of difficult since you cant see where the gasket will mate. I think you pretty much have to see the vehicle in question and see how big a gasket it can fit.

 

[Mickey_M]

quote:

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Big O Dave:

As some are aware, I have the "magic book," the Wix 2005 master catalog. I have had a few guys ask me to look for larger filters for their vehicles, and in doing so, I have gone to the section of the catalog where all oil filters are listed in groups according to thread sizes. Wix has organized each section so that the filters for any given thread size are listed in ascending order according to the physical length of the filter (shortest come first, longest come last). ....

What I have done was highlight all filters that have the same thread size and gasket size, excluding those with gasket sizes that differ from the OEM size. I would find the biggest filter with the same gasket size and present that one as the biggest that would fit. I always mention if the bypass PSID is different from the OEM spec.

Is there some other way I should be doing this? How do I know if differing gasket sizes will work without seeing the vehicle in question? ....

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The gasket size should be described, either in your catalog in the back or on their website.

Generally there's some slack both ways on the mating plate.

When in doubt, try the filter.

Your real limit is the physical size. On some cars an oversized filter either physically won't fit the space allowed, or will contact some other part such as a frame or chassis member when the engine is in use. The last you often find out when an oil leak develops.


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[Bill Kapaun]

I agree with daemonite.
Even though you can probably get away with it in most? cases, unless you see the actual filter mount in question, you can never be sure.

Personally, I won't recommend an oversize filter unless the gasket is correct. I might mention one if the gasket is within maybe 1/32", but make that info clear to the user.
BPP has to be correct within a couple psi, and that info is also made clear to the user IF it varies from stock.
I'm a fan of oversize filters, but within conservative guidelines. IF someone else wants to recommend a filter that's "longer" than mine because they're willing to "fudge" more, that's up to them. I just don't want to feel responsible for that poor sap that discovered "close" wasn't close enough!
Let's face it, with a new car, one could probably go 3-4 oil changes on the stock size filter with no problems.
One of the reasons I like an oversize is for the extra cooling area of the larger can. It may not be that much more, but it's "some"
I'm actually considering becoming a fan of "undersize" filters for frigid areas during the winter months. Less cooling (and slightly less oil) = slightly faster oil warm-up.
Is that blasphemy?!

 

[1 FMF]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&star...a34.com/information/oilfiltertable.pdf&e=9797

this is where I get my cross reference info,
and from there I use an amsoil cross ref sheet to go between brands like fram, acdelco, purolator using the amsoil SDF #.

as you can see, the gasket diameters are only 2 choices: 2.625" or 3.25". And can lengths are long or short at 4.25" or 6.25"- not so sure how true that is. From there the only difference is thread size, and then it has to fit.
Then there's the anti-drainback valve, present or not present.
I never had info on bypass valve settings amongst the same fitting filters. How important is that really? The one you list says 16psi, and then the other along with a few others I looked up are all 8-11psi.
And the max gpm flow rating seem to all be 7-9 gpm, 9-11gpm for the two you listed.
Certainly not rocket science, I fail to see how any filter can be detrimental unless it leaks, the flow holes don't line up for some reason, or there's no anti-drainback valve which would be bad only on startup.

how can I get a wix 2005 master catalog?

 

[Mickey_M]

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Bill Kapaun:

..... BPP has to be correct within a couple psi, and that info is also made clear to the user IF it varies from stock. .....

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Actually you can get away with more than that if you know what you're trying to accomplish.

Racing/high-performance filters typically have a higher bypass in psi simply because if you flog an engine, a low bypass will result in little or no filtration.

On the other hand, with a larger filter you may get away with a lower bypass because the greater flow capacity drops the differential pressure at the bypass.


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[Big O Dave]

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Originally posted by Mickey_M:
...with a larger filter you may get away with a lower bypass because the greater flow capacity drops the differential pressure at the bypass.

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This is exactly why I like oversized filters... if they have bigger elements, they can flow more before going into bypass. And, they can continue flowing more with a higher debris load than smaller filters.

Thank you, Mickey!

 

[Bill Kapaun]

quote:

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Originally posted by Mickey_M:

quote:

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Bill Kapaun:

..... BPP has to be correct within a couple psi, and that info is also made clear to the user IF it varies from stock. .....

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Actually you can get away with more than that if you know what you're trying to accomplish.

Racing/high-performance filters typically have a higher bypass in psi simply because if you flog an engine, a low bypass will result in little or no filtration.

On the other hand, with a larger filter you may get away with a lower bypass because the greater flow capacity drops the differential pressure at the bypass.


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I think you are kind of missing the "topic" of this post and getting sidetracked into details.
It's not what you can get away with, it's how to "properly" look up alternative filter sizes.
I simply stated my method AND I also stated the fact I tend to be conservative. Remember the "poor sap" part? I don't want to turn someone into that with potentially bad advice.
IF a person is asking, the probably aren't into a the small details like psid etc. They just want a bigger filter.

 

[Mickey_M]

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Bill Kapaun:

I think you are kind of missing the "topic" of this post and getting sidetracked into details. ....

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It may have been the post to which I responded, which mentioned bypass pressure.

One of the interesting things you run into when using manufacturer cross-references is that a suggested X-ref has a higher or lower bypass psi rating.

The reason is that it is not as critical in many applications as people think.

For the average vehicle owner, buying what the catalogue calls for is the smart move.

If you have the interest and knowledge level to know you can substitute, knowing what a different psi rating on the bypass might mean is probably another good piece of information.


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[Gary Allan]

We don't really know why they have such varied bypass settings. One could reason that it really doesn't matter that much in 99% of the useage. The reason I say this is that regardless of the bypass setting ..all filters probably resemble each other in the new and throughout like mileage on the same vehicle. That is, you take a 8-11 vs. a 12-16 vs. a 30 psid bypass filter of the same approximate size/media/etc. that they're all gonna have next to NO psid when new ..and will probably, within reason, accumulate the same material that would raise the psid as it advances in age.

So a higher bypass won't ever be an issue ..until you extend its use beyond the other lower bypass setting filters.

Now this has to be "qualified". There have been instances where a filter can alter flow. It's usually in older vehicles with advance mileage and probably very loose internal oil pump tolerances ...but this too would not be a direct function/side effect of a higher bypass setting ..and more to do with media restriction ..which is normally a non-issue in any mechanically sound installation.

 

[michaelc80]

When I was looking for filters for my Subaru Outback Sport I looked on Baldwins site. They have a list of the standard filters and also have "related to" filter numbers (which are usually oversized). I selected the next size larger for mine (1402 instead of 1400) and it fit perfectly. I don't have to worry about matching up ADBV because they've already done it.