SuperTech ST3593A - 2,500 Miles

[ThirdeYe]

1995 Acura Integra LS. 2,500 miles on the fill of Havoline DS. Auto-RX Clean Phase #2. Looks like there's some brown assembly glue on this filter (stained brown from the oil). Experienced the same exact thing on the ST6607 I cut open earlier this year. Very strong can, and appeared very well built. Some very cold temps (0-20F) and some warmer temps (70F+) Unlike the last two filters I've cut open on other cars, the pleats were hard but not brittle and did not break apart in my fingers when I spaced them with my fingers:

Close-ups of the media:

 

[Audi Junkie]

What is in the filter media, looks sludgy.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Just oil. It was freshly taken off the car so the media was still all saturated. For some reason my pictures always turn out that way but they actually look perfectly fine when I look at them myself. No sludge in my engine.

 

[daman]

I just don't like the ST's,,media is very thin and the pleats spaced to far apart for my liking compared to others,i'll stick with my M1,WIX,NG,AC..

 

[Mr Nice]

Thats why its price below the cost of your M1, WIX, NG and AC.

 

[daman]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Thats why its price below the cost of your M1, WIX, NG and AC.

You get what ya pay for right?

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: daman
I just don't like the ST's,,media is very thin and the pleats spaced to far apart for my liking compared to others,i'll stick with my M1,WIX,NG,AC..


Media is the same thickness as your M1...

Go buy both and cut them apart. Show us the difference.

I have.

Go ahead and spend your $$ for the marketing. You seem to fall for it hook line and sinker.

You do get what you pay for.

I refuse to pay for marketing and questionable benefits.

In the end, I'll make 300k plus with ease and a lot more $$ in my pocket.

 

[ajchien]

Bill,

What filters do you use? And why? Does it depend on what youve seen on UOA or is it filter construction?

 

[levi]

"You do get what you pay for.
I refuse to pay for marketing and questionable benefits."

Yeah, Babee! Lovin' it, Bill! Rock on!

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: ajchien
Bill,

What filters do you use? And why? Does it depend on what youve seen on UOA or is it filter construction?



Both and cost. Mostly on construction. I've cut open every filter and never had one go bad (though I may have a Wix right now on my car that is not making me happy

) and get plenty of miles out of my engines in the past using yesterdays oils and filters.

Until I came on board here I used to use Fram filters. They have always worked fine for the engines I've used over the years.

I stopped using them as I can get as good if not better built filter cheaper in teh Supertech line at Wal-Mart. They are excellent filters even for the almost $3 per filter (current cost.. They were $1.63 when I started buying them)

I've used Bosch, Mobil 1, Fram, Wix, OEM Toyota/Subaru/Ford/Chev and Purolators.

My UOAs have always had excellent results.

Take care, bill

 

[Mr Nice]

Supertech are great for the money, but I notice that the selection of part #'s keeps getting smaller and smaller.

I don't know if any BITOG members remember, but Walmart used to sell STP oil filters about 10 years ago.

 

[Hootbro]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Supertech are great for the money, but I notice that the selection of part #'s keeps getting smaller and smaller.

I don't know if any BITOG members remember, but Walmart used to sell STP oil filters about 10 years ago.


STP and Supertechs are made by Champion Labs. Same filter, they just went to the house brand name.

Filter selection can be store Dependant and vary between stores. The local manager keeps what sells in quantity. Shelf space is always in competition with other products.

Also, you might want to check to application guide. A lot of the filter manufacturer's have reduced P/N's because one P/N can actually cover multiple applications.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Seeing how Champion lab makes K&N,AC/Delco,Walmart ST,Bosch,Duetsch,STP, and M1 I doubt that they are retooling for each brand. So while you might get a different blend for the media and might get slightly thicker can material the rest is going to be close to identical for production purpose's. We have never seen a reduction in wear number associated with better filtration across the board. In fact in some cases the enhanced filtration ability caused the filter to go into bypass mode more often and caused increase wear since the oil was getting filtered less not more. Now we do sometimes see a huge difference in insolubles with better filtering few vechiles need to be concerned about this. Even vechiles with bypass filtration that are getting huge infussions of fresh oil weach time their paper towels are changed have not produced insanely better UOA results! In my mind spending more for a full flow filter is just wasteing money! I have some insanely good UOA results and I do not spend big money on my filters. I think your money would be better spent on designer oils then on designer filters!

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: JohnBrowning
Seeing how Champion lab makes K&N,AC/Delco,Walmart ST,Bosch,Duetsch,STP, and M1 I doubt that they are retooling for each brand. So while you might get a different blend for the media and might get slightly thicker can material the rest is going to be close to identical for production purpose's. We have never seen a reduction in wear number associated with better filtration across the board. In fact in some cases the enhanced filtration ability caused the filter to go into bypass mode more often and caused increase wear since the oil was getting filtered less not more. Now we do sometimes see a huge difference in insolubles with better filtering few vechiles need to be concerned about this. Even vechiles with bypass filtration that are getting huge infussions of fresh oil weach time their paper towels are changed have not produced insanely better UOA results! In my mind spending more for a full flow filter is just wasteing money! I have some insanely good UOA results and I do not spend big money on my filters. I think your money would be better spent on designer oils then on designer filters!


I do not agree. I believe each filter name might be made to a different spec. Champion Lab might have say 10 options for filter construction and the company requesting the filter specifies what the want and Champion Lab makes thousands of the requested filters. Then they change to a different filter name. Certainly a M1 filter and a Walmart filter are not identical filters both made by Champion Labs with different paint and labels.

 

[dwendt44]

JohnBrowning might be referring to the run of the mill filter that's made to a price.
M-1 filters, and other higher end filters would, of course, be made with better materials.

 

[glenncof]

Originally Posted By: JohnBrowning
Seeing how Champion lab makes K&N,AC/Delco,Walmart ST,Bosch,Duetsch,STP, and M1 I doubt that they are retooling for each brand.


Champ Labs is probably the most prolific filter manufacture in US. They don't have their own brand but make for others. They build to spec; base plate, media, can thichness, etc.

They developed the E-core design which is the basis for most ST filters, but the one pictured in the first post doesn't look like one.

Filter manufactures appear to cross sell ones from others probably not making all the filters but buying to fill in the product line. So the only way to know what you;'re getting is to be vigilent and study lots of teardowns.

 

[Gary Allan]

 

[sciphi]

Amen to spending more on designer oils than designer filters!

Currently I'm running Schaeffer's 7000 5w-30 with a (gasp!) orange-can Fram I had laying around the garage. Car runs just fine. I have half a mind to cut this filter open in 4000 miles when the oil gets changed (2000 miles currently on it).

 

[glenncof]

Gary,

Nice try...you probably got that off Champ Labs website.

Now try to go find one retail...

Actually I tried a search and found listings on Amazon.com (no pictures, who knows if this is real??) but no other than some company selling excess inventory. Not exactly widely distributed

Note: Of course I'm not speaking of Champ aircraft filters.

 

[Gary Allan]

Yes ..what's the "try" part of it

That's their filter line.

Wix aren't widely distributed either (under the Wix label) Apparently Majiers (or some name like that ..maybe O'Reilly's) actually carries a bona fide WIX.