Bosch Premeium oil filters....how do they rate?
- Thread starter Chris B.
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A real good oil filter. www.boschusa.com/AutoParts/Filters/Premium/OilFilters/
Maybe not, from their website:
" Bosch Premium Oil Filters, featuring Bosch FILTECH, utilizes an exclusive blend of natural and synthetic materials to provide superior oil filtration and increased engine wear protection. The Bosch FILTECH filtering area is up to 42% larger than conventional filters. Plus, the filter media is close to 30% thicker, and can screen out more harmful contaminants than a conventional filter."
I'm familier with the Filtech name. Filtech is another company that makes filters and filter media. Honda/Acura sometimes sell Filtech filters. as OE. could this be the same Filtech? Filtech seems to be more of amedia company than afilter company, maybe Bosch now specs Filtech media for their Champion built filters. And/Or did we just discover the source of the new Champion media?
Are Bosch oil filters any better than the Supertech filter from Walmart?? Whats the difference between the two??
Bosch North America = dog poopie. Bosch Euro filters are probably a different story. In the 54 cumulative filters surveyed in the Mercruiser, NTPOG.ORG (Honda group), and Overboost magazine studies, the Bosch 3312 (very popular Honda/Mazda/Mitsu applications) had the absolute LEAST amount of media, 81 sq in. Number 54 of 54. Even less media than the lowly Frams. For the same price as the Bosch, one can get a PureOne 24458 with 198 sq in. The Bosch's also have the cheap (and questionable) Champion "clicker" bypass valve. Probably a decent media composition and micron rating for the Bosch, but at twice the price of its Champion-made STP cousin, all you're getting for your extra money is a fancier label. Or as Overboost magazine said, "Bosch carries that snooty made-in-Germany aura, but don't let that promise fool you."
[ October 21, 2004, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: TC ]
[ October 21, 2004, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: TC ]
I was wondering if the Bosch I used on my wifes 2.0 Jetta was anything special so I cut it and a new STP open to compare the two. They are, as far as I could determine, the same filter. The only difference between them was the Bosch had 4 more pleats of media. Just for comparison I cut open a Fram for the same engine and it actually had more media than the other two. I'll be using STP filters for it and buy a gallon of gas with the 2 bucks I save!!!
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If you buy a Bosch filter you want to get one that says "Made in Germany." At the dealer they cost around $12, but you can find them online for about $6.
I respectfully disagree. I just cut apart new Mobil-1 and Bosch filters in the size for my G35. They have exactly the same skeletal structure. They differ only in: 1) the color of the media (so I assume they are different stuff, but there's plenty of it in both), 2) the M1 has a silicone ADBV whereas the Bosch has a black nitrile version, and 3) the paint job on the outside of the can. They are both of very robust construction, esp as compared to the Fram, which I cut last week. Its can was so thin it buckled as I tried to cut it open. I'm not sure where this "bad Bosch" stuff started, but having now seen its insides for myself, I'm considering using it vs. the M1.
I'm a fan of Champion Lab filters. Bosch oil filters are the last resort (next to mobil 1, k&n and the other $10+ filters) for me.
My bias lends towards cheap and lots of filter media, neither of these are the bosch.
My bias lends towards cheap and lots of filter media, neither of these are the bosch.
Especially as a result of my surgical experiments, I agree. Which of the CL filters have you found that offers max media for low price? The Bosch is half the price of the M1 and KN, at least at AZ. The Valuecrafts are the lowest I've seen, but they don't stock the one I want. STP?
For Hondas at least, Bosch USA offers...
1. 81 sq in of media, the least of any major brand including Fram.
2. A less expensive -- and inferior -- nitrile antidrainback valve instead of silicone.
3. A less expensive, unproven "clicker" bypass valve, as opposed to a proven coil spring valve.
In my mind, Bosch USA appears similar to SuperTech but at about three times the price. The black paint Bosch uses must contain incredibly rare and exotic pigments, I presume.
"They (Bosch and Mobil 1) are both of very robust construction, especially as compared to the Fram..." Shell thicknesses per the Oct. 2003 Overboost magazine study:
Bosch #3312: 0.0129"
Fram #PH3593A: 0.0132"
Mobil 1 #104: 0.0175"
1. 81 sq in of media, the least of any major brand including Fram.
2. A less expensive -- and inferior -- nitrile antidrainback valve instead of silicone.
3. A less expensive, unproven "clicker" bypass valve, as opposed to a proven coil spring valve.
In my mind, Bosch USA appears similar to SuperTech but at about three times the price. The black paint Bosch uses must contain incredibly rare and exotic pigments, I presume.
"They (Bosch and Mobil 1) are both of very robust construction, especially as compared to the Fram..." Shell thicknesses per the Oct. 2003 Overboost magazine study:
Bosch #3312: 0.0129"
Fram #PH3593A: 0.0132"
Mobil 1 #104: 0.0175"
Napa 1334: 0.017
Maybe the difference is between different sizes for different engines, but I see two problems with this info. First, comparing the Bosch and Mobil filters I cut apart Sunday night, the bypass is exactly the same. Both have a solid looking valve face backed by an all metal spring and retaining structure. Second, while I did not take a caliper to my cans, the Bosch and Mobil both felt substantial, where the Fram did not, and in fact, the Fram collapsed when I tried to cut it open. Using the same procedure, the Bosch and M1 maintained shape just fine. Of course, these were the long filters that fit the Nissan/Infiniti VQ35DE, not a Honda.
EDIT: Oh yeah, while the media in each B and M1 were different colors, they had about the same number of pleats, which were pretty tightly packed. If there aren't enough of this model of B, then the same applies to M1.
When I compare most filters to my FL1A Motorcraft filters I see the intake holes are fewer on the non-Motorcraft filters. I use these on Ford Taurus SHOs and they use a high volume low pressure oiling system.
Should I be concerned?
[ December 02, 2004, 02:27 PM: Message edited by: SHOZ ]
Should I be concerned?
[ December 02, 2004, 02:27 PM: Message edited by: SHOZ ]
The FL1A was also used on big block Ford V-8s up to the 460. Safe to say that any name brand FL1A equivalent is designed to sufficiently feed a 460 (7.5 liter) V-8 at 5,000+ RPM. So a 3 liter (or similar sized) Taurus SHO street engine should do just fine with such a filter. I'm using an "oversize" PureOne 24458 on my 3.0L DOHC Mitsu-Mopar, yet this filter is still somewhat small when compared to an FL1A or its equivalents. So your filter is quite big for a street 3L engine, with the inlet hole area appropriate for anticipated flow -- when appropriately serviced, I can't envision a scenario in which your filter (Motorcraft or otherwise) would ever be overstressed or under-flowing.
[ December 02, 2004, 06:49 PM: Message edited by: TC ]
[ December 02, 2004, 06:49 PM: Message edited by: TC ]
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