Subaru OEM vs. M1 vs Fram Ultra vs. Fram Endurance for Subaru 2.5 DI (2023) and 2.5 PI (2013)

[NO2]

Considering the following oil filters for our two Subarus:

2023: 6K OCI - OEM ($15) M1 ($12) Fram Ultra ($9) - leaning toward the Fram because of the short OCI and it may be better than the OEM.

2013: 15K OCI - M1 ($12) Fram Endurance ($13) No longer considering the Ultra.

What would you pick and why? Alternate filter suggestions (e.g. Wix or Bosch) ?

 

[gregk24]

I tend to stick with OEM filters. That's just me, I know what I'm getting is of good quality.

 

[Jimmy_Russells]

Since the original blue OEM filter is no more, My new “OEM” filter for Subaru is the Full 2-OSB007, available at Napa. It’s basically a better constructed OEM filter, even has the P gasket and proper bypass pressure.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Isn't Subaru still having supply issues with their OEM oil filters?

Wix (regular or XP), or the Napa equivalents (Gold or Platinum), or Full (also sold at Napa).

Full is a huge OE supplier from Thailand. They make almost every OEM and aftermarket oil filter that's made in Thailand, though they are not Subaru's OE supplier. Full's filters also have these M-shaped pleats, which they claim to hold 30% more media in the same-size canister.

While Fram is Subaru's OE supplier, Fram doesn't use the correct bypass in their aftermarket Subaru filters

Some people care about that more than others.

M1 is almost never worth buying now, and your Subaru is no exception. The M1 now comes from Purolator, so it's equivalent to the P1. For that price, you're better off with the Endurance.

 

[Trav]

What are the Subaru part numbers for these cars?

 

[fozzdesy2001]

Considering the following oil filters for our two Subarus:

2023: 6K OCI - OEM ($15) M1 ($12) Fram Ultra ($9) - leaning toward the Fram because of the short OCI and it may be better than the OEM.

2013: 15K OCI - M1 ($12) Fram Endurance ($13) No longer considering the Ultra.

What would you pick and why? Alternate filter suggestions (e.g. Wix or Bosch) ?

With a Wix or Subaru oil filter, you can't go wrong with these at 6K OCI

 

[Bellavita]

Considering the following oil filters for our two Subarus:

2023: 6K OCI - OEM ($15) M1 ($12) Fram Ultra ($9) - leaning toward the Fram because of the short OCI and it may be better than the OEM.

2013: 15K OCI - M1 ($12) Fram Endurance ($13) No longer considering the Ultra.

What would you pick and why? Alternate filter suggestions (e.g. Wix or Bosch) ?

 

[Bellavita]

Good Morning NO2,

I filtered out (love that pun ) your choices from the Oil Filter Value Analysis database and pasted them below.

The data shows for your;
1 2023 6K OCI the Fram Ultra has the #2 in performance and ranks 7th in total value.
2. 2013 15K OCI the Fram Endurance is #1 in performance and 13th ranked in overall value because of its pricing. Keep in mind it is metal screen backed with a full synthetic media. There are only three filters in my entire database that have filter backing.

These are my recommendations based on your choices. I've included the entire database also for your analysis and shopping pleasure!

 

[Al]

I have and still use ultra on 4 different Subarus. All my Subarus go 7k miles on oil changes. What Subaru do you have? Bc of horizontal engine go with 30 wt oil

 

[Bellavita]

NO2,
I'm a Subaru owner also and this entire database is for my 2021 Subaru Forester.

If the by pass valve pressure setting is a feature you look at also in your buying decision, the Wix has it set at 27psi and the Purolators setting is 20-30 psi.

The PureOne is ranked #3 in performance and 4th overall in value. This would be my recommendation also!

 

[Bellavita]

Hi NO2,
Just got back from a walk and was thinking about what oil filter could serve both of your cars and OCIs considering both performance and value. Here's my thought . . . if you set your OCIs at 12K and 6K, the PureOne from Purolator would work for both vehicles very well. It is a 15,000 mile rated filter so if you do your 2013 OCI at 12,000 you'll gain a nice 20% safety factor with it. It's priced less than the Ultra and Endurance but has their filtering performance and the media is a high synthetic blend.

 

[Tifosi]

With a 2023, I would stick with OEM.

 

[twX]

Subarus are unique in that they use oil pumps with very high flow rates, which is why they specify filters with a lot of media area and a 23 psi bypass pressure. Most aftermarket oil filters will bypass some oil regularly on most Subaru models. The OEM Tokyo Roki Subaru filters have poor filtration efficiency (I believe 50 micron), but they won't bypass any oil unless they get clogged. The blue filters may be more efficient.

The FRAM Ultra is more efficient at 20 micron, but any FRAM Ultra filter that fits a Subaru will have a bypass pressure setting of around 12 psi, and based on some flow test data, it seems that they will bypass some oil regularly on Subaru engines.

The PurolatorOne PL14610 strikes a balance between OEM and the FRAM Ultra in terms of both efficiency and flow. Test data from Purolator indicates that this specific model has a 30-micron rating. It has a 14-18 psi bypass setting, and it flows well enough that it shouldn't bypass much oil on most 4-cylinder Subarus (at least until the filter media tears). It only has a dirt holding capacity of 4 grams though, so I wouldn't use it for much more than 6k miles.

I choose to use a FRAM Ultra. A small percentage of oil bypassing the filter is inconsequential in terms of engine wear, whereas the difference in engine wear between a 50-micron and 20-micron filter is around a factor of 5. They have a good holding capacity as well. The newer ones tend to develop wavy pleats, but I don't see this as much of a concern.

 

[Bellavita]

Subarus are unique in that they use oil pumps with very high flow rates, which is why they specify filters with a lot of media area and a 23 psi bypass pressure. Most aftermarket oil filters will bypass some oil regularly on most Subaru models. The OEM Tokyo Roki Subaru filters have poor filtration efficiency (I believe 50 micron), but they won't bypass any oil unless they get clogged. The blue filters may be more efficient.

The FRAM Ultra is more efficient at 20 micron, but any FRAM Ultra filter that fits a Subaru will have a bypass pressure setting of around 12 psi, and based on some flow test data, it seems that they will bypass some oil regularly on Subaru engines.

The PurolatorOne PL14610 strikes a balance between OEM and the FRAM Ultra in terms of both efficiency and flow. Test data from Purolator indicates that this specific model has a 30-micron rating. It has a 14-18 psi bypass setting, and it flows well enough that it shouldn't bypass much oil on most 4-cylinder Subarus (at least until the filter media tears). It only has a dirt holding capacity of 4 grams though, so I wouldn't use it for much more than 6k miles.

I choose to use a FRAM Ultra. A small percentage of oil bypassing the filter is inconsequential in terms of engine wear, whereas the difference in engine wear between a 50-micron and 20-micron filter is around a factor of 5. They have a good holding capacity as well. The newer ones tend to develop wavy pleats, but I don't see this as much of a concern.

Hi twX,

The Purolator filter tested by Ascent was a Boss PBL22500. The PL14610 is a PureOne sku. Would the results be the same for the PureOne model? It has a different media than the Boss model. The SKU Purolator references for the PureOne performance is a PL30001.

 

[NO2]

I have and still use ultra on 4 different Subarus. All my Subarus go 7k miles on oil changes. What Subaru do you have? Bc of horizontal engine go with 30 wt oil

Both are 2.5L Outbacks. I've been using M1 EP 0w-20 with the '13, Subaru oil with the '23.

 

[twX]

The Purolator filter tested by Ascent was a Boss PBL22500. The PL14610 is a PureOne sku. Would the results be the same for the PureOne model? It has a different media than the Boss model. The SKU Purolator references for the PureOne performance is a PL30001.

In the link I provided, there's also test data for the Purolator Boss PBL14610. It only achieved a micron rating of 46 micron at 99%, compared to 35 micron for the PBL22500 in the Ascent test, and 25 micron claimed for the Purolator Boss reference filter in Purolator's marketing materials. This is a huge variance, and doesn't inspire much confidence in the accuracy of any of Purolator's marketing claims.

The PBL14610 does flow well, and won't bypass easily, but if you're going to favour flow performance over efficiency, I would just use an OEM Subaru filter.

 

[ZeeOSix]

In the link I provided, there's also test data for the Purolator Boss PBL14610. It only achieved a micron rating of 46 micron at 99%, compared to 35 micron for the PBL22500 in the Ascent test, and 25 micron claimed for the Purolator Boss reference filter in Purolator's marketing materials. This is a huge variance, and doesn't inspire much confidence in the accuracy of any of Purolator's marketing claims.

The only claim that might be believable from Purolator is the efficiency spec on their ISO 4548-12 referenced gigantic sized 30001 filter. They used the giant filter as their "reference" for a reason.

 

[Tifosi]

Subarus are unique in that they use oil pumps with very high flow rates, which is why they specify filters with a lot of media area and a 23 psi bypass pressure. Most aftermarket oil filters will bypass some oil regularly on most Subaru models. The OEM Tokyo Roki Subaru filters have poor filtration efficiency (I believe 50 micron), but they won't bypass any oil unless they get clogged. The blue filters may be more efficient.

The FRAM Ultra is more efficient at 20 micron, but any FRAM Ultra filter that fits a Subaru will have a bypass pressure setting of around 12 psi, and based on some flow test data, it seems that they will bypass some oil regularly on Subaru engines.

The PurolatorOne PL14610 strikes a balance between OEM and the FRAM Ultra in terms of both efficiency and flow. Test data from Purolator indicates that this specific model has a 30-micron rating. It has a 14-18 psi bypass setting, and it flows well enough that it shouldn't bypass much oil on most 4-cylinder Subarus (at least until the filter media tears). It only has a dirt holding capacity of 4 grams though, so I wouldn't use it for much more than 6k miles.

I choose to use a FRAM Ultra. A small percentage of oil bypassing the filter is inconsequential in terms of engine wear, whereas the difference in engine wear between a 50-micron and 20-micron filter is around a factor of 5. They have a good holding capacity as well. The newer ones tend to develop wavy pleats, but I don't see this as much of a concern.

Interesting information. I knew about Subaru requiring filters with high bypass pressure but did not know that the OEM Toyko Roki filters being inferior in the filtration efficiency. "Rumor" has it that the previous USDM blue filters were made by Honeywell/FRAM, and because of that, they took on a lot of criticisms due to the synthetic end caps. Any idea as to why Subaru would chose the path of less efficient but greater filtration rate with their filters? TIA.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Any idea as to why Subaru would chose the path of less efficient but greater filtration rate with their filters?

"greater filtration rate" ... what do you mean by that when also saying "path of less efficient"?

 

[Tifosi]

"greater filtration rate" ... what do you mean by that when also saying "path of less efficient"?

twX wrote: Subarus are unique in that they use oil pumps with very high flow rates, which is why they specify filters with a lot of media area and a 23 psi bypass pressure. Most aftermarket oil filters will bypass some oil regularly on most Subaru models. The OEM Tokyo Roki Subaru filters have poor filtration efficiency (I believe 50 micron), but they won't bypass any oil unless they get clogged. The blue filters may be more efficient.

To me, this means that Subaru, with the Tokyo Roki filters, places more emphasis on flow/filtration rate (High bypass pressure and a more "pores" media will ensure ALL oil passes through the filter media) over efficiency (50 micron vs. 20 micron). Am I wrong?