In this article, we’ll be discussing the Best Oil Filter, and what makes it the best. No oil change is complete without a filter! If motor oil is the lifeblood of your engine, then the oil filter is like the kidneys! In your body, kidneys filter waste and remove extra fluid to keep things healthy and humming along. Your car’s oil filter removes and captures harmful debris, dirt, and metal fragments in the engine oil to keep them from circulating through the engine.
Wix / Napa / ProTec / MicroGard
When it comes to oil filters, Wix has been kind of the gold standard for a number of years. Wix also makes the filters using the Napa Gold, Napa Platinum, MicroGard and ProTec names. They’re all basically the same filters.
Premium Guard EXP / MicroGard Select – The Best Oil Filter?
Premium Guard and Microgard Select filters, both made by Premium Guard, are a step above the standard Wix filter offering in both performance and longevity, as well as price.
Mobil 1
Mobil 1 Oil filters are about on par with the Premium Guard & MicroGard Select filters mentioned above, but made by Champion Labs, Inc. for Exxon Mobil.
PurolatorONE
PurolatorONE filters, made by Purolator, are also a solid choice. About equal to the Mobil 1 and Premium Guard offerings mentioned above.
Oil Filter Components
The things that make or break a good filter.
Your oil filter doesn’t just filter waste. Its many parts work together to clean the oil and keep it in the right place at the right time.
- Tapping Plate: Oil enters and exits the filter through the tapping plate, which looks like a center hole surrounded by smaller ones. Motor oil goes through the smaller holes, through the filter material, and then flows to your engine through the center hole.
- Filter Material: The filter is made of a mesh of synthetic fibers that act as a sieve to catch grit and grime in the motor oil. The material is folded into pleats to create a greater surface area.
- Anti-Drain Back Valve: When your vehicle is not running, this valve flaps shut to prevent oil from seeping back into your filter from the engine.
- Relief Valve: When it’s cold outside, motor oil can thicken and struggle to move through the filter. The relief valve opens at a set pressure to allow a small amount of unfiltered motor oil to circulate without restriction until the oil warms up, and pressure drops.
- End Discs: Two end discs on either side of the filter, made of either metal or fiber, prevent unfiltered oil from passing through to your engine.
You don’t need to remember all of these parts, of course, but knowing how they all work together can help you realize how important it is to choose a high quality filter.
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