Attention! The accuracy of the information and the results of the ranking is subjective and is not an advertisement.
Top 5 oil filters
Choosing the best protection for your engine.
Author: Stepan Kagner
Today, every motorist knows that a good oil filter is a guarantee of engine performance. While your car is serviced by a dealer, there is no need to take care of the choice - original consumables and spare parts will become, if not the best, but a proven guarantee of trouble-free operation. However, further maintenance of the machine becomes the responsibility of its owner, and here the issues of selecting the optimal consumables become the topic to which the spears of forum experts break endlessly. Here opinions diverge polarly - from "substitute_mark_name and nothing else! ”to“ pour a good oil, and the filter here doesn't matter which one to buy. ” Well, let's try to figure out what is what.
Principle of rating
Choosing the best oil filter, you can only talk about a particular car. Our test object was one of the best-selling cars in Russia - the Kia Rio 3 with a 1.6 liter engine. As a “point of reference,” we took Kia’s standard oil filter as 26300-35503Used in many other Korean cars. According to modern standards, its mounting dimensions are almost standard: M20x1.5 thread, case diameter - 78 mm (outer diameter of the sealing ring - 63 mm). Choosing the most popular oil filters of famous brands, we divided them into two categories - undoubtedly recommended or optimal for replacement in the absence of other options for purchase.
Unfortunately, only imported parts will take part in the test: although a number of Russian companies produce analogs (for example, Nevsky Filter), they are not very common, and it is hardly worth recommending a product that is difficult to buy.
| A place | Name | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mahle OC205 | 10 / 10 | 310 |
| 2 | Mann W75 / 3 | 9.9 / 10 | 300 |
| 3 | Bosch 0451103316 | 9.9 / 10 | 250 |
| 4 | Hyundai / Kia 26300-35503 | 9.8 / 10 | 340 |
| 5 | Fram PH6811 | 9.5 / 10 | 230 |
|
Mahle OC205
310
The Mahle brand is a huge selection of engine parts, from cylinder-piston group assemblies to maintenance consumables. Mahle is one of the main suppliers of automotive industries, and in this case, it does not make sense to repeat once again the high quality of products. The oil filter considered by us rightfully gets the first place in the ranking of the best: a quality-made thick-walled case not only withstands the pressure in the oil system during cold start without deformations, but also conveniently unscrew: when using dish-shaped face removers, thin-walled filters often roll off and have to be applied old-fashioned "method with chain pullers and other, even less convenient methods The bypass valve is calibrated for a pressure difference of 1 bar - on synthetic oil recommended for Kia Rio it will be securely closed viscosity, protecting the motor from the ingress of crude oil. Lovers of cheap semi-synthetic oils in the winter should be careful - trying to go with a cold engine will not be the best choice. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 10 / 10
Rating
Reviews
I can trust this brand - I have been using Mahle filters for years and not on one car. |
|
Mann W75 / 3
300
MANN is no less well-known supplier of consumables for automotive plants conveyors than Mahle. However, in our case they didn’t surpass their colleagues: this oil filter has a lower height and, accordingly, the area of the filter element than Mahle OC205, therefore, will be the best choice only for relatively few worn out engines that are filled with synthetic oil with low and stable viscosity In this case, faster clogging on the run between oil changes will not play a significant role, but a reduced height will facilitate installation in tight engine compartment. The bypass valve here has a higher opening pressure of 1.3 bar. This is another argument in favor of our opinion: when working on a viscous oil and abundant clogging before the valve opens, the filter element curtain may already be damaged. The advantages of the filter include a deep notch on the bottom that is convenient for loosening with a disc puller - removing the filter here will be easier compared to Mahle or Bosch. But, alas, convenience when servicing a car is in second place after the quality of the filter itself - hence the reduction in score. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.9 / 10
Rating
Reviews
According to tests of automotive publications, this oil filter is one of the best. I will add to this convenience when replacing. |
|
Bosch 0451103316
250
The second undoubtedly recommended oil filter also has German roots, although the production of Bosch products has long been distributed around the world - for example, our "experimental" comes from South Africa. By area, it can be considered the leader of the test: a solid cartridge of evenly laid paper corrugations occupies almost the entire 80-mm case. This did not affect the performance of the bypass valve - it is recessed into the filter element, has a decent area and opens exactly at 1 bar of the pressure difference. You can only find fault with an anti-drain valve - it works significantly hard, although the manufacturer indicates opening pressure at 0.12 bar, but it still has more resistance than Mahle. For a healthy engine, this will not be a problem, but, since Mahle’s softer valve also effectively prevents the oil from flowing out of the filter, this desensitization will still not be in favor of the overall rating score. Bosch's Kia Rio oil filter is firmly second in the Expert Price list of recommendations. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.9 / 10
Rating
Reviews
As the Germans themselves say: "Bosch ist Bosch". This brand is worthy of trust, and I have never been disappointed in the filters. |
|
Hyundai / Kia 26300-35503
340
In the past test (spark plugs for Renault Logan) the original part became the undisputed leader in the rating. Alas, Kia Rio with the original filter was less lucky - its price is one third higher than that of high-quality counterparts, while the Asian filter lost to its German counterparts in terms of filtration quality and area of the filter element. Especially strange is the price: almost all running original spare parts of Korean firms are cheaper than their counterparts, which at one time became one of the main measures to promote them on the Russian market. Here, Kia failed to distinguish themselves. The verdict is simple - the purchase of this oil filter is optimal for a new car in the event that you are a staunch supporter of using only original spare parts. Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.8 / 10
Rating
Reviews
I do not want to experiment, which is better or worse: I choose only original spare parts. But calm. |
|
Fram PH6811
230
The French-made filter deserved attention not only due to its high-quality workmanship, but also to its height: the 80-mm body had to fit a very solid filter element, which gives reason to rely on high-quality filtering with low resistance. Alas, in fact, a large height is associated with the design of the relief valve - its solid dimensions made it impossible to distinguish itself from the filter element. Of course, a large valve is not a disadvantage: on the contrary, the larger its area, the more accurately you can adjust it. But if we take into account that the filter is comparable to MANN in terms of its main characteristics, and their price is practically the same, between these two filters our choice will be obvious. The sealing ring here is narrower than that of Mahle or MANN - on the one hand, it prikipit less to the mating plane during operation, and the filter will be easier to change, on the other - with excessive tightening and easier to damage. So tighten the Fram filter is according to the instructions, and not "with a margin." Main advantages:
Minuses:
|
 9.5 / 10
Rating
Reviews
The company is known in Europe, and in Russia less - I think this is a good guarantee against fakes. I see no reason to complain about the quality of the oil filter. |
Oil filter design
A modern case oil filter (some cars use cartridge cartridges - only the paper filter element is replaced during servicing) consists of the following components:
- Housing. This is a metal cylinder with a rolled cap, in which there is a threaded seat (it is also the outlet of the filtered oil) and openings for supplying oil. For a particular car, two geometrical parameters are important: the type of thread (metric 20x1.5 on most vehicles, on some, in particular, VAZ, inch ¾ UNF) and the diameter of the sealing ring, which must clearly fall on the attachment surface of the crankcase. The height of the filter from different manufacturers may vary, and in most cases it is better to choose a larger oil filter: this means that it has a larger filter element installed, which will provide less resistance (this is especially important during cold start, when the viscosity of the oil increases) and less pollution rate. But you need to take into account the design of a particular car - a long filter may simply not fit in the engine compartment, rest against the connections and so on.
- Filter element. This is a corrugated paper with a given pore size (usually several tens of microns) through which the pump pumps oil. The filter resistance and cleaning quality depend on the area of the filter element and its porosity. Thicker paper is the choice of motorists using low-viscosity (5W30, 0W20) synthetic motor oils, for cars that use thicker oils, less resistance is required - hence either a decrease in filtration quality or the need to increase the size of the filter element. Indeed, in many modern passenger cars, the oil filter is several times smaller than the classic “Zhiguli” one - with the same quality of filtration, there is no need to create large-size filters.
- Bypass valve serves to protect the filter element from destruction - with an increase in the pressure difference before and after the filter, it works, letting the oil bypass to avoid destruction of the filter. Calibration of the bypass valve is always a compromise: too soft will open too early, opening the way for the crude oil during each cold start, too hard in the same conditions can cause the filter element curtain to break. Calibration is set for the features of a particular engine, including the viscosity recommended by the engine oil manufacturer..
- Anti-drain valve can be seen through the oil inlet openings. This is a flexible rubber curtain that prevents oil from flowing back to the crankcase after the engine is stopped. In this way, the time it takes to set the pressure in the system when the engine starts is reduced. A leakproof anti-drain valve will markedly increase oil starvation after an overnight stay, too hard will increase the total resistance of the filter.
To increase the life of the oil filter, a number of manufacturers introduce into its design an additional coarse filter. Usually, a magnet acts in its role to keep metal dust inevitably formed when the engine is worn. But is he needed? For a new engine operated on high-quality engine oil, the rate of mechanical wear will be negligible, and there is no need for additional separation of the metal. A worn-out motor, especially repaired several times using low-cost, low-quality spare parts, will be much more necessary.
In this rating, we almost did not use the usual combination of requirements for price and quality (except for the original filter, but it was too noticeably out of the general range). In the end, in the total cost of changing the oil filter costs are an extremely small fraction, and its quality work for 10-15 thousand mileage means much longer. Considering the features specified in the description of the goods presented, you can make the best choice.
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Updated: 10.03.2018
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