Here's my thoughts:

Use a diesel rated oil if the temperature allows for it. I personally use Mystik JT-8 Super Heavy Duty 10w30 in my engines. It is CI-4 rated and has better detergent / dispersant, anti-wear, and anti-foam additive properties than regular SL gas oil. This is better for our old engines with flat tappet cams.

On the oil filters:

First see the oil filter study. Based on this, Fram probably isn't the way to go. The metal cartridge is paper thin, the end caps are cardboard, and the anti-drainback doesn't work properly. Some of their higher dollar filters have Teflon in them, which doesn't belong in your engine.

There seems to be some controversy regarding racing filters. They sacrifice oil filtration for oil flow. This is a bad trade-off on street driven engines. I have a different approach. That is, to use the biggest filter available that will fit. Usually, that means a Napa Gold number 1773, or Wix number 51773. The Napa Gold is cheaper and is a Wix filter in every way, shape, and form. Just drop the 5 off the front of the Wix number and you have the Napa Gold number. It even says Wix on the box! By using the larger filter you get the filtration AND the flow.

Just my thoughts.

 

come on get real. Motorcraft is made by Purolator and Supertech is champion.

 

That's interesting to know....I've used WIX products for years with very good results. I've had really bad luck with Fram filters in many engines.
G.

 

except wix does not make the motorcraft filter or the supertech like he mentioned. they do make all of napa's filters though.

 

Do you really believe everything a 'sales rep' will tell you about their company?
Even if that were true (which it isn't) any company that makes products for various other labels is going to make/produce them to an agreed specification. Quality of product, quality control, reliability, price points, etc. are all variables agreed upon by the producer and the label owner.

Wix, and every big producer of any product makes their own line and possibly 100's of other lines for other labels, but they are not all the same. The can on numerous filters look exactly alike, but it's the internal (unseeable) filtering media that makes the difference.

There are a few web sites that have extensive filter study analysis reports free for the reading. Filtering ability, quantity and quality of filter medium, etc. Check them out.

 

Isnt supertech a wal-mart brand? (though I am sure that someone else makes them for them) Ken, do you have any links to those web sites that did the studies on the filters? It sounds like interesting reading.

 

(BobIsTheOilGuy.com)
Sounds hokey I know, but site really covers oil and filter subjects quite well. Plus an in depth technical lab analysis and tests of filters.

There are a couple other sites I can't find right now, but the above has the most complete testing I've seen.

 

guys that filter study is old. a member here big o dave just completed a brand new one it is a lot better than that one check it out. it is in the oil forum here.

 

How about the best oil for winter driving? snow, ice, temps down in the teens and twentys?

 

use the same filter year round.

 

I found this a few years ago, its a little dated, but very usefull.
http://www.frankhunt.com/FRANK/corvette/articles/oilfilterstudy/oilfilterstudy.html



I have actualy had Frams fail me before. the biggest trouble is the drainback valve never seeming to work, or fails soon after installing, But I have had the filter can rupture on my jeep when the oil presure hit 80psi

 

What do you guys think about that "high milage oil", like castrol and Quaker state?

 

In my 71 FE360 I use straight 30 Castrol with a Motorcraft filter. The Fram filters have small holes in them, and make the oil pressure drop.

 

Currently using on my 360 and 390 FE's, the summer month's the engines running on 10w40 Chevron Supreme and in the winter month's 5w30 Chevron Supreme. Oil changes with new filters done at around 3000 miles.

 

48F, 67, the 'best' oil is going to be an opinion, but I'll give you mine. Use mobil 1 15-50 synthetic. IF, that is, you don't have leak problems already. If you do have leaks, fix them before you put the synthetic in. Synthetic has never caused me any more leak problems than any other oil, but if you have a leak, synth is exspensive stuff to be dripping on the ground. While you're at it, how about Mobil 1 synth for the axles and trans and T-case aswell. Mobil makes a great 75-90 synthetic that can go in most gearboxes and axles. The advantage to the synths, as I see it, is how well they flow in the cold. I don't know about y'all, but winter here in Michigan can get pretty cold, one year at deer camp was -35* F or colder at night for a week straight. Mineral oil just doesn't like those temps. The synth doesn't seem to mind at all. DF, @ his Dad's house