Not taking the word from the dealer I bought this 2004 4.0 Ranger Edge from I decided to change out the oil and filter. The truck has some miles on it but it is in good shape, looks fantastic and if taken care of should give me plenty of good years to come.

The oil is Royal Purple 5w 30 and the oil filter was a Napa (Wix) Silver.

My concern now is for that Napa filter. Have since read some not very good things about these Napa filters. That they are not made to the same specs as Wix sells otherwise... which are supposed to be very good. They also sell two versions. Silver and Gold.

The counter guy never told me there was a Gold version and apparently this is much better especially for older high mileage vehicles. Since I'm already into the oil for some $40 I would have gladly paid the price for the best filter had he said something to me.

So I'm thinking I should change out the filter to something else. Tell me what you feel is best for my situation, please.

Thanks!

 

Your filter should be well above the oil pan and if you just change the filter you should not lose more than one quart of oil. However I think one filter is as good as another and long as you do not just buy the cheapest,,, the one you have is just fine. But if it really worries you just change the oil a few miles sooner than you regularly do.

 

Nice to see that you're using synthetic oil. If Royal purple does'nt sell oil filters check out the Amsoil filters.at their website
But if you're not going to leave the oil in longer then normal -like i do with the Amsoil-I agree with spooktn that the Napa filter should be fine.

 

Mann is supposed to be the best filter, at least for imports. Wix is owned by the Mann + Hummel group.
Mann sells an air filter which I use for the Ranger. It is made in the USA, possibly by Wix?

 

Some of what I've read has to do with construction of the product. The Silver Napa branded Wix filter is not up to the same standards as a Wix sold as Wix.

There are also reports... not with these filters but with others... where they can cause a loss of oil pressure. Again, hearsay from the web so take it for what it's worth. I have read this on various sites, though, so there must be something to it.

Just hate to ruin something for not spending another $5. Wish folks could be straight and tell it like it is. Hard to come by these days.

 

I've been using the amsoil filters or a long tiime, so i dont pay any attention to whats happening in the world of oil filters. But sometimes a good product this year becomes a junk product next year. I think they call it corporate greed.

Like you say, sometimes it makes sense to spend a couple more bucks for a better product.

 

I just googled Royal Purple oil filter and Amazon does sell them. At 15 bucks a piece i would bet that they are a very well made filter.

If you're going to run the oil for an extended amount of time, go with the Royal purple filter.

 

I called O'Reilly Auto Parts. They will have one for me to pick up when I get back in town on Thursday.

This will complete the Royal Purple system I started with. Oil and filter good for better than 10,000 miles. I can probably go a year before changing out both. I would not expect to put on more than 4 to 5K in that time frame anyway.

Had I known RP made filters I'd have ask for it. Thanks for the heads up!

 

USUALLY, the NAPA Gold is the same as a regular Wix, just carrying a different paint job. It's a great filter. The NAPA Silver is a scaled-down version that is sold as a filter for the jobbers or the oil changing service stations that may sell a couple of dozen oil changes a day and they buy a cheaper filter. While it's a good filter (as evidenced by all the millions of vehicles that are serviced at Iffy Lube and make it to 200K miles), it's not the same as a Gold filter. It probably has less filtering media and, if the filter manufacturer demands a bypass and ADBV, it probably has a combination single bypass and ADBV, where the Wix/NAPA gold would have separate valves.
In reality though, I wouldn't worry too much about it. But if you are going to splurge on the oil, next time get the better filter also.

 

I would stay with a Motorcraft filter and any major brand synthetic oil, same brand for every change, and change every 5000 miles as your owners manual suggests. JMHO. I have not seen favorable oil analysis reports on Royal Purple. I use Mobil 1 in the Ranger but there are many more good oils on the market. Rotella synthetic in the diesel. Valvoline synthetic in the Wrangler because it meets Chrysler specs. Valvoline High Mileage Synthetic blend in the higher mileage vehicles. All are good oils.

 

Forget about 10,000 miles on any oil. It makes no sense to worry about a NAPA silver filter and then run oil with 10,000 miles of combustion debris in it. Find a synthetic oil you can afford and change it every 5,000 miles, or sooner if it looks dirty. Walmart has Castrol, Valvoline, Mobile one, Pennsoil, etc. synthetics often for less than $20 per gallon. I have nothing against Amsoil or the purple stuff, but I will likely never use them with name brands at lower prices.

 

+1.
Mobil full synth $20-$22 for 5 quart at wally world and motorcraft filter for $4.

 

Thanks. But I'll stick with Purple oil and a Purple filter.

Did not say I'd go 10K miles. Said I was likely covered for that.

Rather that than only good for, say, 3K and go to 4K before a change.

 

I think that you need to come up into the modern world. There are plenty of vehicles that come from the factory nowadays with a 10,000 mile oil change recommendation. The lowly Fiesta (even the turbo models) is one I'm familiar with and there are others.

I have personally been changing my oil (synthetic) at 10,000 miles since the early 80's. I have also had my oil analyzed after 10,000 and the results have always come back that the oil is still good for another 5-10 thousand miles. The old-timers that are still changing their oil at 3,000 miles are wasting their money unless there is a good heavy duty usage reason.

 

napa gold is wix rebranded