I cut some "virgin" filters open... a FL-1A and a bunch of its equivalents. Below are the measurements I took of the filter elements.

Here are some notes to consider:

The Baldwin B2-HPG, the Donaldson P169071 and the Fram XG8A are special filters - they have very high quality synthetic elements. If a Purolator PureOne was included here, it would be in this select group. My understanding is that the FL-1A element is either similar or the same as the PureOne, and if so, it should be included in this group. In particular, the P169071 and the XG8A appear to have very high quality elements - they are thicker than the others, and look very different. In fact, every aspect of these two filters appears to be top-flight, no expense spared.

The Professional's Choice is a private label Purolator (the FL-1A is also made by Purolator, but to Ford's exact specs).

The SuperTech is WalMart's "house" brand and is made by Champion. It is one of their new "E-Core" filters and appears to be quite a good buy... it's the least expensive of this group, yet look at the surface area of the element. It appears to be well made, even though it has fiber endcaps like the two Frams discussed below.

The Denso is a Japanese brand and it appears to be a high-quality filter, too. It comes with the gasket pre-lubed. I understand it has a cellulose media

The two remaining Frams, the TG8A and the PH8A, are controversial because of their fiberboard endcaps and their limited surface area, especially the PH8A. The TG8A has a better bypass design and more surface area than the PH8A, but at a higher cost. The PH8A is known for having a relatively ineffective anti-drainback valve (ADBV), and the TG8A uses a more supple silicone ADBV in an attempt to rectify the problem. It's my opinion that if the PH8A isn't causing excessive valvetrain noise in your engine at start-up, it will do an good job filtering your oil, but its limited surface area, coupled with average media, means it really is only probably good for 3,000 miles and no more. The TG8A is likely able to go somewhat further, perhaps 5,000 miles, at most. In contrast, the high-end XG8A is touted as a 7,000 mile filter, and I have no reason to doubt that.

I'm no expert, but I've done my best to give the most objective comments I can. Please feel free to comment and impart your knowledge if I need to be corrected.

I hope this will prove helpful!

 

i use only the st8a on my 428 .works great and the uoa stated great filtration.

 

Nice work, BIG O Dave! I have printed out your post, and saved it in my folder. I have a lot of usefull information readily available from this Forum, for reference. Thanks again, Dave! ED

 

Make sure you take a look at the thread in this forum called "What is the largest filter I can use?" to see some FL-299 equivalents. The FL-299 has the same width, threads and gasket sizes as the FL-1A, but is approx. two inches longer. It will fit on many vehicles that spec the FL-1A, but has significantly more element surface area.

 

You need to measure a Fleetgard filter. Fleetgard is owned by Caterpiller and they make great filters. Should compare to if not beat the Baldwin filter.

Would be an interesting comparison. Thanks for your hard work in this project - great data for all of us!!!

Eric

 

Great job on the research Dave! Thanks for making the effort to do it and share the results with us!

 

Sorry, but you can't just compare filter area and then make a judgment on filter quality. Surface area is just one of many variables.

 

Of course, you're right! However, this comparison is absolutely NOT intended to used to judge filters solely by the surface area of their respective elements. It IS one of the things to consider when deciding which filter to use.

Good point, jschira!

 

I was using the FL299 version Fleetguard, which is LF697. I really liked the flow rate, which is about 16 gpm. I remember when prefilling the filter the oil would immediately permeate the filter media, unlike a FL1A or Purolator, which you would have to roll on an angle to get the oil to soak through. The Fleetguard appears to be very well made and I could get them for $6 locally. Why did I stop using them? I really prefer the threaded end bypass valve in the long Purolator L40017 (same price).

 

I feel the most neglected aspect of an oil filter is it's actual canister color. For example, a white painted oil filter can run at 235 degrees, oil temperature. A black painted oil filter can run much hotter, holding in the heat. This oil filter can run at 358 degees, possibly blowing the engine, head gasket, or throws a rod out the side of the block. The engine cools down, and nobody knows the cause... it's the heat soaking black oil filter!!!

 

Filter medias will flow differently wet from dry. So a material that takes a long time to wet does not necessarily have a lower flow rate than a material that wets immediately. The fact that oil soaks in immediately could (and I emphasize could) mean a larger pore size and ergo, less filtration. Ditto the high flow rate. Big holes flow more than small holes.

I've seen technical analysis of filtering media used as antimicrobial filters in medical devices. Amazing what can affect performance. For example, media with square holes wet more readily than media with round holes (or was it visa versa? ). Anyway, very small changes can greatly affect the performance of the media.

And a bigger filter is not always better. A while back, someone on ebay was selling HUGE Purolator filters (at a good price) for use on 7.3 PSDs. The physically would fit and he represented that, because of their humongous size, they would filter better.

So I called Purolator and got a technical rep. She checked on the specifications on the ebay filter and on the filter that Purolator makes for the PSD. Surprise!!!! The flow rate and dirt capture were actually less on the ebay filter, despite its size. The rep recommended against using it.

The moral of the story is buy the filter made to fit your engine, go home, be happy.

 

Ed, so are u saying a white painted filter is better because it allows the engine oil to run cooler? Any valid evidence of this? I agree that you want to run engine oil fairly warm (operating temp) to evaporate any condensation (but not hot to stress engine parts). Where does the "red" and "orange" colored filters fit in here?

Tall Paul, I'm not sure those filter numbers that you are using are the equivalent of the FL-1A MC filter. I don't actually remember the part number for Fleetgard but those two don't sound familiar. I'll have to look at my filters tonight when I get home. Just wondering.

 

Big O Dave,

I'm currently running a FL-1A equivalent Mobil 1 M1-301 on (of all things) my '00 VW GTI. As soon as I'm done with it, I will cut it open & post the measurements here, so you can add it to your chart.

 

That's either a joke, or BS.

A filter painted black would radiate heat a little better, but that is insignificant, mostly because the size of the filter in comparison to the engine block and the radiator.

 

Stop it, Ed! You're reelin' 'em in!