I hate cars

I had a long ass detailed post written up the this POS computer crashed on me......

As most of you know I'm a huge Amsoil fan. I've been running their straight 30wt oil and EAO filters almost since the car was new and couldn't be happier at 74,000 miles.

The EAO filters have been known to have the best filtration and flow made possible by a fully synthetic glass media licensed to them by Donaldson. This was pretty much the only way to get this media in an automotive application.

The only thing that's always stuck in the back of my mind is the slightly longer time to pressure with the Amsoil filter after sitting overnight. This corresponds with the fact that I can easily blow air right past the anti-drainback valve. Once the car had been warmed up, the oil pressure light would go off nearly instantly.

I noticed about a month ago that RP now offers a filter with a fully synthetic media. According to the ISO tests, the RP filters as good, maybe better than the Amsoil filters so this got me curious and I had to try it. I went out yesterday and bought the RP filter. The things I noticed were:

Both filters have metal endcaps (vs cardboard for the cheap ones)

Both have silicone anti-drainback valves.

The RP one has a wire backed media for more strength.

The RP one has the better O-ring style gasket.

So on to the test. I installed the RP one yesterday without changing the oil. I didn't want to change the oil because it would add one more variable and it only has 200 miles on it. I couldn't really tell a difference because the engine was already hot and it always has nearly instant pressure when hot. The real test was this morning. I went out and fired it up and pressure was just about instant, exactly how it is when it's fully hot. I shut it off and let it sit all day until just now. I started it again and same result, instant pressure.

So to conclude, the RP is equal or better in nearly every way and has an actual functioning anti-drainback valve (purple lol). Price is comparable at $16 and the RP is available locally only at PepBoys.

And before anyone says it, the Mobil One filter is a synthetic blend, like most of their oils.

JD TL-S

iTrader: (1)

After having NO hands on usage, I believe the Amsoil filter "MIGHT" be the best, only from research, IMHO.

TLAdvanced

iTrader: (4)

Great write up. I may need to try this one...

Rob RiL

iTrader: (5)

Mine has held up well for the last almost 5K miles. Not a cheap filter by any means though but I used RP oil so I figured why not get the filter too. It also states that it is perfect for long mileage intervals in oil changes. So basically, the oil won't 'outlast' the filter and I can do all the labor in one change rather than top offs in between. Yay RP!

Costco

Nice write up, for a moment I thought this was BITOG

most LS1 guys could care less about the insides of a filter, and I don't trust some of the people on BITOG (who knows? could be an incognito rep) thanks

I hate cars

LOL. As you've probably seen I've been in numerous wars over there.

People trust UOAs more than actual teardowns.

Every 5w-30 sheers to a 20wt.

Thinner is better because gets into the "crevices" faster, I could go on and on.

There are so many "experts" over there that have never seen the inside of an engine nor do they have a basic understanding of how they work yet they give newbies terrible advice under the presumption that they're an oil expert.

That site has really gone downhill over the past year. A lot of the engineers and tribologists have stopped posting because it gets old having to sort through all the misinformation and rumors that somehow become fact over time.

I hate cars

Back to the filter, I've noticed that the light goes out by the time I'm releasing the key from the start position. What a huge difference! That ADBV on the Amsoil filters (I've used at least 5 different ones) is non-functional. I'm kind of pissed.

FWIW, I always watch the oil pressure light when I start the car so I have a very good idea of how long it takes to go out.

Almost forgot, this is the 10-2808, the larger filter for the S2000. I was using the Amsoil equivilent (EAO20) before.

JCharged

iTrader: (5)

great information. Thanks.

I hate cars

I don't want to make the wrong impression, those of you with a decent filter with a good ADBV probably won't see a difference. It's not so much that I think the RP filter has a better valve, I think the Amsoil has a worse than average valve.

Still though, IMO, the RP is the best full flow filter available and that's hard to say being an Amsoil fan.

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Dam you.. I just got my oil change last week done and I did the signature series 0w30 and EAO filter and now you tell me ... LoL.

Like you I've been running amsoil since my first change at 5k miles. I didn't know about the increased time and stuff.. so in the winters I should give it more time to warm up then huh? I usually remote start that shit and wait 10 mts. anyways.. because I don't wanna be freezing in the car.

KzooTL

Where does Mobil 1 filter stack up in this comparison?

16 bucks is quite a bit for an oil filter though. Thanks for taking the time to rip these filters apart. Interesting read.

I hate cars

Are you running the EAO 20 or 13? The 20 is the oversized filter and the 13 is the stock sized. I run the 13 on the girlfiend's Murano and it's been through 2 of them with none of the problems I've had with the 20. Other people have noted the same things, some of the sizes seem to have more problems than others.

No need to change it out early but it might not be a bad idea to give the RP a try next time. Besides that, it's purple....pretty. Everytime you turn your wheels to the right, you're going to have chicks flocking to your car.

I hate cars

It's a good filter with most of the same features. Just a different filtering media. It's semi-synthetic. Still just fine for "normal" people but won't satisfy my OCD.

Keep in mind you can run the RP filter much longer, for at least 2 oil changes so the effective price is cut in half.

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

I didn't know I had the option to run the 20... the website told me 13.. and so that's all I've been running.. never experienced a problem ever. I run the oil for about 18k miles though. The reps told me its good till 35k miles.. but I'm not that comfortable.. next time I should do an oil analysis at 15k or maybe we both should and see if the filter helps with longevity since your running the RP now and see what the difference is.

And yeah most people think its too much for an oil filter and oil, but if you think about its the same since you can do longer intervals plus more protection. No brainer.

I hate cars

Just be careful running that long of an interval. You have one of the best if not the best long interval oils available. Just don't forget about contaminate loading of the oil.

Do you hit 18K in a year? See, I think this is how Amsoil gets away with their claim. Most people will never hit 35K in a year and the claim is "35K or 1 year whichever comes first". If you do hit 35K in a year, you're likely doing pure freeway driving which is much easier on the oil.

If you do an analysis, check out Terry Dyson. It's a much more comrpehensive test and will show items not available with Blackstone. Keep us posted if you do a UOA, I'm interested since most chicken out before they hit that kind of mileage. It's good that you're taking advantage of the SSO, I don't have the guts even though I know it's ok.

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

I averaged 25k this past year... included 2 trips back and forth from NY to Miami and I'm down in MIAMI as we speak again .. LoL. I'm definitely going to an UOA next time.. I should've done it this time.

And that claim for 1 year 35k.. is just to cover their ass. The guy I buy my oil from showed me his report.. not that I know how to read it.. but he said he's running the same oil for 50k now because he did the UAO at 15k and 40k and they said he can keep going as it was still good. All he had to do was change filter and top off.

He told me to do the same thing when I went to go buy my 5 quarts and filter from him and told me I'm wasting my money on SSO if I'm gonna change at 18k. What Amsoil wants you to do is get the UOA done at the 1year or 35k mile mark, but he's heard directly from AMSOIL that their SSO series is running in many trucks well past 75k. I dont have that kind of cahunas to do that.. but still... I'm just telling you what I was told.. lol.

And seriously are we the only 2 homos answering/debating oil on a Friday night? I'm getting old!

modificata3

this is good info. I just installed my new amsoil oil/filter the other day but next time around I'll give this a try.

I hate cars

LOL. Up to my mid 20s I used to make fun of people who were on forums on the weekend. Now I'm on here at 2AM.

Be careful of the claims. Diesels will go 80,000 miles on an OCI but they don't tell you it's because they hold 30 gallons of oil and will do the same thing on dino oil.

Also, UOAs will show how much life is left in the oil but they aren't very useful for showing wear. They only measure very small particles so if there's accelerated wear and there are large particles of metal, they don't show up. I've seen this first hand with the GN. UOAs showed up fine but upon teardown the engine was toast.

I would elaborate but I'm falling asleep lol. I have no life.

lemonade

Talking about ISO test, i thought Purolator's pure one filter has the best filtration result-- 99.9%, though some people think it doesn't has the best flow characteristics.

leedogg

Is this the RP filter in question?

http://www.amazon.com/Royal-ROYAL-PU...6284815&sr=8-2

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

I don't know if I could go 35k, or even a whole year w/o changing my oil.

Hacura

Is the RP filter ok to use with Redline oil? I'm planning on changing the oil every 5-6k and would like to skip a filter change. Amsoil doesn't make a filter for the TL-S.

I hate cars

It's perfectly fine, I run Redline 5w-30 with the larger (s2000) RP filter and I also skip one filter change.

BradE

Unless you are putting the car on the track, you are wasting oil only running Redline 5-6k miles.

I hate cars

I wouldn't go so far as to say you're wasting it.

You still get the super high HTHS along with great flow and the natural cleaning ability of esters along with less ring land deposits.

Redline says it's good to 18,000 miles but there's still the contaminate load to worry about. I personally run it up to 5,000 miles. Sometimes less and sometimes more.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Matt, you mean to say 15,000 miles.

I hate cars

LOL. Not me. I like to get all the crap out of there as often as possible without going too overboard. I won't even mention what the interval is on my turbo car.

Edit: I've run the filter that far several times.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

I'm sure the oil can be run to the advertised interval. I'm not going to test it, though.

BradE

I wouldn't do 18k miles either, but I think 8k is a reasonable interval for an oil of this caliber in a daily driver, even one that is pushed fairly hard (not track use).

Most of the Redline stuff is so overbuilt it's ridicilous, it could handle 8-10k mile OCI's with ease in 99.9% of typical applications.

Just my

I hate cars

I have no doubt it would still be lubricating and still have a fair amount of effective additives at 15,000. It's just the contaminates I'm worried about. If it had bypass filtration, I would probably run it to 10,000 miles.

I hate cars

I agree. Logic says it will do it no problem. But I just can't bring myself to do it.

libert69

iTrader: (7)

So you use the oil filter for 2 oil changes?

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

^

erick3

Don't get mad IHC, but I have yet another question: what about K&N filters? RP and Amsoil filters > K&N (yes, I'd imagine)...

I hate cars

K&N is a good filter. It's right there with Mobil One and better than most but not as good as RP and Amsoil based on filtering.