Best oil filters to help with oil pressure?

[Marky Dissod]

K&N HP2011 flows 960 gallons per hour, while the best Wix flows 660 gallons per hour.

It's a FILTER, not a flow-der. Filtration is more important than flow. Not saying that I'm OPPOSED to better flow,
but filtration, durable construction that easily lasts over 6000 miles, and maintaining oil pressure are more important.

 

[West 1]

I just had my 2003 5.3L engine apart to repair oil leaks, while in there I replaced the oil pick up tube oring and installed a higher pressure spring into my oil pump relief. I have a Wix filter on the truck now. Oil pressure is 65 psi HOT at idle and 75 PSI HOT driving.

I have only seen a 5 psi drop between oil filters when using the Hastings brand filters but they tell you.upfront this will happen due to extra filtration.

I fixed a 6.2L with low oil pressure a year ago, it had 175,000 miles on it. Installed a new O ring on the pick up tube and added a spacer to add pressure to the oil pump relief spring. It had 35 psi at hot idle and 45 psi driving after the repair. You might also consider the Melling high volume oil pump since you are at 200,000 miles.

Best to fix it before damage happens.

Sidenote: I took apart a 5.3L that I had installed a new Melling Oring on the pick up tube just 30,000 miles ago. That O ring was hard and flat already after only 30K and the pick up dropped right out of the pump on tear down. You should have to pull it out. On install this time I chose to use a Fel Pro O Ring for the pick up tube it went in tight, I hope it hold up with time. If over 100,000 miles the factory o ring is suspect and fails commonly.

Your oil pan also has a secondary oil pressure relief that is supposed to limit oil pressure to 65 psi max, if that fails you can lose oil pressure. If the oil pan comes off it should be replaced with a new pressure relief valve. It is inside the pan close to the oil filter location.

 

[swathdiver]

why does everything say mine it takes a hp-2017?(pf48) what is the difference
or is it just a shorter filter? notes say "special thread"

Yes, the 2011 is the long filter, like a PF63. No issues screwing it on.

It's a FILTER, not a flow-der. Filtration is more important than flow. Not saying that I'm OPPOSED to better flow,
but filtration, durable construction that easily lasts over 6000 miles, and maintaining oil pressure are more important.

The published data shows that they are superior in that arena too. The WIX filters down to 21 microns and the K&N filters down to 10-12 microns. Both say they catch 99% of particles at their respective sizes if memory serves.

The burst pressure rating of the WIX is 350 psi versus 550 psi for the K&N cans.

So unless they're lying, these seem to be the top dog. I haven't done much research though since 2018 and re verified the numbers a year or two ago. That said, FRAM and Walmart filters are good enough to get a motor to the finish line.

As an aside, used to run Mobile One EP filters until it was realized that they lowered the engine's oil pressure 2-3 psi over a PF48 and they only filter down to 30 microns. Stopped using them in 2018 after doing the research.

 

[Marky Dissod]

... used to run Mobil1 EP filters, until it was realized that they lowered the engine's oil pressure 2-3 psi over a PF48, and they only filter down to 30 microns.
Stopped using them in 2018 after doing the research.

Deeply appreciate you breaking my heart with this important piece of news, as much as it hurts - you're helping in the long run.
Disheartening, however, that so many brands I (we?) used to trust are letting their brand rep cover and hide faltering quality / performance.
K&N just boxed out Mobil1 in my engine, both oils and filters.

 

[swathdiver]

Deeply appreciate you breaking my heart with this important piece of news, as much as it hurts - you're helping in the long run.
Disheartening, however, that so many brands I (we?) used to trust are letting their brand rep cover and hide faltering quality / performance.
K&N just boxed out Mobil1 in my engine, both oils and filters.

I know what you mean. I ran Mobil One in my cars since the 1980s. Then learned that they degraded it from a Group IV base to a Group III quietly, around 2010. That oil made all of my motors rattle on start up and dissolved metals in the oil was 3X more when compared to after the switch to ACDelco and Quaker State oils. Gas mileage went up about a 1/4 mpg too.

On the other hand, I had been running K&N air filters since the 1980s. Put one in every new car since and would clean them in the dishwasher. Then read about how much dirt they were letting through to flow so well and went back to paper. Not just any paper, but the K47, twice as thick, paper ACDelco A3085 filters! Don't think I have to worry about scored cylinder walls anymore, at least through dirt contaminants!

Yeah, it's important that we keep up on the research and share it with others to get the best performance and efficiency $$$ out of our vehicles.

 

[j91z28d1]

I too blame you guys and this board haha. I was just fine using mobile 1 and wix xp filters on everything.

now I'm using restore and the long Platinum fram on the yukon and amsoil oil and filter on the car.

blah haha.

 

[donjetman]

All brands of oil filters do "some" filtering at 10-12 microns, but at what efficiency? 10%? 50%? 98%? When an oil filter marketer states a micron # without an efficiency % its just marketing speak.

There is an oil filter industry test, ISO 4548-12, that K&N and some others filter marketers won't release data for.

On the K&N box it states 98% efficiency @ 30 microns, which is okay and not great, but it doesn't state if they got those #s via the ISO 4548-12 test or not. Their #s are similar to the multitude of other brands made by the same manufacturer. K&N doesn't manufacture oil filters, they are a marketer.

@swathdiver Please provide a link to K&N oil filter data.

Here is all I could find.

 

[Doubeleive]

All brands of oil filters do "some" filtering at 10-12 microns, but at what efficiency? 10%? 50%? 98%? When an oil filter marketer states a micron # without an efficiency % its just marketing speak.

There is an oil filter industry test, ISO 4548-12, that K&N and some others filter marketers won't release data for.

On the K&N box it states 98% efficiency @ 30 microns, which is okay and not great, but it doesn't state if they got those #s via the ISO 4548-12 test or not. Their #s are similar to the multitude of other brands made by the same manufacturer. K&N doesn't manufacture oil filters, they are a marketer.

@swathdiver Please provide a link to K&N oil filter data.

Here is all I could find.
View attachment 450832

I thought this was already linked in this thread maybe it was another one

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/oil-filter-pressure-differential-testing-psid.341925/page-2#post-5789075

well, crap I thought it showed with K&N maybe there is a different one.....

 

[hotrodA]

“ 97 Tahoe with 40K rebuilt 5.7, FWIW”
Fram filters would let pressure drop at idle to zero and gradually drop to 20 at 2000 rpm highway. 10W30 non-syn.
Switched to WIX or Delco and problem went away . YRMV.

 

[Kelly Craft]

2013 Yukon 6.2L 199k miles. Recently new to me - installed a new oil pressure switch and changed the oil

I have noticed low(er) oil pressures - maybe within spec but would prefer to be higher. About 15psi idle and 25 crusing hot. I installed a Fram Ultimate filter and have seen that sometimes different filters will affect your oil pressures.

Does anyone have any recommendations for oil filters that will help with oil pressure?

Doubt that oil filter will help. Most likely oil pump pick up tube o'ring. Have had to replace it on the last 4 of gm 5.3's. bumps it right back up 20-25 at idle and 40-60 while driving. I have only had to do it once on each of them. Still driving the oldest 06 sierra 435,000 miles still still holding 50psi while driving. Not a real hard job.