I recently had a discussion with a friend of mine. We were discussing oil change intervals and types of oil. In my situation, I don't drive but maybe 3,000 to 4,000 miles in a year. He thought that just because my synthetic oil may not need changed in that amount of time, my oil filter (K&N) surely would since it's made out of paper. He figured the filter's interior would dry rot. I feel like the filter would make it to a year and half to the next change. Any thoughts?

 

"Dry rot"? Soaked in oil? I think not. I, too, don't drive my truck much - 6,000-7,000/yr. My last oil change was 7/30/11 @ 113,000 miles. Now I'm at 116 and change. I figure I'll be changing the oil around the first of May, so eight months between changes

 

i couldn't see why it would not last. my dad has left filters on for years of daily driving without changing them and engines have always run good as long as you keep the oil level where it needs to be.

 

I have done as much as 18k in a year and as little as 4k in a year in my truck. I have always used the 6k or 1 year, whichever comes first with full synthetic oil and a premium filter...

 

I agree, "Dry Rotting" is not even possible with something submerged in oil. But a filters element breaking down over time is certainly possible depending on what it's made of and what it's exposed to. But most high end filters have syntetic "guts" that will likley not cause any issues.

While high mileage is certainly something modern synthetic oils are capable of doing well with, i would not be so quick to risk long periods of time between oil changes without many miles. Condensation (water) buildup is something that happens to *******ly all engines. The problem is worse in cooler climates. The condensation that builds up in your engine though "burns" off though through extended periods of operation at the engines optimal operating temperature. The more you drive, the less of a problem it is. This is why their are quite a few members on this forum and others wondering why their is moisture under their oil filler caps.

Like with almost anything auto related, you will get different opinions on different subjects depending on who you ask. In many cases, their is no real right or wrong information. It's simply opinions. All of them may be fine.

In my opinion, unless you are drawing lube oil samples and sending them out for analysis and running a Bypass (1 Micron) filter system to remove moisture, i would never leave oil in my truck for more then 6-7k miles and 6-7 months tops. I ran a bypass system and did samples with my Cummins Ram and it works well. But the Bypass system is eliminating the moisture issue. A conventional filter will not. Their were people running huge intervals between oil changes with these systems and synthetics, BUT, you still needed to change filters often. Filters are critical. Even where i work the same mentality applies. Most of our Locomotives NEVER have oil changes (Often 10+ years) but they get new filters and samples drawn every 92 days and oil is topped off as it burns off over time.

I can change my oil with my truck on the ground and basic hand tools in 25 minutes. 7 quarts of Mobil 1 5W-20 and a Mobil 1 Filter cost me just under $50.00. 25 minutes and $50 every 6 months is CHEAP insurance against problems later on. You could easily cut the cost in half if you went with conventional oil too. Just my opinion.

I could understand people wanting to do it as little as possible if their was a lot of labor and it cost a ton of cash. But it's easy, fairly cheap and will keep your engine clean. In my opinion it's crazy to risk problems so you can save $10 on an oil filter.

 

The last time I checked, I remember seeing the K&N filter being made by the same company that manufactures the Mobil1 filter, which is rated for 10k miles. I wouldn't let it go longer than a year reguardless of how little it's driven, or 7.5k miles, but being submersed in oil it won't dry rot any time soon.

 

Here is likley the best oil filter review on the internet:

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oil...reference.html

And yes, they do mention that K&N and Mobil 1 filters are both made by Champion Labs. Based on the pictures of the insides of both though, they do look different. Because two different "brands" of filters are produced in the same factory does not automatically imply the filters are identical. The factory can produce filters with different specs depending on the contract.

 

the only problem with that review is it is older. if you will notice there is no Royal purple oil filters. they look extremely good but at $15 per filter they had better be.

 

The fact that Royal Purple was left out does no make the review any problem. Ill bet money that the Royal Purple filter is not going to be leaps and bounds better then the other top end filters. I am sure it's excellent quality. But i would not discount a well done review because it lacks one filter.

Often times people (not implying you) assume that if one brand costs a bit more then another it must somehow be better. But many times it's not. It's often a case of you paying for the name. A perfect example of this is buying Mopar parts over aftermarket. Most Mopar parts are NOT better then aftermarket parts yet you pay much more. Because of the name.

 

the only reason royal purples filter is not there is because that webpage has not been updated since 02/19/2008.

i usually try. to find as much about something as possible before using it. the RP filters seem like they should be good quality filter that does a good job filtering.
http://www.royalpurple.com/product-c...le-oil-filters