In my Dakota I switched to Castrol Syntech 5w30 and noticed a 2 mpg gain. I am still changing at 3k miles, though. I am running Delo 15w40 in my 03 Cummins, havn't had it long enough to compare. Both trucks and my car get the Napa Gold filters, I have heard the story Hammer said about the Fram filters from too many people, I quit buying them along time ago.


Has anybody seen a comparison on the Mopar filters, obviously they are OEM but how do they compare to the Napa Gold brand and other top filters. The reason I ask is the local Walmart sells them, even the Cummins filter, and they are only about a dollar more then Napas.

 

The problem is that Mopar filters are like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get. In fact, this seems to be true of many OEM and some clone-brand filters. A recent filter report said they purchased one filter from a local dealer and the other from a nearby store that stocks some Mopar parts (Murray's Auto Parts). Though the Mopar part numbers are the same, the filters are completely different. You can identify the manufacturer of a particular filter by looking at the backplate.

The filter from Murray's Auto Parts was made by Champion Laboratories. It features the one-piece filter cartridge and some rust on the back plate.

The parts man at the local Dodge dealership stated that the Mopar filters were made by Purolator. The author of the report didn't think it looked like a Purolator and stated, "Cutting it open confirmed it: this filter is a Fram Extra Guard (the radioactive orange one). It's definitely the cheapest Fram design with the infamous anti-drainback valve sealing against the cardboard cartridge end caps, and the plastic bypass valve. It's always easy to identify a Fram Extra Guard by the cheap looking, thin backplate with many small holes for the oil inlet. How Chrysler can call this cheap filter a "Severe Duty" filter is beyond me, but it is stamped right on the can."

So I, for one, will be sticking with the Wix, Mobil 1 and Purolator brands, although I'd not be opposed to trying a K&N if I see them on sale...

 

I switched to the Catrol Syntec synthetic blend. So far, I have noticed a reduction in the engine temp. I used that as well with some other vehicles in the past and have had good luck. I use my truck as my daily driver in normal conditions for the most part.

I did purchase a Fram filter however, as I have always used them. I have heard more and more lately that they suck! So I may be switching that!! LOL

 

I picked up a K&N oil filter, i'll let you guys know how it does. Thanks for all the information!

 

Remember, oil gets dirty at the same rate, synthetic or otherwise. I only use synthetic in my Mazda and there only because of the turbo and the heat it produces. The rest of the fleet gets dead lizards every 3K or so. I bought a stock of K&N filters, so I'm set there for about three years +/-

 

Thanks for the answer Hammer, I will go back to NAPA from now on.

 

the 1" nut on the bottom of the k$n filter does not hold up when removing the filter from the motor. experienced this a couple days ago. i still use k%n though
just thought id throw that out there