K&N vs MOPAR engine oil filter

[Mball488]

Recently I changed the oil in my JTR. I always use MOPAR oils and filters, but when purchasing everything I came across a K&N oil filter for the 3.6. I love their air filters but do their oil filters perform any better than stock ones?

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[Boomeribe]

Don't know about performance. It does sound a little better. I got the K&N so I can clean it out on long back country trips: bang it against a tire to get the dirt out, run some water through it, air dry, good to go for another couple days.

 

[Mball488]

Don't know about performance. It does sound a little better. I got the K&N so I can clean it out on long back country trips: bang it against a tire to get the dirt out, run some water through it, air dry, good to go for another couple days.

I have the K&N engine air filter and agree with you 100%, but im asking about the oil filter. Just seeing if there is anything to benefit the extra cost over the MOPAR engine oil filter.

 

[Boomeribe]

Sorry, been a long day of reading already. I use WIX because it has a lower micron rating.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Sure, that's handy, being able to bang the dust out, rinse and go (but if you don't re-oil, it's even worse than the charts below!) Not following their cleaning process and oiling will make them pretty much useless.

In 24 minutes, K&N passed 7 grams of dust while the AC passed .4 grams in 60 minutes.


One site says this -
These filters were made by the same manufacturer based on methods and materials (although the filtering abilities did vary)
• Mobil 1 Extended Performance # M1-113

• Royal Purple Superior Protection Extended Life # 10-48

• AC Delco Professional # PF48

• K&N Performance Gold # HP-1017

• Amsoil # EA15K50

And the K&N tested did only "fair".
That's one version, one part number.

Motorcraft and others have done far better.

K&N is just a brand name, marketing many products, making few themselves, sold on peer recommendations, not superior abilities. As they are marketed as a performance brand, that's how people tend to see them. They must be good, right?

Like a friend used to say - just because it says professional grade on the box....................

Often a company starts with a good idea, something that works, aimed specifically at high performance, builds a name, then branches out, change are made......... and they are later simply another company making stuff, surviving on a name, but not superior products as time passes.

Do whatever, but I buy based on real-world testing, and individual products and performance, not on the name.

 

[Hootbro]

I have seen no efficiency numbers for the MOPAR filter, but nothing about it suggests to me that the K&N oil filter will offer anything over it

 

[Mball488]

I have seen no efficiency numbers for the MOPAR filter, but nothing about it suggests to me that the K&N oil filter will offer anything over it

That's what I was thinking as well, plus god forbid anything happened to engine I know Jeep would void the warranty due to another brand filter.

 

[LostWoods]

Very likely none. None will give a performance gain so if you want to increase longevity, early oil changes will have an exponentially greater impact. I personally do mine at 5k or if the gauge cluster gets to 30% life.

The odds of them voiding a warranty over a name-brand filter is very slim. I would not worry about it like i would something more specialized like trans or power steering fluid.

 

[Rahkmalla]

K&N is just a brand name, marketing many products, making few themselves, sold on peer recommendations, not superior abilities. As they are marketed as a performance brand, that's how people tend to see them. They must be good, right?

There are rumors floating around that if you turn the lights out at night and say "K&N" 3 times into your bathroom mirror, ShadowsPapa will appear and scold you.

All kidding aside, I do avoid K&N products now (especially air filters) specifically due to your postings. So while it's fun to rib a guy for being predictable, you're also being very helpful.

 

[cb4017]

I'll add my 2 cents.
For oil filters I use the Mopar filter. No particular reason other than I get them for about $7 ea in 3 packs from Amazon. They are shipped from a Jeep dealer so I figure they're legit. That and I figure a dealer would have a hard time refusing a warranty claim based on the filter.

I used to like K&N air filters. Had them on my Mustang GTs. I also put one on my 98 4.0L Jeep TJ.
Here in NV we have what I call moon dust. Fine, pulverized dirt/sand that gets everywhere when you drive through it. Once I decided to check the filter. I was surprised to find a fine layer of dirt/dust in the intake tract after the filter. This was a properly installed/oiled/greased filter. I knew that crap was going into the cylinders. That was it for me. I tossed the K&N filter and replaced it with an OEM style paper filter. Never saw that dirt in the intake tract again.

That and I'll say I spend a lot of time on Bob Is The Oil Guy (BITOG). High silicon levels in UOAs are often attributed to improperly installed or K&N air filters.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I have seen no efficiency numbers for the MOPAR filter, but nothing about it suggests to me that the K&N oil filter will offer anything over it

Especially not in a stock or even slightly modified engine of this size. Not many of us run these engines near red line for very long - and some here cringe at seeing them over 4,000 rpm so it would make sense that a filter that can handle the full range of RPM on these will handle the RPM most owners see on a normal basis.
Logic, don't need a degree in science, eh?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I'll add my 2 cents.
For oil filters I use the Mopar filter. No particular reason other than I get them for about $7 ea in 3 packs from Amazon. They are shipped from a Jeep dealer so I figure they're legit. That and I figure a dealer would have a hard time refusing a warranty claim based on the filter.

I used to like K&N air filters. Had them on my Mustang GTs. I also put one on my 98 4.0L Jeep TJ.
Here in NV we have what I call moon dust. Fine, pulverized dirt/sand that gets everywhere when you drive through it. Once I decided to check the filter. I was surprised to find a fine layer of dirt/dust in the intake tract after the filter. This was a properly installed/oiled/greased filter. I knew that crap was going into the cylinders. That was it for me. I tossed the K&N filter and replaced it with an OEM style paper filter. Never saw that dirt in the intake tract again.

That and I'll say I spend a lot of time on Bob Is The Oil Guy (BITOG). High silicon levels in UOAs are often attributed to improperly installed or K&N air filters.

I was in Phoenix a few years ago, hanging out in a friends restoration shop. All of a sudden he's scrambling yelling for his staff to get everything inside, close all windows and doors, roll in any chassis they can get inside the door, seal up the paint booth, and get inside. I knew a storm was coming but never imagined it to be what it was - not an Iowa sudden out of the sunshine 5"/hour gully-washer with golf ball size hail following, but a brown, deep brown, cloud approaching like some sci-fi movie was being shown in the sky.
It was crazy.

That same stuff you talk about in the oil samples is likely the same stuff that they warn people about when they use real sand for sand blasting - it'll kill ya.

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