I do get that something that cost more is probably built better, but is a $100 resistor better than a $1 resistor. I believe there is something that costs right and is good enough.
I do my fair share of oil services and most of them are the paper cartridge type. Let's just say all of them pass the basic specs. I swear some of the filters you can squeeze them with your hand and they crumble apart like a bag of potato chips. Some of the are sucked in what appears because they collapse from the pressure difference. I've removed my fair share of Fram filters and I am not impressed.
We all can agree a screen door is not going to filter out all the bad stuff but at some point, how fine you you want to go and if it becomes that fine, does the filter media get so plugged that the bypass opens? If that happens, how good does the bypass valve filter?
I believe race cars get their oil serviced differently and is not even a fair comparison. Race engines probably do not last 5% as long as a factory engine. You could easily say race engines are all junk because they use oil and don't last. I work on German cars and none are race cars.
Taking everything in consideration, using an OEM filter will not let you down. It may not filter down to 8 micron but do you need to?
Check this link out. If any of this is correct, They are saying that with a good 10 micron filter, the engine will last 400k. With 40 years of working on cars, I can say I have never seen a car engine last that long, EVER. I do not recall seeing any car last that long either. There are so many other things that will fail inside an engine and the basic car, very few ever get to that mile mark. Go ahead, if you feel your engine deserves to have that filtration, have at it. Me and my clients are a bit more realistic and would rather spend the money on more useful items like beer.
Car owners often get conflicting advice about oil filters. Vehicle owner's manuals, installers, quick-lube operators, mechanics and retail clerks all have different opinions. The reality is that...
www.machinerylubrication.com
Now, if we are talking about Semi trucks and engines that are designed to go millions of miles, I would have a different opinion. But these are cars, they are just tools in our life to make it a bit easier. They get us to the doctors office, pick up the kids, go to work, go home, etc. When they fail, we get another one. There is a line between worship and maintenance. Most repair shops maintain engines, not worship them. That is what church is for.
