High Value Guzzi Oil Filter

[Guest ratchethack]

WARNING: This post will be entirely too long for many to tolerate!

 

If you can’t stomach reading, you're already at a considerable disadvantage on a Technical Forum. So if you have to have your info in sound-bite format, or especially if you can’t read at all, you're cordially invited NOW to jump over to the Hooters thread for the latest in mammary gland enhancement technology.

 

OK, many o’ you Guys will no doubt remember nearly a year back, when the infamous K&N Filter debacle rampaged across these pages, wherein we ventured into “controversy” of the most astounding kind. FYI - here’s the link: <a href="http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...hl=K&N#" target="_blank">http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...hl=K&N#</a>

 

While my opening post in that thread indicated that I’d well expected “controversy” from the start, it was no time a-tall before I found myself rapt in amazement over the confrontational content and sheer, foaming-at-the-mouth animosity of the ensuing brouhaha. I don’t remember that much blind, raving fanaticism since the Shah was booted out of Iran. It wound up going far beyond my imagining – with far more of the expected raw, seething acrimony and irrational bile-spewing than the sincere interest in critical analysis that I’d so innocently expected on the ol' Tech Forum – at some level, f’er God’s sake!!

 

Ahem. The following will not inspire that kind of thing, I hope. To that end, I’ve taken a considerably different tack here. For starters, I’m not providing any kind of link to any filter testing. You're welcome. I figure if you're interested enough, you can go find testing and challenge it on your own.

 

Secondly, I’m not pointing out what appears to be the most objective kind of analysis available (or imaginable), which might actually bring into question the competitive ranking of any particular popular product that may stick out like a sore thumb as inferior in the testing results, as in the case of the Duramax air filter tests.

 

What I’m attempting to do here is to provide some background support for my own personal choice of oil filter – on the off-chance you're not doing your own homework on this, and in case you're interested. Nothing more, and nothing less. If it provides any value to your understanding and/or helps you with an upcoming choice of filter, well then I will’ve achieved my objective!

 

On the other hand, if you don’t like what you find here, as always of course, you're more’n welcome to comment in any way that you might be inspired – and by all means [sigh] even vent your spleen if you're somehow so compelled. Presumably you won’t be as personally offended or as threatened as some seem to’ve been over the Great K&N Debacle. . . . .

 

Now then. What follows is my rationale for selecting an oil filter, which of course may or may not stack up to your rationale. After all, what we discovered in the aforementioned K&N fiasco is that evidently most respondents didn’t care in the slightest about the actual performance of air filters wotsoever! What seems to be the primary criteria for air filter purchase are such subjective attributes as: the way it looks as a styling element, the way it sounds, “I’ve never tried anything else”, the stickers you get with the filter, convenience of change-out, advertising, dyno numbers when brand-new out o’ the box (but without, evidently, any regard to significantly deteriorated dyno numbers after low to moderate use!), professional endorsements, and of course, the ever popular, “Who cares?”

 

Well, I happen to believe that there are at least SOME riders who're at least capable of critical evaluation and rational, analytical thinking in their choices of consumables that provide engine protection, and I also believe that there are EVEN OTHERS who might actually prefer to have an understanding what they’re getting when they buy something -- based on SOMETHING other than sales hype and/or rumor and/or what somebody else said (who more'n likely has no qualifications for any clue either). With that said, here we go again – different kinda product, a different kinda approach.

 

Enough already.

 

Preliminary thoughts:

 

Is the statement, “You get what you pay for!” necessarily always true, even for mass-produced, high-volume consumable goods?

 

ECONOMY OF SCALE: This concept explains how high-volume manufacturers of commodity items are able to offer higher quality at a lower price. Think about it. If you're manufacturing 10,000 filters a month, do you think your costs PER UNIT will be the same as the company that spits ‘em out at the rate of 10,000 filters A DAY? If your cost per unit drops dramatically because your shipping many orders of magnitude higher volume than your competitors, this allows you to build in higher quality (and hence value) at a lower shelf price. Believe it (or not), but it makes perfect sense to Yours Truly.

 

SIGNIFICANT EVALUATION PARAMETERS: Is one filter better than the next if (for example) it provides several times the internal capacity of the next? ANSWER: Not if it only uses a tiny percent of that capacity within its normal change-out interval in the application for which it is being used. Is one filter better than the next if (for another example) it filters out particles down to a fraction of the particle size of the next? ANSWER: Not if this carries no significance whatsoever to either the operation of, or longevity of the motor. Get the idea? SIGNIFICANT EVALUATION PARAMETERS.

 

Now then. I did a bunch of research on oil filters when I got my Guzzi 3 years back. This included a review of many independent qualitative tests. The filter I selected on the basis of these tests was Champion Labs’ ST3614. It wasn’t the highest-rated filter from a quality perspective, but its quality was more than enough to be 100% effective by all the criteria I considered important from the reading I did. It wasn’t the lowest-priced filter, either – though it was fairly close on this count. This filter is available under the name Super Tech, available at Wally World, and sells for around $2 a copy.

 

Recently, I had the gnawing thought that all my research might’ve been out of date. What if, unbeknownst to me, under the same name as before, Champion Labs had surreptitiously offshored their manufacturing, and now relies on inferior raw materials, low-grade components, and North Korean slave labor, where the line supervisor carries an AK-47 and “lunch breaks” consist of 8 to 10-year-old plant workers fighting each other for the best patch of grazing grass on the hill across the way for nourishment, while Kim Jong Il’s boys strafe those makin’ a break for the Chinese border. . . . . . but I digress. . . .

 

No, gentlemen! I renewed my research with a focus on the manufacturer. What we have here is STILL a 100% US-made product. Champion Laboratories was founded and run by a guy named Howard Gaither until he retired and sold his company some years back. The plant is still located in West Salem, Illinois. This is where local factory workers actually come every day to manufacture the filters. Though none of this makes any difference to my choice of filter, I somehow kinda liked all of that. Champion Labs is now owned by United Components, which is in turn owned by The Carlyle Group, a $7.5B diversified industrial conglomerate.

 

A breakdown on numbers of filters manufactured would’ve been of interest, but I wasn’t able to find this without doing lots more research. What I found was that Champion Labs makes filters for automotive and aviation applications by the BAZILLIONS. Champion oil filters are packaged and sold under the following brand names (but are not limited to):

 

Mobil 1

Bosch

Lee

Lee Maxi

STP

Deutsch

Car & Driver

Champ

AC Delco

SuperTech

Kleener

Luber-Finer

(many other names, including those for aviation applications, not listed)

 

The ST3614 uses a patent-pending combination anti-drainback and pressure relief valve design. For details, see: <a href="http://www.champlabs.com/" target="_blank">http://www.champlabs.com/</a>. In every test I read, their claim of 98% single pass efficiency and 99% multi-pass efficiency was more than upheld, and (unlike others in a few tests) no failures of any kind were reported in testing. Their particulate size filtration and capacity, construction, and durability for the most part ranked within striking distance of the leaders at the top of the test results.

 

SUMMARY:

 

SuperTech (Wally World) ST3614

Made by Champion Laboratories

98% single pass efficiency

99% multi-pass efficiency

patent pending combo nitrile relief and anti-drainback valve

High quality, high reliability.

The high value choice

~$2, USD

 

Well then. There you have it.

[dlaing]

snip

Let me translate all that for you all.

__________ _____________________

Go to Walmart and buy the SuperTech ST3614.

[dlaing]

PS Don't forget to remove the sticker from the filter, because if it come off in the engine it could do some damage...or so I am told

[RonV11]

You San Diegians in cahoots... probably members of the Walton clan I suspect...

 

 

Thanks for the info.

[dlaing]

You San Diegians in cahoots... probably members of the Walton clan I suspect...

Thanks for the info.

Nurse Ratchet and I disagree on everything except for Wally World Filters, Fine Motorcycles, and uh, erh, ummm, let me get back to you about the third thing...I know there must be something else we agreed on.

 

 

Aha! I remember the third thing.

HomeTown Buffet!!!!

Ratchet and I are regulars.

We both sit there for hours maximizing the all you can eat bang for the buck.

But somehow Ratchet does not put on the pounds the way I do...

 

But I bet we both hate Wally Woild.

The oil filters are about the only thing I buy there.

In my entire life, I think I spent less than $200 dollars there of which $80 was for a battery for my mom and $30 was for a stash of oil filters....I had to stock up before they start making them with cannibal labor....like they use for most of the crap at Wally World.

I prefer Sears, KMart, Target, Marshall's Hardware, and internet shopping.

[Guest Nigelstephens]

Is there an internet shop where I can order one of these filters. I based in the uk. I have tried the walmart web site but they dont deliver outside US and there is no listing anyway for this filter or any auto product.

 

We pay 8-9 GBP over here for the UFI filter !!

[mike wilson]

Is there an internet shop where I can order one of these filters. I based in the uk. I have tried the walmart web site but they dont deliver outside US and there is no listing anyway for this filter or any auto product.

 

We pay 8-9 GBP over here for the UFI filter !!

 

Some possible equivalents (c&p from a BMW site, so check dimensions, etc, before you buy):

Oil filters:

FRAM PH6063 is the correct FRAM but hard to find at WallyWorld.

FRAM PH3614 is readily available and works

AC DELCO PF-53, NAPA 1348

Mobil-1 M1-102

BMW 11.42-1 460 843 or 845

Mahle/knecht/microstar/tecafiltre OC91 (original part)

Champion C301 (of motorcycle range)

Purflux LS188B

Tech9 n°16 (France only, made by Mahle in fact)

Hiflofiltro HF-163 (from Thailand)

Mann-Hummel MW712

Detlev Louis (Germany) 10050195

Toyota 08922-02004 or 90915-YZZB9 (according THIS site)

Perf-form BMW-1 (on www.perf-form.com)

UFI makes one too (italian)

Donit 43 10 133 (www-motobins.co.uk)

For After May, '97, 1100RT

Purolator P/N11421460845

AMSOIL SMF122

Bosch 3330

WalMart ST3614

Purolator L00241

AC PF53

 

Ratchet wrote:

"Is the statement, “You get what you pay for!” necessarily always true, even for mass-produced, high-volume consumable goods?"

 

You ask that on a motorcycle (especially a Moto Guzzi) forum?

 

8-)

[jrt]

The drawback to that plan is that I refuse to spend penny one at WalWart. So, I'll find them somewhere's else or just stick with the UFI. To me, it seems like a weak economic argument anhow. I can either pick up two or three filters down at the motorcycle shop that I visit regularly, or make a special trip to WalMart, which is a waste, because I won't go in anyway.

Frankly, I find changing the oil and filter to be distastful anymore. I've changed enough oil in my life, thankyouverymuch. If I can pay Jim to change my oil (~20 bucks), that is more than fair considering my time and anquish and dealing with used oil.

Doesn't argue against using a Mobil one filter...just a different viewpoint on oil changes in general.

[Guest ratchethack]

Ratchet wrote:

"Is the statement, “You get what you pay for!” necessarily always true, even for mass-produced, high-volume consumable goods?"

 

You ask that on a motorcycle (especially a Moto Guzzi) forum?

 

8-)

Keep in mind, Mike, that this is a Forum where posters haven't hesitated to explain that their choice of air filter is based entirely on what kind of a "styling statement" it makes.

 

"Even a filter that goes inside a sump?", you may ask. Hey - to each his own.

 

BTW - If anyone here actually believes in "You get wot you pay for!", and that PRICE ALONE is a valid VALUE CRITERIA for oil filters, I'll be more'n happy to oblige by providing 50X this kinda "VALUE"! My unit price for the VALUE ADDED Champion Labs ST3614 (sticker removed!) is $100 USD/unit, you pick up the shipping charges. High volume orders will receive top priority.

 

BUT THERE'S MORE! With every order of a case or more, I'll throw in a copy of a dyno chart - signed by a certified Dynamometer Technician - that shows clearly on paper how much MORE HORSEPOWER these filters give the Guzzi donk.

 

PayPal transactions accepted.

[mike wilson]

That would be $200 for the UK market, I assume?

[jrt]

That would be $200 for the UK market, I assume?

 

Does that include VAT?

 

 

 

Seriously- what is the real cost of the UFI filter and the Mobil1 filter?

[badmotogoozer]

Unfortunately, made in USA doesn't mean what it used to... but I'm sure Ratchet's extensive research and scientific testing by an independent firm to an international standard is undeniable proof that these are the best filters ever made.

 

I'm with you Jason - I refuse to even park in Wallwort's parking lot, much less enter one of their stores. Even if these were undeniably THE best filter it was possible to make, at the lowest possible price, Wallfart can stick them right up their keister.

 

Rj

[belfastguzzi]

So, Ratchet, that's the process you go through when deciding what oil filter to buy. What's it like when you have to make a really important decision, like, maybe, 'what direction to flick the turn-signal switch in?'

[dlaing]

 

BTW - If anyone here actually believes that "You get wot you pay for!" is a valid VALUE CRITERIA for oil filters, I'll be more'n happy to oblige you with this kinda VALUE. My unit price for the VALUE ADDED Champion Labs ST3614 (sticker removed!) is $100 USD, you pick up the shipping charges. High volume orders will receive top priority.

 

BUT THERE'S MORE! With every order of a case or more, I'll throw in a copy of a dyno chart - signed by a certified Dynamometer Technician - that shows clearly on paper how much more HORSEPOWER these filters give the Guzzi donk.

 

PayPal transactions accepted.

Well, if you spend the extra money on the Mobil1, this website discusses the difference between the "Champ" and the possibly better or maybe worse constructed "Mobil1"

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html

or

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilters.html

The author is not fond of the Champion made filters, but rates Fram even worse.

(S)He uses Baldwin filters.

[dlaing]

These look good

http://www.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?Prod=KN-163

And are disposible, so they should not pass abrasives the way K&N reuseable air filters do.

PS This guy opened up some filters, including the K&N

http://www.corolland.com/oil-filters.html

Mobil 1 is his pick, but it was the only one he did not open