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[QUOTE=fastturb;288857] ... I am disappointed that the 14612s are enough longer than the OEM to be slightly exposed under the car. I alerted them to that fact based upon Kane's findings from the 14612s that I sent to him. ... /QUOTE]
To follow-up on that. I sent Kane (Evolution) in the UK, two each Purolator PL14612 and L14612 filters for his evaluation. I suggested that before he dumped his oil and installed one of the Purolators that he make a paper sleeve the length of the Purolators, slip it over his installed filter, and take a look-see. He did two things: (1) the sleeve was evidently a straight cylinder that did not account for the dome-shape of the bottom of the canister, and (2) his returned photos were taken at a ground level, looking-up angle that displaced the actual clearances of the cylinder and sump. Even at that, the bottom of the paper cylinder was barely visible. But based upon that, I concluded (wrongly) that the 14612s were lower than the sump. Sometime afterwards I mounted a PL14612 and shot it with a laser level (skimming the car's plastic belly pan) and with analog measurement devices under the engine. I then found that the lowest edge of the cansiter had 1/16" more clearance than the bottom of the cast oil plug boss. I re-verified that fact this afternoon.
Beyond dimensions, by-pass valve spring rate is an important consideration.
Last edited by Old smart; 11-11-2009 at 05:51 PM..
Reason: synt.
Old Smart: I'm using an M-108 filter now and have a couple more in the shed, but having learned that the by-pass spring is about 25lb, well above the 14-18lb OEM rate, should I be concerned?
My car is only has 4K on it now, and filter put on at 2K (with M1 oil change).
I don’t know – that is something for the Mitsu engineers to consider. Whatever their reasoning, they provided a Tokyo Roki filter rated at 14 psi +/- 20% (note, that TR filter has been in use in other applications for some time before the advent of the Mitsu, 999cc, 3B21 engine).
The effect of an overly high spring rate could be untimely oil starvation during cold engine start-up with a too-viscous oil, or at high RPM (and high oil flow requirement), or if the filter has been in use too long and is blocked, or any combination of the three. A high spring rate in a cheap filter can also work to collapse the filter medium or end cap, or blow the canister seal. I think the M1-108 filter is plenty robust to withstand that though.
Of the ten filters that I know to be listed for the 999cc smart by their manufacturers, I chose one based partially upon its bypass spring rate. I was a bit involved with my choice’s laboratory “benchmarking” against the OEM smart/Mitsu/TR, and I know that spring rate was taken into consideration. My choice is not specifically manufactured for the smart; it was in prior production. But the benchmarking process revealed that it equaled or exceeded the parameters of the OEM.
As noted above, I know of ten filters said to be OK for the smart. I have used and examined four of the ten, and have settled on one of them as my personal choice. I don’t specifically recommend or advocate any of them – individual owners must choose based on their own research and whim.
First edit:
Had an interesting phone conversation with a tech at Champion Labs this morning. Champion makes a number of brands of filters, including the Mobil 1-108, K&N HP1008, Royal Purple 10-2876, their own Champ PH2876, and others. Notwithstanding the information at “Bob is The Oil Guy” that the Mobil 1 has a 25 psi bypass, all of their filters for the smart are similar – 11-17 psi like the OEM. Amongst themselves, they are similar in size also – 2-1/2” except the K&N, which has an additional hex nut on the bottom. The M1-108 is good-to-go.
I had never put a Royal Purple on “my list” because there are no published specs to be found, nor even a number. Note that the number that I was just given by Champion (10-2876) is much the same as the Champ PH2876 that they specify for the smart. There is a lot to consider with regard to the RP: it has a fully-synthetic filter medium like the Purolator PureONE; it is the size of the M1-108; like the M 1 and PureONE, it uses silicone rubber vs. nitrile; and it has a unique bypass valve integrated with the anti-drain back valve at the top of the canister**.
In order of sophistication, it looks like:
Champ PH2876, common cellulose medium, nitrile rubber, bottom bypass
Mobil 1 M1-108, semi-synthetic medium, silicone rubber, bottom bypass
Royal Purple 10-2876, full-synthetic medium, silicone rubber, top bypass
** When the common bottom mounted valve opens, the flow of oil washes down the outer face of the filter medium, possibly washing off grit, before returning up through the valve and center and directly into the oiling system. With the top mounted valve, the oil is directly returned without circulating around the dirty medium.
It appears that Pep Boys auto stores have an exclusive contract to sell RP filters over-the-counter.
Second edit:
Out of curiosity, I ran by Pep Boys this morning and bought an RP 10-2876 filter. I can report that it is in fact the same dimensions as the Mobil 1 M1-108. And it appears to be the same construction, including the "Y" stamped on the base plate. It does not have a top-mounted bypass valve - it is the same as the 108. Perhaps the top valves are reserved for the larger RP filters; the 2876s may be too small. The 10-2876 isn't cheap - 15 balloons. Three bucks more than the M1-108 and more than twice the price of the Purolator PureONE.
So, its physical advantage over the M1-108 is full-synthetic medium vs. semi-synthetic, and over the full-synthetic PureONE (and semi-synthetic Bosch 3300), a shorter canister. The price puts it in line with the OEM smart/Mitsu/Tokyo Roki and the Yamaha/Tokyo Roki clone, but it is more available than the OEM. The money issue is a personal one.
Last edited by Old smart; 11-13-2009 at 08:05 AM..
Reason: Second edit
I'm not so sure that I can agree with all of this statement that appears in the pdf: "Royal Purple oil filters combine superior particle removal, high capacity and optimized flow characteristics for maximum performance, longer filter life and more horsepower." The tech at Champion who gave me the filter number didn't say anything about that.
Last edited by Old smart; 11-13-2009 at 03:12 AM..
Old Smart: Good news on M-108. What with Mobil1 frequently on sale at AZ and Advance with filter included, looks like i'll be using that brand for as long as I have the Smart. I'm of the old school and can't bring myself to run oil for 10K in a high reving engine. In my Altima and even the Corolla, yes, but not the Smart.
Another question for you: Mobil1 makes a syn and "extended" syn. Is the extended PAO IV and the other PAO III? Been meaning to email Mobil to see if they will answer but havent' got around to it.
Today
Linear Mode
