FYI: OEM oil filter dissected

[Ronzuki]

As long as the weight is correct, the API service rating matches whatever they state in their written requirements and it meets any material standards deemed neccessary...it's all fair game. Suzuki doesn't specify a brand AFAIK. Now, I've just purchased a 2014 Wrangler with the Pentastar V6, and in the owner's manual maint. documentation they are pretty specific:

Engine Oil Viscosity — 3.6L Engine
MOPAR® SAE 5W-20 engine oil approved to Chrysler
Material Standard MS-6395 such as Pennzoil®, Shell
Helix® or equivalent is recommended for all operating
temperatures. This engine oil improves low temperature
starting and vehicle fuel economy.
The engine oil filler cap also shows the recommended
engine oil viscosity for your engine. For information on
engine oil filler cap location, refer to the “Engine Compartment”
illustration in this section.
NOTE: MOPAR® SAE 5W-30 engine oil approved to
Chrysler Material Standard MS-6395 such as Pennzoil®,
Shell Helix® or equivalent may be used when SAE 5W-20
engine oil meeting MS-6395 is not available.

Synthetic Engine Oils
You may use synthetic engine oils provided the recommended
oil quality requirements are met, and the recommended
maintenance intervals for oil and filter changes
are followed.

Engine Oil Selection
For best performance and maximum protection under all
types of operating conditions, the manufacturer only
recommends engine oils that are API Certified and meet
the requirements of Chrysler Material Standard MS-6395

Materials Added To Engine Oil
The manufacturer strongly recommends against the addition
of any additives (other than leak detection dyes) to
the engine oil. Engine oil is an engineered product and its
performance may be impaired by supplemental additives

Do not use chemical flushes in your engine oil as the
chemicals can damage your engine. Such damage is
not covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

No one philosophy works for all brands and/or engine types. The key is meeting their requirements above. They've clearly stated the requirements, so all I need do is follow them. I'm not necessarily a Penzoil guy, but guess what? It's easy for me to obtain it at Wally World, so that's what I'll probably use in the Jeep. It's also likely I'll switch to 5W-30 for the summer months starting next year because a) their info states that I can and b) I don't buy in to the thinner oil trade-off for better mpg's so their fleet numbers are good for the feds nonsense. All perfectly legit should I need to provide maintenance receipts for warranty purposes showing what I've used.

They are also very specific about the anti-freeze requirements (Mopar only at this point) due in part to the type of aluminum casting process used to create their engine parts.

[bootymac]

Does the Jeep manual say anything about aftermarket oil filters?

[Ronzuki]

Engine Oil Filter Selection
This manufacturer’s engines have a full-flow type oil
filter. Use a filter of this type for replacement. The quality
of replacement filters varies considerably. Only high
quality filters should be used to assure most efficient
service. MOPAR® engine oil filters are a high quality oil
filter and are recommended.

Of course they're recommended...but not required.

In their infinite wisdom, they 'slightly' changed the drop-in cartridge filter for the Petastar in 2014s from the previous years. I imagine Mopar may be the only option for now, IDK.

[KuroNekko]

It depends on the engine designs and the specs, which we don't have. Who knows, maybe even though they are different engines, the pressure, flowrate, and filtering requirements are the exact same at the filter mount.

I don't believe something such as oil filter doesn't have sophisticated engineering behind it. Therefore I'm actually of the school of thought that engineering is more important than the quality of materials, especially for the stated service life.

They realistically can't be the same because they aren't even a constant spec for the same engine. Parameters like flow rate, pressure, and contaminant filtering capacity are all variables, much like blood pressure and heart beat rate in our bodies.
Think about it. The oil pump is the source of oil pressure which affects flow rate. The oil pump is directly driven by the crankshaft. This means that the oil pump's performance varies with engine RPM. In essence, the flow rate and oil pressure at 750 RPM is very different in the same engine at 4,500 RPM. It's why performance cars even have oil pressure gauges.

Filtering efficiency and capacity are also variable. The age and condition of the filter in use will affect this as I've already wrote. You can't assume a filter with 500 miles of service will perform the same as with 5,000 miles of service.
In essence, oil filters are not subject to constant specifications.

Also, the engineering of the oil filter is really not something Suzuki is part of like you think. It's the outside supplier who makes it and Suzuki merely labels it as their own for OEM applications. Filters and the like are not made in the plant alongside the engine and the rest of the vehicle. They are made in totally separate plants run by other companies who supply the components to the automaker. To treat the oil filter like it's a crankshaft built in-house by Suzuki engineers is just misguided.

Also, nearly all cases of oil filter failure and subsequent engine damage were caused by the failure/deterioration of oil filter materials. The known issue with cheap FRAM filters exemplifies this. They use components that are cheaper to produce like the notorious cardboard end caps which can deteriorate. OEM oil filters and the like use better materials, but not necessarily the best. Premium filters use metal end caps for maximum durability.
There is no way you can deny that materials and construction are less important than adherence to design because cheap filters can have the same design as OEM and even meet the minimum specs set forth by the automaker. However, it's all about the materials and construction in how it will perform and hold up over time.

I can see (but don't agree with) going the easy/convenient/cheapest route if one doesn't plan on holding on to the car long enough to worry about the long-term effects that may arise. Thus, leaving the next owner holding the bag. I'm sure this is why manufacturers are getting more and more anal about service documentation as it relates to 10yr/100k mile warranty claims they are presented with.

The "easy/convenient/cheapest route" shouldn't be all clumped into the same category. In fact, premium filters like the Mobil 1 are nearly twice as expensive as the OEM filter. The higher cost is because it uses better components like synthetic blend filter media and metal end caps. It just happens to be easier for me to obtain than the OEM filter. It's simply a no-brainer for me: Go out of my way for a lesser filter just because it's OEM or get the superior filter sold within a mile or so from my house though it costs more.

Keep in mind I also use synthetic oil and therefore extend my OCI. A better-made filter provides a performance and durability advantage for longer service duration.

Basically, just because it's aftermarket, it really should not be in the same category as cheap filters like FRAM's orange filters. All oil filters are on a quality scale and the OEM filter is somewhere in the middle to high range, but can't usually match the premium aftermarket products which are simply better-made. What Bootymac did with his dissection of the OEM filter was show its build quality and construction. It's all the evidence I needed to say a premium filter like the Mobil 1 is better-made.

[KuroNekko]

In their infinite wisdom, they 'slightly' changed the drop-in cartridge filter for the Petastar in 2014s from the previous years. I imagine Mopar may be the only option for now, IDK.

Cartridge filters are annoying. My late Mazda3 used one for its 2.3 liter MZR engine. The filter design greatly limits aftermarket filter choices as spin-ons are more universal. Even dealerships know this and offer spin-on conversion kits for those who don't want to use the factory-designed cartridge filter system.
The Mazda dealer I used to go to for both service and parts sells this:
http://parts.arlingtonmazda.com/product ... ER%29.html

I never bothered with the conversion and just used the cartridge filters. My regiment for oil changes was to go to Walmart as a one-stop shop. I'd buy the 5 quart jug of Pennzoil Platinum or Pennzoil Ultra and then buy the Motorcraft cartridge oil filter specified for my car.
Why did I use Motorcraft? Because they were the OEM supplier for the Mazda's cartridge oil filter anyway. I actually once bought a number of OEM Mazda filters directly from the dealership and used them for a number of oil changes. One day, I compared one to a Motorcraft cartridge oil filter. Identical. In fact, the same codes were stamped on them. Every single detail was the same (filter media material, type of plastic used, size, shape, etc.) and this was not surprising given Motorcraft is a Ford subsidiary parts maker and Ford used Mazda-designed engines, one of which was the 2.3 MZR. Simply put, the Motorcraft filter was the OEM Mazda filter.

So much for people thinking OEM parts are different than aftermarket equivalents made by the same manufacturer. I've been there and can tell you it's not. There was absolutely no difference except for cost, accessibility, and the packaging.
I then switched to getting my oil filters at Walmart since it was the same filter anyway.

Now, you can get premium aftermarket filters like K&N for cartridge-type oil filters, but it usually will require online purchase as they are harder to find in stores.

When I learned the Kizashi used a spin-on oil filter, I was excited because I could go back to using premium filters that were readily available in stores, much like what I used in my Impreza that I took to 225,000 miles.

[Ronzuki]

Agreed....didn't intend to lump all together...replace the "/" with "or".

I'll take the top of the engine, easy access cartridge design of the Pentastar any day over where the KIiz and SX4 filters are. Pull drain plug and spin the cartridge cap off. All the oil runs down inside the engine and out the bottom. Novel idea aye? No mess.

The cartridge change in the 2014 engine had something to do with reducing the number of different filter p/n's....they made the changeto match another filter used in a diesel application somewhere from what I understand. So as always, $$ and the bottom line play a role in design decisions.

Premium doesn't always mean better either. K&N air filters are considered premium...'cept they don't filter sh!t. Fine particulate passes right on through and gets deposited everywhere in the intake system. More combustion air flow sure, great for race engines that get torn down every third or fourth race. Standard disposable paper elements are still superior as far as the everyday car is concerned. Depends on the application.

Again, one philosophy may not apply to all situations.

[KuroNekko]

Agreed....didn't intend to lump all together...replace the "/" with "or".

I'll take the top of the engine, easy access cartridge design of the Pentastar any day over where the KIiz and SX4 filters are. Pull drain plug and spin the cartridge cap off. All the oil runs down inside the engine and out the bottom. Novel idea aye? No mess.

The cartridge change in the 2014 engine had something to do with reducing the number of different filter p/n's....they made the changeto match another filter used in a diesel application somewhere from what I understand. So as always, $$ and the bottom line play a role in design decisions.

Premium doesn't always mean better either. K&N air filters are considered premium...'cept they don't filter sh!t. Fine particulate passes right on through and gets deposited everywhere in the intake system. More combustion air flow sure, great for race engines that get torn down every third or fourth race. Standard disposable paper elements are still superior as far as the everyday car is concerned. Depends on the application.

Again, one philosophy may not apply to all situations.

The top-mounted oil filters are convenient for sure. I see this design being used more, even with spin-on oil filters. The new Subaru FA engines have this design. You can see the oil filter mounted next to the yellow fill cap.



Unfortunately, my old Mazda's cartridge filter was mounted on the bottom of the engine so you still had to get under the car to replace it. The cartridge design also made it a bit more messy and time consuming as you had to replace two gaskets (one on the canister and one on the drain plug of the canister). Touching the cartridge filter to replace it was also a messy job.

Regarding K&N air filters: I don't consider them "premium" products. I consider them "performance" products. They are all about airflow and not necessarily maximum filtration. It's not surprising given K&N's origins in offroad racing in the deserts of California. I used to use K&N air filters and found that drop-in panel filters provided nearly no performance improvement. It's the conical filters that do anything noticeable in a SRI or CAI set-up, at least from my experience.

K&N's oil filters are different though. In fact, K&N does not even manufacture them. Champion Labs makes both the K&N and the Mobil 1 oil filters. These premium oil filters are designed for better filtration performance in addition to other benefits such as higher burst strength and material integrity for more demanding use. That being said, there are even better filters such as the Amsoil and Royal Purple oil filters that even have features like wire-reinforced full synthetic filter media. These filters are for people who want to extend their OCI to 12,000 to 15,000 miles (pretty much the "once-a-year oil change").

So in essence, I agree that aftermarket products are not all better than OEM, but that depends on the product and the intended purpose of the product. I consider the OEM air filter superior to the K&N air filter in terms of filtration performance. However, I believe the opposite is likely true for the OEM oil filter vs. the K&N oil filter. The K&N oil filter simply uses better filter media material in addition to better construction for it to offer superior oil filtration and durability for extended use.

[bootymac]

Mmm... Top mounted filters.

[KuroNekko]

Mmm... Top mounted filters.

My dad's VW 1.9 liter TDI engine in his diesel Jetta uses a top-mounted cartridge filter. Because of this design, he changes the oil himself with an oil extractor pump and doesn't have to get under the car.

[murcod]

Some info perhaps relevant to this thread:

The OEM Suzuki filter for my XL-7 is made by Tokyo Roki http://www.roki.co.jp/english/products/converter.html - odds are they most likely would be the Kizashi oil filter manufacturer as well?