Pure Power billet mesh oil filter

[SlowSVT]

I was talking to Mr. Schaider the other day and he pointed out a billet oil filter with a reusable 20 micron stainless steel mesh filter element that looks very attractive as it will allow you to inspect what the filter is catching every time you change the oil even better then cutting open a conventional pleated fiber filter. It says it traps down to 1 micron but I'm not sure how that works with a 20 micron mesh. It will also help cool the oil better being made from aluminum rather than steel and is burst rated at 1000 psi.

I'm liking this in a HP6 size which will compliment my Fram HPK6000 remote filter adapter very nicely

It's not cheap at $369 but I am told if you tell them it's for a street rod you can get a 15% discount.

Here's the link

https://shop.gopurepower.com/pure-power-lifetime-oil-filters-racing-engines-284.html


We were also discussing the built in bypass used in engine oil filters and I asked Ed why doesn't the filter catch all the debris after the oil pump which somehow gets passed the filter taking the rest of the engine with it?. He stated conventional filters actually allow about 85% of the oil to the bypass the filter which just acts to continually clean the oil but it won't save your engine in the event the pick-up suddenly ingest lots of debris. I was always under the impression the bypass was there in case the filter became totally clogged but apparently I have been wrong about this all these years. He then point me to this site for filters without an bypass which will filter 100% of the oil but you will need to be very careful if this one becomes clogged it could rupture the filter element flooding the engine with the trapped debris or seize the engine by starving it of pressure.

http://jomarperformance.com/pro-filter.php

Cool stuff, just thought I would pass this along :rockon:

 

[Nightmare90gt]

Seems to expensive for a oil filter would rather cut mine open then pay that.

 

[SlowSVT]

Seems to expensive for a oil filter would rather cut mine open then pay that.

It certainly is not a "bargain" but for me neither is the HP6 racing filter at $25 a pop and inspection will be a lot more thorough and less messy then slicing open a filter and looking for debris trapped in the pleated fiber filter media ........ and you will be inspecting the oil at every change. I also like the idea it uses a spring loaded check valve for the bypass which can be shimmed to route a higher percentage or all of oil the filter. I believe this filter design was originally developed for aircraft use.

 

[SVT_Troy]

I saw the post discussing these and they do look really nice. If came about because a guy said the Wix filters didnt fit properly on the Peterson remote mount.

 

[jrgoffin]

These have been around for a while. The PurePower "standard" version (which is also the K&N SS-2010) is $250 and can probably be found cheaper if you search hard enough:

https://shop.gopurepower.com/amfind...ford-mustang-svt-cobra-4-6l--281ci--v8-220527

http://www.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?prod=SS-2010

There's also this place as well:

http://kandpengineering.com/

 

[SID297]

Way more hassle than it's worth for me, especially when you can buy quality mesh-backed synthetic glass media filters from many manufacturers now.

 

[SlowSVT]

Way more hassle than it's worth for me, especially when you can buy quality mesh-backed synthetic glass media filters from many manufacturers now.

Sid I'm not sure what you mean by this. Cleaning this oil filter seems to be pretty straight forward. To me the only real gain here is the ability to thoroughly inspect for debris trapped in the filter and some enhanced oil cooling due to the aluminum housing. I'm curious about the aspect of changing the bypass pressure but that should be discussed with the vendor.

One thing I wonder is how well this filters the oil compared to a pleated fiber element but then again what good is that if most of the oil bypasses the filter element anyhow?

 

[SID297]

Sid I'm not sure what you mean by this. Cleaning this oil filter seems to be pretty straight forward. To me the only real gain here is the ability to thoroughly inspect for debris trapped in the filter and some enhanced oil cooling due to the aluminum housing. I'm curious about the aspect of changing the bypass pressure but that should be discussed with the vendor.

One thing I wonder is how well this filters the oil compared to a pleated fiber element but then again what good is that if most of the oil bypasses the filter element anyhow?

I can't see how it could filter better than an Amsoil or Royal Purple filter. IMO, bypassing on a quality filter isn't an issue (and the claim may be dubious). I've never seen a problem or issue result from it.

Inspecting a filter is as simple as cutting it open. I have a tool specifically made to do so, thus there's no advantage there.

Finally, added cooling. A billed aluminum can isn't going to cool much better than a thin steel one. It might do something if it had fins on it, but the cooling effects are negligible. If you've built the car properly with a decent oil cooler this really isn't an issue anyways.

 

[SlowSVT]

I conducted some more research and am using the Fram HP6 as a basis of this post since I'm using the Fram HPK6000 remote filter adapter

Here are the specs between both the fram and the PurePower oil filter

Filter: _____________________ Fram ________________ Pure Power

Dimensions: ___________ 4.50" dia x 6.12" lg _______ 4.50 dia x 4.387 lg

Absolute rating: __________Not stated in spec ________ <1 micron

Nominal rating:____________ 12 microns ____________ 22 microns

Flow rate (max):_____________20 gpm ______________ 60 gpm

Burst pressure: _____________ 400 psi _______________1000 psi

Bypass opening pressure: _____ 22 psi ________________ 16 psi

I was not sure what the difference was between the "absolute" and "nominal" rating with regard to filter capacity. I found the definition defining both but it was confusing to comprehend the explanation by the way the article was written so I won't attempt to explain the difference between both ratings. The test method used also has an impact on it's rating.

http://www.lenntech.com/library/fine/absolute/absolute-nominal-filters.htm

Here is another definition that is simple but not very clear as well

"Filters are rated in two ways. An absolute rating states the size of the particle that a filter filters out with 100 percent efficiency. A nominal rating states the proportion of particles, say 60 percent, that will be filtered out"

To be honest I don't get the warm and fuzzies with companies making claims how their product results in higher hp, improved fuel economy and even lower emissions all of which Pure Power stated their product achieved over the OEM counterparts. They made rather general statement but there was no actual comparative 3rd party test data to back those claims up.

Despite that there are a few parameters like flow rating which is significantly higher then then with the fiber media used in the Fram filter which I believe won't flow like a mesh filter which will allow a higher volume of oil to pass thru the filter. Another aspect of the Pure Power filter is it's FAA approved for use in aircraft engines and to do that you need to jump thru a lot of hoops as that is not an easy certification to obtain which is a good thing.

I also found an HP6 version for only $210

I am going to do a little more research on this. The only thing that was not as appealing to me was the 22 micron rating but looking at some of the other brands it has about the same filtering capacity. As of now I am leaning toward getting one and will update everyone on my progress.

 

[SID297]

The first thing you need to do is stop using Fram filters. I wouldn't put one on a lawn mower.

 

[SlowSVT]

The first thing you need to do is stop using Fram filters. I wouldn't put one on a lawn mower.

My last DD was a 92 Subaru Legacy that towed a 16' foot motorboat, a HobbieCat or a trailer with a 4x4 quad and went 300,000 miles on nothing but Fram and Castrol GTX purchased from K-mart and ran as strong as the day I bought it before it was sold :cryying: I have run nothing but Fram in all my cars for the last 30 years only because it was always on the shelf. Engine longevity has never been an issue the rest of the car tends to collapse around it :nonono: Not saying Fram is the best but they work to the degree I never think about them they were just part of the oil change process like buying a light bulb.

 

[SID297]

You're paying an equal price for a far inferior filter. Standard Motorcraft would be a much better choice for the same price.

 

[SlowSVT]

Well, I've done so much research on oil filters it would choke a horse my head is spinning! To make a long story short nothing I read was conclusive. This includes paper, fiberglass and mesh filters. I read where a 15 micron fiber filter would pass particles as large as 90 micron due to inconsistencies in the media where it would clog faster forcing the oil thru sections with larger opening. The Pure Power filter got mixed reviews but I can tell you there are no direct scientifically conducted test that I could find that could settle this question but I'm going to continue my investigation. I decided not to call Pure Power directly. A friend did as well as others where I read their feedback who came away very impressed as the company owner is very knowledgeable but a few just lost it when claims were made that were pretty outlandish. As I stated before I am very skeptical about claims made on Pure Power's web site of increased hp and fuel mileage which is absurd! One guy on a Subaru forum did back-to-back dyno runs whish resulted a the loss of a few hp which is to be expected (more on that later). Conventional oil filters didn't fare much better lots of contradictions. I even managed to scrounge-up a legal filing from Pure Power against the US postal service who broke a contract and went with a competing filter company which had nothing to do with the performance of their product and even stated the USPS found the product was effective down to 10 microns which I'm having a hard time with. I did a lot of reading on Bobtheoilgy's web site but that only confused me even more there was so much conflicting testimony from the site members most of which seemed to me more of an opinion.

What I was looking for was a long term test program. What I would have like to have seen was a long term test program with an evaluation of the bearings between several types of filters from a 3rd party and not the manufacturer who's report won't have much credibility. Blackstone may be a good source for information on this topic since they would be impartial. After what I've been thru anyone who makes claims about oil filters will be taken with a grain of salt.

Despite some of the negatives regarding the mesh filter mainly the 22 micron claim (others say 30, 35 & 40) there are a few features that stand out which are attractive is mainly the flow rate which is 3x that of a fiber or paper elements. A filter that goes down to 10-15 microns will clog fairly quickly and are fairly restrictive which means the bypass valve will open more often which negates its ability to filter the oil. A mesh filter lower restrictions will filter a higher percentage of the oil, does not require a drainback valve when vertically mounted as in my case and can actually be cleaned and inspected between oil change intervals. In addition there will be a higher volume of oil and less pressure drop across thru the mesh filter.

One of the claims made about a mesh filter is that it acts like K&N gauze air filter that actually will filter out smaller particles as it gets clogged not allowing smaller particles past the mesh since it's got a larger particle embedded in the screen which seems valid. What's working in my favor is the large size of the HP6 filter which will have a lot more surface area to trap the particles resulting in less pressure drop.

On a brand new engine that is being broken-in I would opt for the Jomar filter listed above with no bypass that will filter out 100% of the oil which will be replaces long before it gets completely clogged. I'm going to give Blackstone a call and see what their observations have been with samples from engines using mesh filters and see what they have to say. If they are not overly alarmed I'll pull the trigger on the Pure Power filter. If not it's either a Wix or Fram HP6.

Don't let anyone tell you anything about an oil filter be it good or bad. My experience with that junk Fram filter has been very good all these years. Some of the "higher end" units have gotten mixed reviews from what I have learned. There are so many variable at play here :nonono: