I recently viewed a youtube video where the guy cut apart 6 different oil filters. The Wix & NAPA Gold filters, he rated the highest. The base Fram filter was rated at the bottom of the list, but the ToughGuard & ExtraGuard Fram filters get pretty good ratings from others. Bye the way, Honeywell manufacturers both the Honda OEM filters & the Fram filters. I use Wix filters on both my Hondas.
the new OEM honda filter is not as good as the previous version. There are numerous videos on which oil filters are good and bad on YouTube. From what I've gathered, go with a premium oil filter. I'm going with HAMP oil filters (JDM OEM filters made in USA).
Fram had a great advertising agency that came up with the "You can pay me now, or pay me later" commercial that premiered during a NFL football game (in the late '60s/early 70s) and the brand took off. Personally, I'd stay away from Fram - independent tests rank them pretty low (as noted above).
I used to buy Fram for my first car which was a 1988 Thunderbird ? I was a big John Force fan, and I remember him doing a commercial for FRAM. But like 15WhiteSi said, I too saw the YouTube video of oil filters being cut open and doing a comparison. And FRAM is one of the worst. Personally, I just let my Dealership do my oil changes because the Honda oil filter is the best. They have a special valving thing that the other filters don’t really have. If you want to go 3rd party go with WIX or NAPA Gold.
I stand corrected on the manufacturer of Honda OEM oil filters. According to my reliable contact at Honda.
He confirms that Honeywell does indeed make OEM oil filters for Honda.
With a wink he commented it probably could be traced back to a chinese supply source...
side note: this new forum format sucks that they removed the ability to enlarge and change color of text.
I stand corrected on the manufacturer of Honda OEM oil filters. According to my reliable contact at Honda.
He confirms that Honeywell does indeed make OEM oil filters for Honda.
With a wink he commented it probably could be traced back to a chinese supply source...
side note: this new forum format sucks that they removed the ability to enlarge and change color of text.
I've tried to find the HAMP filters, but it seems that no-one keeps them in stock.
I feel lucky to have found a seller of Honda PLM-15400-A01 filters (the old style made by FILTECH) on Amazon, so I ordered 10 of them (about $13.50US a piece) so hopefully that comes through. They are getting very hard to find now.
I just bought one from Amazon for $7.23. I also like using Mobil 1, Full Synthetic Euoropean, 0W-40 WIX Filters - 57356XP Xp Spin-On Lube Filter, Pack of 1
heya all...my 2 cents worth if anyone is interested...I was a diesel mechanic for 13 years and learned quite a bit along the way...first I would like to point out 2 main things to think about...1) viscosity of the oil - the synthetics we use for hondas are pretty thin (0 and 5 weight)...this means that oil flow through the filter shouldn't be that much of an issue EXCEPT - when deposits start building up in the filter media. This brings me to my second point 2) micron size...the smaller the micron size, the more deposits will be caught BUT the filter media will clog up faster and wont allow as much flow of oil through the media and the oil will start to bypass the media (the filter is designed to do this, better to have dirty oil to lubricate than no oil) so technically you're not really getting the oil filtered as well as you thought once the filter media gets full. So to sum it all up - you can use the higher end filters with the ultra filtration/smaller micron size which usually cost a bit more...but... you should consider changing just the filter at 3k miles instead of waiting for the 6k mile oil/filter change. Thats gonna cost you more in the long run!
The alternative is to buy cheaper filters (hint: the micron size is not that much of a difference between cheap and expensive) and change just the filter at 3k miles if you're really that concerned and oil at 6k. Keep in mind that synthetic blends have so many preservatives and detergents to keep things clean these days mainly due to EPA standards of saving fuel and lowering exhaust emissions which also dramatically reduces engine wear overall. Let the oil do its job. You own a fine piece of Japanese engineering that will last longer than the energizer bunny if you just keep up with the standard maintenance schedule and use factory approved parts and oil. It's all theory and I'm sure the debate will never end. My wife's '08 Odyssey has 230k miles and all I ever used was the standard Advance Auto Purolator filters and changing them at 6k miles with recommended oil; the engine is still running strong! I just recently came across this sweet deal for oil filters on Amazon...good luck everyone and may your Honda be everlasting. RENKEN RK4610 Premium Spin On Oil... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P54JS7N?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I am going to change the engine oil first time soon on my Civic 2013 which was purchased used recently.
Traditionally, I would go for FRAM. I've been using FRAM for long years. Had no issues so far.
Today i found Quaker State filter (QS14612) on sale at my local Canadian Tire store.
Based on my quick research, Quaker State filter are good enough, but they are smaller\shorter than FRAM.
Smaller filter gives you less filter media. I was ready to buy a few QS filters upfront, but after finding a number of reviews that say about QS smaller size, I decided to to for FRAM as before.
What about you guys?
By the way, approx 10 years ago I cut the FRAM filter and found it was made well inside with By-Pass which is benificial.
I don't know if FRAM cased filters have by-pass valve now days as well.
I've been using OEM since I can get them in packs. I don't think you can go wrong with a good brand though. I think there's an oil thread and users are opting for NAPA.
On my 2012 I used fram no problems since. Any brand is fine to me as long you change them on time. My 2015 gets changed at Honda with no bill. Oh and look into a magnetic drain plug, that helps a lot. I have a Blox magnetic drain plug.
There was a report done many years ago where a base Fram oil filter, along with some others, was cut open. It's innards were sub-par, to say the least.
I don't know if they have been improved, or there are better Fram versions, but there are so many choices available that I stay away from Fram.
Yes, the honda filters ending with a02 are fram. If you can find the a01 filters, then get those. They are hastings, I believe. Personally, I just buy whatever I feel like buying. The fram ultra is actually one of the best filters ever made, but for our economy cars, it doesn't matter much as long as the oil is changed regularly. A lot of critics compare the adbv of the various filters, but it doesn't matter if the filter is mounted with the open side facing up! I like to look on rockauto and buy whatever filter I can get for around $3. I have tried all the frams, purolators, supertech, and some bosch, mann, honda, ecogard, pro tec, and more. They all work fine. Just make sure you don't accidentally double gasket it!
I visited my local Honda dealer and found that OEM ...-003 filter (Made in Japan) costs $ 12 CAD. I purchased this one and installed today.
I am using Mobil1 0w20 and will change the engine oil in 5,000 km.
By the way, I replaced the transmission filter today as well. I have some pictures for you guys.
If you are interested, please review my thread Civic 2013 - 2-3 Gear - Transmission Shudder
Fram Ultra for me.. 404k km later, still runs fine, doesn't take a drop of oil and still makes 202whp..
Marko!
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