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I specifically avoided discussing the filter since that wasn't part of the comparison issue, & since the same filter's called for in all applications.
First off, let me say that only the Saab OE filter, or equivalent, should be used if your car is still in warranty. Sweat it out for 50k miles, change filters too frequently, whatever. I believe Saab's burden of proof under Magnuson-Moss only extends to an owner using an "equivalent" of a stock part, & using a "non-equivalent" part may result in an automatic denial for any warranty claims. But I ain't no lawyer.
The biggest filtering arguments come from 2 camps: More-Flow vs More-Filter. The More-Flows feel that circulation thru the filter is best, even if it doesn't get as clean. They've decided to sacrifice filter efficiency so the filter never has to go into bypass mode, thereby filtering as often as possible. The More-Filters feel that pulling the dirt out is best, even if it doesn't go thru the filter 100% of the time. They've decided that cleaner oil bypassing the filter is better than dirtier oil going thru it. (Man, I am WAY oversimplifying this debate!)
Information on available oil filters is worse than it is for oils. Nobody rates their filters the same way as anybody else, most of the "tech support" is clueless, & some of them flat out refuse to answer direct questions. We're left to infer a filter's abilities by anecdote & observation. The only good news is, once you decide how you feel about a filter's usefulness, the battle's almost over. Some filters are advertised based on flow, others on filtration, & you choose based on whatever.
But wait! There IS another option! A larger filter offers both! More filtering media means more surface area for the same oil volume. More surface area means the oil's flow is less restricted. Less restriction means the point at which the bypass valve opens takes longer to reach & therefore happens less often. Less bypassing means the filter's filtering more. So you can get more flow with the same efficiency. Or more efficiency with the same flow.
If you're OOW & you want to experiment with something a little bigger, I believe there are two choices. For comparison, the "OE" ACDelco PF53 is 2.98" wide by 3.42" long & has a bypass valve set to 12-15 psi. The wider "Original OE" PF13 is 3.65" wide by 3.79" long & also has a bypass valve set to 12-15 psi. (ACDelco told me it holds nearly 50% more dirt than the PF53.) If you can't go wider, I've been told that the longer PFL400A is another over-sized option. It's the same 2.98" wide but is 4.77" long & it also has the same bypass valve setting of 12-15 psi. This information is from Purolator's catalogue though, not ACDelco's. (I've tried twice to get the info from ACD without success. I'll try one more time & then give up.)
I use both Purolator Pure One & UK-made PF13 filters. And once my stock of PF13s is gone, it'll be only over-sized Pure Ones for me. ACDelco actually convinced me to use the Pure Ones, since their website lists it as having next-best filtering & flow characteristics when compared to their UltraGuard Gold filters. (My feeling is that they have nothing to gain by mis-representing the "losers" in their comparison.) The matching Pure One numbers are PL10241=PF53, PL14670=PF13, PL20195=PFL400A. As an extra-added option, ACDelco also offers the PFL400A in their UltraGuard Gold series (probably because it's used on many of Ford's most popular vehicles).
There now; I feel much better ...
posted by 216.160.177...
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