Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Automotive vs. Motorcycle Oil Filters...

Is there any difference between the two? Any good reason not to use the automotive filters? I've been using automotive oil filters on my bikes for the last 15,000 miles or so without any problems.

Dang. Wild Turkey bottle empty Mark?

try the last 85K for me. WIX 51358

is there such as thing as "motorcycle" oil filters? Or are the automobile oil filters re-branded for sale as such?

I was doing some research on oil filters a while back and ran across a web site that had a list motorcycle oil filter part numbers and a list of corresponding car oil filters. The person was saying that if your bike uses motorcycle filter X you should replace it with car filter Y because the car fitlers are larger and offer better filtration due the cramped size of the motorcycle filters. I don't know how credable the source is but I'll lokk for the page later and if I find it I'll send you the link.

Any issues with a larger filter hanging out "in the wind" more than the smaller bike ones?

Less ground clearance could be a problem. I've drug the pips on rocks more than once.

Eeh. I was on a Triumph ride some time ago wehre one of the fellows punctured his oil filter -- made a helluva mess all over him and all of us behind him.

Anything to keep that profile smaller and thus less likely to get perforated is a good thing.

--Jaeger

been using the PureOne filters all along wiht nary an issue.

i am pretty happy with the wix

Frank

I use the Napa Gold they tell me it's made by Wix.

Wix makes several different branded filters, all the same just branded differently.

Soren

This is all very interesting to know. You can get bike filters at Walmart now. I'll do some price comparison next time I'm in there.

Another vote for Purolator Pure One. Last oil sample I sent in, the lab commented on how effective the filtration was.

They're tough to find here in the woods, so I buy them for the whole family 'fleet' online, and put them on the shelf until needed. I'll be danged if a big old brown package car doesn't bring 'em right to my front door.
http://www.autobarn.com/

I prefer the K & N with the nut ....just a pleasant convenience for oil change time. I also like the seal design.....no leaks. I have had problems with drippy minor leaks with other aftermarket filters depite all efforts and methods to preclude same. (lubricating the seat etc)

No problems with the OEM or the K & N though. I hand tighen it till its gudentight and then appy tool to the nut and a half to a three quarter turn and its easy off as well.

hand tight has always been enough for me, never had a leak

Frank

I must have offhandedly described the engine as a 900

Show Off!

You don't want to use a filter that is much longer than stock. Even the stock one is sometimes vulnerable to flying debris. A factory race bike was disabled by a punctured filter when they were racing the Daytona a few years ago. And, I suspect that some automotive filters are made from thinner stock than bike specific ones.
Another thing to watch out for. The glue used in assembling the really cheap automotive filters might not hold up to the higher temperatures encountered in air cooled engines.

I have a list of about 50 oil filters that will fit both bikes (Thruxton & VFR), since they have the same thread size. On the Thruxton, I put on smaller ones which are about 2.5" and on the Honda I put on longer ones which are about 3.25". The VFR's filter is protected a lot better so I don't worry about the extra length.