Advantages of using larger oil filters? (Toyo) (vehicle, 2011, auto)

[johnfrisco]

Are there any advantages? There are people talking about using it on Toyota's because they are saying the OEM spec is too small.

5th & 6th Generation (2002-2006 & 2007-2011) - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

[ukrkoz]

Allegedly you have more oil volume filtered through a larger filtering element.
You could also install 2 filter system.

[GarageLogic]

Originally Posted by johnfrisco

Are there any advantages? There are people talking about using it on Toyota's because they are saying the OEM spec is too small.

5th & 6th Generation (2002-2006 & 2007-2011) - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

In theory it makes perfect sense. But in the real world, not necessarily.

You would definitely want that larger filter in an application where the vehicle is being used for dirty work and/or heavy construction. But a Camry is typically driven by people who never take it off-road, and rarely (if ever) even drive on gravel roads.

In the end, maybe people should be debating how frequently we should change our oil filters, rather than how often we should change our oil.

[TrapperL]

This is another one of those- ""Oh brother" threads. There's nothing to be gained with a larger filter and depending on the engine, may have a major downside. It's going to take longer for an oil system to pressurized with a larger filter, something the auto maker took into consideration when the filtration system was designed. Cold startup is going to see the oil getting to parts later than normal especially during winter cold. If using a larger filter you best be using an oil with a low CCS rating or wear metals are going thru the roof.
No auto maker designs an engine and then decides on the oil and filter. The oil and filter and the complete lube system is the first thing that goes into the specs. The oils are speced by ILSAC and the engineers figure out what filtration they need for that particular unit. No filter is 100% anyway and all are a compromise of flow versus filtration- you can't have both folks despite the millions of bucks spent every year by the parts makers to convince you to spend more but in reality you maybe getting less. You're not going to out guess an auto engineer that has years of college education and millions of units history under his belt. You may think you have a clue but unless you've been thru what these guys have, you're a fool. If you thought enough about the car maker to buy his product, trust the maker enough to know that the car wears his name and it's his reputation on the line should any of the systems fail, including the filtration.
With todays engines, the actual NEED for filtration has been reduced considerably. Years back we had open crankcase ventilation. That's gone with the advent of the PCV system. Sealants are better than ever these days and dirt from the outside environment just doesn't get into an engine anymore. Even units like my brothers Tacoma that sees almost nothing but ranch roads has low wear metals and if the dirt was getting inside, it would come out in spectroscopy as silicone, yet he has very little in analysis. There just isn't the NEED for extreme filtration. If you think you have the need, get a by-pass system but you need to know that on most anything but a road equipment diesel, it's a novelty at best.

[MckinneyOwnr]

Originally Posted by TrapperL

This is another one of those- ""Oh brother" threads. There's nothing to be gained with a larger filter

Not true, at least not with the blanket statement you've made.

Most cars (probably 95% of them) won't see any measurable benefit by going to a larger filter. For one, the size of filter that can be used is probably limited by the engine design. A lot of cars just don't have much room for a large filter, and are also limited by the mounting surface, you just can't put a filter on that is too big, it will no longer seal properly against the engine obviously.

However, there are a lot of sports cars out there that DO benefit from a larger filter. I've had some turbo cars where I was able to more than double the filtration capacity and increase the oil capacity by a quart. In some cars, that was a 20% improvement in volume. That's a big benefit in lower oil temps, and added protection against viscosity breakdown.

For most cars, I agree, sticking with the stock filter is generally just fine. But there are definite benefits to be had on cars that are run hard and hot.