I’ve been looking into oil filters of late. It should be noted that I have heard far too many horror stories about quickie lube places, to the point that I do the oil changes on all my family’s cars myself. Quality control and all that. I am assured of what is going into, and on our cars. Of course it’s also super easy, and I’m a cheap bastard.
That has led me to researching the quality of different makes of oil filters, and to find a rationale for spending extra on the higher-end products some brands offer. And let me tell you, it’s confusing. Now, for the longest time I’ve tried to match filter with car, keeping to the brand’s major aftermarket options. Sometimes that’s not possible as the local Pep Boys doesn’t generally stock OEM Toyota parts, or even those by Bosch.
Now, that doesn’t mean that the options they do have suck, I’ve just been pretty much a good-enough-for-the-factory-goose-is-good-enough-for-me-taking-a-gander-at when I’m popping a new filter in place. There are a lot of sites on the Internet that offer opinions on which brands are better, and which are a waste of time, but I want your experiences and your preferences because, after all, who am I to trust? If you happen to be a driveway oil baron, let us know, when it comes to filters, what’s your poison?
Image: NASIOC Forums
Hooniverse Asks- What’s Your Go-To Oil Filter Brand?
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I've always bought NAPA because they are Wix.
Last change had their "Platinum" one put under the Vibe. But I have used their "Gold" filter for every one of my cars.
<img src="http://www.napafilters.com/wp-content/uploads/PlatinumNAPAOil-Exploded-View.jpeg" width="300/">-
Adding in a vote for Wix, partly because it's the only brand stocked at my local parts store for the old Merc diesel, but also because it's a good value, $/performance-wise.
Man, changing that gigantic canister filter is a mess, but it's nice that they include a little handle on the top of it so you don't have to get AS oil-soaked.-
I hate taking out the old one but I love installing the new one.
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My brother showed me a cut up Wix filter and it had a lot more filter paper than a Fram. Especially today with modern cars where the oil lasts 10,000 miles it's worth a couple extra bucks to buy quality. If you are still old school and change every 2000 miles then it probably doesn't matter.
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This might be a stupid question to ask, but is anything done to adjust oil pressure to differently build filters?
2000 mile oil changes seem excessive to me still, but I am no racer and all I had as classic drivers were indestructable Volvos… -
10,000 miles isn't anything special in Europe anymore. 30,000 km is normal for many cars since the turn of the century. I've seen 40,000 too on some vans.
IMO it's insane to have service intervals that long. And VAG in particular has had a rocky road with their 30,000km "longlife" policy.
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That picture shows why you don't want a WIX unless the filter in your car is mounted base down. You want the bypass valve at the base of the filter if the filter is mounted so it is is angled down. The bypass valve will open on start up in cold weather and if the bypass valve is mounted at the end of the filter the sludge and sediment that collects down there will get introduced back into the oil. Now if the bypass valve is in the engine, the *When applicable then it doesn't matter.
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The bypass is at the bottom, it pushes the filter "up" in this picture and the oil flows below it. Keep in mind that this filter in the picture is for synthetic oil that flows better at cold temperatures.
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I used to use Purolator PureOne, but they recently had a rash of incidents where the filter medium would tear while in service. Fortunately there are no reports of engine damage, but I nonetheless switched to Wix for most of the household vehicles.
For my Peugeot, the AC Delco is a repackaged Mann from Germany, and it looks like a really nice part. -
I use mostly Purolator filters (never had an issue with them,) but I still sometimes use Wix/NAPA stuff when I need it ASAP. No parts stores around me carry Purolator filters, so I have to order them.
I really like the grippy material on Purolator filters, and according to my oil sample analysis, when I switched to Purolator filters from NAPA Gold, they filter better too. Though I did switch from Mobile 1 EP to Pentosin HP at the same time…
If you REALLY wanna get anal about oil and oil filters, bobistheoilguy is where you should go. -
German car get Mann/OEM, truck gets Purolator PureOne, other cars get Wix Gold or Fram ToughGuard depending on where I am getting them at. The oil is always class III or IV synthetic.
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Many years ago (well over a decade or more, I'm thinking), I read an article where they tested all the major oil filter brands available at retail, and the Mobil 1 came out as the product that filtered out the finest (smallest) particles in their testing. My ride has a 7500 mile oil change interval, and I've always used synthetic from its first oil change, and Mobil 1 filters ever since. So it's up to 18 model years old (I'll have owned it 18 years this coming August), have 270,000 miles and it's still running great. Wish the body were so lucky. Salt kills.
When I looked a few years ago, I could not locate any comparison test online that did a similar shootout, to where they actually measured *what* the filter was filtering out. I'll probably look into it again when I break down and upgrade my antique ride to something made this century. 😉 -
Dad used Fram filters forever, and I adopted them from him. No problems or longevity issues in any of our cars – the Taurus and Saturn SC2 in particular spun up serious miles without any oil-related issues at all. Some people don't like 'em, but with good oil and regular changes they're fine. Not sure if Fram or Purolator had the wrinkle paint on the gripping surface first, but whoever did that deserves some kind of award.
The 240D used a Deutsch filter the size of a coffee can. Looked better suited for a Class 8 rig than a 4-door sedan. -
I was a bit indifferent to the choice of filter for years, until a smart mechanic gave me a useful intro into why I shouldn't be. Older and wiser, it is a bit embarrassing not to have reached that conclusion myself. Now I use "Mahle"-filters, not so much by choice as by "this is what I get when I ask"-pragmatism in the land of little choice and high ambitions.
<img src="http://catalog.mahle-aftermarket.com/eu/image?file=slidesslide_01.jpg" width="600"> -
Add me into the Wix camp for my truck and my wife's car. Both have full synthetic and with the number of miles between changes, figure it's worth the extra cost.
My only deviations are the GTX, and the old Ford pickup which get plain old AutoValue Parts Master filters (which just so happens to be manufactured by Wix). I still run dino squeezins in these two, and neither get many miles put on, so it's just an annual oil change.
I do use OEM filters on my toys. Pure Polaris in the Ranger and Genuine Yamaha in my boat as that what the dealer has on hand, and I'm not going to spend my time searching the internet trying to find some other alternative. -
I drive a Buick with the 3800 so who cares. Would wadded up paper towels work?
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Lots of old cars used toilet paper. So I'd say yes, if you wadded up enough of them and had the right sorta container.
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You're joking. This is a joke. Right?
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An architect I worked with in the early 80's had one on his Camaro and swore by it.
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Um no, no joke. This was a very popular aftermarket add-on for a long time, especially for cars that had no oil filter from the factory. I've seen them on Citroens here in the US, the owners say they work great.
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HA HA!
Nope. No joke. I first learned about them on a friend's WWII Willys, where I believe it was a design requirement, as the jeeps might spend a long time far from maintenance facilities.
What it looks like used:
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/ynjd4Bj.jpg" width=400>-
That's just incredible! Wow…
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Holy smokes. That's awesome.
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And you thought you were joking (I learned something new as well 🙂
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We changed the oil on an early DS that has the terlet paper filter. I thought Dad was pulling my leg. He surely wasn't.
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What did you use in your grease gun? Preparation H?
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The big question: Charmin, or Cottonelle? And should I get regular, or the aloe version for a more soothing idle?
I would often get oil filters as birthday and Christmas gifts, so I would just use whatever random ones I would get.
Thanks DAD!
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I love that. Think I'll do that when my kids get older.
The VW gets either regular Purolator or OEM/Mann filters. Miata gets Purolator PureOne. VW would get the PureOne as well, but I don't think they make one for it. I've pretty much stuck with those since I started driving back in the '90s.
For better or worse, I'm not picky. I prefer Wix or Purolator but I'll take whatever's on the shelf if given only one option.
After changing my own oil for years in all of our cars, though, I found a place I trust that does the job for about three dollars more than I can buy the oil and filter for on discount. If I'm pressed for time or I don't feel the need to get underneath and inspect everything else, I will send the car out. That represents slightly less than half my oil changes.
I've used AC Delco filters with no problems. I've known three people who lost engines to Fram filters in the past so I wont use them.
Motorcraft- but all I have are Fords and I change the oil between 3k to 5k.
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Motorcraft all the way for me but I only have Fords and IHs so I always have a couple of FL1As and FL820s on the shelf. The 820s fit all the mod motor vehicles and the 1a for the 351, 460, 345s, and 392.
I give less thought to oil filters than I should. I always go for 8qts of Mobil 1 high mileage and the Advance Auto house brand filter, whatever it may be.
I have no idea, because I take my cars to a garage to have the oil changed.
<img src="http://tanshanomi.com/temp/image-macros/shamed-myself.jpg">
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It costs me less to take it to the dealership than it would to buy the oil. Therefore, I'm with you.
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…if you set a price to your own time?
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Nope, around 25 or 30 for the dealership to do it. I need ~5 qts and a filter which puts me right around 30.
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Holy smokes! I get they buy discounted items, but labour is apparently not a huge factor either…
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That and there's this card from the local dealerships on my keys that says "Employee". Not that I've worked for them in the past 5 years, but it's there none the less.
It would be around 40 normally, still not a big enough difference to make me break out the jack. -
Fully understandable. I'm not sure what an oil change costs these days, but I figure you won't get it for less than 100$ in Norway. But 4l of the better black juice cost no less than 70$ retail either…
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Holy cow. How much of that $70 is tax? If I shop carefully, I can get 5q of olio and a filter for seventeen bucks and change. The local shop charges $20, if you don't want them to look at fluid levels or anything else. For twice that they'll do oil, top off all fluids, grease the few zerks that my cars have and rotate the tires.
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Here's what I use from where I buy it, Castrol Magnatec 5W30, currently priced at 665 NOK, but it is 450 NOK in oil change season. Because of the strong dollar and the weak krone (two trends, actually), that's only 87 and 59$, respectively. 25% VAT, not sure of the rest…
But part of the figure is that the mechanic doing the job at a garage will not work for less than ~25$/h before taxes, additional costs apply to the employer (employer taxes and such things). The shop clerk above will not lift a finger for less than 20$/h either. But everything about cars is expensive in this country, no doubt. The cheapest new XC90 diesel starts at 97000$.
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Me too. Considering the mess and the hassle of oil disposal, it's worth the $40 to go to the local oil change place.
The Ford gets a Motorcraft, the Chryslers get Mopars. I also look for the relevant manufacturer approvals on the oil bottles.
It depends on the vehicle, of course, but whenever possible I prefer just to keep pouring more oil into the fuel tank and letting the engine sort things out however it wishes.
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Do you drive a car, or an old Lawn Boy mower?? 😀
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<img src="http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/drive-on/2009/11/24/mystery9backx-large.jpg" width="350">
Opinions vary on that point, particularly when I park it on a grassy surface.-
I have to congratulate you on finding a way to make the 2CV look stately!
<img src="http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2008/06/06-citroen-2cv-concept/Citroen-2CV.jpg">-
It's always a pleasure to oblige.
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5302/5600648065_1cce953440.jpg" width="400"> -
This can make me laugh a couple of more years still.
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Interesting little ride! The drivetrain almost reminds me of how my dad rigged up a go-kart for me with an assortment of pulleys, and ancient engine, from an old Diamond Reo riding lawn mower.
I could see Inspector Clouseau piloting this one… 😉
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My current car (08 Pontiac g5) gets the parts store cartridge pain in the arse. And the crappiest cheap oil I can buy. Oh and did I mention that I'm probably 5000 km over what the monitor says is 0% and I still haven't checked the oil since I changed it in mid September and NOPE I really do not care if it seizes (it wont though, cajse thats how these things work)up cause I'm just gonna get out cut the fuel line and set the thing ablaze. Oh did I mention I hate this uncomfortable clunky noisy electric steered abs'd piece of crap little car.
Oh and if I like the car I usually just go to the dealer and buy a box of OEM filters. Whatever the vehicle is it gets Dino blend mobil 1.
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My mother's boss a few decades ago had a son who was a bit…unstable. One day, he took her boss's K-Car wagon out into the field, drained all the fluids, and ran it until it died. He said it was purifying it. Maybe your much-beloved G5 needs to be purified…?
Just for the sake of argument, this was the same guy who had the police called because he was trimming his tree. With a shotgun. And I should also mention he was naked at the time. That was pretty much the last we heard of him.
If you purify your G5, please promise us no shotgun or nudity will be involved.-
I promise there will be no nudity. I'd love to take a little off the top but I live in a highish class neibourhood (also in Canada) so probably not gonna get away with shooting at it… On the plus side its like -16c (-25c windchill) and it has one redeming quality…. Remote start. Oh and that highish class neibourhood is right on the ocean. THERE REALLY IS A WINDCHILL.
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Whatever one comes with the oil that is on sale. What's the worst that will happen if it's not the best-of-the-best filter in the 5000 miles between changes?
Wix or Motorcraft.
Fram seems to dominate the Walmart auto section. Makes me leery of what costs they have to cut to get that much shelf space at a store that demands teeny tiny margins from its major suppliers.
I know I'm writing this to an audience of nobody, but having to remove the flyweight and needlessly complex aerodynamic belly pan beneath my 1st gen Honda Insight greatly diminishes my desire to change my oil. Similarly, I can't go to the cheap oil change places because their herp-derp high school numbskulls would not know how to do the task – and they'd over torque the drain plug on my magnesium oil pan which would be a disaster. So … I'm a DIY guy. I use the cheapest 0-20 synthetic with a Mobil-1 filter.
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After looking at the process to change the oil on the ecoboost, I'm close to calling the service adviser for an appointment. It does seem complicated.
I also need to DOCUMENT my oil changes since we're 5k miles into the 100k warranty. -
Audience of one here. 😉 Always thought that Insight was cool. I agree on not letting the dimwit squad work on it. I've read of the Honda CVTs in the Civics getting destroyed by the quick oil change shops that dumped regular ATF fluid into them. Something similar happened on my mother's '87 Bonneville. The power steering pumps in those were already notoriously bad, and some dimwit put the wrong fluid into the power steering pump and finished the task of killing it off.
Speaking of that Bonne, I remember doing its first oil change. The oil filter was mounted way off to one side, to where I think I had to turn the steering wheel all the way to the right, remove an inner fender panel, and tape up busted knuckles just to change the filter. I think I found another method on a later change but, not long after, I moved out on my own. At that point, my dad was sick of working on cars, and they'd take the car to the dealer (with a loyalty discount) or a quickie-lube shop to get it done. -
is also vaguely shopping for an Insight after convincing a coworker to buy one.
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![http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2008/06/06-citroen-2cv-concept/Citroen-2CV.jpg">](http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2008/06/06-citroen-2cv-concept/Citroen-2CV.jpg">){kind=link}
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On my Passat I tried different, expensive, filters over the years, like Mobil 1 and Mann, but finally started using the cheapest purolator I could find. I'm not convinced an oil filter is actually necessary, truth be told, but I'm not opposed to some basic filtration.
Mann for my Volvos, Wix for my Econoline.
It's hard to keep up with who actually makes filters for various house brands from one year to the next, so I'll usually stick with a Wix if I'm working on someone else's ride.
I studiously avoid the little orange cans of death (Fram).
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You know, I have heard lots of hate about Fram, but I've never actually heard a firsthand account of what happened and how the engine was ruined. It's always "Mah buddy from a couple towns over used a Fram on his Chevy pickup and it blew all 8 cylinders right through the hood into orbit, where they knocked out a Soviet spy satellite, which then fell on his house and killed his old lady. And he got AIDS. And cancer. And a wicked case of the wet farts."
Seriously. Anyone got a firsthand account of a Fram failure and what it did?-
A Fram failure ate my homework.
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The only oil filter failure I've ever experienced was about 25 years ago, immediately after helping a friend change his oil. He started the engine and oil sprayed everywhere. Upon inspection, we found we had failed to notice that the old gasket had remained stuck to the engine when we had taken off the old filter. Trying it again with only a single gasket fixed the problem.
I'm pretty sure at least one of the two filters may have been a Fram, so there you have it: Fram is evil. -
Since I invoked the "orange can of death" in my comment, I'll attempt an answer. Look at the picture of the four filters at the top of this post. Note that the Fram utilizes cardboard end caps on the filter section, rather than the metal end caps seen on the other three. As I recall, the Fram also uses a stamped sheet metal pressure relief spring rather than a coil spring.
So, is the Fram design good enough? Well, yeah, probably, if you keep an eye on your motor oil and change it according to manufacturer's recommendation. Which, of course, most people don't. We all know folks who let their oil changes go thousands of miles longer than they should.
I've run Fram filters in the past and gotten by with them just fine, but then I change oil every 3 to 4 K. My suspicion is that the problems we've all heard about with the Fram were when a filter was at its limit from neglect or being run hard, and that's when the cheesy materials used would let go and wreak havoc.
I also remember that a Fram would rattle when you would shake it, unlike a Mann or Wix. Hmm. Maybe that' s nothing to worry about. Maybe.
The thing is, when it's all said and done you can get an oil filter that's made of stouter stuff than a Fram. Why take a chance on marginal parts and risk toasting your engine, especially over a few bucks?-
Agree.
If you are OK with Fram then just hollow one out, reinstall and forget about it? Safer that way.
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Go for the Motorcraft for the Econoline, cheaper and better than the Wix.
My Germans normally get either Mann or Hengst filters. The wife's Honda has been running either Bosch or OEM filters, depending on whether I feel like doing it myself or letting the dealer do it.
The BMW motorcycle gets the OEM Purolator filter, the Honda motorcycle has no oil filter! and the car gets whatever Oil Can Henry uses because it's not on there very long and Saturn oil consumption means I replace most of the oil in 3,000 miles anyway.
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Oil consumption? I had a '92 Civic like that. An exhaust valve seal went bad on me, and it burned quite a bit–I was friends with the one-quart bottles for a few months. I even ordered in new valve seals, ready to work on it. Well, my ex fixed it. She got the car rear-ended and shoved under the rear of an Aerostar the one time she borrowed it, and it left its productive little life in shortened form. She was out of my life three years later. Haven't had a car crunched since then. Coincidence? I fear not!
All my cars have been bought toward the end of their lives, and my policy has been to buy not the cheapest filter but the next step up. At Canadian Tire, that means Quaker State.
My newer Prelude has a B21A1, Honda's first engine to use FRM cylinder liners. They hadn't yet figured out how to make rings hold up against the stuff, but forum guys say strict 5000km oil changes help for engine longevity. So for this car, the plan is to use conventional oil and change it often.
I'm a NAPA Gold guy. They've been great. Blackstone hasn't made any comments about bad filters and the engine runs great with them.
I know the internet consensus about Fram is that they are garbage that cause you to throw a rod after 10 feet, but at least one of the well respected regulars on JeepForum swears by them. OTOH, he uses them Jeep 4.0L engines and pushrod Chrysler V8s. Stuff-a-roll-of-tp-in-there engines and who cares. Maybe not the right thing for your high strung Ferrari, but they are probably much better than all the forum randos think (I'm certainly not one to bag on a Fram user). That said, I still buy the NAPA Golds (Part number 1085).
EDIT to Add: 90% of that decision is that I buy a lot of parts from Lee Auto Supply in Alameda, a NAPA shop. The other 10% is it's the decent, well-regarded filter that they stock that also isn't completely overkill and too expensive.
Used to love Fram, as my dad used it before me, but then they put that grippy stuff on it. I couldn't use a filter wrench with it, so they became useless. I've been using Purolator except when I order from Rock Auto, then I use Mann.
Mobil 1
Motorcraft FL-1A uber alles.
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Only way to go….. well at least the Motorcraft part of it since I go through a few FL820s for all of the 4.6s. My wife's Fusion takes the darn 910s so I use a couple of those per year too.
Good oil used to be 2 bucks a quart, now its 5 bucks. So now I buy Mobil 1 on Pep boys 4 hour specials on certain fridays. I also buy Wix online by the case as I do 2000 miles per mo as an uber driver. Old Ramcharger and Ford E350 motorhome also get mobil one by default along w Wix filters.
I like MBenz style in my Crossfire of having the oil filter easily accesabke on top so filter changes are easy and quick, I wish all vehicles were like that.
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You can buy a relocation kit. An adapter goes on the engine where the filter attaches, and two hoses run to and from the remote filter. I've seen one in the J.C. Whitney catalog, although I don't know of the quality on that one. I think I've also seen a dual relocation kit, to run two filters.
I use NAPA (WIX) for the Alfa and Toyota and OEM for the MINI and Miata. I used to use OEM for the Alfa, but a few years after FIAT took over Alfa, they stopped producing the big orange Ricambi Originali filters and specified a small white generic FIAT thimble of a filter, that I wasn't comfortable using. I don't think FIAT really cares about some 40 year old Alfa given what they did to the Alfa Romeo Museum outside of Milano.
Absolute best thing to do is fit an Amsoil bypass filter. No I don't work for Amsoil. The bypass system is similar to large diesel truck filter systems. It has a remote double filter system, making it much easier to access the filter. It still uses a stock filter and adds a bypass filter than only filters ten percent of the oil at any one time, but filters to a MUCH smaller particle size. Also if you choose you can use much bigger filters than the laughably tiny ones that new cars use.
The start up cost is relatively high but, with full synthetic you can save money by changing oil once a year, and the engine will last forever.
Wix, Motorcraft or Bosch, usually.
Seems they're probably worth it, but I'm mostly basing that on an aggregate of others' opinions.
mahle/mann, mostly because i have a couple of bmws. did an oil change one day and made the mistake of only finding a cheap filter (think it was a fram), crushed the filter element a little in the cartridge, now i keep extras at all times. rather do it right. almost always have used valvoline vr-1 oil in it 0w-50, high zddp,mostly because of its solid lifters, and modern oil being low in zddp. ('85 535i) my e36/5 318ti has the m44 and hydro lifters, so is much less picky on oil.
Interesting talk about aircooled VW filters.
[youtube Zk0a6mXBpjA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk0a6mXBpjA youtube]
I've been drivin' for some 40 Years. When I changed it myself I used Motorcraft filters and oil in my Fords. Wix or Fram or SOB in my GM's. Same filter mix in my Honda's. I never had a problem or a smoking car. I now go to a Valvoline shop or a shop where my son works for oil changes. I figure they will try to minimize their liability for engine failure by cutting corners and buying poor quality filters. I've stuck with dino blend Valvoline with the manufacturers' recommended viscosity in any case. Know this, I ran/run the piss out of any/all my vehicles. Hammer down at the appropriate time.
Since 1979, 3 VWs, 5 SAAB turbo 4s, 754,000 aggregate miles on QState 10-40 on the VWs, Mobil 1 on the SAABs, all on MAN filters. Never opened an engine, never lost a turbo, never had smoke, and a couple of SAABs went over 250,000 miles. Still have the last two
9-5 SAAbs with 90k and 60k that act like new.
Dad always said, oil and filters are cheaper than parts.
Used to work at Ford. They had a service bulletin that said to not use Fram oil filters. The filter media would come apart and clog the oil passageways and wipe out the cam phasers. Purolator for me.
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If you used to work at Ford why not a Motorcraft, better and cheaper than the regular Purolator.
Both the Saab and the Volvo get Mann filters (and always have). It's what both shops I take them to use and recommend for the cars. I've owned the Volvo for 22 years (190,000 mi) and the Saab for 16 (170,000 mi). Never had an oil-related problem.
OEM for Mazda and Audi cars. Costs nothing extra.
Wally world for suzuki bikes, the one step up version after changing my filter mount spikes to the universal thread. Suzuki Bikes have a weird thread and only OEM works and its a crap filter.
Will go look up the Amsoil remote thing next.
Baldwin for everything. Their products consistently rate at or near the top of independent filtration tests (Bobistheoilguy forums). Typically, if they are not at the top, then they are behind some filter that costs 3-5x more (Mobil, Royal Purple).
http://www.oilfilter-crossreference.com/
While I don't have a specific filter brand recommendation, this cross reference website has saved me on specialty filters like fitting a filter for an older John Deere riding mower equipped with a Kawasaki engine. Not wanting to spend the $35 for the official Deere filter I found a suitable Motorcraft version at the local autoparts place.
I especially like that you can type in the filter name and part number and it cross references not only to the aftermarket but to weird OEM versions like generators (Kohler) , or hydraulic filters (Parker Hannifin) or heavy trucks (Work Horse Custom chassis) etc and obsolete items like Tecumseh, Western Auto or Yugo. So if you see an unused filter in a thrift shop or yard sale you can figure out what it fits,
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BTW- I used the big Fram PH16s on my ex-wife's and later my 1995 (early build 1994) Dodge Neon P.O.S 4door 2.0 SOHC 5speed to get 267,000 miles out of it before finally selling it in 2011 for $500- the engine still ran great but the rest of the car was eroding and falling apart. Definitely not long lived like a Honda or Toyota…
I ran primarily Castrol oil and changed every 3,000 miles without the Fram PH16 filter imploding /exploding etc. The big PH16 sized filter was the original fit on 1995 Neons until they determined that the usual small Chrysler engine Fram 3614 would work. I never used the smaller one figuring that the extra oil capacity helped.
2nd wife has P.O.S. 2003 PT Cruiser so I use the longer PT Turbo spec filter (any brand) for extra oil capacity on that crapmobile.
I don't know what it is with these women I marry and their P.O.S. Chrysler products small cars. Due to Fiats' involvement with Chrysler now, I probably have broken the chain…
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