The oil filter is your engine's first and most important line of defense. It is responsible for filtering out harmful debris and particles, playing a crucial role in the health of any motor. The type of oil filter you use is just as important as using one. The Total Seal Piston Rings YouTube channel conducted a scientific analysis comparing an all-metal 'screen' wire mesh-type oil filter to a traditional paper-based filter. Using one of its bench-testing V-8s, it pre-mixed iron particles into the oil and ran the engine with both filters. The objective was to determine which filter would capture more iron particles over a series of runs to redline. The fewer particles of iron left in the engine, the better.
The results were conclusive. While the paper filter managed to filter out a significant 85 percent of particulates in the oil, the metal-based filter only filtered away 9 percent of the particles. This is due to the depth of the paper itself, according to host Lake Speed Jr. The paper's membrane-like material allows it to filter better than the metal, which can only catch particles down to a certain size.
The testing had real-world implications on the engine. After an hour of running the engine on a bench dyno with the paper filter, no power was lost. However, with the metal filter, the engine lost 10 horsepower in one hour, indicating significant wear at areas like the piston rings. Therefore, while metal screen filters might appear fancy and high-tech, they are likely causing more harm than good to your engine.
