Understand Oil Filter Ratings
Cars today are not as simple as they once were. These days there are several types of oil filters for every make and model of car. Oil filters use a rating system to help you determine what filter is best for the application your vehicle needs, based on the amount of contaminates your oil may have in it. Oil filter ratings can be complex and finding the best oil filter for your particular car or truck can sometimes be a daunting task. The auto industry has made understanding these ratings a little bit easier in recent years.
Instructions
Understanding an Oil Filter Rating
1
Assess the type of driving that the vehicle will be doing. Different filters have different ratings based on the amount of work a vehicle will be performing.
2
Find out the single-pass efficiency of the filter. This number should be located on the packaging and will tell you the efficiency of a single pass through of oil through the filter.
3
Determine the multiple-pass efficiency of the filter. This number should be located on the packaging and tells you the efficiency of multiple passes of oil through the filter such as happens with a running engine.
4
Figure out the size of microns that the filter allows through. A filter that allows for particles of between 10 and 20 microns is better and 10 microns or less is optimal. Larger particles will result in more damage to your vehicle.
5
Look up your type of vehicle at the auto parts store to determine the recommended rating for your specific needs.
