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does the zr1 filter work on the k8.. I know they run them on the KLDE.

you can but no honest gain to be had except capacity, Ive tried the bosch ZR1 filter but Im going back to the OEM mazda filter, actually had better oil pressure when I was running that on my problematic KL

Good to know.

The larger element is beneficial for extended interval changes. For example, "15,000" mile Mobile 1 extended performance. I run exclusively that, and do change intervals of 10,000 miles(checked every 2,000), and noticed that around the 6,000 mile mark that the Vette filter offered measurable improvement.

Edit:
Both the KL and Vette filters were NAPA Gold branded.

I'm gonna try the napa zr1 filter on my next oil change.. I don't seem to have pressure issues.. I have to change the oil anyways.

MrMazda92 wrote:The larger element is beneficial for extended interval changes. For example, "15,000" mile Mobile 1 extended performance. I run exclusively that, and do change intervals of 10,000 miles(checked every 2,000), and noticed that around the 6,000 mile mark that the Vette filter offered measurable improvement.

Edit:
Both the KL and Vette filters were NAPA Gold branded.

If your noticing improvement from the filter at 6,000 miles wouldnt you take that as a sign to change your oil and not just what filter your using?

If you ran a filter block-off, and no filter at all, you could safely drive with 500 mile intervals between changes.

That is to say, filtration plays just as great(if not greater) a role in engine longevity than brand selection.

My point being, that it doesn't matter what your oil says for oil change intervals. Royal purple or Amsoil + Cheapy fram filter will look a hell of a lot worse at a 5K interval than cheap oil and a quality filter, and there's a reason for it...

Quality oil + crap filter is no better than cheap oil + crap filter. Think link + link + link + weak link + link + link.

My experience: I see better oil pressure and have almost no HLA noise with the PureOne PL14619 (for 90-95 Corvette ZR1). The PureOne filter has very high filter efficiency (99.9% at 20 microns). I also use 0W30 Mobil synthetic oil. The oil and filter combination is not magic, but it works good for me.

I change oil and filter every 3 - 5K miles. I'm too cheap to have oil analysis done and figure the 3-5K interval is safe.

guess thats why you lost me using a store brand filter MrMazda92, have you ever tried using a factory mazda filter btw? Theyre only $7 and split open side by side you ll never want to use your Napa filter again.

I threw in Castrol Edge and the ZR1 purolator classic filter today.. first things first that filter is huge lol.. but, it does accommodate 5 qts easy and the HLAs do sound quieter.. disclaimer: I don't know when the last oil change was done.

napa gold is a wix rebrand to my knowledge.

Sleeper6,
I'll try to ignore the jab about "parts store" filters, and keep my post productive and on-topic.

Check out muscle far forums, any make/model really; Many of them spend more on valvetrain than the average member here does on their entire car. If it's good enough for a $15,000 engine, it's good enough for the average junkyard KL swap we all put around with.

As it happens, I cut many of my used filters in half after they are dry. Not that I really need to, as oil clarity at 10,000 miles is improved over my former 5-7K changes. I've tried every reputable brand out there, throughout the 190,000 miles I've put on various MX-3s.

I am not a sheep when it comes to mechanics, I like to "try it before I buy it" so to speak.

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zerialz,
Back to the original topic; The filters are a direct replacement, and the occasional post about the oil ring not being of identical diameter is a moot point. The mating surface on the filter sandwich is flat, and the ZR1 filters seat just as well as OEM.

If you're changing your oil at sub 5K intervals, the only gains will be a slight increase in capacity, and possibly a change in pressure. I haven't seen physical evidence of the pressure gains, but I haven't seen any proof to the contrary either.

For me, the ZR1 filter is a must for high interval changes, and that makes it my personal choice for a car I drive 30,000 miles a year!

mac1 on probetalk noted a 5psi gain as per an under hood oil pressure gauge when using a zr1 filter. He also noted Hyundai filters are a direct fit.

mac1 is a franken-builder; Do you know if the engine was otherwise stock? Oil cooler? Anything else?

He's a smart guy, and has done some impressive things on very tight budgets. If he measured a gain with an otherwise stock oiling system, I would consider it reputable!

zerialz,


Your oil and oil change intervals are going to vary heavily by your environmental conditions. In very dusty/dirty environments, your oil may be contaminated quickly, which you would want to change your oil and oil filters are more regular intervals.

In an environment that doesn't have so many "pollutants", then you can safely extend your change intervals.
In other words, what works for someone, may not necessarily be a requirement for you.
You are more than welcome to "buy expensive and change frequently" if your budget allows it, but not required.

Here's my scoop on oil filters:
I've not seen an oil filter element properly "clogged".
I've seen light degradation of the cardboard and paper elements on the cheaper fram filters, but not an actual issue with the filter not being able to... filter, unless there was some catastrophic event that ended the engine's life that wasn't an issue with the filter.

Running a nice large corvette ZR1 filter allows proper flow and capacity to hold more particles over a longer period of time.
As long as your filter doesn't leak, your engine isn't breaking into pieces already, and you don't redline it constantly, then you're fine whether it's Napa Gold, OEM, Wix or a wix derivative. I probably WILL judge you if you use Fram, but even those are fine for 3000mile intervals.

You can even buy Oreilly's microguard filters. they are Wix filters and are just as well constructed. I have cut them open and compared them.

The other good news about oils is, oils have to meet certain API/ILSAC/blabla other certifications, which is to mean just about any reputable oil is going to have met pretty stringent standards.

Some of the "super quality" oils, such as amsoil for example, exceed some of these standards, but even going with any GF-5 certified oil is going to be an excellent oil regardless of brand, because it will be under certain wear/viscosity/thermal breakdown standards.

To determine YOUR optimal rate of oil change, what you want to do is run your car at your standard oil change interval determined by your oil, send in a sample of your oil for an oil analysis, and cut open the filter and inspect any particular issue with the filter element for damage or for excessive particles/clogging.

Once you determine that there is no issue, you can safely extend your oil change, then run another analysis after the extended period of time.

You may be a good candidate for a 15000/1yr oil change if your results come back good!

Here is an interesting test between some popular brand oils:

http://www.amsoil.com/lit/g3115.pdf