I was looking around for some test results on the effects By-Pass filtration has on engine longevity. I came across some information I thought you all may be interested in.
According to the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) documented in paper #710813.
According to the paper, using a 60 micron full flow filter and a 3 micron bypass filter you could realistically see the following:
900% increase in the life of the top rings
562% increase in the life of the second rings
422% increase in the life of the oil ring
300% increase in the life of the rod bearings
261% increas in the life of the main bearings
Now, stop and consider this. A 60 micron full flow filter is horrible. I wouldnt put that kind of filter on my mother-in-laws car
Furthermore a 3 micron by-pass filter is average in terms of by-pass filtration, at least in my opinion, but its nothing to sneeze at either. Consider the longevity improvement that you would get if you installed a by-pass filter on your transmission fluid. Don't laugh, its been done very successfully.
Suppose you were to add a full flow filter that has an absolute rating of 15 microns and a bypass filter that has an absolute rating around 1 micron. A full flow filter that has 4 times the filtering ability and a by-pass filter with three times the filtering ability. Thats exactly where Amsoil full flow and by-pass filters sit in their filtering ability.
That all said lets consider some other aspects of this. First, the extended oil change intervals. How much oil consumption could we eliminate if we had such a set up on every vehicle sold in the U.S.? Realistically we could all go 1yr/25,000 miles on oil changes and that I feel is a conservative statement.
Second, how much engergy does it take to build a car from beginning to finish? Can you imagine the energy savings alone from extending the life of a vehicle so drastically? Forget for a moment whether or not the manufacturers will ever do such a thing. Someone has to take the initative.
Reducing the energy we consume reduces our need for such things as coal powered utilities. Reducing the oil we consume reduces our need for foreign oil. The Amsoil dual remote by-pass unit runs about $250 for all the hardware and the filters. Thats $250 spent to save untold costs in maintenance, repairs, etc. In addition the unit can be removed and installed to another vehicle if wish to do so.
Just some food for thought. I knew by-pass filtration was a wonderful thing but had never seen some hard numbers like those from the SAE paper.
____________________ My car is a synner! It uses Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants.
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
It whines a lot, but I like it
In a round about way. Read that as the smaller the micron a filter can filter out the better while still maintaining proper oil flow.
In other words a filter that has an absolute efficiency rating of 98.7% @ 40 microns is a better filter than one with a rating of 98.7% @ 60 microns.
The majority of your engine wear occurs with particles in the 5 - 20 micron range. Most off the shelf filters are only absolutely efficient at 25 - 40 microns depending on the media they use. Amsoil's full flow filters are absolutely efficient (98.7%) @ 15 microns. The EaBP by-pass oil filter is 98.7% efficient at 2 microns and able to remove particles down to the 1 micron range and sub-micron range. In addition it can remove water from the oil as well.
____________________ My car is a synner! It uses Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants.
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
It whines a lot, but I like it
