Is Stratapore oil filter a waste for short interval oil changes?

[amauri]

I realize the recommended oil change interval is now up to 15k miles on the new 6.7 engine using the CK-4 rated oils.
But our new 2018 Ram CTD 2500 will be used for towing a 11k-lbs 5th wheel about 95% of the time and I want to keep the oil change intervals to no more than 7500 miles.

Are there any benefits to using the Fleetguard Stratapore LF16035 vs the std Fleetguard or Mopar filter if we are not going the full 15k between oil changes?

Thanks

 

[SnoKing]

I realize the recommended oil change interval is now up to 15k miles on the new 6.7 engine using the CK-4 rated oils.
But our new 2018 Ram CTD 2500 will be used for towing a 11k-lbs 5th wheel about 95% of the time and I want to keep the oil change intervals to no more than 7500 miles.

Are there any benefits to using the Fleetguard Stratapore LF16035 vs the std Fleetguard or Mopar filter if we are not going the full 15k between oil changes?

Thanks

You bought a 50-60K truck and you are worried about a few dollars more for the best oil filter?

 

[JR]

I don't think it's a waste. The LF16035 synthetic media allows for finer filtration. It's been a long time since I looked at the OEM filter but I believe it is rated at 35um absolute, where as the LF16035 is 25um. I personally run the Donaldson ELF7349 which is 15um absolute and the best in the industry.
Furthermore, your prescribed usage is not considered severe duty by Cummins standards. Cummins builds these engines with the assumption they are being worked and you are towing well within the guidelines. I'd not hesitate to run 15k mile intervals based on your description.

 

[amauri]

You bought a 50-60K truck and you are worried about a few dollars more for the best oil filter?

I was hoping for an educated answer, not another "the more expensive must be the best" answer.

 

[amauri]

I don't think it's a waste. The LF16035 synthetic media allows for finer filtration. It's been a long time since I looked at the OEM filter but I believe it is rated at 35um absolute, where as the LF16035 is 25um. I personally run the Donaldson ELF7349 which is 15um absolute and the best in the industry.
Furthermore, your prescribed usage is not considered severe duty by Cummins standards. Cummins builds these engines with the assumption they are being worked and you are towing well within the guidelines. I'd not hesitate to run 15k mile intervals based on your description.

Thanks,
I've used Donaldson filters on off highway heavy equipment many years ago and they are top quality.

 

[GrantP]

ELF7349 is the old Donaldson number, it's now DBL7349.

 

[Tuesdak]

Filters are more important than the brand or type of oil you use. Filters are critical including the air filter that keeps the dust out of the $10,000 engine. Fuel filters are protecting a $3500 set of injectors, what warranty. (Voided by bad, wet, or dirty fuel.) Filter performance like @JR mentioned is one thing most take for granted, but, it's the most important criteria. (Not cost. Cost doesn't mean a good filter.)

Some oil filters don't last more than 3000 miles like Tear-O-Laters before the filter media fails. Others, well you would be better off with a t-shirt stuffed into a can, than the defective manufacturing that leaves a pleat unglued and wide open. (As I found on an expensive top of the line Mobil oil filter. No, The FRAM Group that makes it didn't care when I told them about it. High cost got me a garbage painted filter can.) Point of fact: a defective oil filter can kill the Cummins engine by the filters own debris from falling apart plugging the piston cooling jets. Then you get to argue with the claims department of the filter company like one member here did when a OCOD Fram took their 6.7 out.

7500 miles is a lot for a filter as well as the full 15,000 miles. Some oil filters simply won't last that long. None of the filters you mentioned are subject to to the above problems, however, better filtration means longer engine life. My point is there are worse filters out there. End of the day the company standing behind the filter is important for the rare claim, but, more important for quality control and meeting the published specs.

Put the best filters on it by specs not cost. Save money by running the full time (1 year or 6 months per your owners manual) and the max miles. Modern oil can go the distance specified in the owner's manual. At $100 or more per oil change one should look real hard at any reasons they need to change the oil sooner.

 

[JR]

ELF7349 is the old Donaldson number, it's now DBL7349.

You are right. Since I generally buy in quantity I've only very recently began stocking the DBL.
Old habits can be hard to break

 

[GrantP]

You are right. Since I generally buy in quantity I've only very recently began stocking the DBL.
Old habits can be hard to break

We all know what you meant, I even did a double take on my filters in the cabinet to make sure I wasn't crazy. That post was for the benefit of the OP that may not have been aware of the seemingly random part # change.

 

[amauri]

......Put the best filters on it by specs not cost. Save money by running the full time (1 year or 6 months per your owners manual) and the max miles. Modern oil can go the distance specified in the owner's manual. At $100 or more per oil change one should look real hard at any reasons they need to change the oil sooner......

Agreed with that, cost doesn't always mean better quality/performance.

I don't think we will covering 15k miles in 6 months, so will probably stick to an oil change every six months. I'll be retiring in a few years and hope to spend a lot more time on the road.

My only other concern is to avoid issues with FCA's warranty on the engine, should anything happen that they could blame on the oil filter I chose to use.

 

[brods]

Is Stratapore oil filter a waste for short interval oil changes?

Unless you are talking about 2,000 mile oil changes, no using the Stratapore is not a waste. Given that our engines have very few oil related issues, why even bother running anything other than the Stratapore?

Filtration is always about tradeoffs. It would take pages to try to describe the nuances to it and I'm not the guy who's good with words to do it. In the past I've posted links to Cummins literature which points out some of the issues, but I doubt anyone reads them.

XYZ oil filter is "better" than the Stratapore, how so? Better micron ratings on a bench test? How does it perform during cold starts? How does it perform when attached to a vibrating engine? And many more questions would have to be answered before declaring one filter is "better" than another. And "better" is subjective. It is based on which attributes are most important to the decision maker. For example, someone in Alaska might value cold start performance more than someone who lives in southern California.

Test numbers. Unless things have changed, the filter tests are run with just a piece of the filter's media, not the complete, assembled filter. If there are any manufacturing flaws, a leaky bypass valve, etc they will negatively impact the level of filtration. And once the assembled filter is mounted on your vibrating engine, you will never get the same level of filtration as the test numbers. The test numbers are useful for comparison, but they are not the only thing to consider.

A huge problem is that most the information needed to make an educated decision on which oil filter to run is difficult, if not impossible, for us to get! I understand wanting the "best" for our engines, but if you do not understand the tradeoffs of using other filters, you might be not be accomplishing what you want.

So back to my original statement: Given that Cummins engines have so few oil related issues, why even bother running anything other than the Stratapore?

 

[NIsaacs]

Is Stratapore oil filter a waste for short interval oil changes?

So back to my original statement: Given that Cummins engines have so few oil related issues, why even bother running anything other than the Stratapore?

Because small town USA doesn't have them available over the counter. My guess is, Fleetguard is small potatoes when it comes to filters in use world wide. You said it yourself, Cummins don't have oil related issues. With 7 diesels and 6 gassers that use filters (Napa/Wix) I can say most engines are oil/filter issue free, in my use.

 

[brods]

Because small town USA doesn't have them available over the counter. My guess is, Fleetguard is small potatoes when it comes to filters in use world wide. You said it yourself, Cummins don't have oil related issues. With 7 diesels and 6 gassers that use filters (Napa/Wix) I can say most engines are oil/filter issue free, in my use.

Good points. My comments were meant for those who will worry about getting the very "best" oil filter money can buy. Want better than stock filtration, throw on a Strataopre and call it a day. Getting all excited over some other filter that has marginally better bench test numbers than the Stratapore, but potentially has negative consequences in the real world seems counterproductive. If someone is that concerned about better oil filtration, then a bypass filter would probably be a more effective choice. Just remember there are no magic bullets, everything has compromises and tradeoffs.